1999 S80 2.9 Two Repairs I need to think about

[Deacon Eisenhart]

1. Anybody ever pull the drivers side door panel and replace the power door
lock actuator? Mine tends to get "lazy" and sometime will not lock/unlock
the driver door through the remote or central locking system. I would hate
to spend all day doing it, and if necessary can live with just double
checking that the car is locked when I walk away.

2. Any advise on replacing the timing belt yourself on the 2.9 motor?
Dealer seems to think it will cost them around $800 or so. I don't really
trust other shops to even touch this car. Are there other parts besides the
belt that should be changed as well?

3. This will sound a little basic, but how difficult is the oil/filer
change on this engine. Any special tools for this simple procedure I need
to know about?

Sweeeeet,

Deeky

 

[User]

1. Anybody ever pull the drivers side door panel and replace the power door
lock actuator? Mine tends to get "lazy" and sometime will not lock/unlock
the driver door through the remote or central locking system. I would hate
to spend all day doing it, and if necessary can live with just double
checking that the car is locked when I walk away.

It's about like any other modern door panel. Master the art of push (in)
and pull (out) at the same time to remove a few items to reveal hidden
screws. A caveat with not repairing rhe power latch release: the
mechanism can fail in such a way as to cause the locks to repeatedly
lock and unlock during actuation, can get out of sync with the other
doors, and can burn up all the lock motors including the trunk.

2. Any advise on replacing the timing belt yourself on the 2.9 motor?
Dealer seems to think it will cost them around $800 or so. I don't really
trust other shops to even touch this car. Are there other parts besides the
belt that should be changed as well?

If it's other than the first belt change; replace the tensoner, idler
wheels and water pump.

3. This will sound a little basic, but how difficult is the oil/filer
change on this engine. Any special tools for this simple procedure I need
to know about?

You need a special oil filter wrench to remove the oil filter housing
cover. It's plastic, it's tight and a standard strap-type wrench won't
do.

Sweeeeet,

Deeky

Bob