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Hi Randy. I'm glad you've got yourself back on the road with your A/C running.
This is just FYI for your future reference and in case it may help others finding this thread in the future. The A/C belts on the B230s are often a bit of a nuisance to deal with.
First off, in your particular case the A/C belt you had on was a bit too long and starting to slip and squeal even with the adjuster screw all the way out. One of the things to note is that the 10mm adjuster screw on the alternator is usually longer than the A/C adjuster screw. You can simply try swapping them depending on how much unused thread there is on the alternator screw. That saved my bacon on one occasion when I had a brand new belt on hand (of some brand I don't recall) that was a bit too long and I didn't want to have to go all the way back to get a shorter belt.
The second thing I can suggest in your case was chasing down the squeal in the first place. The fastest and easiest way to start chasing down noises at the front of the engine is to shoot a stream of water on the belts with the engine running. A household plant mister/sprayer or an empty Windex sprayer works great for this. Start with the lower span of the lowest belt, trying to hit the inner surface of the belt and work your way up. The belt will instantly go quiet when you hit the right one, usually followed a minute or so later by them becoming even noiser than when you started (lasts for a few moments). The A/C compressor clutch can also make a bit of a noise as it's getting worn, which you may think is belt related. If you squirt water behind the pulley into the clutch area it may change sound so you know something is happening there. I once even found a piece of gravel that way that was caught up in behind the A/C compressor pulley. I have no idea how that piece of gravel richocheted up into there.
And finally, as to belt sizing. Both auto parts suppliers, belt manufacturers and even Volvo often don't do a good job of keeping their vehicle selectors and belt cross references as good as they could be.
First off, realize that the B230FT turbo calls for a slightly shorter A/C belt compared to the B230F/FD NA engine. That didn't at all help you with your turbo as the 975mm belt you had on would likely have worked fine with an NA engine.
I've found that parts houses and even Volvo sometimes get this wrong.
Let's start with the genuine Volvo belts. I'm pretty sure Volvo used to have this spec'd more correctly, but the current Volvo parts selectors, leastwise the one I used, indicate the 977731 belt is the correct fitment for both the 940 B230F/FD NA and B230FT turbo engines. I believe you'll find the 977731 is a shorter 12.5x950 mm belt. In my experience, I've found a 950 mm belt is quite a tight fit to get on over the pulleys, almost impossible on my B230FD. A better fitment for both engines, especially the B230F/FD, is the Volvo 979631 belt, a 12.5x970 mm belt. If you specifically lookup the 979631 belt, Volvo lists it as also fitting both a 700/900/240 B230F/FD and B230FT (it just doesn't come up in the vehicle selector). The longer belt will work just fine in the turbo, even as it wears in, with a reasonable amount of thread left on the adjuster and the compressor not interfering with anything else.
Now let's talk Continental, as they're one of the better known suppliers of metric equivalent quality belts.
Continental's own vehicle selector lists their Metric line 13x950 belt for both the B230F/FD and B230FT. Note that it's a little bit wider than the Volvo belt, so it rides a little higher (especially in the compressor pulley) and fits a little tighter in both engines, making it a poor choice for the B230F/FD, installing it can be a pain, if not impossible. A much better Continental belt for both engines, especially the B230F/FD is their Metric line 13x975 belt (the one you had in your trunk). It's almost identical in length to the longer Volvo belt. This is the only belt I need to keep on hand for both my engines.
The Continental vehicle selector also list belts from their SAE V-Belt line for 940s. Their 17375 belt is listed for the B230FT. If you do the math, it's roughly a 13.5x950 mm equivalent. Again, a 950 mm belt, is probably going to be a tight fit. Their 17386 belt is listed for the B230F/FD, a 13.5x980 mm equivalent. As you found, a 980 mm belt is a bit too long for a turbo.
As for other brands of belts, especially those that are from SAE series, manufacturers and parts houses are going to choose whatever belt they think is appropriate of the ones they have available in their supply chain. Places like FCPEuro and IPD will quickly find out from their buyers if the belts don't fit, so they are usually reliable reference sources.
Others may want to chime in with sizes and fitment issues that they've found on their particular engines, A/C compressors and mounting brackets.
As I mentioned in another recent post, A/C belts are often difficult to keep quiet both from maintaining proper tension and pulley alignment.That post was here AC pulley not lining up (900)
I now use a proper belt gauge now, the Krikit-I (under $20), which is far more accurate than using the 1/4"-1/2" deflection rule of thumb (or rule of finger, 1/64" per inch of pulley span to be more precise). With the gauge, there are different specs based on belt width and whether it's a new or used belt, the span doesn't matter and it works for all types of pulley drive V-belts, except those that have have double sided teeth, like the B234F timing and balance shaft belts.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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