http://www.brickboard.com/FORUMS/uid=23134 The Volvo owner's resource since 1997. en Copyright 1997-2009, Jarrod Stenberg Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:50 GMT Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:50 GMT brickadmin@denizen.net brickadmin@denizen.net volvo 1440 http://www.brickboard.com/images/logo_b_25.gif http://www.brickboard.com/ 25 25 The Volvo owner's resource since 1997. Since I usually like Bosch parts and their quality, I would be interested in details about Bosch being sold. If it is true, then that may make me watch their quality more carefully. BTW, as far as I can find out, Bosch is still owned and controlled by the descendants of Robert Bosch. See this link http://www.bosch.com/content/language2/html/2153.htm -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1386957&rss=1 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:15 GMT While looking for new water pump bolts today, I found that Pep Boys carries a Bosch water pump for the B230 engine. Unfortunately the local store was out of stock, so I could not examine one and asses its quality. But, in my experience, Bosch parts are usually very high quality. The price was insanely low, only about $35. Compare that to the prices for genuine Volvo and even Hepu. Do any of you have any experience with the Bosch water pumps? -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1386839&rss=1 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:50 GMT As some of you know, I have had a hard time installing a new water pump on my 1991 745 turbo. One of the new bolts has sheared off. And at a torque that was way below the 10 ft-lbs it should have been able to withstand. I now have two of the new, genuine Volvo, bolts left, and all three of the old, genuine Volvo, bolts. The old ones were only in the car for just over a year. They are noticably different from the new ones. The fact that one of the new ones has sheared off makes me doubt the quality and strength of the two remaining new bolts. Can I safely reuse the old bolts? They were torqued to 10 or 11 ft-lbs before, and never subject to overheating or anything like that. If I have to buy new bolts, and considering that I don't have faith in the new ones from Volvo, where could I get them? -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1386837&rss=1 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:45 GMT Thanks for the ideas, help, support, and encouragement. The bolt actually was broken off just shy of 1/4" outside of the block, and came out with no resistance with the tips of my fingers. I don't know why it broke, the torque wrench was set for 10 ft-lbs (out of calibration, but it does not overtorque enough to shear a bolt), and the other two bolts and one stud easily withstood the force on them. That is the thing: the bolt that broke was not even all the way in yet, it had not started to provide resistance to my tightening it up with the torque wrench, it just suddenly sheared off with very little force applied. I'd guess under 5 ft-lbs. I have calmed down about the car, but the faith and trust I had in it is broken forever. It is just another car, not something special anymore. Perhaps most other cars would not even be running at 18+ years (18th birthday was back in March), and over 330,000 miles, but it sure has been a rough 5 years. It is likely that I have yet to adjust to the difference between the usual 2.5 years with a car, then throw it away, and the involvement and commitment of keeping a car, albeit a very well built one, in tip-top and reliable shape for a long time. And, there is no doubt that this car, if properly kept, could keep running for a very long time yet. Even if I adjust for the chain of events and repairs that stemmed from the failed heater control valve, and it was considerable due to a shitty repair job by a half-assed shop, it still has had many more problems than I want to deal with. And, the transmission is getting ready to need a rebuild. More than I want to do, and the cost of having someone else do it is probably huge. Thing is, I absolutely hate working on cars. Further fueling my anger and rage today is the fact that bending over the fender and grille/bumper to work on the water pump, using the force I was using to pry it into place resulted in a very painful back. Pain does nothing to calm or soothe my mood. Add to that all the other things going wrong in my life right now, and I really don't have the time or inclination to F about with a car that is always holding the sword of a breakdown over my head. Maybe if everything else was perfect I could laugh it off, take a day or two on the heating pad for my back, then dive back under the hood and happily fix my formerly beloved Volvo. But not with everything else going on. I need something, besides my dogs, that I can count on. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1386833&rss=1 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:19 GMT At this point, I feel that I have to make a public declaration of my hate, yes hate, for Volvos. I have had it, and the whole damn water pump mess has allowed me to focus on just what an unreliable pile of junk this Godd@mn car has been. I finally got the bolts in the water pump, and had turned them by hand, or lightly by wrench. Was torqueing them down with the torque wrench, and finally feeling good about this when -- One of the fu@%ing bolts sheared off in the block! This is after spending 2 more hours trying to get the damn bolts to go in in today, and three hours yesterday. In the 5 years that I have owned this over-rated swedish pile of $hit, it has had major failures of the fuel injection computer, the fuel injection computer (again), the main fuel pump, the lift pump, the heater control valve, the head gasket (before and unrelated to the heater