Timing Belt DIY question - vibration damper

**jmoser** · 06-30-2009, 04:11 PM

Getting ready to do my timing belt on 01XC; only hiccup I see in the how to is the special counterhold tool for holding the vibration damper in place:

'Remove the vibration damper. Use counterhold
999 5433 . Work the vibration damper loose.
Remove the timing belt'

Is this tool a 'must have' or can you jam something in there to pin it while you crack the center bolt off?

**billr99** · 06-30-2009, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by jmoser

Getting ready to do my timing belt on 01XC; only hiccup I see in the how to is the special counterhold tool for holding the vibration damper in place:

'Remove the vibration damper. Use counterhold
999 5433 . Work the vibration damper loose.
Remove the timing belt'

Is this tool a 'must have' or can you jam something in there to pin it while you crack the center bolt off?

Do a search on this site as well as the other Volvo sites and there are procedures out there that allow you to change the belt without having to remove the crank pulley. Takes a bit of fiddling, but I was able to change mine out without having to screw around with the crank pulley.

Good luck,

Bill

**howardc64** · 06-30-2009, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by billr99

Do a search on this site as well as the other Volvo sites and there are procedures out there that allow you to change the belt without having to remove the crank pulley. Takes a bit of fiddling, but I was able to change mine out without having to screw around with the crank pulley.

Good luck,

Bill

I summed up all the links I've found on how to do the belt without taking off the damper below including where the tight spots are on my 01 T5's 2.3L engine (same belt + rolling parts as the XC70)

http://www.freewebs.com/howardsvolvos/engine.htm

**billr99** · 07-01-2009, 04:49 AM

Originally Posted by howardc64

I summed up all the links I've found on how to do the belt without taking off the damper below including where the tight spots are on my 01 T5's 2.3L engine (same belt + rolling parts as the XC70)

http://www.freewebs.com/howardsvolvos/engine.htm

Thanks howardc64, that is exactly what I was referring to. I used your procedures when I did mine and it went fairly smooth. Well as smooth as it can go when you are working in 3C temps and in the old barn before I had my shop all sorted. In fact, the major fiddling I had to do really had nothing to do with the cam belt but it was re-installing the serpentine belt tensioner which I did at the same time. That lower bolt on that thing is a PITA when you are working almost totally by feel.

Thanks again for reminding everyone of the easy way to do the cam belt.

Cheers,

Bill

**howardc64** · 07-01-2009, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by billr99

In fact, the major fiddling I had to do really had nothing to do with the cam belt but it was re-installing the serpentine belt tensioner which I did at the same time. That lower bolt on that thing is a PITA when you are working almost totally by feel.

Yes, I remember the first time I had to crank the serpentine belt tensioner to install the belt... took me forever. The second one got easier and I'm thinking there might even be an easier way still.

I used a box wrench with built in ratchet. This tool has 2 advantages

- I can get the exact starting angle I want due to the ratchet mechanism. As you know well, we need to crank the tensioner pretty far which means we need room to work with. A good starting angle means we get maximum room to maintain leverage on the tensioner in that tight space.

- it stays on the head of the bolt better than an open end wrench. I'm just thinking here that what if we put a piece of tape over the box wrench+bolt head, then it would stay pretty good and not slip off while we apply muscle to crank the tensioner + slip the belt on. And since the box wrench won't slip off the bolt head so easy, we probably can get a metal tube to stick over the wrench to get a better hold on it as well as extend the leverage.

Of course we can also go with IPD's solution which is a custom box wrench with extra long handle for leverage.

http://www.ipdusa.com/version.asp?st...=396&V_ID=2764

**Aviator** · 07-01-2009, 09:21 AM

Don't mean to spoil all the fun, but you guys are in for a nasty surprise when you have to replace the accessory belt tensioner. That 14mm bolt head is gone; you now have to use a T60 torx bit to move the damn thing and I tell you mister it is a royal PITA!!! You can't use the bit in the socket....you gotta take the bit out, stick it in the hole, and then try to double up two wrenches on it and even then it's not easy to get the throw you need to slip the belt on. Just a heads up lads as bleak days lay ahead!!

Dave.

**jmoser** · 07-01-2009, 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by Aviator

Don't mean to spoil all the fun, but you guys are in for a nasty surprise when you have to replace the accessory belt tensioner. That 14mm bolt head is gone; you now have to use a T60 torx bit to move the damn thing and I tell you mister it is a royal PITA!!! You can't use the bit in the socket....you gotta take the bit out, stick it in the hole, and then try to double up two wrenches on it and even then it's not easy to get the throw you need to slip the belt on. Just a heads up lads as bleak days lay ahead!!

Dave.

What Model Year is that starting from?

**billr99** · 07-01-2009, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by Aviator

Don't mean to spoil all the fun, but you guys are in for a nasty surprise when you have to replace the accessory belt tensioner. That 14mm bolt head is gone; you now have to use a T60 torx bit to move the damn thing and I tell you mister it is a royal PITA!!! You can't use the bit in the socket....you gotta take the bit out, stick it in the hole, and then try to double up two wrenches on it and even then it's not easy to get the throw you need to slip the belt on. Just a heads up lads as bleak days lay ahead!!

Dave.

Dave:

Is that T60 on the OEM tensioner? The one I got from FCP had either a hex on it or a square (3/8?) hole; can't recall exactly. But I do remember not needing a T60 as I do not even have one of those in my tools. I keep thinking I just needed to use my 3/8 breaker bar in there to back the tensioner off.

Cheers

Bill

**Aviator** · 07-01-2009, 07:10 PM

What Model Year is that starting from?

On the P2 XCs, it would be from '01 and up, and that's on the OEM Volvo replacement.

Dave.

**Aviator** · 07-01-2009, 07:16 PM

Is that T60 on the OEM tensioner? The one I got from FCP had either a hex on it or a square (3/8?) hole; can't recall exactly. But I do remember not needing a T60 as I do not even have one of those in my tools. I keep thinking I just needed to use my 3/8 breaker bar in there to back the tensioner off.

That's T60 on the replacement you'll get from Volvo. There's nothing on it that will accept ANY breaker bar. The only other way that might work is to get at it from below after you fold that flap on the fender liner out of the way. I've replaced a few accessory belts and tensioners in the past 21 years and this was by far the most hateful of them all; it wouldn't be so bad if there was another 1/2 inch or so beside the engine....then you could actually use a breaker bar with socket on it, so I think that's why IPD has come up with that flat bar tool for the job. Unfortunately it only works for the older tensioners that had the 14mm head bolt.

Dave.