http://www.brickboard.com/FORUMS/uid=4697 The Volvo owner's resource since 1997. en Copyright 1997-2009, Jarrod Stenberg Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:54 GMT Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:54 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. My newest 240 is the 1988, should be the same as yours. Consider doing other maintenance while "in there". Since the coolant will be drained, consider new upper and lower hoses and thermostat (92C). Also belts. Drain coolant such that it gets collected and can be disposed of safely. The smell seems to attract critters (cats and others) and it is fatal to them. New coolant should be a 50/50 mix using distilled water. I have used Prestone "green" for all my 240's (but not on my all-aluminum 960's). The heater water pipe fits into the pump very snugly, and may have a bolt holding it. Free that first, but leave the pipe in place. It is easier to wiggle it out after the pump is almost off the block. Remember how you do it, so you can reverse the process when installing the new pump. Ring seal on pipe, then pipe with seal into pump. Loosening the belts is easy for me since I got an electric screwdriver with a bit having a hex end and a 1/4-inch socket drive end. Saves a lot of time and is useful elsewhere, too. Remember to release the nut that locks that long adjustment screw. Let the dual belts stay tight while you loosen the nuts holding the fan. I use a small box-end wrench (8mm, I think) that I put on the nut that's at the 9 0'clock position (wrench pointing at the right fender) and then tap it with a small hammer just enough to break it loose. Then loosen belts, turn fan 1/4 turn, tighten belts, and do the next one, etc. etc. Once there are all loose, the job is easy. Have the belts quite loose to finagle the fan pulley out. When cleaning off the old gasket material, be very thorough. The place where that upward-facing connection goes into the head should be cleaned, too. Use a mirror to be sure. Though many use no gasket sealant at all, I use a little Perma-Tex Form-A-Gasket to hold the gasket in place. Note that some of the bolt holes in the pump are vertically elongated. Use just those bolts to get pump on the block and finger-tight. Then pry the pump upward to seal the connector up into the head. Hole it tight while you tighten the bolts. Then add the others and torque to spec. One warning - never over-tighten the nuts holding the thermostat housing. Finding a good housing (new or used) really slows down the job. Once you are done, and have knowledge of how long it took, find out how much you saved. My voice doesn't sound youthful, so I can call a local Volvo dealership service and ask the service writer "My daughter has our trusted Volvo 1990 240 at college (name one a few hundred miles away) and took it to a shop there because it was leaking anti-freeze. They wanted $425.00 to put in a new pump, doesn't that sound high to you?". This gets you around the standard answer of "Can't tell until you bring it in so we can see what it needs". Good Luck with the job. Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1385397&rss=1 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:46 GMT <i>You could also inspect the brushes and make sure they are not badly worn down.</i> I have a 1997 965, 201xx miles, never touched the alternator. At idle it puts out 13.0 volts, which I consider a little low. The battery seems to stay charged, but on starting the turn-over is nerve-wracking slow. I would like to at least check the brushes, but I don't see a way to do that without pulling the PS pump and maybe other things, too. I have bought the Volvo regulator/brush set and would like to install it. Any tips would be welcome. Thanks in advance, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1383937&rss=1 Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:50 GMT I happen to know that the car surrounding that engine was totalled. The engine in the pic was pulled as a salvage/sellable item. I bought some items from what you see in the pic. Otherwise - your question is a good one. Regards, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1383932&rss=1 Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:39 GMT If your 960 is a 1996 or newer, there is a port for OBD II located on the console right of the E-brake handle and upward a bit. Easy to open, tricky to close. I have used AutoZone to get a free check, you can ask for a little print-out of what they find. Close the port cover yourself. Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1383925&rss=1 Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:14 GMT Hi Art - Sounds like a suspect ignition switch. Any change with slowly turning the key towards the key-removal position? When the CD changer stayed on, did you disconnect the battery? Did the changer come back on when you re-connected the battery? Good Luck, Bob :>) PS Never did chain my 965 to a tree to check for a LS differential, as you described in a rather good picture. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1383923&rss=1 Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:07 GMT You have some very good responses at this time. Art B. is one of the best. Re: timing belt. Premature Failure is usually due to oil on the belt weakening it until a few teeth shear off where it wraps around the crankshaft drive pulley, So the belt looks just fine but doesn't move. There will be no damage to the engine. The engine will stop running and won't re-start. While attempting to re-start it will make very uneven sound as some cylinders will have no compression. Replacement is a do-it-yourself job, but without towing it is a do-it-right-here job. Things to stow in the car - (Besides the tire-changing tools and others.) 