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Volvo850gltboy--Finding a tool to release the tension on the serpentine belt pulley has been discussed many times. Several people have solutions ranging from three pennies shoved into a box end wrench to IPD's spendy tool. What will NOT work is a 3/4 inch drive. It's too wide and won't fit down in the narrow space. It's a shame to throw money away on a spendy tool you'll hardly ever use, but use you must. The tensioner pulley has a small hole in the side of it for slipping in a nail when it's pulled back, and the nail will slip into a hole in the block, thus holding it back while you remove the belt. There are a number of flat objects, bar steel, square washers, etc., that will fit diagonally across that 3/4 opening which will allow you to grab your 12-inch Crescent or Chinese pliers and twist the tensioner back far enough to slip in the nail or long screw and lock it in place. Go down to a hardware store and look around for about a one-inch square washer or flat piece of bar steel about two inches long and shove it in the hole. Be careful, if it fits loosely, that you don't shove it in out of sight.
Be aware that on some turbo models Volvo changed the routing of the belt, with the new belt being just a tiny tad longer than the original. Check when you buy it to see if it goes on like the old one, or is routed differently. If the latter, get a drawing from them showing how the new one is mounted. There is a shoulderless idler pulley amongst all those other pulleys, and when you thread the belt this is where it goes on last. Any other position means you will be trying to fight the belt over the tiny lip on the edge of a pulley, and that accounts for all frustrations and posts about "stretching the belt," etc. Pull it off the center idler pulley that has no lip, and reinstall in reverse. If the belt you buy, when installed in the old routing is too loose, then it's made for the new routing. Dick
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