First Servicing Attempt Disappointment

[baggy798]

I use a standard 8mm spanner for the cap. The hardest one is the drivers side with all the crap in the way. If you need more light you can put the bonnet vertical.

Alt belt is easy. Loosen the green 13mm nut and then go anticlockwise on the 10mm bolt. I've never slackened this after adjusting, once the 13mm nut is tight that takes all the strain. It's just a standard long m6 bolt so no biggy if it ever did snap.



With the ps belt, it's same as the other with just an extra step. Initially I whaled on it with a hammer thinking it was just stiff, but as Ian mentioned, need to loosen the 12mm bolt in the block so the bracket can rotate freely.

[Steve 940]

Hi Baggy 798,

Those pictures are great, I took my time to look at each one to get my head round how each pivoted, it was pretty straightforward as you say.

You've got me jealous over what look to be poly alternator bushes, once my alternator was loose the top bolt had way more movement than I would have expected.

Where did you get these from please? hadn't even crossed my mind that you can get poly bushes for alternators.

Cheers
Steve

[griston64]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Hi Baggy 798,

Those pictures are great, I took my time to look at each one to get my head round how each pivoted, it was pretty straightforward as you say.

You've got me jealous over what look to be poly alternator bushes, once my alternator was loose the top bolt had way more movement than I would have expected.

Where did you get these from please? hadn't even crossed my mind that you can get poly bushes for alternators.

Cheers
Steve

https://www.superflex.co.uk/proddeta...=SF422-1024KSS

[baggy798]

Belt part numbers for Laney760. Also see my other post showing where you adjust both.

981680 11.9 x 1000 for water/power steering pump
973487 11.9 x 1013 for alternator

[Laney760]

Cheers Baggy, I just ordered 981680, 973487 and 977731 (aircon) from Rufe.

Since a '''mechanic''' I used to use in Henley years ago fitted the wrong belts and ran them wrong and seriously bent the great big long bolt to the steering pump and Volvos said they wanted to kill him when they saw what he had done, I have had a problem of going through alternator belts at a rate of knots. My current garage mentioned that I could do with ordering some new tensioner part when I limped in there last week with a shredded alternator belt yet again.

Did they mean a new tensioner pulley I wonder?

Steve, sorry for the highjack!

[baggy798]

There's no tensioner or idler pulley on these, so the only thing it can really be on the alternator side is the bushes that hold the alt to that big bracket. When were they last changed?

If you're eating power steering belts too, then it has been known for the bracket to wear (in the pic with the two green circles) and knock the big pulley out of alignment a tiny bit.

[Forrest]

If you want another tensioner bolt I believe they are M6, 10mm head and 80mm long.

There's a whole thread about them here:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=323906

They are not designed to take the weight of the accessory in use. They are purely for tensioning the belt and should be slackened off slightly once the fixing bolts have been torqued.

It's also worth checking that the bushes and bolts for the alternator are all in the correct place and orientation, especially if they have previously been messed with by someone who didn't know what they were doing.

I have taken to tensioning my belts according to the old-school rule that you should be able to flip the longest run by 90 degrees but not further. I haven't had any problems with belts squealing since I started doing this and so far, touch wood, no excessive wear on any of the accessories.