timing belt conundrum

[wellskint]

i'm trying to second guess if the timing belt has been done on my newly acquired s40 03 plate. it has service history from new to 2009 @ 30k miles then nothing for 10 years upto 2019 where it records 56k. it has had a service every 10k miles thereafter including a major service at 64k in 2020. it has had a few owners with not much paperwork. when should it have been done ?? and how long can an original belt last??

[ITSv40]

10 years or 100,000miles whichever comes soonest. The belt needs changing soonest. The water pump should be sound, but if it is showing signs of wear - very doubtful - only replace with a genuine Volvo pump. So many good original pumps have been changed for a pattern and they always leak.

[dingov70]

When in doubt , REPLACE , way way cheaper than replacing engine .

You are then positive regarding replacement mileage and when it is due .

I also replace before required as I have had to repair engines that have failed prematurely ( not all mine ! )

[wellskint]

Is the belt visible? I was told you can’t inspect it but I can see a toothed belt front left of my 1.8 by the washer bottle. I took a picture but can’t seem to upload it?

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by wellskint

Is the belt visible? I was told you can’t inspect it but I can see a toothed belt front left of my 1.8 by the washer bottle. I took a picture but can’t seem to upload it?

The belt you can see to the left of the engine when you open the bonnet is the auxiliary belt. If that is the original I would change that as well as it will be overdue. The timing belt is to the left of the engine, under the black plastic cover. if you remove the cover on top of the engine - over the spark plugs - you will see the timing belt under the remaining black plastic cover. There isn't much point in inspecting the belt as one that desperately needs changing will not look much different to a nearly new one.

The attachment shows my C70 - very similar to the S/V40. The orange arrow shows the timing belt cover. the blue arrows show the panel that needs to be removed to see the belt under its cover.