control valve), the water pump (three times), the radiator, the speedometer (my daughter can not use it to take her driver's test for her license), and probably more. It has been constantly in a state of need of repair, and has kept my heart in my mouth every day that I have owned it. Will it make it where I am going, or won't it? Will it break down this week, or won't it. Note that the foregoing list does not include the overheat incident from the failure of the heater control valve, the subsequent very shoddy and lousy repair job by Richard's Import Store in Gainesville, that left antifreeze leaking from somewhere in the head around the #3 spark plug hole, had the head machined way beyond Volvo's specifications, black silicone on the exhaust gaskets (!), and the car constantly loosing coolant, etc. It also does not include that I eventually changed the head and re-did the job right in January of this year. Nor the maintenance work on the front suspension, the routine oil changes every 5 weeks, etc. I hate this fucking car. Sure, it seems to be quieter and smoother than many brand new cars, but at least with them you get some, perhaps imagined, sense that they are reliable and easy to repair (in all fairness to the Volvo, all the previous repairs have been pretty straight forward, if involved at times). Of course, after I figure out how to get the remains of the bolt out of the block, I have to decide whether or not I think the water pump suffered any damage from the bolt breaking off. And, is the bolt hole cross threaded, is that what broke the bolt? And, if any of you wants to provide any consolation, before you do, consider: the pump is still on the car (have to feed my dogs lunch and walk them before I get back to car work), but judging from the length of the broken part of the bolt I have in my hand and comparing it with the thickness of the water pump, it broke off IN THE BLOCK. And, after all of this, including figuring out how to drill the broken bolt out of the block, I still have to put the pump back in. Now that I jump in terror and get all twitchy at the mere thought of working on the goddamn water pump in a volvo. What will I break the next time due to Volvo's wonderful design of their utterly unreliable water pumps. Fucking fun! When I get this crap pile put back together, it is going up for sale, and I swear that I will never, NEVER own another Volvo again. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1386712&rss=1 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:42 GMT Hmmm, it appears that I need to work on alignment and possibly gasket interference more than brute force: You only use a 1 X 2, I broke a 1" diameter hard maple dowel applying upward force to mine. I am worried about the condition of the upper seal after being compressed and released so many times in the three hours that I fought with it. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1386634&rss=1 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:24 GMT Am installing water pump on my 745. Can't get bolt holes to line up when prying up on the pump. Are there some special tricks involved? For details, and the fact that I have some experience doing this, read on. This is the third water pump I've installed on a B230 engine. First one went so easy I wondered why the FAQ had an article about it. Second one fought me for two hours over the part where you pry it upward to compress the big seal against the head. Could not get the bolt holes to line up. Finally it just went together, not with massive force, but I don't know how - the bolts just suddenly went in. Today started to change that pump, above, for a new one. Have fought with it for over 3 hours, to no avail. Is there some magic trick to this that makes it go well? Like some specific way to pry the pump into position, or maybe I should have put the gasket on the pump not the block (it could be getting in the way, but I doubt it as it is so well fitted). What am I missing? How bad is it? Car is all apart, pump is NOT bolted in, and it is after dark here and when done typing this, am going to get rental car to get family to work tomorrow. No fun. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1386546&rss=1 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:11 GMT You can also try www.turbobricks.com for information on making your engine more powerful. Some of the guys there, and the radical Volvo fanatics in Sweden, can get mind-boggling horsepower (gas-tank-draining, too) from the B230 engines. I second the opinion that you have a better engine than the 16-valve one. An axiom about making cars go faster, in the form of a question: Speed costs. How fast do you want to go? -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1385382&rss=1 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:18 GMT Thanks David and Jon. I think that the installation of the pump, or more accurately, the installation of the head back in January, is what may have caused the problem. The pump is about a year old, and was put on last October after a lousy repair of a warped head, last July (2008) by a local @$$wipe mechanic (so-called "Volvo specialist"). But, his repair of the head was no good, and I bought another head, had valves done, resurfaced, etc. and installed the new head this past January (2009) myself. I have done water pumps in this car before, and this last one was particularly hard to get pushed up into position. Thus, when changing the head in Jan., I did not loosen the pump, but just left it where it was and plopped the new head on. I did change the big o-ring, and put a light coat of Hylomar on it. I'd guess that when changing the head, I should have loosened the pump and properly pushed it up against the new head. Ooops. