This is regarding the 1980 245 DL with an M-46.

I discovered that the reason my wagon was dead was because the timing belt snapped.

I went and got a new belt, along with a set of seals (figured I might as well do that while I'm in there.)

I got the clutch fan off along with the shroud (after destroying those 4 little 10 mm nuts). Now I'm trying to get the V-belts off.

I can't figure out how to give the AC compressor belt any slack. I've gotten the rest of the belts off the pulleys, but until that AC belt comes off, I can't get any of the other belts off. Is there some special trick to getting that belt off of a B-21F?

Also, it looks like my water pump is leaking as well. Replacing it shouldn't add a whole lot to this task should it? (This would explain why I've been losing coolant.) Any particular brand of water pump I should get?

I'm using my Bentley as a guide, but it hasn't been terribly helpful in regards to removing the belts and such.

Thanks as always.
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If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as "Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!"

The AC belt is removed by separating the two halves of the sheave on the crank that drives it. Remove the nuts from the 6mm studs that encircle the inner rim of the sheave, and then pull the front half off. There are a series of shims that are used to establish the tension of the belt by spacing the two halves of the sheave closer or further apart. It is the same stupid method used by old air cooled Volkswagens. Stupid and time consuming, but doable.

Sorry Jim, I didn't see your post regarding the belt sheave. You said it well, although I will still add that the method Volvo chose is.......wait for it.......stupid.

Another bright side to the design is it affords you much practice, when replacing the AC belt, especially if you've decided to use an aftermarket "close size" belt. You get to loosen and tighten the sheaves multiple times to arrive at a decision about how many shims it will need this time.

After an hour you know just how many turns to take each nut and bolt on each succeeding rotation of the crank as it walks the belt out in the v-groove.

The first time I attempted this, I was not happy with the tension-- loose with x shims and too tight with x-1 shims, so I scissored a shim out of .015 brass stock for the x-0.5 happy medium. I'm no longer that fussy with it.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

I agree, although you don't need the holding tool for this type of sheave.

hi there i messed up one front seal by not taking my time. to remove the belts i jump them off with a xtra large screwdriver, takes about 10 seconds each. im not suggesting anyone else do this but works for me. good luck

If you remove that seal housing be real careful of the pan gasket at its lower edge.

Hepu water pump from Groton. Great pump, great price. Buy an extra set of seals in case you mess one up. Cheap.
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Thanks everyone for all the information and advice, Doug C. 81 242 Brick Off Blocks, stock, B21F (non-Turbo), M46; 86 244, B230, 140k , auto.

the B21F engine in the '80 model has a split pulley on the crankshaft. There are 4 nuts and 2 bolts to remove and the pulley comes apart. The belt tightness is determined by shims between the halves of the pulley so don't lose them and record how many were in there . Usually there will be spare shims under the bolts and nuts on the outside of the pulley.

Once the pulley is apart, the AC belt falls right off. Putting the pulley back together with a new belt is a little tricky. I had success by putting the pulley together loosely and slipping the belt on the crank and AC pulleys. Then I partially tightened the nuts and bolts on the pulley which was closest to the AC pulley. Then I rotated the crank 180 degrees and partially tightened the next set of bolts and nuts. I kept doing this until all the nuts and bolts were tight. This method "walks" the belt up onto the pulley without the damage that prying the pully on could cause.

I have had good results in replacing the seals by taking off the seal carrier and changing seals on the bench. I do the cam seal by removing the cam cover and the front cam bearing cap. Then it is a fingers only task, easy.

If your water pump is leaking, now is the time to replace it. When you have all the pump bolts loosely in place, you lever the pump up against the block to compress the o-ring at the top. Hold it compressed and tighten the bolts. Be careful you don't break off a bolt in the head! Follow the torque settings in the Bentley. Lastly, don't overtighten the belt on the alternator-water pump pulleys. This can stress the water pump bearings and lead to early failure. Don't ask me how I know this! As far as a brand, check with IPD.

I, too, destroyed thos nuts on the fan clutch. In my defense, they were buggered up when I got the car. I bought nice new ones here at Eugene Fasteners which is a really great place to go for all kinds of odd fasteners. There must be a similar place up in Portland.

Good luck!!