http://www.brickboard.com/FORUMS/uid=37883 The Volvo owner's resource since 1997. en Copyright 1997-2009, Jarrod Stenberg Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:57 GMT Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:57 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. I'm definitely pleased. Although, I've been doing a lot of car shopping in the meantime and came close to buying a 2006 BMW 530xit. That's a really nice wagon. But the $352 bucks I just paid is probably less than one car payment. Plus, I ride my bike or walk to work so I can't really justify a purchase like that. I average about 5k miles a year in a car. Cheers, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1354685&rss=1 Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:44 GMT She's back on the road and running great! Turns out that the transmission had been out before and the torque converter seal (input shaft seal?) had been replaced. However, it looks like whoever did that used an output shaft seal instead of the wider/deeper seal that is supposed to be used. I couldn't be happier with my mechanic, who is Volvo only (A&M Foreign Auto). He dropped the tranny, replaced the aforementioned seal and rear main seal, buttoned everything up and charged me $352. I think that is a good value. Anyways, I've got my dog hauler back so Zane and Tori thank you guys for the support and advice! -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1354613&rss=1 Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:11 GMT Thanks Charley, The leak is coming from the inside and dripping out of the square vents on the bottom of the housing. The impact was enough to smash my lights and fender, but I wouldn't think it was hard enough to crack anything. If it was cracked, would it drip out of the side? This morning I happened past my excellent independent volvo mechanic on my way to the office and I'm going to tow the car in and have him give his opinion. I trust him quite a bit as he helped me finish up projects that got out of hand for me. For whatever reason, I was expecting this to be a $1000 + job, and he said if it's just a seal it would be somewhere in the $350 range. Maybe another $25 for the rear main while he's in there. A manual trans would be nice, but I think Benski nailed it on the head. And I think I am gonna go for it. At least have the tranny dropped and see what it is. I'll follow up when that happenes. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1352572&rss=1 Sat, 6 Jun 2009 11:10 GMT Hi All, I recently posted about a transmission fluid leak I was having that I hoped was a cooling line following a front end crash. After replacing the fender and front end components I developed the leak after a few days of being back on the road. Turns out it is in fact coming from the bell housing. It's beyond my abilities, and my time constraints to take this on myself, and I'm not sure its worth it. I've spent about $4K over the last 2 years and countless hours replacing suspensions, brakes, converting the a/c, etc so I'm invested and torn about letting it go. It's a love thing with the wagon, as you guys know, but this one seems like it could be the end. If the car was mint and had the leak I'd go for it, but it has rust repaired areas, faded paint, now repaired front end work (non-pro), but is a mechanically very sound car. Thoughts? Advice? Tissues? Sorry jorrell, my last message was read only so I had to start a new post. -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1352336&rss=1 Fri, 5 Jun 2009 01:00 GMT Thanks Jorrell, I'll reinspect, doing as you suggested, and let you know what I find out. I couldn't really understand how an impact could have loosened the seal, considering the trans is bolted to the engine. Sorry about the new thread. Best, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1345759&rss=1 Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:44 GMT So I was hoping my massive transmission fluid leak was related to the cooling lines. HOwever, after an inspection of those lines and removing the bracket mount holding the lines, they appeared to be in decent shape. Yesterday, when this all started I looked under the car and it appeared to be leaking out of the vents on the bell housing. I'm not too optimistic about whats happening here. Should I fill up with transmission fluid, and start her up to inspect? I've done a ton of work to this car and I hate to let it go, but I'm also not the greatest mechanic out there. Dropping the tranny on an '84 with rusty lines is not my idea of a good time. sigh... -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1345741&rss=1 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:43 GMT Thanks Chris, I got a bit of slipping just before I got into the garage, then shut it off. Based on the puddles that were in front of my garage where I stopped to open up the door, and the trail leading up the driveway, I still had some fluid left. I did a recent flush too, so that was all fresh fluid...bummer. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'll report back. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1345702&rss=1 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:07 GMT Thanks for the offer. It appears that the leak is near the bellhousing and not near the radiator. Hopefully I didn't damage the tranny by getting it home on low fluid. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1345699&rss=1 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:43 GMT Hi All, I recently repair my front end from a collision with an SUV trailer hitch. Everything came out ok, except yesterday during a drive down a pothole ridden road I started losing all my transmission fluid. I got it home just as I was getting some slipping. In the collision, the radiator was pushed back. During the repair, I delicately tried to pull everything back into position. With new valence pieces, everything is back where it should be. I didn't have time last night to tear into the project, but I was hoping someone might have some experience with where to look for the leak and how best to repair it. I'm also hoping/assuming it is one of the cooling lines and not some kind of internal damage. Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1345649&rss=1 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:57 GMT Art, You've got an impressive amount of facts stuffed into your head. Thanks! -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1344328&rss=1 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:57 GMT Does anyone know off hand what size bolt/thread size is used for the 4 bolts that hold the hood latch to the top valence? I believe these are the same bolts that also hold the headlight buckets in place. The first 1/8" of the screw has no threading, unlike the fender bolts which are threaded all the way. They aren't listed in any of the online websites and I've found no luck searching brickboard. Cheers, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1344316&rss=1 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:01 GMT hmmm too bad, ok guys, thanks. I figured that I'd have to open the A/C up but I was hopeful that I might've been wrong. And the bumpers aren't going to be part of the swap as my bumper slid under their trailer hitch. -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1343467&rss=1 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:24 GMT Some of you may be aware my car got smashed up in the front. I've been successfull in locating a donor car. (a 1982 244) I'm assuming the nose parts will line up and match my 1984 245. My other Question: I redid the A/C system (switched with the volvo R134 kit). Is it possible for me to slide the new nose pieces in without having to open the A/C system? Can I accomplish this, or do I need to vac it out, break it apart, and recharge? Thanks for the advice, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1343438&rss=1 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:35 GMT Hi Jorrell, I think I was confused. Initially, by core support, I thought you were referencing the cross member shown in the photo you attached. I now realize you mean the vertical piece that is also used to support the condensor and headlight buckets, ect. Yep, I'll get that as one piece because mine's toast. Cheers, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1343323&rss=1 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:14 GMT Hi, Thanks for the heads up! It looks like you must have cut the rivets on yours because in the picture you showed the valence wasn't attached. It's sort of interesting that I need all the metal parts that aren't on your car when that photo was taken. Looks like you did a very thorough job...I betcha mine won't turn out as nice. If I do end up just taking the valence and not the cross beam, where are the welds/rivets you mentioned? Or will the whole unit come out easier if I take it as one piece? thanks Jorrell, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1343237&rss=1 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:27 GMT Thanks bruce, I appreciate it. I'll definitely take the contact info. I clicked on the little email icon in your profile and it brought up a really strange, long email address. Maybe just shoot me the info at my email gregsirianni(at) yahoo (dot) com I also talked to someone who has an 82, so hopefully I can mix and match and get what I need. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1343235&rss=1 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:20 GMT I had a real bad day yesterday and my beloved 1984 245 got the worst of it. Yesterday I stuffed the passenger side front end into an SUV trailer hitch. My bumper went underneath and the impact was directly on the headlights and corner of the fender. The hood bent up around the front third. I'll try and load a picture later, but the damage to the fender is bad and the valence pieces Lower and upper are shot. The headlights on that side including the headlight bucket and grill are toast. The inner fender well is tweaked back but I'm hopeful that I can pull it out and bend it into shape once I remove the fender and valences. The radiator support looks intact and in good shape. I used a come-a-long last night to pull some pieces back into position. I was able to get the hood back into shape to where it closed and latched. The car runs and drives fine. Very, very slight shimmey right around 40 MPH. It looks like all the lights, bezels, grills etc are available on ebay, but the metal parts they attach to aren't. Is there anyone in the connecticut area with a parts car that I could buy some assorted metal pieces for the front? I've put a lot of work into this car and I'd like to try my hand at replacing this stuff rather than letting the car go. I saw amargill's repair, I guess that's what's in store for me except with one corner instead of both. Thank you one and all. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1343202&rss=1 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:37 GMT I had a real bad day yesterday and my beloved 1984 245 got the worst of it. Yesterday I stuffed the passenger side front end into an SUV trailer hitch. My bumper went underneath and the impact was directly on the headlights and corner of the fender. The hood bent up around the front third. I'll try and load a picture later, but the damage to the fender is bad and the valence pieces Lower and upper are shot. The headlights on that side including the headlight bucket and grill are toast. The inner fender well is tweaked back but I'm hopeful that I can pull it out and bend it into shape once I remove the fender and valences. The radiator support looks intact and in good shape. I used a come-a-long last night to pull some pieces back into position. I was able to get the hood back into shape to where it closed and latched. The car runs and drives fine. Very, very slight shimmey right around 40 MPH. It looks like all the lights, bezels, grills etc are available on ebay, but the metal parts they attach to aren't. Is there anyone in the connecticut area with a parts car that I could buy some assorted metal pieces for the front? I've put a lot of work into this car and I'd like to try my hand at replacing this stuff rather than letting the car go. I saw amargill's repair, I guess that's what's in store for me except with one corner instead of both. Thank you one and all. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/PICKNPULL/?id=1343193&rss=1 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:53 GMT Thanks Erling, That's a really good tip to break the bleeders free twice a year when changing out tires. I'll be doing that from now on. I didn't have the greatest luck, but now I'm happy to report that most of my brake components are now new...front and back. The last struggle I had was getting one of the brake lines into the new caliper. I learned it's adviseable to prethread the caliper with a bolt before attempting to thread in the brake line. The remanufactured calipers have paint on the threads and I believe might have trapped some gunk under the paint which ended with me stripping the copper threading as it still 'wept' after repeated tightenings. Anyone know the thread size on those...might be nice to have one kicking around. I'm glad I'm not going to be doing that job for a long time. Especially on an original 1984. But boy what a difference new struts, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings and brakes make. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1314140&rss=1 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:00 GMT My 1984 braking system was neglected and I've been having some trouble. Just replaced everything upfront, due to one broken bleed screw in each of the front calipers. I'm preparing to finish (hopefully) everything this weekend and will have to fully bleed the system. I'm worried about the rear caliper bleed screws and possibly breaking one of them in the process. What's the best method? I used PB blaster on the fronts and also gave them a direct inward tap with a hammer prior to loosening and I still ended up breaking 2. What have been some successful, fail safe ways to loosen the bleeder screws that were stubborn? I've got a small torch at my disposal too, but worried about too much heat. Ideas? -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1313008&rss=1 Fri, 7 Nov 2008 18:53 GMT Excellent! Thank you very much Bruce! I'll wait until she's firmly on the ground again. Any ideas on the washer size. My original was missing so i'm not certain on specs. -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1312100&rss=1 Mon, 3 Nov 2008 21:11 GMT Hi all, Is it possible to take the top nut fully off of the strut in order to replace the washer underneath the nut? The car is jacked up with the weight off of it. I'm assuming nothing can come apart while everything else is in place. Also, from reading through other post it sounds like a 1.5" O.D. washer with 0.75" ID is the correct washer. For some reason there was no washer in there...there was also a venezuelan strut insert that seemed to be made very poorly... -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1312097&rss=1 Mon, 3 Nov 2008 20:52 GMT Thanks Evan, It seemed like that to me, but I read a post here that I guess was incorrect. The bleeder that busted didn't release release any fluid so I don't think any air got in there. Do you think the piston will still operate normally? I'm just fearful that the brake line will brake when trying to replace the caliper. These jobs keep progressing backwards due to corrosion! -Greg http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1312019&rss=1 Mon, 3 Nov 2008 15:14 GMT Hey all, Sh*tty finish to a long weekend of front end work. I broke one of the bleeder screws on the Right front caliper. It was the lower inboard side bleeder which was frozen in there and snapped off. I read that I could still bleed the caliper fully by using the upper bleed screw. If this is true, I'm inclined to just bleed it that way and leave it. Thanks for your help, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1311928&rss=1 Mon, 3 Nov 2008 03:04 GMT Thanks all, I was hoping to finish my front end work this weekend, but no such luck! Stripped spring compressor bolt, broken caliper bleeder screw, struggled with the inner wheel bearing seal, had trouble tightening the ball joint stud...ya know what i mean!!! Cheers, -Greg -- 1984 245GL 96,600 original miles http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1311895&rss=1 Mon, 3 Nov 2008 01:27 GMT Use the text input below to search brickboard.com query http://www.brickboard.com/FIND/