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1385087&rss=1 Mon, 9 Nov 2009 12:38 GMT Randy, the car, a 1991 745 Turbo SE, has a brand new 960 coolant tank and level sensor in it. All done per the FAQ. They were installed a few months ago along with all new hoses, a new 100KPa (white) coolant tank cap, and a new heater control valve. And, of course, all new Volvo coolant. However, I have procrastinated about installing the wiring necessary to make the coolant level sensor useful. I will probably do so in the winter. In the summers, and even the fall, here in Florida, it is just too damn hot to do car work. For me anyway. Will probably install a loud buzzer or alarm instead of hooking the wiring up to the idiot lights. My wife would never notice the light until it was too late, and I can not honestly say that I apply my instrument flying skills (regular and thorough instrument scan) to my driving, so I might miss the light too. A loud buzzer or alternating frequency alarm would be the ticket. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1385044&rss=1 Mon, 9 Nov 2009 02:45 GMT Based on both the FAQ and my own experience, I had thought that the weep hole leaks only seeped coolant and never led to catastrophic coolant loss. Am I wrong? I'm more worried about the big o-ring. Both pumps are genuine Volvo, both my local dealer and Tasca Volvo are Volvo dealers. Tasca just manages to sell the parts for less than our local dealer claims is his cost. So far today, the car has driven about 75 miles and there is no additional leakage from the big o-ring. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1384964&rss=1 Sun, 8 Nov 2009 21:39 GMT Have found some seepage from the mushroom-shaped o-ring between the top of the water pump and the head. Very little, maybe two to three drops per day. Do you guys think I have enough time to order a new pump from Tasca Volvo (genuine Volvo for about $63 + shipping). It should arrive here by next Friday. Or do you think I should get one from the local Volvo dealer (probably over $110 + tax), and have it by this Wednesday and install it the same day. And, yes, I do need to change the pump: the shaft seal is seeping from the lower weep hole - long story. The car is used every day, about 65 to 70 miles per day. I check on it every night. It has run this way since last Thursday with no apparent increase in seepage rate. Do those big o-rings fail suddenly and catastrophically, or will it just seep for a little while until I can get the new pump in? -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1384938&rss=1 Sun, 8 Nov 2009 18:29 GMT Check the connector in the back of the car. On the driver's side, where the in-tank pump and fuel gauge connect to the main body harness. In the wagons it is under the driver's side lift-up panel behind the wheel well. The connector blades might be corroded, increasing resistance and decreasing voltage to the pump. I think the connector contacts are self-wiping, so disconnecting and reconnecting a few times should clean them up quite a bit. While you are there, also check the ground connection, if there is one there. Basically, where ever you are getting the 9.2V reading, between that point, and the nearest one with a reading of 12V, there is increased resistance due to some problem. Could be dirty connectors, could be corroding wire in the harness, etc. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1383030&rss=1 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:02 GMT Doesn't the GLE have the 16-valve engine, which is an interference engine? If so, I think that there are at least two possibilities: the usual B230 piston-slap noise, which can get quite fierce as I understand. But that usually is loudest at start up and gets quieter as the car warms up. The other possibility that comes to mind is a problem in the valve train, to which the 16-valve engines are more prone than the 8-valve, non-interference engines. Or, maybe, your valves just need to be adjusted? EDIT to add: If yours is an interference engine, and if it were mine (aside from selling it FAST and buying an 8-valve engine), I'd get the valves adjusted and the valve train looked at, or do it my self, and quickly. A loud upper end knock in an interference engine could lead to very serious problems if not fixed quickly. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1382350&rss=1 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:54 GMT Have you heard any noises from under the frame, in the vicinity of the driver's seat? I have had problems like this, twice, and it was a fuel pump problem each time. Mine has a Bosch injection system and ignition, not Regina. Once, the original main fuel pump, under the frame, by the driver's seat, failed. It was 15 years old, and over 200,000 miles. No mistaking that sound - like rocks in a cement mixer. Was usually a no-start, but if you got lucky and it ran, it would keep the car running. Drove it home over 27 miles that way, no problems. The other time was the lift pump in the fuel tank. In that case, the main pump would not make any noise when the car was first started. But after a while, and the stress got to the main pump, it would make a high-pitched whine and whiny, high-pitched growl. But not always. As it got worse, the car would sometimes not go over 2500 rpm, nor would it accelerate quickly. But it could reach pretty good top speed if I accelerated slowly. The relay failures I have had were kind of intermittant hesitation, or small cut-outs that you could feel when cruising at high speed. Never a full non-start type thing, and the relay problems don't get better all by themselves. Nor do computer problems, in my experience. Check the FAQ for testing your relays, and fuel pumps. Be thorough, and, if it is your fuel pump, replace it with a genuine Bosch pump. I learned long ago that the original Bosch parts last 