2006 XC70 Serpentine Tensioner Pulley Noise? Topic is solved

[Skymongrel]

Recently notice my 2006 XC70 (190K) emitting a tinny chittering noise from the serpentine belt area. I removed the belt and started the engine and the noise is gone. I spun all pulleys and I think it is the tensioner pulley. It spins quite freely without lots of noise but it is quite loose and wobbly. The alternator pulley spin smoothly with its clutch function intact but does spin with a lower pitch sound (like maybe its dry of grease?).

I tool three videos of my issues; One with the car running with the belt on, one with me spinning and manipulating the tensioner pulley, and lastly one of me spinning the alternator pulley. Appreciate any advice!

[MoVolvos]

Recently notice my 2006 XC70 (190K) emitting a tinny chittering noise from the serpentine belt area. I removed the belt and started the engine and the noise is gone. I spun all pulleys and I think it is the tensioner pulley. It spins quite freely without lots of noise but it is quite loose and wobbly. The alternator pulley spin smoothly with its clutch function intact but does spin with a lower pitch sound (like maybe its dry of grease?).

I tool three videos of my issues; One with the car running with the belt on, one with me spinning and manipulating the tensioner pulley, and lastly one of me spinning the alternator pulley. Appreciate any advice!

.
The alternator is fine but that tensioner in the second video needs replacement ASAP. Imagine your wheel bearing that loose or not tightening your lug nuts so the wheel is flopping around. Due to the tension, speed and grooves in the race the assembly has not come apart.

Son and I were discussing this last evening concerning his P1 08 C30 as it looks like the same motor as the P3 in the video. Though yours is suppose to be different motor I would venture to say you probably would still have some damage here and there if the pulley and belt came off.

Video starting 8:35.
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[jonesg]

when i detected a twittering from my serp tensioner, it threw the belt the very next day, makes a big mess.
i wouldn't drive it.

[Skymongrel]

Hey, thanks guys for feedback. I drove this car today but will now wait til my tensioner part arrives! I wanted to replace as soon as I felt the looseness of that tensioner pulley but or course I couldn't find it anywhere locally so I went online. Of course it may take a week to get it. I didn't fully appreciate that it potentially was a ticking time bomb (per video posted above).

BTW I feel like an idiot for how long it took me to get the belt off....I heard it takes a Torx bit so I kept trying to put it on the pulley Torx screw which of course there is no room to do. Then after mucking around a bunch I realized the tensioner has a Torx cut-out in the tensioner bracket!! Tons of room and I used a Torx 60 socket and a serpentine removal tool to get belt off.

Yeah, so glad its not alternator.

[cn90]

It is interesting that people worry about timing belt and religiously replace it (and 2 pulleys) at 100K-120K
or so. And yet most ppl ignore the serp belt + pulley, even the Volvo dealer! Very often Volvo dealer does
the TB job (which includes the TB and 3 pulleys) and ignore the serp belt.

The serp belt lasts about 140K.
The serp belt pulley grease dries out at 90K-100K, it may last up to 130K etc. etc.

But I always replace serp belt + pulley at the TB job at ~ 110K or so.

Serp belt (Conti) and INA pulley is not that expensive at FCPEuro etc.
Just make sure you get the correct serp belt bc there are 2 different lengths for different years.

[Skymongrel]

Update; got my new tensioner and installed it. Install went well. I think the tensioner was actually good but the pulley had a dry bearing and would spin quite freely with no resistance.

1. I moved the steering pump reservoir out of the way.
2. Reached in with a belt tensioner tool and a 60mm Torx socket and removed belt (made a diagram of belt routing).
3. Reached in with a 3/8 inch ratchet and a 10mm socket and loosened the top tensioner mounting bolt. Then using a small battery ratchet tool removed bolt.
4. Jacked the car up on passenger side, removed tire and opened the fender access panel held on by one or two plastic 10mm nuts.
5. Reached up into engine bay and easily removed the remaining tensioner mounting bolt.
6. Installed new tensioner and belt. Belt install is tricky, only thing special I did was to use a bungee cord to keep tensioner tool in place while I put on belt. I also used a long skinny rod to push belt around as it randomly fell off various pulleys as I manipulated it.

The old tensioner was not the original. I replaced it when I did the timing belt change, somewhere around 120k. So I got 70k out of the replacement tensioner (pulley).

[jonesg]

Update; got my new tensioner and installed it. Install went well. I think the tensioner was actually good but the pulley had a dry bearing and would spin quite freely with no resistance.

1. I moved the steering pump reservoir out of the way.
2. Reached in with a belt tensioner tool and a 60mm Torx socket and removed belt (made a diagram of belt routing).
3. Reached in with a 3/8 inch ratchet and a 10mm socket and loosened the top tensioner mounting bolt. Then using a small battery ratchet tool removed bolt.
4. Jacked the car up on passenger side, removed tire and opened the fender access panel held on by one or two plastic 10mm nuts.
5. Reached up into engine bay and easily removed the remaining tensioner mounting bolt.
6. Installed new tensioner and belt. Belt install is tricky, only thing special I did was to use a bungee cord to keep tensioner tool in place while I put on belt. I also used a long skinny rod to push belt around as it randomly fell off various pulleys as I manipulated it.

The old tensioner was not the original. I replaced it when I did the timing belt change, somewhere around 120k. So I got 70k out of the replacement tensioner (pulley).

good job , the bearing can be replaced but i never bothered.