Camshaft belt . Change.

beejay190

beejay190

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 Jul 2006
Messages
687
Location
Dorset
Visit site
The Volvo manual for my D3 160s advises changing the belts every 1400 hours. Engines have done 370 hours
and are now in their 8 th year . Taking a "belt and braces" approach would it be a good idea to change them now
or just leave well alone.
Thanks in advance for replies.
 
beejay190 said:
The Volvo manual for my D3 160s advises changing the belts every 1400 hours. Engines have done 370 hours
and are now in their 8 th year . Taking a "belt and braces" approach would it be a good idea to change them now
or just leave well alone.
Thanks in advance for replies.
Click to expand...
Ferrari s are time changed every 3 years here in UK ( I think 5 y in US)
Your 8 - pushing it
If you don,t change, what are your plans / intensions ?
Boom/ Bang = big Bill?? if snaps
 
Portofino said:
Ferrari s are time changed every 3 years here in UK ( I think 5 y in US)
Your 8 - pushing it
If you don,t change, what are your plans / intensions ?
Boom/ Bang = big Bill?? if snaps
Click to expand...

Thank you.
Happy to change the belts and will get it done. I just find it a bit odd that the Manual refers to changing them
every 1400 hours with no reference to a time period. Manuals (Volvo?) tend to err on the side of caution but not in this
case apparently.
 
Have you done a visual inspection for oil contamination by removing the belt covers. Worth doing because it may answer your question as if there is contamination then you must change it.

I think the issue here is not just the number of hours but the deterioration of the actual belt material with passing years coupled to the fact that the engine may not be run for 6 month if the boat is out of commission during the winter.

I did have a belt fail on my Ford Diesel engine which I had rebuilt run and then stored for 10 years before I used it (long story) BUT I may have over tightened the belt when I built the engine. Bent two valves and damaged valve guides but also unbeknown to me had also cracked the valve inserts which meant that eventually I had to get a second head.

Bad enough with the cost based on Ford automotive prices, Volvo ……………………….does not bear thinking about.
 
In the car scenario, which I think is kinda relevant here, they also change the " tensioners " at the same time .
It's a£ 80 part on a Ferrari. X2 one for each bank of cylinders .belts arround £ 30 each .
If the tensioner fails then the belt may jump a tooth or two--= expensive agian
Googling D5 which the base marine D3 block is based on -- there seems to be a tensioner issue here as well .
 
rafiki_ said:
I think 5 years is a good assumption for cam belts.
Click to expand...

My landcruiser says 10 years or 100000 miles, I even asked the dealer at 8 years if he thought it would be best to change early and his reply is that it will be ok, car has now done 47k on original belt, my previous one with similar engine was 60000 or 6 years, where did the extra 4 years/40000 miles come from?
 
Portofino said:
In the car scenario, which I think is kinda relevant here, they also change the " tensioners " at the same time .
It's a£ 80 part on a Ferrari. X2 one for each bank of cylinders .belts arround £ 30 each .
If the tensioner fails then the belt may jump a tooth or two--= expensive agian
Googling D5 which the base marine D3 block is based on -- there seems to be a tensioner issue here as well .
Click to expand...

Thanks again.
What pees me off is that whilst I am no engineer I can read and all the Volvo manual says is change every 1400 hours.
I changed engineers this year and the new guy, who serviced the engines yesterday, raised the issue. The previous engineer
for the past three years never mentioned it.
However, thanks to the new guy and the Forum I shall get belts and tensioners changed PDQ.
 
I had a broken bolt from the tension roller in a D3, just out of warranty,
recovered the cost from my insurance,
but insurance co won this case from Volvo, as this shouldn't occur after 26 months, in a factory new installed engine.

the belt cover in a D3 is not completely closed, (its just a plastic cap)
if you open this, you might find salt or other contamination in there,(I did) depending on the clean-ness of your bilge
so its defo worth checking the condition on the inside !!! and when doubt, replacing the belt aswell.

D3's are not really up to the harsh environment in a boat, so anything that can go wrong will go wrong,
speaking from experience here.
but still they are a unique diesel package, power/weight in a certain range of boat size
 
aquapower said:
My landcruiser says 10 years or 100000 miles, I even asked the dealer at 8 years if he thought it would be best to change early and his reply is that it will be ok, car has now done 47k on original belt, my previous one with similar engine was 60000 or 6 years, where did the extra 4 years/40000 miles come from?
Click to expand...

Has your Landcruiser got a cam belt or cam chain? Chains are much more durable, but of course more expensive to change. Cam belts are also easily degraded by water, even condensation in the front cover. On the Military spec Land Rovers, we took a tapping off the turbo and pressurised the front cover for the Gemini 2 and 3. Worked really well.
 
rafiki_ said:
Has your Landcruiser got a cam belt or cam chain? Chains are much more durable, but of course more expensive to change. Cam belts are also easily degraded by water, even condensation in the front cover. On the Military spec Land Rovers, we took a tapping off the turbo and pressurised the front cover for the Gemini 2 and 3. Worked really well.
Click to expand...

Defiantly a belt, I have owned from new and always serviced by same dealer as stated in the book, I was shocked at 10 years and thought it was good idea to change sooner but when I suggested it they said wait until the 10 year service. It's the longest I've kept a car but like it so much there's nothing else I want so have not thought about a change, but would be pi***d off if belt broke.
 
aquapower said:
Defiantly a belt, I have owned from new and always serviced by same dealer as stated in the book, I was shocked at 10 years and thought it was good idea to change sooner but when I suggested it they said wait until the 10 year service. It's the longest I've kept a car but like it so much there's nothing else I want so have not thought about a change, but would be pi***d off if belt broke.
Click to expand...

Yep, can get very expensive if the belt snaps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top