Engine: TDI: PSA: Crankshaft pulley obsolete, source found!

[brickman]

So if you have an 850 or v/s70 with the 2.5 tdi D5252t (VW AEL) up until late 1998/9 when they became the MSA 15.8 variation, you will find there is one part you cannot get.
The older 15.7 engines use a crankshaft with a female keyway in it, and the 22t pulley has a square male keyway with a very slight taper on it. This wears over time and eventually gets a few degrees of movement in it, enough to cause timing issues and noise/clatter at the cambelt side of things. Eventually left to get bad enough the keyway is worn to the point of failure OR the momentum allowed to build up against it (few degree's but plenty of camshaft, pulleys, fuel pump and all associated belts and tensioners building momentum against it) and it WILL fail.

Newer engines (usually badged 2.5d) have a revised arrangement with a round bull nosed male keyway with a more severe taper on it, provides a tighter fit, this part is still available from VW and therefore currently Volvo.

Mine has a tiny amount of movement but seen as cambelt is a bit of a chore of a job worth replacing the part. Genuine was only around £35/45 for the part.

VW have made this obsolete a while back, stocks in UK are gone (though some dealers might have one stashed), volvo the same. There are no superseded part numbers that you can jump on.

Volvo PN 1257104 OBSOLETE NO STOCK
VW PN 069 105 263 OBSOLETE NO STOCK
Febi PN 25172 £12-25 inc vat from many Euro suppliers, rare to find in the UK

Feel free to add any other pattern part numbers if you find them though the FEBI pulleys are meant to be OK quality wise, certainly better than a worn original.

I found VW heritage parts suppliers in Brighton have these in stock for only about £13, again, anything better than a worn one

[petrohl34d]

Good shout. Thanks!

[Clan]

If you get "wear" around the key then there is something wrong .. When the main 27 mm AF bolt is correctly tightened to 160 nm + 180 degrees the pulley and crank are as one . If it were possible the keyway could disappear with no ill effect it does not do any transmitting of drive at all . EXCEPT if the crank nose and pulley are damaged from a previous failure , then the huge low rpm pulsating forces of Diesel combustion will soon ruin it beyond repair . It is essential that the pulley , key and crank nose are undamaged and the Big bolt is correctly tightened for a long long service life . Good to know some vital parts are still around .

[v70mk2tdi]

Hi you'll also find you can't get a dipstick from Volvo as that's an obsolete part now. Bloody typical that's the only thing I needed to complete my engine.

[brickman]

Originally Posted by Clan

If you get "wear" around the key then there is something wrong .. When the main 27 mm AF bolt is correctly tightened to 160 nm + 180 degrees the pulley and crank are as one . If it were possible the keyway could disappear with no ill effect it does not do any transmitting of drive at all . EXCEPT if the crank nose and pulley are damaged from a previous failure , then the huge low rpm pulsating forces of Diesel combustion will soon ruin it beyond repair . It is essential that the pulley , key and crank nose are undamaged and the Big bolt is correctly tightened for a long long service life . Good to know some vital parts are still around .

My wear might be from a previous, but the harmonic balancer appeared to be an old part, date stamped vag part from early 1998, my car being a late 1998. But seriously doubt one of those things doing 250k and 19 years, suspect it was a new old stock part. Some evidence of rubbing between the pulley and balancer, might get a photo up to show.
Bolt was certainly tight but not impossible, took 2x 4' breaker bars, one on a 27mm socket the other on a counter hold tool and a fair grunt but shifted first time. Bolt looked about right for it being last done in 2010/189k ish.
Car was only ever serviced at a reputed volvo independent before with always genuine parts from new until I got it, but not to say they didn't replace that pulley the last time, it had no date stamp and no evidence of it in the receipts.

[Richard_TD]

The guy who changed my timing belt mentioned something about this, although I didn't fully understand what he was saying.

Could this part be changed on its own? The belt, tensioners and pump are quite recent.

[brickman]

Originally Posted by Richard_TD

The guy who changed my timing belt mentioned something about this, although I didn't fully understand what he was saying.

Could this part be changed on its own? The belt, tensioners and pump are quite recent.

Yes as in its available separately. But to do access it you need to remove everything, you might be able to just remove timing end and not touch pump end if you are careful and lucky, but normally you have to take both apart to get it set right.

I would take Clan's advise that the pulley cog is effectively been held by the crushing force from the harmonic balancer and not really by the keyway.

Mines back together now, was fastidious about timing marks on assembly and paid off with it firing right up first time, not loosing tension on either belt and was only -3 degree's out as a starting point for the dynamic timing.

The difference in slop in the old pulley and new one was probably as much as 10/15 degree's. It wouldn't make a difference to actual cam timing as you don't fully set the cam pulley bolt to full torque until after the crank pulley has been torqued down fully. Its more of a 'I know its spot on now' down there.

Last thing of note, the old crank pulley slide on and off the crankshaft easy and had a tiny tiny amount of axial play, whereas the new pulley was an almost interference fit and only sat fully home once the big 27mm crank bolt was being torqued up. I.E, the pulley wears before the crankshaft wears