XC60 D3 2.0 - Serpentine belt tensioner dropped off!

Tootall UK · May 3rd, 2021, 13:05

Well, here's a stroke of luck.

Last night, I returned from a 5-day work trip to Belgium, clocking up over 1000 miles in my XC60.

This morning, my wife drove 20 miles to the yard where she keeps her pony and in the final three/four miles, the red battery light came on, with a 'charge warning' message.

She made it to her destination and when she called, I assumed the alternator was playing up, as I changed serpentine belt a little over a year ago, when the original one (it seems, from the service book) snapped.

She showed me the engine bay via FaceTime and there was no belt on the alternator pulley - I assumed the replacement had broken. But she didn't say the power steering had gone (which happened when it broke before) and she also managed to drive three or four miles, while the car died after about half a mile when the belt snapped before.

A chap who works at the farm had a look and fished the tensioner and belt out of the engine bay. So, clearly, the tensioner has fallen off. The belt looks brand-new still.

Two questions:
1. How on earth did she still have power steering, when the belt was clearly not driving the pump? (not vital knowledge...)
2. What size bolt do I need to fit a new tensioner? (vital information!) I'd assume that might need to come from my local Volvo dealer - can't imagine many factors or eBay sellers having the exact size needed...

I assume the original bolt has either broken/sheared off (that's going to be trouble) or has somehow loosened itself and it finally dropped off when she heard a noise like she'd run over a stick or something, just before the dash lit up...

Has anyone had this fault before?

I didn't remove the tensioner to fit the new belt, we discovered that leverage on the T60 socket in the tensioner moved it enough to fit the belt.

I'll need to get the RAC to recover the car - should I have it brought home, so I can fix it on the driveway (hopefully - I'm reasonably confident with the spanners) during my quarantine, or should I have it dragged to the local garage who serviced it for me before the last lockdown?

May 3rd, 2021, 13:05	#1
Tootall UK First-time Volvo owner Last Online: Apr 24th, 2024 15:42 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Leamington Spa	XC60 D3 2.0 - Serpentine belt tensioner dropped off! Well, here's a stroke of luck. Last night, I returned from a 5-day work trip to Belgium, clocking up over 1000 miles in my XC60. This morning, my wife drove 20 miles to the yard where she keeps her pony and in the final three/four miles, the red battery light came on, with a 'charge warning' message. She made it to her destination and when she called, I assumed the alternator was playing up, as I changed serpentine belt a little over a year ago, when the original one (it seems, from the service book) snapped. She showed me the engine bay via FaceTime and there was no belt on the alternator pulley - I assumed the replacement had broken. But she didn't say the power steering had gone (which happened when it broke before) and she also managed to drive three or four miles, while the car died after about half a mile when the belt snapped before. A chap who works at the farm had a look and fished the tensioner and belt out of the engine bay. So, clearly, the tensioner has fallen off. The belt looks brand-new still. Two questions: 1. How on earth did she still have power steering, when the belt was clearly not driving the pump? (not vital knowledge...) 2. What size bolt do I need to fit a new tensioner? (vital information!) I'd assume that might need to come from my local Volvo dealer - can't imagine many factors or eBay sellers having the exact size needed... I assume the original bolt has either broken/sheared off (that's going to be trouble) or has somehow loosened itself and it finally dropped off when she heard a noise like she'd run over a stick or something, just before the dash lit up... Has anyone had this fault before? I didn't remove the tensioner to fit the new belt, we discovered that leverage on the T60 socket in the tensioner moved it enough to fit the belt. I'll need to get the RAC to recover the car - should I have it brought home, so I can fix it on the driveway (hopefully - I'm reasonably confident with the spanners) during my quarantine, or should I have it dragged to the local garage who serviced it for me before the last lockdown?

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