Timing Belt Looks Okay

Post by **benpineapple** » 16 Feb 2016, 16:05

Howdy all. So I've heard this addressed in passing, but haven't necessarily seen a general consensus on the issue of a timing belt that visually checks out. I purchased my 98 V70 at 175K, it's now at 204k. I have no indication of when the timing belt was replaced; there aren't any stickers under the hood, or in the manual to let me know. Visually, all components look fine. Hydraulic tensioner is dry, no leaks. Water pump is dry, no leaks. I manually turned it over, and all 3 timing marks line up perfectly. Belt visually looks fine; teeth don't appear to be worn down, no cracking visible. The belt has the Volvo logo, and Volvo OEM part # on it, so I'm assuming the timing belt was changed at a dealership.

I have purchased the complete kit (belt, tensioners, water pump), and will be replacing all components in the coming weeks, as I have no definitive proof of when it was last done. Going on some extended road trips this coming summer, and don't want to have to worry about it.

My question is this: if the timing belt and all other components look okay, are they okay? Any instances you've seen or experienced where things looked fine under the timing cover, and something went wrong?

Post by **scot850** » 16 Feb 2016, 16:15

I'm not trying to speak for everyone here, but the normal response is if you don't know when it was done last, no matter how it looks do it!

The cost of doing this verses a broken component/belt/tensioner/bearing/whatever that wrecks you engine, it is a relatively small price for piece of mind. This will possibly see the car out now.

Neil.

kippster41493 · Post by **kippster41493** » 16 Feb 2016, 16:21

Haven't had the joy of it on my own vehicle, helped a friend replace a water pump because it showed now signs of leaking and was heating fine for a while. 2 or so months later he started over heating with no signs of loosing coolant, took out the pump and the fins had worn off pretty good. I have no idea how common that is (was the first time I've seen it) but other than that I wouldn't worry too much if everything looks good. Not very often does something that looks good really isn't. Doing the belt and components is most likely good enough, not a whole needs to be changed. When I did the belt on my 98 V70 I honestly only replaced the belt because everything else looked fine, pulley spun freely, no leaks. So in my experience, what you're doing is more than fine.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Feb 2016, 16:56

Based on stats gathered here I would venture , which is a guess, the MTBF on belts is well over 150% of the service interval

For the pre 1999, that means well over 105k miles.

The user claims all liability for use of my conjecture.

Post by **oragex** » 16 Feb 2016, 17:09

Only for the belt, inspecting it implies turning little by little the engine and have a close look at the belt to cover it's entire length. If it doesn't show any crack at any point, to me that is good.

If you replace the water pump, make sure to use either a Volvo part or if available and Aisin replacement part. I have read too many posts about aftermarket pumps that didn't last 30k miles.

Post by **erikv11** » 16 Feb 2016, 17:32

The way the timing belt looks is of almost no relevance, unless it looks really bad. That is because the timing belt itself basically never fails, it is failures of the water pump, pulleys or the tensioner that have ruined P80 engines.

The biggest red flags are a pulley that wobbles, or one that spins freely. In the latter case the bearings are dried up and it should be replaced at once.

Post by **RussB** » 16 Feb 2016, 17:50

I bought my '00 S70 with 195k miles. I replaced the T-belt, tensioner, idler and water pump right away. I had no info regarding the last change, and I don't like to take chances.

dorvin · Post by **dorvin** » 16 Feb 2016, 19:16

When in doubt, swap it out.

Post by **benpineapple** » 17 Feb 2016, 07:36

abscate wrote:The user claims all liability for use of my conjecture.

Was planning on blaming you.

Thanks all for the input. Doing the change this weekend with all Volvo components. Too risky to leave it up to chance.

Post by **abscate** » 17 Feb 2016, 09:01

We have really good lawyers here on MVS.

I went way over on mine but I won't do that again on any car and Ive been depositing heavily into the karmic bucket since to make up for that withdrawal. Just did the P2 at 100k/10 years proactively.