Timing belt alignment off after timing belt job

2001V70Turbo · Post by **2001V70Turbo** » 24 Dec 2017, 15:04

The guy I bought my 2001 V70 2.4T (B5234T3 engine) from insisted he change the timing belt before I bought it. I did an engine swap and while the engine was out he installed the new water pump, timing components along with the new belt... Said he rotated the engine crank a few times. Today while reconnecting things on the motor I noticed the intake the belt is riding all the way forward on the sprocket. All timing jobs I've ever done the belt is usually riding dead center... Should I be concerned here?

Post by **cn90** » 24 Dec 2017, 15:19

The problem is: the TB is Gates.

Search the P80 forum, people have had issues with Gates TB walking sideways back and forth.
Not the end of the world but it looks scary. Either:

1. The mechanical tensioner has some play....or

2. The TB is not mfg'd "perfectly"...

PS: Search youtube using key words "Gates Timing Belt", you will see that the Subaru TB kit has the pulleys made in China.
Nothing against China since the iPad, iPhones etc. are made in China, but when it comes to ball bearings, somehow the Chinese have not mastered it yet...

Post by **oragex** » 24 Dec 2017, 21:42

If this was the first timing belt change, there is a more serious concern. The single fact that the wp was replaced shows the guy doesn't know about these engines and almost certainly put a cheap water pump in there. These will suddenly fail in less than 20000 miles. Replace it asap with either Aisin or an original Volvo one. As mentioned above, the timing belt kit may have other cheap components, in particular the tensioner and roller can fail so keep an eye on these. I put on my car a Dayco kit: the belt stays just like yours while the roller started to throw grease right from the start.

Post by **cn90** » 25 Dec 2017, 09:58

1+,

If you love your car and plan to keep it for a long time....

1. WP: Aisin only (HEPU is OK too, but I prefer Aisin). Aisin lifespan is about 180K-200K.

2. TB kit from dealer is only $120.
The Gates TCK331 (or TCK331A)....READ the amazon reviews!!!

https://www.amazon.com/Gates-TCK331-Tim ... B001UCBJQ6

https://www.amazon.com/Gates-TCKWP331A- ... B00CFBT9AO

Anyway, I posted a DIY for my 2005 XC90 2.5T, very similar to your 2001 model:

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=83521

Post by **Rattnalle** » 25 Dec 2017, 11:49

The possibility for low quality components aside my car looked like the picture when I bought it and it had obviously survived 140 K km on the belt by then since Volvo last changed it. I wouldn't worry too much if everything else seems fine.

Post by **cn90** » 25 Dec 2017, 19:30

I finally found a somewhat relevant video.

It is from a Volvo 850 using GOODYEAR belt (not GATES, but the idea is the same).
Either the TB is not mfg's properly or the tensioner is bad.
Whatever you do, do what I said in the post above if you want to keep your car a long time.

[youtube][/youtube]

Post by **mrbrian200** » 26 Dec 2017, 00:45

I'm gonna go against the grain here and stick up for Gates. The devil is in the details of material construction. They are excellent belts. But because of the material construction (that makes them superior quality belts) they do not tolerate mishandling whatsoever:
I suspect most cases of a 'walking belt' as shown in the video of that 850 are due to mishandling of the belt while installing it. Such as cheating... not following Volvo service procedure by not removing the accessory belt pulley and all the guards around the crankshaft in which case you have to twist/deform the belt to get it on. Timing belts can't be bent or twisted any other way than lengthwise around the pulleys on a flat plane. This is because the type of reinforcement cords used in timing belts are designed to stretch as little as possible over the lifespan of the belt and have individual cord fibers running longitudinally like a bundle of wires, not braided like a shoestring. In this type of construction fibers break if the belt is twisted or deformed leaving you with a damaged belt that 'walks' because it has weak spots. Gates uses glass fiber (or Kevlar for the blue belt) as the reinforcement, which are superior in the respect that these materials hold a higher tensile strength, are more resilient against heat, and don't stretch like nylon can over the lifespan of the belt. Nylon will tolerate mishandling better as the fibers can stretch (a little) and spring back. Glass/Kevlar fibers will break in two. Handle these belts with extreme TLC. They are excellent belts, but if mishandled, easily damaged.

However, if the belt is not walking, but staying put, just not in the middle where it should be, this would be an alignment problem with the pulleys/tensioner/WP etc.

Post by **oragex** » 26 Dec 2017, 16:06

That is an interesting point. I know I twisted mine indeed to pass it by without removing the crank pulley. However the belt doesn't walk, just sits like in the picture. I've pushed it back to the center a few times on all the pulleys, but it came back. May perhaps have something to do with the tensioner quality?

Post by **abscate** » 26 Dec 2017, 16:27

Something on that car is out of round. I'll guess the tensioner or idler pulley

Post by **mrbrian200** » 26 Dec 2017, 18:06

abscate wrote: ↑26 Dec 2017, 16:27 Something on that car is out of round. I'll guess the tensioner or idler pulley

I don't think so, if you watch the white lettered printing on the belt go past the wobble is 'keyed' to a specific spot on the belt, not any of the pulleys. If the pulleys were at fault the wobble wouldn't fall on the same exact spot of the belt each time it loops around, once per revolution of the belt, not once per revolution of any of the pulleys which all rotate several times or more per revolution of the belt.