What did you do to your P2 Volvo today?

[jonesg]

No need to remove the crank pulley, just the lower dust shield, slip the timing belt through the gap sideways.

I've read conflicting opinions about this. Some say as you do, others say you need the eyes of a hawk to make out the timing marks with the crank pulley in place, and yet others say that bending the timing belt sideways like that weakens it in a potentially dangerous way. That last possibility concerns me.

Yeh the marks are near impossible to see even with the pulley out of the way.
I get around that by locking the cam sprockets to keep everything in time, the crank won't move by itself.
If the cam marks are lined up properly then you know the crank is too, assuming it was in time initially, that makes it a lot easier to spot the tiny marks on the crank.
Removing the crank nut is easy, torquing it back again isn't. 130 ft lbs ?
I say theres next to zero chance of damaging the belt by slipping it thru the gap.
But i've seen several instances where the pulley worked itself loose and destroyed the top end.
On mine the 30mm nut disappeared, I caught it by sheer luck, hammered a new one on with air tool and loctite.

[kcodyjr]

I get around that by locking the cam sprockets to keep everything in time, the crank won't move by itself.

That ship has sailed. I went with my cousin the Volvo factory-trained ASE-certified guy's school of "just cut it off and time it back in from scratch when you're putting it back together." Plus, the crank has moved since I took the belt off.

Removing the crank nut is easy, torquing it back again isn't. 130 ft lbs ?

I've got a 1/2-inch drive clicky torque wrench that can handle that. The question is, what keeps the crank from turning? That's more than enough force to overcome compression.

I say theres next to zero chance of damaging the belt by slipping it thru the gap.

The argument is that the act of bending it to slip through that gap is what does the damage. Something about timing belts are made very stiff in the transverse direction, and moebius-ing it is like bending someone's fingers backward.

But i've seen several instances where the pulley worked itself loose and destroyed the top end.

Yikes! Same thing as the belt snapping, no?

[abscate]

180 Nm for the crank center nut, but I antiseize it so I don’t torque it nearly that tight, probably about 2/3 of that

[jonesg]

If the crank pulley comes loose it does worse than a snapped belt, it takes out the crank splines first, then the top end.
I got lucky and discovered it before major damage but still needed a puller to get the damaged pulley off the crank.
I installed the nut as you prescribed , air tool and loctite.

Just went out to the garage , tried twisting a spare belt into a corkscrew, these things are nearly indestructible.
Maybe if I put it in the vice and twisted with a prybar, I think they're kevlar.
But installing is just pushing it with fingertips because you can't get your hands in there anyway.

[volvolugnut]

I get around that by locking the cam sprockets to keep everything in time, the crank won't move by itself.

That ship has sailed. I went with my cousin the Volvo factory-trained ASE-certified guy's school of "just cut it off and time it back in from scratch when you're putting it back together." Plus, the crank has moved since I took the belt off.

Removing the crank nut is easy, torquing it back again isn't. 130 ft lbs ?

I've got a 1/2-inch drive clicky torque wrench that can handle that. The question is, what keeps the crank from turning? That's more than enough force to overcome compression.

I say theres next to zero chance of damaging the belt by slipping it thru the gap.

The argument is that the act of bending it to slip through that gap is what does the damage. Something about timing belts are made very stiff in the transverse direction, and moebius-ing it is like bending someone's fingers backward.

But i've seen several instances where the pulley worked itself loose and destroyed the top end.

Yikes! Same thing as the belt snapping, no?

To hold the crank pulley while tightening use a tool like this. https://www.amazon.com/CRANKSHAFT-PULLE ... B06ZYJ1VGL

I made a tool from angle iron that fit over two of the crank bolts.

volvolugnut

[jonesg]

Funny thing is , I have all the tools to fabricate a fancy $60 counter hold tool, plasma cutter, tig welder etc.
Can't be bothered.

[kcodyjr]

To hold the crank pulley while tightening use a tool like this. https://www.amazon.com/CRANKSHAFT-PULLE ... B06ZYJ1VGL

I've got one on the way from FCP for reassembly. I was able to get it off with an impact gun, and I was able to time it back in from scratch (thankfully, I didn't need to loosen the VVT hubs.)

Maintaining rightward tension so the VVT hubs don't spin, and leftward tension so the belt goes on straight and tight, and upward tension so the f***** doesn't pop off the crank sprocket, is a royal pain in the keester. I'm sure there's some trick to doing it easily that I probably won't ever learn.

[abscate]

To hold the crank pulley while tightening use a tool like this. https://www.amazon.com/CRANKSHAFT-PULLE ... B06ZYJ1VGL

I've got one on the way from FCP for reassembly. I was able to get it off with an impact gun, and I was able to time it back in from scratch (thankfully, I didn't need to loosen the VVT hubs.)

Maintaining rightward tension so the VVT hubs don't spin, and leftward tension so the belt goes on straight and tight, and upward tension so the f***** doesn't pop off the crank sprocket, is a royal pain in the keester. I'm sure there's some trick to doing it easily that I probably won't ever learn.

There are a lot of ways to skin the cat. I’ve found it easiest to put it in the water pump last, using the closed end of my 30mm wrench as an almost perfect match to the water pump pulley, slipping the belt off sideways onto the pump.

The mechanical tensioner and idler bolts are all loose when I install, slip belt on , the tighten, then check time.

My biggest worry today is after a nasty day refreshing an E83 suspension in the driveway, the Chinese satellite will land on me

[jonesg]

To hold the crank pulley while tightening use a tool like this. https://www.amazon.com/CRANKSHAFT-PULLE ... B06ZYJ1VGL

I've got one on the way from FCP for reassembly. I was able to get it off with an impact gun, and I was able to time it back in from scratch (thankfully, I didn't need to loosen the VVT hubs.)

Maintaining rightward tension so the VVT hubs don't spin, and leftward tension so the belt goes on straight and tight, and upward tension so the f***** doesn't pop off the crank sprocket, is a royal pain in the keester. I'm sure there's some trick to doing it easily that I probably won't ever learn.

There are a lot of ways to skin the cat. I’ve found it easiest to put it in the water pump last, using the closed end of my 30mm wrench as an almost perfect match to the water pump pulley, slipping the belt off sideways onto the pump.

The mechanical tensioner and idler bolts are all loose when I install, slip belt on , the tighten, then check time.

My biggest worry today is after a nasty day refreshing an E83 suspension in the driveway, the Chinese satellite will land on me

run the belt up, across the 2 cam sprockets and hold it there with a small vice grip whilst you fiddle with the other pullies.
You can deflect the tensioner pulley by hand to give enough slack to slip the belt on the water pump pulley.
Rotate twice by hand and check the marks again.

[GlennG2759]

Vise grip method worked for me also, used one on each cam sprocket. For a first timer doing a timing belt, still scary turning that ignition switch !