Unfortunately, you are looking at a timing cover replacement.

 

Sounds like a cover. Not the first I've heard of.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, guys. Yeah, upon further reading it seems replacing the timing cover is standard practice is this situation. Not quite the news I was hoping for, but it seems like a job I can handle...if taken slowly. Quite a parts list required to do the job, though.

Has anyone used this timing cover seal kit from FCPEuro? https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-timing-cover-seal-kit

On a humorous note, the old pulley that sheared off was laying down between the suspension and the passenger side wheel well cover, but for some reason it wouldn't budge. When I was finally able to reach the pulley, it was fused to the plastic wheel well cover, undoubtedly due to it being very hot from the bearing having seized. I was able to pop it off of the plastic cover with a pry bar...

Thank you again for your help. This site is such a great resource and a great community.

G33

 

Thats a pretty solid kit. You could probably price individual pieces possibly less but may get lesser quality and you can't beat FCP's warranty

 

For the benefit of others, mileage at time of failure? Had not been replaced prior, correct?

At least for the XC 90, there's a little room between the front of the block and the fender/subframe. Would be interested in hearing from anyone who's done one of these with the motor in the car, on a lift or not. This issue has come up a few times in the last couple of years, someone should have a response.

Think folks have had decent luck with the FCP kit, it's pretty much every part I ever used when I did mine less the cover.

Sorry for your pain

 

For the benefit of others, mileage at time of failure? Had not been replaced prior, correct?

At least for the XC 90, there's a little room between the front of the block and the fender/subframe. Would be interested in hearing from anyone who's done one of these with the motor in the car, on a lift or not. This issue has come up a few times in the last couple of years, someone should have a response.

Think folks have had decent luck with the FCP kit, it's pretty much every part I ever used when I did mine less the cover.

Sorry for your pain

Appreciate your empathy. Have to admit that even though I've worked on many cars and even did a breif stint as a mechanic after high school, this project is a bit intimidating. Here's the info you requested:

Mileage: 134K
Previous replacement of idler pulley(s), tensioner, or belt: there are no service records showing this was done, so I assume the pulleys, tensioner, and belt were original.

For the timing cover replacement, here are the parts and their cost so far. (note: I tend to use OEM volvo parts on jobs like this one):

New timing cover: $366
New Timing Cover bolt set (at 134K miles, probably worth replacing): $30
Timing cover gasket set (includes all gaskets/seals needed for the job plus other "might as well replace it now" items): $373
New Tensioner assebly: $220
New Pulley (2 required): $112
New Serpentine Belt:$25

I've never ordered parts from FCPEuro before, but IPD here in Portland does not carry most of these items, otherwise I'd buy from them. So, about $1,126 + my labor (covered my copious amounts of good coffee and Christmas cookies). I've not yet called the independent shops here in Portland to see what they charge. Will try to post that info later.

Still trying to find a detailed write-up or video for the timing cover replacement process, so if anyone knows of one please share.

Take care,
G33

 

I guess there is no possibility of replacing the broken bolt?

Hind sight of course is cheap but as soon as those idlers start making a hint of noise it is time to change them.

Can't help on the timing cover replacement process.

 

If the tensioner is still good (fairly good chance it could be), you could save about $290 by getting 3 of the $14(ish) NAPA 62032ZJ bearings to press into the pulleys. When the alternator died in my ‘08, I got them, figuring around 100k would be a good time to do them, since it would be apart anyway. Good thing, as he said at least one was getting sloppy.

 

I've seen it a couple times. Never replaced it with the engine in the car. To me, its easier to drop the engine. But without a lift, you might not have a choice.

While you have it apart, replace the PCV valve, hose and the hose between the valve covers. Also replace the seals for the VVT solenoids in the valve covers.

Edit: I see those hoses and seals are in the kit. My bad.

 

I was thinking about this, if you're going to do the job yourself it might be a good opportunity to pull the pass side axle and replace the alternator, OE PN is 36000791 for reference. You're already going to be inconvenienced to a significant degree and a proper Bosch rebuild (AL0821X) might just be smart compromise if you're planning on keeping this car for a few years, and pulling the axle might also help to create more work space. Couple posts on doing it, here's one of the more popular- https://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?170139-Tutorial-XC90-V8-Replacing-the-alternator

My only advice, go easy on the injectors. The top and bottom plastics will be a little brittle as will pretty much anything in that area of the engine. PCV and cross hose to the list as noted above, maybe even consider FPS if it's not a deal breaker so that everything in that area is new.

I tagged onto a post and took some photos when I did my covers in 2016- https://goo.gl/photos/tcLSKkYEp6KqkbaR9 , and there's a good visual with the covers off here- https://forums.swedespeed.com/showt...46-Dougy-s-New-XC90R-in-town-500awhp-501torque&p=7186245&viewfull=1#post7186245

I'm not personally aware of any photos that show the front cover job being performed as a DIY, you will probably be helping a lot of folk in the coming years if you could get some.

