Okay, I've heard alot of talk about the timing belt needed to be replaced after 70k miles or many years of driving the car. I have a '95 854 Turbo with 39k miles. Is there anyway to test the timing belt or any way to see if there are any visual signs of wear or replacement? I'd hate to pay the money to get it replaced if it's working fine in the first place.

Thanks!

In my opinion, that's never a bad investment.

Never.

Timing belts are funny things. If you run 50k/year, they'll sometimes last for 150-200k. But if you drive very short trips or let the car sit for winters (for example) the belt might rot before it has achieved the miles that are recommended for service. Always remember that the manufacturer bases it on a safely-achieved mileage. therefore if you sit in city traffic for 70,000 miles, you might have 10x the revolutions of the engine as if you had traveled 70,000 miles on the highway.

Most people have an average use history. Even if it's got low miles, the age would probably indicate replacement.
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Chris Herbst
1992 745, 68k

And others:
93 944, 150k
90 245, 110k
88 744, 160k
87 245, 185k

I would expect that most failure modes are not going to be evidenced by visual inspection. The only way to really check it would be with a stress/strain gauge, calipers for dimensions, density testers, etc. I have looked at several replaced belts, and they "appear" fine. Volvo's recommended replacement at 70,000 is probably within four standard-deviations of not failing, but like the other guy said, why risk being part of the fifth sigma?!

Gerald C

I'd hate to pay the money to get it replaced if it's working fine in the first place.


The car is a '95, so the belt's 7 years old. The recommended interval is 60 or 70kmi (depending on the vehicle and year), which, for most folks is btw. 4-6 years.

Now, let's say you pay full dealer price to replace this--it's about $350. You're good for another 4-6 years. Let's say you don't, and the belt snaps, skips a few teeth, etc. Pony up for either a top-end job or a complete rebuilt engine. That'll set you back about $4k at least.

Just depends on how much of a gambler you really are...

-cj

There isn't really a way to test one but you can visually inspect it. Pull the Antifreeze reservoir up out of the way (no tools required) There is a 12 or 13mm bolt you remove on the front of the cover. Pull the front part of the cover up and out. You can then look down in and see the timing belt and give a general assessment of the condition. Look the closest at the underside of the belt (it wraps up around some pulley's etc so it's fairly easy). You'll be looking for any sign of seperation in the belt or any cracking. Given the year of your car it probably is deteriorated and needs replacement. In my experience they go from time and not really mileage (1993 Escort T-belt failed @ 7 years 105kmi, preventative changed it a year later @ 225kmi and it was still in new specs, similar experience with Subaru) Although for the surprisingly low cost I will always do it as preventative maintanence on my 850 since I want to pass the 500kmi mark... better safe than sorry.
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'94 855 5spd 'Drew' 201,500 Miles

Thanks guys, looks like I'll be getting the timing belt replaced when I take the Volvo in for an oil change next time. The car is 7 years old, and although it only has 39k miles, the engine compartment is extremely dirty and dusty, also the exhaust tip is rusting, which indicates it's been thru alot of harsh weather and stuff, despite the lower miles. You guys are right, better safe than sorry!

One more thing, if I get the timing belt replaced, is there a possibility of gaining a little performance, like when it was brand new since the newer belt will be tighter?

In my experience there hasn't ever been a difference in power from changing a T-belt. One thing that can make a night and day difference would be running through some fuel system cleaner. A good highway drive of a couple hundred miles seems to work best. After about 150 miles I've actually had 2 cars cough hard a couple times and took off like bats out of hell. Greatly improved performance and fuel economy. I guess they were REALLY dirty. Personally I use chevron techron with good results. I've been hearing good things about BG but haven't used it yet.

Another point to check would be your air filter as that can choke your engine too. It should look clean and you should be able to see light through it.
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'94 855 5spd 'Drew' 201,500 Miles

I've been using BG 44K in my vehicles for years. It DOES make a difference. I use it twice a year. Once in the Spring (just did) and in the Fall. $20 a can X 2 = $40/yr X 2 97 850 GLT Turbos. It helps me get 21.6 mpg here in Denver.

Moregolf~

Where can I get this BG 44k stuff? Would Chevron Techron be just as good?

Rarity~

You think it may be because of carbon build up? I've thought about doing both, getting some FI cleaner and driving a good 200 miles and see what happens. My car is almost ALWAYS city-driven, never on the highway, so there definately may be some build up. I looked at the air filter and it looks to be clean, although I'll probably replace it with a K&N filter element, as they never been replacement (just cleaning now and then).

Napa has it, so do the dealers. In fact they use BG products when doing tranny flushes, etc. There is a thread at Bay 13 (I think) about various addatives.. Quite informing....