2005 XC90 Idler Pulley Seized and Melted. New Engine?

Equipowin · Post by **Equipowin** » 09 Jan 2014, 14:29

I'm hoping someone has seen this before (and can offer a simple solution). I heard a whine about a week ago and suspected a pulley but waited to address it until the weather warmed. Today the noise turned to a squeal for about 15 seconds while I was stopped at a light. I was 10 minutes from home so I figured I'd check it then. 2 miles later the belt snapped and this is what I have.

I'm afraid the melted portion of the lower puller is machined into the block. Can anyone confirm?

Post by **kcodyjr** » 09 Jan 2014, 17:15

That certainly looks like a bolt head to me. Any luck turning it?

That aside, you definitely need a head rebuild as well as a timing job now.

Post by **jimmy57** » 09 Jan 2014, 17:59

That is a V8. No t belt damage. The damaged idler boss is part of the timing chain cover, not the block.
If the bolt comes out then the boss can be filed flat and a spacer sleeve (piece of the correct sized pipe or other material for a spacer) used inside idler and a washer behind to shim pulley out to correct alignment. The pulley does have to be properly aligned or the belt will want to walk off the edge.
Otherwise it is a new cover. $$$$$$$

mhcrra1 · Post by **mhcrra1** » 14 Mar 2014, 06:05

I know it's been a little while since your post, but I wanted to add my experience which might help others. This winter my '06 XC90 had the EXACT same problem and totally wiped out one of the idler pulleys along with the boss on the timing cover. I panicked!!! After examining it for a while, I decided to attempt a repair...cut the rest of the boss off flush to the timing cover, the threads were still good (they go in deep) then I found a socket that fit perfectly inside the larger (I think a 12 or 13mm 3/8" drive), cut that down to a length just a tad over the idler pulley inner bushing. Installed it with a new metric bolt and it works PERFECTLY!!!! Just my 2 cents that might help someone else.

Post by **jimmy57** » 14 Mar 2014, 15:27

It would be nice to hear from the original guy. I'm curious how it got fixed.

VFLXC90 · Post by **VFLXC90** » 26 Mar 2014, 04:44

Thanks for the repair tip. We will see more of these failures in the future. When the V-8's become older and neglected. These bearings are going to fail. The v-8's will become very affordable in the near future.

clarka1 · Post by **clarka1** » 04 Aug 2016, 08:45

Just pulled off my idler pulley (2005 XC90 V8) and have the same issue - damaged boss. Considering the approach suggested here (using a custom-made bushing rather than a costly engine cover replacement). For those of you with experience at this, how long has this lasted? Dealer warns me that this is only a "temporary fix" (hmm?) I only have 100K on this vehicle, so I'd like to keep it for a while. Would like to know if anyone out there has regretted going this route? Also, should I have a machine shop make the bushing, or do any of you know of any pre-made that I can order, etc? Appreciate any advice! -Al

yoeddy · Post by **yoeddy** » 14 Sep 2016, 18:50

I heard about this issue with the 4.4L engine and am trying to get ahead of the issue. Purchased new idler pulleys and tensioner unit and would like to know if anyone had the torque specifications for both of these. I have a 2006 XC90 and the repair looks relatively simple from an access perspective, but I don't want to start without the torques. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Chris

Post by **Roger_850T** » 14 Sep 2016, 21:15

yoeddy wrote:I heard about this issue with the 4.4L engine and am trying to get ahead of the issue. Purchased new idler pulleys and tensioner unit and would like to know if anyone had the torque specifications for both of these. I have a 2006 XC90 and the repair looks relatively simple from an access perspective, but I don't want to start without the torques. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Chris

The belt tensioner gets 90Nm.
For the idler rollers, I don't see a specific torque called out. Both have M10 bolts, and the generic torque for an M10 bolt is 50Nm.

One thing to be aware of, if you don't have the procedure: If you look at your new tensioner, it's got a metal cover plate over the spring, approx. 1" x 2". That cover is "special tool 999-7195". It comes with the tensioner. That's what holds the tensioner compressed until you install it. You can probably put a wrench on the old one and compress it enough to slip the belt off, (I did this, just know to take it slowly, like ~20+ seconds of constant tension on the wrench to compress.) Check the wrench size with the new one, I think I used a short 6 point SAE socket that fit, then a LONG extension to get the needed torque easily. Look for the spot that looks like a bolt head on the tensioner bracket. When you put it all back together, you want to leave this special tool on until you're happy with the belt's position, then pop it off and allow the tensioner to expand and tension the belt.

yoeddy · Post by **yoeddy** » 16 Sep 2016, 06:37

Thank you for the information Roger_850T, I really appreciate it!

Chris