The Kit from FCP was also noted on this forum- https://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?432961-NEW-V8-Timing-Cover-Reseal-Kit-from-FCP-EURO , seems well thought out in my opinion.

You will already have the upper engine mount off, if it's original and you open up the side, you'll likely find that the horizontal parts of the "+" looking piece of rubber inside are hard and shrunk at the ends where it's contacted the certainly hot mount. You'll maybe hear it rattle, it's not supposed to. Sadly, nobody produces just the insert (despite my many challenges on this forum) so the whole assembly gets replaced. Stabilizer bar side bushings are probably okay, IPD makes some poly inserts that will also help to firm the top up a little more if you're doing the mount.

Good luck with your repair.

 

Question to the forum, who's pulled the rail and injectors on these engines more than once with no damage and exactly how did you do it? Oil on the base, some trick to get it all out in one piece? And doing it with no injector plastics damage is the norm? This was the biggest challenge I had in doing my covers and I want to avoid the hassle for those who will follow.

 

you can replace the front timing cover without removing the engine,i have done it 3 times...you will need a new cover,seals,v-cover gaskets,front crank pulley bolt..i always replace the injector seals,pcv hose and fuel pressure sensor while doing this job...also replace the drive belt tensioner and idler pulleys....on a side note i do have a good used timing chain cover available if you need one.

 

Been following this over at another site. Good pics and hopefully there will be a good write up soon. https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=87848

 

Hello,

Well, I forgot to follow-up on this thread and let you know what happened.

After talking to several local independent Volvo shops, the consensus from them was to replace the timing cover at a cost of $2300+. That price did not include removing both valve covers and replacing the necessary gaskets or any other seals, such as those contained in the timing cover gasket set from FCP Euro.
One shop said that on a few occasions they have had a machine shop create a bushing to replace or augment the broken pulley shaft. They wanted $400 for this bushing, but no other work would be done at that price. So new pulleys, belt, tensioner on top of the bushing (no warranty whatsoever) would run $700-$800. All of these options seemed expensive for what amounted to a small break and missing piece in an aluminum shaft. I decided against replacing the timing cover myself simply because there is almost no room to work between the engine cover and the fender wall. I could barely get one hand in there and most socket combinations would not fit at all. No way to drop the engine either, nor would I want to attempt it.

A family friend who used to own a body shop and who has built several airplanes said JB weld would probably work. I was skeptical at first, but after some research, I thought it might be worth a try.

The challenge was to form the two-part epoxy into the exact shape of the shaft, which is a hollow cylinder. I tested a small amount of the epoxy on several pieces of junk plastic (milk jug, drink cup, liquid soap container, etc.) to see which material would not adhere to JB weld. The milk jug plastic worked the best.
To create a backer for the interior radius of the bearing shaft, I cut a long strip from the milk jug container and rolled it up tightly, then inserted it into the shaft and let the plastic expand under its own tension. This created a solid, perfectly shaped non-stick backing for the epoxy.
To form and hold the epoxy in place on the outside surface, I cut two more strips, one shorter than the other cut, and formed them to the outside diameter of the shaft using duct tape to hold them together and keep the curve. Once the epoxy was applied, this outer strip was forced down on the epoxy with a small strip of duct tape.

After allowing the epoxy to cure for more than 24hrs, I was able to easily remove the milk jug forms, as they did not adhere to the JB weld at all, leaving a nearly perfectly formed filler piece in place. Some careful light sanding with 220 grit paper cut into small strips that fit around the shaft and the surface was almost like new. However, because of the tension on the outer form and the gap from the missing piece, the epoxy had a slight flat spot near the fron edge of the shaft.

I found a thick nylon washer that was almost the exact diameter of the shaft and was able to bolt it in place with a spacer and the original pulley bolt. I again covered the rear surface of the bearing shaft and surrounding areas with blue painters tape to prevent the epoxy from adhering anywhere other than the intended area. Using the nylon washer as a screed guide, I carefully applied a second thin coat of JB weld to the shaft using a little metal scrap with a perfect 90 degree edge and a small bend to reach under the shaft. It worked perfectly. After another 24+hrs to cure, I removed the washer & bolt and the tape. Some more careful light sanding with 220 grit and voila! A new shaft was born. The new factory pulley fit perfectly and was very stable.

My caveman solution cost about $6 for the JB weld, $300+ for both pulleys and the tensioner/pulley (it looked a little tired and the pulley bearings were going bad) and a new belt, of course. The XC90 has been running like this for a while now with no issues. Sorry but I can't find the pictures of the finale product before reassembly. The picture with the bolt inserted is of the second skim coat of epoxy before removing any final sanding.

Again, sorry for the late follow-up, but I hope this is useful to someone.

Kind regards,
G33

 

You have to remove the valve covers in order to remove the timing cover, so don't go back to those shops.

Pretty impressive use of JB weld. Hopefully it lasts.