volvo 850 - cambelt

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Wed 5 May 2010 11:21
volvo 850 - cambelt - Ambrose

how often should cambelt be changed.?

I have received two conflicting answers for this. Either replace after 50,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. The other answer is 8 years. Can anyone give me more info on this? It was last changed in 2003 and has done 41,000 miles since.

we are driving to southern Spain in June, and feel it might be a good idea to change it, but only if we have to!

thanks

Dave Ambrose

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 6 May 2010 00:31
volvo 850 - cambelt - Ambrose

update on above.

Just wondering if anyone has a volvo 850, that might have some advice for me? I love this car, and don.'t want to risk shattering the cylinder head or anything else, if the belt goes!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 6 May 2010 01:39
volvo 850 - cambelt - skc
If I recall pre 94 models were 5 years and 94 onwards were 8 years.

If it was last changed in 2003 ( 7 years ago) and you love the car it would be worth getting it done for piece of mind. Don’t forget to get the water pump and oil seals checked at the same time and it may be worth replacing the cam belt tensioners as well.

Enjoy your trip.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 6 May 2010 13:17
volvo 850 - cambelt - Ambrose

thanks for the helpful advice. It does seem wiser to get it replaced, so am grateful for the additional info on water pump etc.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 15 May 2010 21:01
volvo 850 - cambelt - Andrew Moorey (Tune-Up)

Agree with skc change the belt, tensioners and water pump, no question.

Enjoy your car

Drew

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices