Volvo Penta Timing Belt

[GigPilot]

For those in the South Puget Sound area, do you know of a mechanic that can change the timing belt on a VP D3-150. I have the parts and was going to try to do it myself until I found out the price of the tools! Pacific Power Group has not responded to my requests or calls. No trailer, so any other items would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[GigPilot]

Update: I did find a diesel mechanic here in Port Orchard- Salty Boys Boat Works. They were able to get the job done in a day. I did modify the step, so it made it a little easier for them to access the front of the engine. They did find that the coolant reservoir was leaking on top, so now I have another project!

 

[ebberry]

Can you ballpark what the cost was for the service?

 

[GigPilot]

Can you ballpark what the cost was for the service?

Sorry I missed this one. Labor was $1300 and the parts were $398 from Pacific Power Group. Nice thing with PPG was if your order is I think over $50 or $100 the shipping is free. So that saved me a trip to Kent.

 

[Chimo]

Update: I did find a diesel mechanic here in Port Orchard- Salty Boys Boat Works. They were able to get the job done in a day. I did modify the step, so it made it a little easier for them to access the front of the engine. They did find that the coolant reservoir was leaking on top, so now I have another project!

If you don’t mind answering a couple of more questions that would be very helpful.

How many years/hours before you did this change?
Do you run the boat year round and regularly, say every two weeks? (I do that).
Is your boat in an open slip? (Brian of BB marine wrote extensively on this topic and mentioned a wet bilge as being a factor. Ours is in a boat shed and really dry.)
What was the condition of the belt and tensioner that you replaced?

Most important, what modification did you make to the step that made this easier without pulling the engine?

If anyone else would be kind and contribute their experience it would be helpful in making a decision as to whether to do this change next Spring when the boat will have been running for the 8 years with about 650 hours on the engine.

Thanks

 

[GigPilot]

The manual has the timing belt replacement at 8 years or 1400 hrs. We got the boat at 10 years old and are either the 3rd or 4th owner. The previous owner had the boat for 2 years and was not sure if the belt had been replaced. For the two years he owned the boat, it was kept in a boat house with floats. The other 8 years I think it was in a slip in Kingston.

When I replaced the impeller, I also was going to replace the belt for the impeller. After reading on here about the tensioner, I decided to change that too. I am glad I did because it was frozen in place. It was also the cause of a squeaking noise. So again after reading different posts here (especially BB’s) I decided at 11 years and 800 hrs, it would be best to change out the timing belt. The belt was in good condition and the tensioner was ok, but did not look as good as the new one. I later found out that Volvo recommends changing out the pump that is in there. One reason it is probably best to go with a Volvo mechanic.

As for the step, I had seen some modifications on here. So I cut the top and front of the step out.

I wanted to do it in fiberglass, but opted for a plywood front with a small access panel to the fuel shutoff. For the top, I used some Trex decking I had and fixed it to a piece of plywood for easy removal. I was able to match the stain for the plywood front.

All in all I think it turned out well and now I have better access to the front of the engine.

 

[cmwahl]

We had ours just done at La Conner Maritime. They did an excellent job

 

[ridesn]

My 2015 Cutwater26 w/ D3 220hp is also due for a timing belt. The service center I'm hoping will complete the work can't provide an estimate or confirm whether the engine needs to be removed or not until they see the boat in a couple weeks. Any folks here have wisdom to share with the C26 timing belt replacement job?

 

[Just Right]

My 2015 Cutwater26 w/ D3 220hp is also due for a timing belt. The service center I'm hoping will complete the work can't provide an estimate or confirm whether the engine needs to be removed or not until they see the boat in a couple weeks. Any folks here have wisdom to share with the C26 timing belt replacement job?

I replaced my 2013 C26 timing belt myself. Absolutely no reason to pull engine. If you search I posted about the process and tools needed. Just make sure that you understand how to time the engine. I will say that 1300 plus parts is great price for this job. Its not a difficult job but if you don't get the timing correct you will destroy the engine.