Engine: 2.3 F/Inj B23E/B230F: 17.41 Cam belt fails > 18.20 continue journey

[Mike_Brace]

This evening suffered a minor inconvenience when my cam belt failed a few miles from home at 17.41 and yes it was raining. Fortunately my son Matt the 240 cam belt king was with me. A quick check through the car revealed no spare belt which I normally carry so a quick phone call for a spare to be brought to us. I rigged up my fluorescent flood light off the inverter and helped get the tools out. At exactly 17.50 we were ready for the belt. We lifted the rad up out the way without draining it.
We the had a 10 minute wait during which time the local milkman had stopped and given Matt a bottle of orange juice and offered use of his spare pick-up if we needed it!
At precisely 18.00 the belt arrived and by 18.10 it was fitted and we went to start it. We had failed to tension the belt properley resulting in a massive lpg backfire. Oh well, reposition pullies and try again, fires, quick tweek on the dizzy and throw the tools back in the car. Look at clock 18.20. If we had belt and not rushed quite so much it would have taken all of 20-25 minutes. Who said cam belts are a difficult job. We did cheat slightly - if you look in the pictures you'll spot the cordless impact wrench for the bottom pulley - that tool is worth its weight in gold.
Before anyone asks - yes the belt was neglected. The previous one was a temporary measure back in the summer when an oil leak had soaked the belt and not having a new one available used a secondhand one as a "temporary" measure. That must have been about 10,000 miles ago. I must remember to change this "new" secondhand one for a Volvo one and put a spare in the car.
It really does pay to change your belt when its due - OK it was only a minor inconvenience for us but ...




Stripped ready for the new belt.




Tensioning up the power steering belt.



Mike

[Richard C]

Don't you just love non-interference engines!!!

[James_N]

lol! thats quite.......amazing!

Like to see you do that on a newer car

[Velorum]

Newer models would be in the dealers for a number of days!

[Clifford Pope]

Fast work!
The most difficult part of the job on mine is getting one of the small bolts out that hold the upper timing cover on. One of them takes an AF socket instead of a metric, and I always forget which one. Having dug out the right socket I then have to keep switching about and remember to put the sockets back in the right pockets.
Also I have to remember that the Torx screw needed for the upper timing cover to backplate screw easily falls out of its socket in the handle. Try finding that on the roadside on a dark night!

I've simplified the job by cutting a slot in the lower timing cover, so it spreads over the pulley and I don't have to remove it. Also I just transpose white paint marks from old to new belt, having put corresponding dabs on the sprockets. So no need to bother with timing marks.

[Alec Dawe]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

I've simplified the job by cutting a slot in the lower timing cover, so it spreads over the pulley and I don't have to remove it. Also I just transpose white paint marks from old to new belt, having put corresponding dabs on the sprockets. So no need to bother with timing marks.

Cliff; does that slot mean that you don't have to take the bottom, crankshaft end, 'V' belt pulley off??
Sounds a hell of a good idea to me, thinking that the belt cover os only there to keep the muck out the belt.

[white van man]

Originally Posted by Mike_Brace

This evening suffered a minor inconvenience when my cam belt failed a few miles from home at 17.41 and yes it was raining............................




............................Look at clock 18.20

FLIPPIN ECK !

Took me 2hrs just to change the ball **** in my toilet

wvm

[stuckcrank]

I would be extremely grateful if someone could offer some advice on changing the timing belt on my Volvo 245. I managed to get as far as getting access to the old belt and setting number 1 piston to tdc. My Haynes manual said something like I would "probably" need to stop the crankshaft turning in order to get the nut off the pulley. Too right! The manual said there is an access cover to the flywheel where a screwdriver could be wedged so the crankshaft wouldn't turn. I couldn't find an access cover and so could not wedge flywheel.

Any suggestions please.

Thanks a lot.

[Clifford Pope]

There are several ways:
1) special tool that clamps pulley
2) big socket on nut, wedge long breaker bar against the chassis, give a quick flick of the starter motor
3) Put in 4th gear, handbrake on, try turning breaker bar by hand, or giving it a wack with a hammer
4) Impact wrench with air line
5) Rope trick - feed string into a plug hole, wind crank so that the piston is locked. Remove string afterwards!
6) Cheat - cut slit in lower plastic cover so that you can remove it, leaving the pulley in situ.

[57RKL]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

5) Rope trick - feed string into a plug hole, wind crank so that the piston is locked. Remove string afterwards!
.

I like the sound of this one. Silly question, but how much string does it take to jam it up ???