12 to 15 years, aftermarket stuff rarely, if ever, does. Note from experience: If the FI relay, under the radio, and the radio supression relay, under the hood, look old, replace them, and keep spares in the glove compartment (unless the latch on yours breaks like mine did, then you can't get at the stuff in there . . .), maybe in the console or in the storage bins by the tool box. Also check the FAQ about your "Power Stage" or ignition amplifier, or something like that, in your ignition system. I think it is bolted to the inside of the driver's side fender, between the battery and the wheel well. BTW, have had one completely unexplained problem: put new fuel computer in it, then about 22 miles later it simply stopped dead when cruising down road. I got out and checked the two relays under the hood, and she started right up. No further problems for many months. Go figure. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1382344&rss=1 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:32 GMT The link below is to an MIT published (from Columbia U. I think) video about an augmented reality visor they are developing for the military. Imagine something like this, but with information well above the very basic level shown in the video. It is almost jaw-dropping. Link: http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=469 Copy and paste to your browser. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1382332&rss=1 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:30 GMT Oh, how I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but . . . Similar thing happened to my car, 1991 745 turbo, summer of 2008. Wife left house, HCV cracked, and she pulled over and shut down within a mile of home. Told her to start it up, watch temp gauge and drive carefully home. It did not go into overheat. HCV was spewing steam/coolant. I let it cool off and removed the HCV and hoses and capped off the connections. Car seemed to run fine, but something was wrong, hard to put finger on. She started drinking coolant, a little at first, then more and more. There was also something else that was just not right, but hard to put a finger on. Slowly, over the course of a couple of weeks, she began to show signs of overheating, the temp gauge would creep higher and higher. One day she just fully overheated and that was it. Time for a new cylinder head. Short version: She, like your car probably did, warped her head during the short episode of loosing coolant. Symptoms were the same - drinking coolant and starting to show signs of over heating. It will probably get worse and worse. Take it to a reputable mechanic (oxymoron?) and have them take a look at it. If you catch it soon enough, you might be able to save the head that is on the engine. If it overheats again and warps more, it might wind up needing to be machined way beyond the Volvo specs, which I advise against. But the situation is not going to get any better if you keep driving it. And, I strongly doubt that the problem is your water pump or thermostat. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381450&rss=1 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:50 GMT Hmm, my brain is not working well these days either. Seems that I did not think before posting last night: If I really want to change the oil this weekend, I can always trot over to the local Volvo dealer and pick up a Mann with Volvo printing on it. The dealer is expensive, but the one here has a very good, cooperative, knowledgable and friendly parts dept., so I don't mind giving them my business. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381212&rss=1 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:54 GMT Hi, Jon. I've been using Shell Rotella-T 15W-40 for the summer here in Florida. Had temps up to 99 deg, and heat indexes well above 100. Was actually that hot into early October this year. Will use Rotella 15W-40 on this upcoming change, then switch back to Castrol GT 10W-30 for fall, winter, and early spring. Dang it, I procrastinate too much: Advance Auto was selling Rotella gallons for $9.95 and I only bought a case (3). Was going to buy a case a day for a week. After all, it does not go bad like cooking oil will, and I use 5 gallons each summer. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381211&rss=1 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:50 GMT Since my speedo/odo does not work, I change my oil by the calendar. The intervals are based on average use, and have a fudge factor built in for any extra use. I change every 5 weeks, which, under normal circumstances works out to about 2500 miles. This insures that even with extra trips, etc. the oil gets changed every 3000 miles or less. My current problem: I got forgetful/lazy and did not order Mann filters from FCP, and I have none on hand. Oil change is really due this coming weekend. The car should have less than 3k miles on it since last change, probably about 2400 to 2500. What do you think would be better, to put it off until next weekend (Oct. 31), by when I can have a case of Mann filters here, or to do it this coming weekend (Oct. 24), and use a Purolator or whatever filter? Even if I put it off, the car should only have 2800 to 3K miles on it by the time I change it . Maybe I obsess over these kinds of things, but frequent oil and filter changes are well proven to greatly help keep a car running well. