Looking For Timing Belt Tips

[mmmmmmm]

I've read the Bay 13 article on the change, and a secondary one. I just wanted to see if there were any people with hints to get the job done faster. I'm changing the tensioners and water pump as well. I thought about sending it to the shop, but I do not have the cash to pay somebody else to do it. And I figure if I can swap a trans, I can change a belt...

[Chilled man]

set the crank to Top Dead center

get a cam locking tool

also do the Sbelt at the same time.

but simple get the crank to TDC and put in the cam locking tool and release the tensoar and pop off the old belt.

also make sure to remove the lower cover on the Tbelt so you can actually get it out :lol:

[ozzimark]

There is a little extrusion on the block underneath the cam wheel that makes it really hard to get the belt out. If you fold it in the right way, and pull really freaking hard, it'll slip through. That part took me the longest when I changed the belt, everything else was a breeze in comparison <_<

[jfo]

I've read the Bay 13 article on the change, and a secondary one. I just wanted to see if there were any people with hints to get the job done faster. I'm changing the tensioners and water pump as well. I thought about sending it to the shop, but I do not have the cash to pay somebody else to do it. And I figure if I can swap a trans, I can change a belt...

I just did the same on mine last week and it went very well. Bay 13 covers it well. Use a good light source like a flashlight to help spot the marks on the crank pulley. Cut the belt to make it easier to remove. Use the bungie cord to keep the tensioner pulley tight. Are you doing the tensioner pulley too? The T45 bolt is hard to get at with a rachet. Use a box wrench on the torx socket shaft.

Good luck!

Jim

[mmmmmmm]

What's really been confusing me is releasing the tensioner pulleys. What tools are you guys using to do that? I know Volvo sells the proper tool to do that, but as I said, I'm poor. lolz.

Also, when I do the water pump, I know the fluid will get drained, what is the proper way to refill the coolant?

[ozzimark]

You can loosen the tensioner with an allen wrench... assuming you have the mechanical one and not the hydraulic one. If it's the hydraulic... well, I still think you can do the same thing :lol:

[Chilled man]

What's really been confusing me is releasing the tensioner pulleys. What tools are you guys using to do that? I know Volvo sells the proper tool to do that, but as I said, I'm poor. lolz.

Also, when I do the water pump, I know the fluid will get drained, what is the proper way to refill the coolant?

depending wich tensionar you have .

if its the hydrolic one just unscrew it , its two bolts and go .

if its the mech one just put a 12mm wrench on it and push it and it will relese

for the Sbelt one I use my 1/2 Breaker bar and a 1/2- ? socket extender

also refill teh coolant by the top

just get one jug of non mixed coolant and a 1jug of water and put the coolant in first and water in second .

drive it aroudn for alittle let the air work out and fill it up the rest of the way with the water.

[mmmmmmm]

That sounds good. This isn't a VERY hard job, is it? I'm getting mixed signals. I'm just worried about poking it up because I've never changed a timing belt before. And I do have the locker tool coming in the mail.

[Chilled man]

That sounds good. This isn't a VERY hard job, is it? I'm getting mixed signals. I'm just worried about fucking it up because I've never changed a timing belt before. And I do have the locker tool coming in the mail.

nah this is easy compared to the tranny swap

hardest part is getting the old belt out and the new belt in since volvo made it tight as hell down tehre to get them in and out

[FredMc]

That sounds good. This isn't a VERY hard job, is it? I'm getting mixed signals. I'm just worried about poking it up because I've never changed a timing belt before. And I do have the locker tool coming in the mail.

I did it with a friend and it was not a hard job and I am not a good mechanic at all.

We spent 1/2 the time trying to figure out how to remove the belt from the bottom. Found out a plastic retainer had to be removed. A couple guys on here set me straight on that. The crank pulley stayed put.

Once we removed the retainer, it was easy to get the old belt off, and the new one on. If I had to do it again, I could in less than 2 hours total. And that included the serpentine belt, and tensioner on that as well.

Just get white out and mark your points well. I did not have a cam locking tool, (didn't know one was available), but actually marked the belt as well before I took it off just incase.

[7 VII 7]

so you have to drain the coolant completely?

Just make sure you go slow and use your head... it should be fine

I am doing mine in the next 2 months

[mmmmmmm]

Good call. I need to pick up a serp belt tomorrow.. I forgot that needs to get done at the same time. I've got a buddy that's gonna come help me do this, as long as he doesn't get any more ill in the next two days.

And lol@that, FredMC. That's how I feel about changing trannies now.

And 777, yeah I would guess I have to drain most of it. Taking the water pump out is just going to leave a big hole in the block where there is supposed to be a seal.

Oh speaking of seals, do the tensioners need a gasket or anything? I have a new paper gasket for the water pump, and I have a bunch of the chemical gasket laying around.

I should add that my motor is somewhere around 85K atp. I've been putting this off basically since I got the car lol. Its only really been on the road about 1/4 of the time I've had it though

[7 VII 7]

Good call. I need to pick up a serp belt tomorrow.. I forgot that needs to get done at the same time. I've got a buddy that's gonna come help me do this, as long as he doesn't get any more ill in the next two days.

And lol@that, FredMC. That's how I feel about changing trannies now.

And 777, yeah I would guess I have to drain most of it. Taking the water pump out is just going to leave a big hole in the block where there is supposed to be a seal.

Oh speaking of seals, do the tensioners need a gasket or anything? I have a new paper gasket for the water pump, and I have a bunch of the chemical gasket laying around.

I do not think the tensioners need a gasket.... make sure you have a OEM gasket for the water pump by the way.

[Chilled man]

nah just bolt on bolt off on the tensinors athats it

also make sure to not over tighten the waterpump bolts and strip them out I did that once and at least the engien was out.

[Matty Moo]

It's not hard. You just need to be prepared to do it. It's a lot easier than timing belts on some cars. I had a maxima that took 7 hours, and the book called for 9 hours. This is easy compared to that, since you don't have to set the tension, the tensioner does it for you.

The bay 13 writeup is spot on. I did it the first time just using that. The haynes manual has all the torque values in it. Make sure you have good lighting.

Give yourself 5 hours to do it. Take your time. Get some beers if you like, but don't get sloppy hammered. I went through 9 beers and a half pack of smokes. If it weren't for drug testing at work, I probably would've replaced the beer with about 2 fat joints.

The torx bit on the tensioner pulley can be a pain in the ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD. Go to harbor freight and get their 3 piece torx set that fits on a 3/8 ratchet. its a 35 40 and 45 I think, or go to sears and get their t-45 that fits on a 1/4 ratchet. It's a matter of clearance and getting the right angle on it. You'll see when you get to it. DON'T get frustrated. I spent some time on that one. Then I took a break and went back at it. It only took a few minutes.

I didn't see a need for the locking tool, but that's just me.

You don't need any sealant on the water pump gasket. I used some only to hold the gasket to the pump as I installed it so it wouldn't flop around.

If you can't fish the old belt out, cut it. The new belt goes on relatively easily. Change your serp belt since your already taking the old one off, along with the spark plugs.

Also, flush your cooling system since you've already drained it and change your thermostat. Prestone or Peak extended life is fine. It's the amber colored stuff. I used about 10 gallons of water to run it clear.