http://www.brickboard.com/FORUMS/uid=42110 The Volvo owner's resource since 1997. en Copyright 1997-2009, Jarrod Stenberg Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:24 GMT Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:24 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 had this problem with my old plug wires which I had thought were in good shape but were actually not. Changing the AMM with another one didn't help. Cold weather start was spluttery. Had to let the car warm up a fair bit, etc. With new wires, the car is now normal. More power too! http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1384317&rss=1 Thu, 5 Nov 2009 19:43 GMT Yes, sorry about that. It's in Celsius. ATF temp after 15 minutes of idle is 40C as per the car manual and 80C after a normal drive. http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1383681&rss=1 Mon, 2 Nov 2009 20:24 GMT Hi Gwen I have driven this car for the last few years on "S". Which should hold the gears longer than "E" I know. I have come to the conclusion that I am just habituated to how the transmission feels with a Dexron III type ATF. With the new synthetic ATF and the much smoother feel, the trans sounds funny to my ears and feels much less 'heavy'. It'll probably take me a while more to get used to it but yes, it is different. I suppose it's the same as using a synthetic oil in the crankcase as opposed to using a dino or semi-syn. I should know better that synthetics just have that much more slippery feel. FWIW, I had a look at the price of a bottle of Castrol Transmax Z at the auto supply store yesterday and had a fright. I had forgotten that I had bought the 12 liters during a sale. Thank heavens I won't have to change the fluid for a while yet! Lucast http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1383679&rss=1 Mon, 2 Nov 2009 20:13 GMT Hi all It was likely that I had overfilled the transmission first time round. I have removed a sufficient quantity so that the oil level is at the COLD mark with the engine just under 40 degrees. Now the oil level just sits in the middle of the HOT zone after a good drive. It's all good now. Thanks fellas for the input. Lucast http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1383376&rss=1 Sun, 1 Nov 2009 07:19 GMT Hi Dick Thanks for replying. The car has always been set to use the Sport mode. (Must see later if the W is on as well - could have accidentally tripped it?). As to the level of the ATF - I have checked it about three times already with the engine running, and even after a good drive, it's on the hot side? Will check everything again today. You never know. Lucast http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1383285&rss=1 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:20 GMT Hi Thanks for replying: 1. I replaced the ATF using the coolant return line method as described on this forum. Done it the same way with the old ATF in this car. 2. With the engine running, the fluid level is indeed in the hot side (just a tad past it). I had checked the level immediately after a decent drive again late last night and it was the same. Lucast http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1383281&rss=1 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:02 GMT Hi all I have recently drained and replaced the 1.5 year old Dexron III ATF with the fully synthetic Castrol Transmax Z, which in Australia is Castrol's recommended ATF for the 850 Turbo. Now, the gear shift behaviour seems to be a lot different from what I am used to with the car. It seems that the car is holding on to first gear for a lot longer than it used to. Disturbingly, I somehow just don't feel the same rush of power that the car used to give me. I don't thing it's my imagination that the revs climb a fair bit higher before the trans shifts up a gear than with the old ATF. Has anyone had this experience? Thanks Lucast http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1383205&rss=1 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:20 GMT Right so I have taken the 240 out for a run here and there, clocking up a paltry 90kms or so today. FWIW, the engine is definitely warming up a lot faster but more importantly, the power is clearly up as well. I sure wished I had updated these plug wires a lot earlier. Maybe I'd have used less fuel last year when I drove across the country both ways. I got about 10 litres per 100km on that trip with a reasonably laden car. I am still on the same spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor from that trip. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381595&rss=1 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:55 GMT Hmm, I run either (Australian) 'regular' octane or mid-high 95 octane depending on whether I can find the lower octane stuff or not. Thing is, regardless of octane level, engine warm up used to take forever with the 240, compared to my 850 turbo. I sort of know where the needle on the temp gauge will be when I reach say certain sets of traffic light stops from home, but today, I was just astonished to see the temp gauge higher than where it normally is at the same route markers. Mind you, both vehicles have no warm air intake - it doesn't get too cold in Sydney. I've modified the 240's airbox and intake a little. (The 850 T-5 has never had one from factory). Yes, I am not discounting the thermostat possibility of course. I think the 'proof' would be in the fuel economy. I'll post some more after my road trip in December about this since I won't be taking the car onto many freeway trips before this time. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381576&rss=1 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:55 GMT Thanks Paul. Much appreciated! http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381570&rss=1 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:22 GMT No worries Steve. I'll post about the mileage. I too am intrigued. