1993 850 Timing Belt

[Jaydotscott96]

Hello all! I have to do the timing belt on my 1993 850 and I’ve seen a ton of different options and heard different things such as the timing belt can be “upgraded” from a 21mm belt to a 23mm belt. I’ve looked at FCP and there is a kit for around 350 bones and that’s the one I plan to use. Can anyone offer me some input about the job and if those parts are correct from FCP? Any help is much appreciated, I’m doing my own research but it can get overwhelming at times and I want to do the job properly.

[pfmet]

Hey Jay, before I did my first TB job (referenced in previous post) I read and researched everything I could find on this site (MVS is the place to be) and others and was overwhelmed. Help and advice from others nudged me towards good decisions, and best choices for parts. The timing belt is the most important part on our engines and should be the best. Genuine Volvo or Continental. Genuine Volvo water pumps are Aisin, but $130 more. So there are nuances to choosing. Refer to the pinned thread at the top (part brands), and look for and pay close attention to posts by the frequent posting gurus whom you will come to recognize soon. My experience is only with my car and there are many earlier 850 experts out there. SOME even use ‘850’ in their handles.

[scot850]

There is nothing particularly hard about the 850. Of the P80's it is probably the easiest.

Establish that tensioner you have. If it has been on there for a long time it may be a consideration to change it. The first 850 (93) I did, I changed the belt only for the tensioner to fail very quickly after. The stretching of the tensioner to get the belt on and off was enough to make the tensioner spring fail. Also check what tool you need to take the tension off the belt. I bought a check one many years ago that came with a locking wire, but a suitable nail will do the job.

If you replace the water pump (Volvo usually recommend every other belt and the early cars have a shorter belt interval), check that it comes with the correct bolts. The Aisin pump I last bought did not come with new bolts with the sealant on the threads. Aisin has also changed the thickness of the flange so make sure you get the current shorter bolts. I wrote about this on a 96 850 I worked on about 2--3 years ago.

Also if you do not know the history of the car or what was swapped the last time around, new idler pulleys are recommended.

Lastly, check the hydraulic tensioner for leaks. If it shows no signs of leaks, then consider re-using it. To tension use a bench vice to slowly compress the tensioner and then pin it. Turn maybe 1/4-1/2 a turn and let it rest for a minute and then continue until you can pin the rod.

Neil.