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381159&rss=1 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:48 GMT Sorry, I did not answer your explicit question in my last response. Here goes: No, you don't change "the chip." What you are referring to as "the chip," like on a GM, is in the computer and when you change the computer for another one of the same or a compatible type, you get a "new" chip with it - built in. The chip that the FAQ says failed is the big hybrid IC/discrete chip inside the computer that is covered in clear silicone. I don't recall wheather it is directly soldered to the circuit board in the computer, or if it is socketed. Anyway, you can just replace the whole ECU computer box for about $130 to $150. And I doubt that you will find that hybrid chip available anywhere. BTW, I would advise against trying the supplementary circuit addition that is posted as a fix in the FAQ. I did that at first when my 563 computer failed. It worked like a charm for about a year. Then all sorts of problems arose. Severe driveability problems, sometimes no start/no run, belching smoke (ultra rich mixture), all kinds of wild error codes on the ignition computer, etc. I found 12V on lines between the two computers that should have had only 5V, etc. I don't think the fix is worth it. When that circuit in the computer goes, the whole thing is on the way out, you might as well replace it. And I doubt it was some error on my part: my soldering skills and electronics knowledge are way above average. I rebuild and restore McIntosh Labs power amplifiers and preamplifiers for a hobby. Been into electronics since the mid-late 1960's. If I have not answered your question clearly, please let me know and I'll do what I can to clarify. Good luck. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381147&rss=1 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:15 GMT I have had the 563 computer in my 1991 740 SE Turbo wagon fail. Try the jumper wire trick mentioned in the FAQ. Look at the FAQ for Engine: FI and Injection Computers, and it is in the first section at the top of the page, "Symptoms of a bad LH 2.4 ECU," the last paragraph of that section. It begins with "This note is from Car Electronic Service in the UK . . ." It lists a number of ECUs that it applies to, and that list does not include the 563, but it should, as I can vouch that the 563 will fail exactly the same way too. But, to make sure it is the computer and not the relay, you need to jump the relay as per the FAQ. If the relay has bad contacts, then your finger pressure might have overcome the pitting and increased resistance they present. If it turns out that you need a replacement ECU, you can get by for a while by wiring a switch in the jumper. I soldered my jumper in place and put a switch on it. Make very sure that anyone driving the car knows that the switch goes on immediately before turning the key, and not before that. And, they must turn it off immediately after turning the key off, and NEVER leave it on. Brickboard member Rhaire sells the ECUs, if one is available, on eBay under the user name 240salvage. He is very reputable and knowledgeable. His prices are usually very, very reasonable too. He and I are in Florida, so I got my ECU from him in 1 day. He is very fast if he has them in stock, and knows which ones are the current Volvo substitutes for the 563. Even if it is the computer, it is probably a good idea to change the relay too. The new ones that I have gotten are all solid-state, so no more poking around with your finger. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381122&rss=1 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:54 GMT While I don't want to contradict Steve about the FAQ, I recall very clearly that there were no plastic rivets that I had to drill out, per the FAQ. Mine came off very easily once I figured out how to get it off. I took out the grill and, I think, the trim pieces under my headlights, all for better access to something. Must have had to do with getting the rubber off. There were bolts on the side too, by the wheel wells. Keep in mind that my car is a 1991 745 SE Turbo model, which is nearly a 940 judging by its body panels, computers, instrument systems, etc. So if yours is a "flat-fronted" pre-1990 740, the whole bumper assembly may be very different. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1377309&rss=1 Mon, 5 Oct 2009 13:33 GMT Yes, you can easily replace just the rubber cover. I had to take mine off last year to replace a collapsed bumper strut. At the moment I don't recall exactly what I had to do to get it off, just that the whole procedure - remove rubber cover, remove aluminum bumper, remove strut, install new strut, replace aluminum bumper, replace rubber cover - took well under an hour. And, I did not know what to do when I started, so I was looking around an learning as I went, and working very slowly. You may need two people to put the rubber cover back on: mine is a 1991, and the rubber cover has tongues that slide into a groove on each side, where it wraps around the side of the front fender, by the wheel wells. Both tongues have to be lined up in their respective grooves as you push the rubber cover into place. Weight is not the problem, but having a pair of eyes and hands on each side of the car guiding the cover on is. Otherwise it is a one man job. And you only need the second person for, literally, 5 to 10 seconds. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1376887&rss=1 Sat, 3 Oct 2009 12:48 GMT " . . . they "looked and looked" for a replacement turbo block. . ." That speaks volumes about quality of prior work on the engine (based on assesment of the mechanics' knowledge): As far as I know, the blocks are the same and very interchangeable. Pistons are different, but they can be moved from one block to another. Main difference is in the head - exhaust valves, cam. -- Scott Cook - 1991 745T, 1985 RX-7 GSL-SE, 1986 Toyota Tercel (Don't laugh, it is reliable, faithful AND gets 41 mpg!) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1375122&rss=1 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:31 GMT Use the text input below to search brickboard.com query http://www.brickboard.com/FIND/