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381569&rss=1 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:21 GMT Hi all Can someone tell me where the main ground or earth points are in a 1992 240? It's a LHD if that matters. I am starting to tune up the wagon again for a roadtrip. Thanks Lucas http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381563&rss=1 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:48 GMT How's everyone? Haven't posted here for a while but I thought I'd ask this: My 1992 240GLE used to take a long while to warm up. For some reason I used to put it down to the tropical fan clutch that I had installed for last year's cross country trip causing this. But today, after I fitted 4 new spark plug wires , it seems the car reaches operating temperature like 3 times quicker than before! I am judging this from the same route that I take to drive to the nearby shopping centre. The old wires did seem fairly worn. Any input fellas? Thanks Lucas http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1381562&rss=1 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:40 GMT I did try to adjust the cable but to no avail. Look there's always a risk adding any additive to your ATF but Auto-Rx has had a very good long history if you ask me. I have used it on four cars all to good effect. But check out their website and testimonials as well as the BITOG site for user reviews. It's cleaned up and rejuvenated both the engine and the transmission on my 740T. The shifts are not silky smooth by any measure but heaps better than when I first got the car. It did miracles to the engine of an 850 wagon with 200,000km on it that was badly serviced with plain dino most of its life - it's one of those mechanic tricks to use plain dino on a car that needs either full synthetic or a semi-syn (supposedly serviced by a 'reputable' Swedish car specialist workshop - blah). Truly freed up the power and even sealed off a small leak with the rear main seal. I have used it with every old Volvo I have bought. Just make sure you use the prescribed quantity of Auto-Rx for the trans. It's a lot lesser than what you need for cleaning the engine. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368001&rss=1 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:44 GMT Thanks for the information Ryan. I forget that I do have a bottle of unopened Forever Black lying around. Might just use it for the wing mirrors. I'll be respraying the bumper in any case to match the lovely looking one in front. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1367892&rss=1 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:06 GMT I have a late RHD 240 wagon that's been shod with 16" Hydra wheels (original ones are 14" Scorpius). I bought a set of Virgos recently and I tried putting them on today. Now I have discovered that whilst they fit the rear hubs, they don't fit the front hubs because the locating pin is preventing the wheel from mating flush. It even looks as if the Girling calipers are too close to the spokes of the Virgo wheel. These are non ABS brakes. Is this normal for a late 240? I had thought that Virgos fitted all 240s equally. FWIW, the offset for the Virgo wheels is 20mm and that of the Hydra is 25mm. Appreciate any advice here. Thanks Lucas http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1367889&rss=1 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:57 GMT Thanks for all answers fellas. Most helpful. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1367859&rss=1 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:04 GMT I have an AW71 auto-trans 740T with that same characteristic. It's now a lot better than when I first bought the car which wasn't exactly well maintained by the previous owner (despite the fresh looking ATF when I first got the car). This what I did to smoothen the shifts out: Added Auto-RX to the trans fluid. Ran it about 2000km, flushed again. Added another dose of Auto-RX, ran it for 2000km, and then flushed again. It's now a LOT smoother than when I first got the car. Some people have good luck with using synthetic ATF to minimise this 'problem'. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1367643&rss=1 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 08:37 GMT The grey-looking black(?) wing mirrors on my white wagon look sadly worn from the sun and has lots of fine wispy lines from wind blown sand/dirt. Before I actually start re-colouring the mirror housing, can anyone tell me if it is the plastic itself that's black or is the colour painted in? It will determine whether I'll use a plastic dye or a spray-on paint with built-in plastic primer. Thanks. Lucast http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1367642&rss=1 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 08:27 GMT FWIW, I have both a 240 wagon and an 850 T5 sedan (used to drive an 850 wagon as well). Actually I also have a 740T but I digress. The 850 is a much more modern drive than the 240. Interior comfort wise they are a world ahead of the 240. They are nice cars but are a lot more finicky with maintenance and they cost a lot more to maintain over time as well. The auto trans is especially prone to failures if the trans fluid isn't changed as part of a scheduled maintenance routine - Volvo strangely specified the trans as maintenance free when the car was first launched. Both my current sedan and the previous wagon had their trans replaced under warranty. 850 heater and ac evaporator cores are also prone to corrosion if a pollen filter was not put in early in its life - guess how I know ;-) Radiators are also prone to failures. I have recently spent a lot of money just getting the car right and it's less than 140K kms young. That said, I love my 850 T5 as much as I love my 240. The freeway overtaking ability of the T5 is simply phenomenal. If you're prone to doing your own maintenance, stick with the 240/740 and 940 series. They are much simpler cars to keep going for a long time. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1366330&rss=1 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:28 GMT Just to add to this: The first 850 I had ever driven was a loaner wagon from a good friend. After about 8 months of driving it, I wanted to repay the generosity of the loan by getting the car 'done up' before returning it which involved putting in new brake pads and rotors. The specialist 'Euro' shop that I went to charged me over AU$700 for grinding the worn rotor lips flat (i.e., they reused the old rotors - not a problem if the thickness is still within spec but the point is I still wasn't getting new ones) and putting on new pads. Labour cost is indeed expensive in Australia but this was really poor value. I vowed after that experience that I will always do the brakes myself. It costs less than AU$350 in total for 4 new rotors and 2 sets of decent Bendix brake pads. 2 hours of work without the aid power tools will suffice - I work