Cheap Timing Belt Discussion

[erikv11]

The cheapest source of quality timing belt parts has consistently been to buy a kit from Volvo that has the belt, idler and tensioner all bundled together. I'd check the price of that at IPD and at Lisle online Volvo parts.

Get an OEM water pump back on there and it can easily go 200k, which will be the life of the car. I don't change the water pump until the third belt (210 k on hydraulic tensioner vehicles), unless it has some junk aftermarket pump on there when I get the vehicle.

[zacharyzoosh]

On a Volvo, im not sure WHY YOU ARE WORRYING AT ALL, since you can pop
off the edge of the timing cover SO EASILY and simply look at it!
Done and dusted.
Whats all the whoopla about worry and doubt.
I only buy cheap kits because GUESS WHAT, you are all mental; most of the kits are all made in the same place regardless.
In my experience restoring cars constantly, multiple every month, for the last ten years;
the ONLY CAUSE OF TIMING BELT FAILURE I HAVE EVER SEEN IS SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE BELT ITSELF!
RealTalk.
Its either a water pump bearing blows up; or an actual bolt in the system fails sending a pulley haywire. Or a pulley fails; or the obvious one, a tensioner fails.

Guess what? Last project i picked up, seller complains about “after mechanic changed timing belt, the car started smoking” blah blah.
I bought it for $300 without any concerns. Seller thought it had a blown head gasket.
Upon inspection, i noticed that the timing belt was MAYBE replaced, but without ANY of its components replaced.
So you see; had i not intercepted it; it likely would have gotten worse.
In this case the water pump started to fail; it was very creaky, stiff and downright falling apart. Thats a water pump in a timing system.
It was leaking. None of the Pulleys nor tensioner were replaced.
So,
moral
of my story:
I really dont care what kit it is; as long as it comes with NEW HARDWARE LIKE BOLTS, and has ALL COMPONENTS!

Other example i have seen of a car with failed timing on interferance engine: Audi, which went 135k before a bolt failed. The belt didnt fail. A belt almost never fails. They are braided strong, reinforced belts. Its the other parts you have to worry about. And of course on a Volvo, with Variable Valve timing and strong tension and springs in cams, your belt can stretch a bit through the changing seasons/years and you do wanna change it.
But
My ulterior point being my first mention; Why worry, when you can peek at it anytime.

Happy Wrenching!!

[RickHaleParker]

My ulterior point being my first mention; Why worry, when you can peek at it anytime.

One can peek at anytime but mere mortals don't have x-ray vision.

[tardcart]

dont do it in the parking lot after dinner in the dark. You need all your tools, be relaxed, and have a computer to double check stuff. air gun, dont try putting it on by twisting it up into the crank gear with the balancer on. the belts are too stiff and will kink and get nicked. If you used a Gates belt thats fine, just replace the pump then. Put the belt back on going in the same direction as before. dont use any goober sealer on the pump, only the gasket that comes with it. thats what volvo does despite advice to contrary here.If you can't stop your self from squeezing a tube, then only do it on the pump side of the gasket so it will come off clean in the future. dont use a razor to clean mating surface. only tighten bolts medium tight with 4 Inch 10mm wrench. a four inch wrench will exert about 20 pounds at full strength, you are shooting for 14.

[erikv11]

I'm feeling grouchy so I will only restrain myself a little bit:

... I only buy cheap kits because GUESS WHAT, you are all mental; most of the kits are all made in the same place regardless. ...

It's sellers like you who give car flippers a bad name.

... ONLY CAUSE OF TIMING BELT FAILURE I HAVE EVER SEEN IS SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE BELT ITSELF ...

That's basically the same point that most others posting in this thread have made. So why use ALL CAPS to agree with everyone?

... My ulterior point being my first mention; Why worry, when you can peek at it anytime. ...

OMG good point - why do any scheduled maintenance when you can just take a minute to inspect every single moving part, right before each drive!!

[bmdubya1198]

It's sellers like you who give car flippers a bad name.

Tell me about it... any time anyone has asked if a car I am selling is a flip, I have to be careful with how I answer. They usually go totally mental and act like I'm some kind of scam artist because I want to make money doing something I enjoy. I only use quality parts and I do the job right, no matter what it is. I would never want to sell someone a car that will leave them stranded. Well, without disclosing that part first at least... I sell projects sometimes.

Anyway, use only OEM parts for the timing components. Continental belt, INA pulleys, and an Aisin water pump. If your cam and crank seals are leaking, replace them. Lots of people like Corteco seals, but genuine Volvo is going to be the safest bet (although the much more expensive option). Or, you could get OE Volvo everything to be extra safe (even though the Volvo stuff is going to be Volvo-branded Continental, INA, and Aisin).
I usually recommend FCP Euro for Volvo parts. Their prices are usually the lowest, their customer service is excellent, and they have a lifetime warranty on everything they sell. They also have fast shipping, which is free over $49.

[mrbrian200]

Domestic and some Asian makes you can find inexpensive aftermarket parts that are passable good quality. This has simply not been my experience with euro lux makes, especially Volvo. The lower the vehicle production volume, the harder it seems to find quality parts in the aftermarket excepting 'OEM' branded parts from the suppliers who made Volvo's factory installed/original equipment parts. With rare exception when it comes to Volvos you pretty much need to stick to OE/OEM and anything else should probably be considered a temporary band-aid. Especially anything involved in the timing belt loop as these are interference engines.
Note, I consider Gates timing belts one of those rare exceptions so long as everything else (pulleys-tensioner-water pump) are OE/M.

[bmdubya1198]

Gates belts tend to be pretty good, especially if you use the blue "Gates Racing" timing belt.

[850 LPT]

On a Volvo, im not sure WHY YOU ARE WORRYING AT ALL, since you can pop
off the edge of the timing cover SO EASILY and simply look at it!
Done and dusted.

Yes, you can inspect the belt this way, but the belt is only part of the puzzle.
Unless you take the belt off and inspect the bearings of the tensioner, idler roller and WP, you have NO idea what the condition of them really is.
And a failure of one of those components is what's most likely going to get you, so why take the chance?

[abscate]

The car has +225k on it now, is my daily, and is super solid. I want to get it to 400k, but if my cheapness grenades the poor thing that wont happen.

If you want 400k , replace every non OEM PART with OEM, using a vendor with lifetime warranty.