So, I went and got a complete Contitech set of belts for my friend's 89 245.. Well, he got them and Im going to help put em on.. I was wondering if there's any prep work that needs to be done? Such as a good clean off of the pulleys, or say a wipe down on the belts with belt dressing or silicone spray (for longevity) sometimes I've seen belts sprayed with some red stuff? Not sure if this is belt dressing or not.. But any advice would help. I want these to be on there good, and last a while, with little adjustment in the future... Thanks!

Don't prep the belt but do prep the bolts that hold everything in place. Some may be rusty and the tensioner bolt has a tendency to snap. So a good application of PB blaster will be your friend.

Hello,

I was considering having all of the drive belts replaced (4 of them?) by an indy mechanic on my 1990 240. Any idea what a reasonable (ballpark) price would be for all of the belts and the labour? I would consider doing it myself (i am a novice brick repairer) but i don't have the time...

Vo Bro

Well, you can price up the belts on FCP Groton.. Contitech are pretty good. 2nd to only Volvo OEM. I suppose, in my opinion. If the parts exceed those in price, I'd be wary. Unless he uses Volvo OEM. In that case, I'm not sure what the price would be. Tasca Vovlo online could give you a ballpark estimate. Be afraid if he uses generic belts. Not that they wouldn't work, but life expectancy and squeal issues are always a concern. I wouldn't think labor is any more than 1/2 hour. If he charges a full hour, you may be paying for his coffee and cig break. Hope that helps!

Back in the good old days we put on a belt and re-tightened it after 1-200 miles. These days, the belt construction is so good that they no longer stretch. Add belt dressing? I wouldn't bother.

Clean the pulleys? Only if there is oil/grease on them, and then use brake cleaner. There shouldn't be any rust on the belt portion of the pulleys anyway. I like to take my time in the summer and sand off any rust spots and paint the outsides black - you do not have that luxury.

Put some oil on the tightening bolt threads to keep rust away.

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