slow. Things like basic oil and filter changes, coolant renewals, ATF changes are all easily DIYable. Look, I am still a beginner in car maintenance and repairs. But with some commonsense and research on the web, I have found that it's not hard to maintain these cars. I mean one's not going to be able to do all repairs, but the common stuff is pretty straightforward. http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1355571&rss=1 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:50 GMT Permit me to say a few things as an 850 T-5 (1994) owner (with about 115k kms on the odometer) who's done a fair bit of work on the car by myself and through mechanics: 1. The AC evaporator thing can be a big deal. In fact, if the AC evaporator is bad, it's quite possible that the heater core (i.e., the 'evaporator' for heat that engine coolant passes through) could be about to go as well. I have had my car for nearly three years now and the AC started leaking about 2 years ago and became so bad recently that no gas recharging lasted more than a day. The heater core started leaking a month ago leading to gradual but significant coolant loss. Thing is, lots of 850s had no cabin air pollen filters so loads of road dust get sucked into the ventilation system, accumulating on both the heater and AC cores, aiding the eventual damaging corrosion of both. Hence they can die a mutual death like Romeo and Juliet. BTW, I got both fixed recently by an excellent mechanic here in Sydney Australia and it cost AU$1800+ The bulk of the cost is time - eight to eleven manhours to remove and replace the dash depending on which shop you ask, and anything from $1700 to $2500 for total cost depending on how pricey the shop is :-) If you're a decent tree-shade mechanic who can spare the time and am up to the challenge of replacing the cores yourself, buy the parts from FCPGroton - note they only have the correct parts for LHD cars (use new seals please) and follow the unbelievably detailed step-by-step illustrated guide here: http://www.woodjoiner.com/volvo/ *But, you did say the A/C works. 2. The quote of $700 for timing belt and water pump replacement is on the VERY high side if you ask me. 3. Right front ball joint replacement - this is easy to DIY. $350 will be way more than enough to buy TWO control arms with attached ball joint (I paid $110 for a pair of German Meyle HDs off Ebay US). It will take you no more than 2 hours to change out the old ones (your mechanic should take no more than one hour to do one). A wheel alignment is necessary and will cost you some money. Check the integrity of the steering tie rods whilst you're at it. 4. At 135K miles, the front shocks and springs are likely on their way out if they are originals. At 115K kms, my car became naturally 'lowered' on the old springs and the shocks had hardly any give - the handling was good though ;-) That noise you hear could be a worn strut mount - a common problem with these cars (does the sound come from the top part of the firewall?) If yes, the whole strut needs to come off for the mount to be replaced. That or it's just a worn sway bar end link (another common issue) - these are cheap to replace and easy to DIY. I'd prepare to spend money on new shocks, springs and shock mounts within the next 20,000kms. Try not to save money by just doing the shocks. It's not worth it. Do springs, shocks and mounts all at one hit. Guess how I know. 5. Brake pads and rotors, and piston boots are affordable and easy to DIY as long as the pistons are not seized. Lots of mechanics charge too much for doing brakes. 6. Turbo seal oil leak - not hard to DIY. 7. Other common problems that can be DIY fixed: - Driver's door hinge tend to break their welds (not too hard to DIY fix without welding) - Climate control blower fan speed controller/resistor amplifier stage burns out - Blower fan gets squeaky - my current intermittent problem (easy to DIY replace) - Electrics can suddenly 'blackout' ;-) - my guess is that this is related to the blower fan amplifier since it's gone away ever since I replaced the part. - ABS or ABS/Traction computer tend to give out (not hard to rebuild) - Worn turbo intercooler hoses (this is very common but easy to replace - use silicone ones for best results) - Worn or broken upper and lower engine stabiliser mount bushings including the firewall mount - most are easily replaced. Try not to overdo it with polyurethane ones unless you like to feel the engine vibrations a lot ;-) - Cracked radiator - not hard or expensive to replace, just time consuming 8. Common problems with 850s that CANNOT be easily DIY fixed (avoid buying cars with these issues): - Rear engine main seal leak (caused by choked flame trap and/or oil trap) - Bad auto trans (common problem in both turbos and normally aspirated 850s due to a lack of ATF fluid change). Checkout this 850 dedicated site for more info on assorted common problems and repairs: http://au.geocities.com/ozbrick850/ Hope this helps I don't know what these cars go for in the US so I can't suggest anything about whether it's a good deal or not. Lucast http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1355434&rss=1 Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:06 GMT Hey thanks for sharing your experience. I am in two minds as to whether or not I should just go buy a new fan/blower/cage too. Do you think if I were to be cheap and just buy the motor to intall (without the fan cage, that should do the trick? Sounds like a silly question I know but I was thinking if it's one of those issues where it's a combination of the fan cage and motor causing the squeal and not just the motor alone. http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1355359&rss=1 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:23 GMT Thanks for your input here fixit! http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1355357&rss=1 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:18 GMT Has anyone tried lubricating a blower motor fan to prevent it from squealing? Mine's rather noisy, emitting a very high pitched squeal at almost all speeds, most times. Would love to hear your experience. I am wondering if I should not just replace the whole fan motor. Thanks Lucas http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/?id=1355231&rss=1 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:31 GMT Use the text input below to search brickboard.com query http://www.brickboard.com/FIND/