I followed the timing belt replacement procedure posted on Volvospeed (www.volvospeed.com/Repair/timingbelt.php) without too much problems. But when I attempt to put the new timing belt in place, I found there is not enough room to install the tensioner when everything is in place. The space I need is about 1/2". I have done the followings: check new belt for length with the old (same length), check new tensioer with old (same), check new water pump with old ( same), tried to move the intake camshaft pulley to tighten the right hand-side of the belt (it can only move one tooth to the right before hitting against something). I have also tried to install the tensioner first before install the belt, the reselt is the same - not enough belt to go over the final pulley. The Volvospeed procedures look like the right procedures, I must be missing some tricks to tighten the belt before install the tensioner. I am saying this because the procedure for taking off the timing belt is to loosen the tensioner top bolt first, loosen bottom bolt, remove the top bolt, push tensioner away, remove belt. Installation should be the reverse. Please help if you done this before, Andrew

The trick is to get the belt very taught from the crankshaft, across the idler roller, and onto the intake cam. You want no slack there whatsoever - it normally wants to be a tooth off when you first fit it up. From there it should thread across to the exhaust cam and around the water pump and tensioner with relative ease.

Don't move your cam pulleys to try to tighten things, you will wind up with the cam timing being off.

Are you changing the tensioner as well? If not you need to compress it before you put it back in and you also need to remove the plastic spacer. It compresses very, very, very slowly. Once it is compressed and pinned then you install the bottom bolt, rock it over under the tensioner roller, install the top bolt, and then pull the pin.

After everything is verified the last thing you do is to snap the plastic spacer back on.

...Lee

Hello Lee: I did what you suggested, but still running out of room to install the tensioner, which is new with the piston in locked position(not engaged). To tighten the right hand-side of the belt, I locked the crankshaft with a 30mm socket, position the intake camshaft off one tooth to the right of the timing mark, fit in the t-belt, than move the camshaft to the left while holding the t-belt tight by hand around the water pump. Doing this tighten the belt some-what, but not enough. I even tried to reinstall the old t-belt in but run into the same problem of not enough room. Andrew

Andrew,

I wish I could see what you are doing. The only thing that I can suggest is that you keep pressure on the belt from the tensioner roller - hold it high - rather than the water pump as you snake it around its path.

...Lee

Hello Lee: My problem was not routing the T-belt over the Crank Sensor, which is located just under the crank pulley. This sensor is in a very hard to see area, specially for someone who is not looking for it. Niether Alldata nor Volvospeed pointed out the minor hint. Thanks for the help, Andrew
83DL, 88GL, 92 964, 96 855T