98 V70 TB Idler Pulley Offset W/ Belt Topic is solved

[Ozark Lee]

Be very careful, particularly with INA (so called OEM manufacturer) parts. The market is flooded with counterfeits although the tensioner roller has been the worst. I am to the point where I don't believe a timing system part is genuine unless it comes in a blue box that slides across the dealership parts counter. There are a few dealership websites that sell the timing system components about as cheaply as you can buy them aftermarket and you know they are quality.

...Lee

[sleddriver]

I'm all ears...what dealership sites might those be?

[erikv11]

This one is consistently the cheapest these days: http://volvopartslisle.com/part/OEM-Vol ... h-Belt-Kit

[sleddriver]

Thanks for the link to Lisle. That TB kit is nearly half what the local dealer wanted and a substantial savings over purchasing each item separately.

I seem to recall Tasca was another. There was also another dealer site that was mentioned. Can't recall the name off-hand.

[erikv11]

Jim Ellis Volvo is another. Tasca has good prices, almost as good as Lisle, but Tasca has traditionally gouged on shipping.

[sleddriver]

Update:

Found a ref to My Swedish Parts here. Turns out they're in Plano, Tx, which works great for me as standard ground = overnight. $15 flat shipping + promo code MVS5 gets you a discount (5%?). Very nice over the phone. In addition to the Timing components, I also ordered the coolant hoses. Looking forward to having this all wrapped up tomorrow.

[oragex]

Be very careful, particularly with INA (so called OEM manufacturer) parts. The market is flooded with counterfeits although the tensioner roller has been the worst. I am to the point where I don't believe a timing system part is genuine unless it comes in a blue box that slides across the dealership parts counter. There are a few dealership websites that sell the timing system components about as cheaply as you can buy them aftermarket and you know they are quality.

...Lee

I read a forum story about an Ina replacement roller that failed soon after installing. Not saying all Ina parts are suspect, but some certainly are. Hoping it's not Ina itself that's going downhill. I think some later diesel engines had issues with the original timing belt roller in Europe.

[precopster]

I'm now using boxed INA timing sets from Germany (Rexbo). The boxes and stickers within look great and the belts are made by INA in Germany. All parts are stamped and bearing seals on the tensioner carry the same markings as Genuine. They are about 15% cheaper after AUD conversion than the so called OEM sets made up by independant parts suppliers.

[sleddriver]

.... so called OEM sets made up by independant parts suppliers.

One of the indy places here does this...a Conti belt + two INA pulleys, packaged by some wholesaler they order from. But they wanted $195 for it!! [That's nuts....]The local dealer wanted $218 (full retail) for a BB TB kit.

When I asked what brand of coolant hoses they use, he mentioned gates, then something else, then URO (EEEEK!). He said "no one can afford dealer hoses...." Makes me wonder even more now.....

MSP matched Lisle's Volvo price of $123 for the TB kit. Their listed price was about $132. Why pay $195 then? Doesn't' make sense. Further, MSP's cost on Volvo coolant hoses was very reasonable, so I ordered them all.

Caveat Emptor....sure pays to shop around & ask questions!

[sleddriver]

Update:

FedEx delivered the MySwedishParts (Plano, Tx Volvo dealer) order the next morning. With the "shopping around" phase completed, the next is to install it all. Their prices + service are hard to beat. I'll be using them again soon.

I followed CN90's guide and Ozark Lee's. Very well written & thorough. Cheers & Beers to you both!

BTW, IKEA makes a GREAT long gooseneck LED light that works GREAT in tight spaces such as this. Plus, it's only about $12. I find the thing indispensable for car work. You can snake it where you want and it'll stay there, it won't burn your hands, works great with an inspection mirror to illuminate the tight nooks & crannies, you can hot glue magnets to the bottom so it'll adhere to metal. Great little worklight. Highly recommended.
IKEA JANSJO LED WORK LAMP

I discovered why the WP was leaking: It was loose! Didn't take much effort at all to remove the bolts. Then discovered there wasn't any thread locker on them at all. What WAS on there resembled anti-seize. After removing it, a close inspection revealed the bearing was still tight & quiet, so I'll reuse it with a new gasket. Cleaning up the block face was quite a chore. Access is awkward when working from the ground, I have big hands, tried all manner of tools. Finally got it very clean. I used the clear red anerobic sealant (since I already had it & it works great at filling in micro pores in aluminum) to coat the face of the WP to stick the gasket down, then applied more to the other side. I soaked the bolts in carb cleaner, then brushed then cleaned them up with a wire wheel mounted in the drill press. Then I used blue threadlocker & torqued to spec. This phase of the project took FAR longer than I thought, but it was important to get it ALL clean first.

Both of the INA pulleys were silent when held to an ear and spun. Didn't want a repeat. Installation was straightforward. Again I cleaned the bolts and used BTL. I used too long of a pin to hold the HT cylinder closed which resulted in quite a struggle to remove it when the time came. That thing sure can apply A LOT of force.....

I cut the old belt off to save time & hassle. Installing the new one was frustrating having never done it before, but perseverence paid off. I slid a screwdriver between the bottom of the belt and the bumper to prevent the belt from sliding when pulling on it. Getting the new belt over the TP was quite an effort as it was TIGHT. A long 90° needle nose pliers was very helpful here to fit in the space and pull up on. I then discovered the exhaust cam had moved about too teeth towards the front. So off the belt came to do it again. BTW, the intake cam never moved and I wasn't able to move it with my bare hands. The exhaust cam is much easier to move, but still takes some force. I simple wrenched it back into alignment and restrung the belt. Check with the marks, then spun the crank over at least twice, and all was lined up. I still haven't fired it up though as I want to replace the easy-to-get-to coolant hoses.

Hasn't been started yet, but note where the TB is tracking now after turning over the crank several times by hand vs. the previous photos.

A side note here: I'm one of those unfortunate ones who have experienced a TB off-one-tooth when done by a shop. It was quite subtle, gas mileage went down, so did power. Unfortunately I didn't connect the dots until years later. FUBAR. Never even suspected the shop. I didn't even know it was possible to have the engine work with a tooth off. I finally verified it by going out and checking it myself. You can bet that when the same shop did the next belt I advised them of this and checked it myself as soon as possible.

Trust....but verify!

Q: What's the best thing to use to flush the cooling system? How best to do it?