Volvo 940/960 » Crank Pulley Holder Tool

Automatic-schmotomatic, this is THE tool to use on EITHER transmission type. Trying to change the belt on a manual 240, I first tried holding the crank still by putting the car in gear & setting the parking brake. Cranking on the bolt with a large breaker bar, the transmission groaned, the car would inch forward & the crank pulley refused to loose the wrestling match.

Once the tool arrived it was a simple matter of setting the bottom half in the crank pulley's notches & bolting the top half on the tensioner stud. Once everything was locked down, the crank bolt was then removed with minimal effort & the rest of the belt change went smoothly. Remember the crank pulley is keyed, so correct alignment is crucial prior to re-torquing the bolt! Every do-it-yourselfer with a harmonic balancer equipped 240 ought to have one of these in their toolbox!

I don't own this tool, but should've bought it! If you're planning on doing this yourself, you'd better have one. Problem is, at the time of this writing, IPD doesn't suggest this in their "Timing Belts & Kits" section, where they sell the how-to DVD. They should at least mention it, if not include the actual product in the list. I think they even mention it in the DVD but I didn't realize the significance. As it was, I was unprepared for the day I'd scheduled with my friend to "show" (basically do it for) me. My friend sacrificed a big screwdriver to keep the crankshaft from turning while trying to loosen the very tight bolt--almost didn't get it. How tight? With his biggest breaker bar, almost all his weight on it, that bar was BENDING. (Aggressive previous mechanic?) IMHO, replacing the belts was not the almost-simple operation the DVD made it to be. On top of that, one of the adjusting bolts (screws?) snapped during tightening, and o/c it's a really unusual, uncommon, narrow bolt (metric threads too, IIRC). My friend had to use some kit he had to somehow turned a spare nut into a bolt head for the remaining "screw" piece and get it adjusted properly; I'd've been stranded otherwise. IPD should also sell those bolts and encourage ppl on the Timing Belts pg to have them on hand. In retrospect, now realizing I'm just an ambitious Skill Level 2, I never would've been able to do it myself (if I did now, only with a spare car). It also took a LOT longer than we thought it would.

Just used this tool for the first time on my 91 940. Makes changing the timing belt very simple and allows for far more accurate tightening of the crankshaft pulley bolt compared to an air wrench. Good quality, solid construction. Well worth the asking price. Anyone considering changing their RWD Volvo's timing belt should have this tool on their purchase list!

Another tool you must own! Only problem is not with the tool, but with some aftermarket pulleys. Some "non-OEM" pulleys have slots offset from TDC so that with the holder installed the crank will not be at TDC. Not to worry, just get the belt on right with the pulley bolt finger tight, then rotate the crank CW by the crank bolt to make sure the crank and cam are in sync at TDC and then rotate a little further 'till the tool will line up with the pulley slots. This made changing timing belts a breeze compared to using makeshift methods and saves the skinned knuckles and cussing!

This tool makes timing belt changes a breeze. To offset the price just split it with a fellow volvo friend. This is a must have tool!