99 c70 timing belt question

[corviarbob]

ok i took off the timing belt cover today and checked the belt. it is a volvo belt and i did not see and signs of cracking on the back side going over the cam cog and i turned the inside out a bit to check it for worn teeth and it still has cross hatch marks on the teeth which looks like the may be there to show potential where on the teeth. so what is this concensis? if this a good sign or should i just change it/ the first owner had the car until 2012 and she told me she had all service work done that was required by volvo but the dealer can't verify that information. but in years past that same dealer did enter in carfax all work by description so it may be an accurate statement from the first owner that this was done. the first owner is a business owner and by talking to here it sounds that she wanted the car maintained as she even had the visors repaired when they broke and most people would just get used or after marked she got volvo visors.

so by not seeing any cracking in the back of the belt going over the cog's and those cross hatch mark's still on the teeth tell you the belt is in good shape? if by going by the required maintenance that the first owner would have had done the belt may have been changes out at 150k and due again at 225k it now sets at 195k

[yngwies]

My two cents? What's your tolerance for risk and how fat is your wallet when/if a non-tolerance engine goes out of timing and bends everything inside?

A belt is cheap and not too difficult to replace (check/replace the water pump and tensioners as well while you are there). I have done this service in each of the used volvos I have purchased- within the first 14 days of ownership. Unless I have written proof/receipt of the work being done. There may also be a service sticker inside the timing cover- worth a look.

in any event, without concrete facts in hand stating otherwise, I would suggest you assume that you have a timing belt with 195k on it and replace the darn thing ASAP. How the belt "looks" is relatively meaningless in my humble opinion.

[kallekula]

Ive seen a couple of blown heads and it was always the water pump that had seized up. Never seen a broken belt.

[tryingbe]

No record? Change the belt/idler/tensioner/waterpump. I'd also change the cam seals if they look wet.

[corviarbob]

i saw some videos about changing the belt, one they took the back cam covers off and put some type of locking device on the cam and one they just changes the belt. now does this engine have variable valve adjustment? so i need to lock the cams in place? 1999 Volvo C70 Base Convertible 2-Door 2.4L 2435CC l5 GAS DOHC Turbocharged. or can i get away with just removing the belt and making sure before i replace it that the timing marks are still correct and if one of the gears move just put it back? thanks

[Ozark Lee]

The cam locker is worthless for a CVVT engine. What you do need to do is set the CVVT preload before you remove the old belt. You do that by rotating the engine, clockwise, by hand, to the timing marks and then continue clockwise another 90 degrees. From there go back counterclockwise to the timing marks again and remove the old belt. I just cut it in half.

As you thread the new belt on you need to get it on the bottom part of the engine first (Crankshaft, water pump, tensioner, idler) and go across the camshaft sprockets last. Thread it onto the intake cam sprocket nice and taught and then as you go onto the exhaust cam sprocket rotate the sprocket itself, but not the hub that it rides on, to a point where the timing marks align and then slip the belt on.

From there set your tension and give it a few rotations by hand, clockwise, and touch up the tensioner adjustment.

After you start and run the engine you typically need to adjust the tension again a few times before it reliably stays adjusted with the indicator in the "window". Adjusting the tension correctly usually takes me 2 or 3 iterations.

...Lee

[corviarbob]

well thanks lee. one of the videos showed marking the front and the back of the cam gears to be make sure they were back to those points before the final installation on the exhaust gear. and they showed how to adjust the tensioner for cold warm and hot. i'm not exactly sure yet if i have the cvvt setup. maybe some here can tell me with my vin i put in here.

[Ozark Lee]

On a '99 non turbo you may not have CVVT. The C series car kind of march to their own drummer so I don't know for sure.

If you don't have CVVT just line up the marks, cut off the belt, and install the new belt. If a cam gets bumped just put it back to the marks but it is important to get the belt taught as it goes on to the intake cam sprocket. Getting the belt tight to the intake cam is a bit less of a big deal with the mechanical tensioner than it is with the hydraulic tensioner but getting it taught there prevents both cams from moving a notch when the tensioner gets tightened.

I have seen some videos where people make this much harder than it really is. Just rotate it clockwise couple of revolutions by hand and recheck your marks before you fire it up and you will be fine.

The Cold/Warm/Hot silliness on the tensioner is not ultra critical. On a cold engine I just set it in the middle and then recheck it after the engine runs. It changes a fair amount after the engine first runs but it isn't really due to temperature as much as it is all of the play getting taken out of the belt. If you are working on the car in the snow you might want to shade it to the cold side.

...Lee

[corviarbob]

thanks lee. i ordered the parts today and next weekend i will replace them. i got the seals but the back of the cam is not leaking i don't yet know about the front behind the gears will see then. got the pump and other idlers also. i think this belt is find but like most say when it is changed then I KNOW IT IS DONE. i know this is not a bad job i have done may timing belts before. just did not want to spend the money if i did not have to. my money is still on tis being done a few years ago. but they also changed the struts about then and i had a bad one. they were original factory replacements and failed so i guess the belt can fail early as well. my experience has been if the back of the belt look good the belt still had life. anyway next week it get done.

on another note do you happen to know if the ign switch has a magnetic connection between the key mechanism and the electric part of the ign? i made a none chipped key to open the door and trunk and it fits the ign. but it turns 360 deg and keeps turning 360 deg. if i hold the chip key by the ign sometimes it catches and will allow the car to crank and start but it fails to keep running. just curious. this week i'm getting 1 more chip key made at a local locksmith anyway. thanks

[JRL]

You need a new ignition lock, it WILL fail completely at some point.
This needs to be ordered from Volvo, costs about 250 dollars!