I have a great 940 turbo wagon with about 300K on the B230 turbo engine, original tranny and turbo. The car has been a real trooper. This summer we drove from Maryland to Maine and climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire (in the Volvo). A few weeks ago I noticed a high-pitched squeel coming from the front of the engine. Initially, I thought "turbo" since the sound was rpm dependent and...she's due. Then I thought "water pump" since she's due for one of those too. But alas, after checking both turbo and waterpump, they were fine. It appears the timing belt tensioner bearings are shot and are the source of the noise. I discovered this by removing the timing belt cover and listening to as well as observing the tensioner. After squirting a little WD 40 on the bearing in the tensioner, the noise stopped. Thus, I assumed the tensioner was the problem and ordered a new one from FCP Groton. I also assumed the car would run fine while I waited for the new tensioner to arrive. So, I replaced the timing belt cover and drove the car to work. The noise was gone, but the car ran poorly; no power, hesitation, rough idle. Since the only part of the car I touched was the timing belt assembly, I am assuming that I have somehow thrown the timing off, which would account for the lousy performance. However, I did not remove the belt. I simply fiddled with the tensioner. I may have turned the crank a bit while pressing on the belt. Is it possible that my little foray into the tensioner has caused a timing problem? Thoughts. Solutions?
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