1) A tire gauge, and an air pump that plugs into the cigar lighter or 12-volt power source. (Mine is from ACE hardware.) If the driver finds a low tire, even if quite low, he can pull over and pump the tire to 40psi, usually enough to limp to a repair place. Assuming, of course, that the tire is not ripped open. 2) Set of 6-gauge jumper cables, 10 ft or longer. 3) One or two flashlights. Large in the trunk, small in the glove box. 4) Trash can, one that fits behind the front passenger seat. Plastic and leak-proof, good for keeping liquid trash off the carpet (Wet stuff, barf, etc.) 5) Pair of leather-palm work gloves. I find that a box, such as one that holds 10 reams of copy paper, will hold all that stuff and fit in the trunk up under the rear package tray. Good Luck to your new driver and yourself. Remember that if things get messed up there is likely a brickboarder somewhere nearby. Some new-driver things. (With teacher on board as passenger) 1) Learn about panic stops. Put loose things on the floor or in the trunk. Get to a place with no traffic and room to get up to 30 mph. At that speed put both feet on the brake pedal and stomp. Result - new driver learns what to expect of a panic stop <i>before</i> one is needed. 2) The 240 seems powerless if rapid acceleration is needed, as on a freeway entry ramp. More Acceleration is available by pulling the shift into gear 1, running up to 2500 - 3000 rpm, going to 2, and then into D. The shift points are set to keep Grandma comfy. Using that DIY shifting I surprised a Mustang. Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1383922&rss=1 Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:53 GMT Sorta depends on who is driving. My S90 in the wifemobile, that gas light means get two or thee gallons real soon, even at a price a lot higher than around our home area. If I am driving our 1997 965, it means there's maybe 2 gallons, can get 36 to 40 miles before panic sets in. Varies with the type driving, city vs freeway. If a warning light starts flashing (I forget which one it is) you have about 600 yards to go. (Don't ask me how I know!) Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1383908&rss=1 Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:13 GMT Hello and thank you. I did not see any plastic screws, so I must get in there and look harder. I am glad to know that they're there and are of the usual Volvo system. I suspect that access for replacing tail light bulbs is the same - 1/4 turn on a screw. Regards, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368974&rss=1 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:19 GMT Had a similar experience with my 1983 245GL when I first got it. PO complained of a hole in the floor under the driver's seat. When I stuck my hand up under there was a football-sized hole. The heavy gauge piece that is the seat mount was untouched. Ultimately I had a jake-leg body guy weld in a piece and the hole was gone forever. The cause? The PO had gone to her dealer for everything and they had "done" the a/c system. The air plenum, two halves rather than the single piece in my previous 240's, had not been sealed tightly and condensation had leaked into the carpet for years. When I pulled the carpets, which were dry to touch, the sponge-rubber padding was gooey wet in all four foot-wells. And there was a high-water-mark around all fot well, in rust. The water stayed in the pads because of the rubber water-proof scrim on the top surface of the pad. So - check the windshield for leaks, and consider that in one of its previous lives the car got water that stayed for a long time without being obvious to touch or smell. Good luck, and feel thankful that your leak doesn't smell like anti-freeze. Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368972&rss=1 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:10 GMT Had a similar experience with my 1983 245GL when I first got it. PO complained of a hole in the floor under the driver's seat. When I stuck my hand up under there was a football-sized hole. The heavy gauge piece that is the seat mount was untouched. Ultimately I had a jake-leg body guy weld in a piece and the hole was gone forever. The cause? The PO had gone to her dealer for everything and they had "done" the a/c system. The air plenum, two halves rather than the single piece in my previous 240's, had not been sealed tightly and condensation had leaked into the carpet for years. When I pulled the carpets, which were dry to touch, the sponge-rubber padding was gooey wet in all four foot-wells. And there was a high-water-mark around all fot well, in rust. The water stayed in the pads because of the rubber water-proof scrim on the top surface of the pad. So - check the windshield for leaks, and consider that in one of its previous lives the car got water that stayed for a long time without being obvious to touch or smell. Good luck, and feel thankful that your leak doesn't smell like anti-freeze. Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368971&rss=1 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:10 GMT Find a site that makes the math of comparing tire sizes to determine speedo/ODO error when running rear tires of a non-stock size. Sorry, I don't have a site for you, I'm not on my own computer. The speedo/odo measures rear wheel revolutions, and how far the car moves per rev is built-in according to the tire diameter. With taller than stock tires, your car moves a bit farther than the speedo "knows" so you have a error in both speed and miles driven. Probably not a large error, 2 percent or so (SWAG). Be aware that the car is going faster than the speedo says. Important in 'Aggressive Enforcement' zones. Also, the actual miles driven is a slightly larger number than your odometer says, so your gas mileage could be better than you think. Regards, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368796&rss=1 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:25 GMT Forbidden fruit wife sez no more cars unless the current count goes down by 3. If such were not the case, I'd have the car and you'd not be reading this post. It's in dry climate Oklahoma City. On a non-Volvo dealer lot, been there 2 weeks!! Prev. and only other owner bought new, gave to daughter when age 16. Not wanting an "old folk's car" she got "Daddy" to get her a Jeep Gr Cherokee. At least that's the salesman's story. Guy there sez he'll take $5200, I would offer $3000 and bargain. ODO shows 69068 miles, car will need the 70K mile belts and tensioner service soon. Pix on the display show interior practically unused. Light tan wrinkle-free leather, white exterior, very minor paint damage on LF bumper corner. Has winter package, seat heaters, ambient temp thermometer (look at pic of left side of dash, read the temp as engine is running). eBay item number 270448464903 Call Ty at 405-819-5916 What it doesn't have is the CD changer (pre-wired) and the 3-choice memory in the driver's power seat. Lot's of other good stuff on the 960 is stock, like the adjustable steering wheel, remote door lock/security system, glass sun roof with vent position, etc. Seller's display includes a CarFax report. Look's OK, but CarFax doesn't necessarily have all the fax, some are not reported. BTDT Sorry to be seeming to use the BB-RWD for commerce, my intention is to get what seems a good car into the hands of someone who likes Volvos and maybe wants a 960. We went from a 1988 244 to a 1997 965 and found it to be incredibly smooth and quiet (had to check tach at stop light to see that engine is running), but still with the ride and comfort and other things we'd learned to love. Regards, Bob, :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368690&rss=1 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:24 GMT No Message Inside http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368527&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:53 GMT Opening or closing the trunk lid of my S90 encounters resistance and squeaks from the hinges. The hinges are hidden behind that smooth luxury-type padding (Unlike my less luxurious 244's). Can you help with how to get the padded panels off? Tools to use? Thanks, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368523&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:39 GMT It's been years since I fought with this problem on my 1988 244, memory may not be precise therefore. Open the box and look at both the door hinges. The point where the hinge attaches to the box gets weak,cracked,saggy. That lets the door droop just enough to allow the latch to drop from its catch hole on a bump/pothole/rr crossing, etc. The catch hole is in the roof of the glove box, easy to find with a fingertip. I made a little metal piece that sits on the outside top of the box and reaches down below the edge of the catch hold just enough to let the latch piece on the lock to catch and stay. Took a few trial fittings and IIRC there was a problem gettng around the light lens thing. I used a brass 4-40 x 1/4" bolt and nut because I had some; glue may work fine, too. Some folks have a way to use long screws like a sheet rock screw up from the bottom of the box at the corners to pull the hinges up just enough. The screws go into the steel frame that the box mount screws go into. If available, and un-cracked box can be swapped in. The hinges have a steel pin in the center that can be drive out using a small philips screwdriver and light taps with a small hammer or whatever. Take the first one almost out to finger lose. Then remove the second pin while carefully holding the door up. Pull the first out and you're clear. This protocol will avoid having the door weight hanging on the second hinge. (Pin removal is also a way to open a locked glove box with no key.) Remember that those seven screws holding the box unit in the dash are very easy to over-tighten and strip out the threads. You'll have a PITA then - searching for slightly over-size screws. Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368518&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:15 GMT <i> I'm trying to visualize how to maneuver the screw driver.</i> The cable runs straight to the front and there makes a long-radius bend to reach the hood latch. The wire center of the cable attaches to a piece that partially closes the hole where the pin of the hood goes in and latches. Seeing this might be easier lying under the car front and looking up. Best not in bright sunlight, and have a strong flashlight, too. If you poke around up there have eye protection. Any stuff in the eye can blow your time schedule. The wire pulls straight to the car left. That's the motion your loooong screwdriver must make. After seeing what's what up in there, you might spot a way to get a coat hanger hook to grab something so you can just pull on it. For a coat hanger forming, pull the hook leftward in left hand while the right hand pulls rightward on the center point of the pants-hanger wire. You get a long hook with a "handle". Use a glove, the handle is not user friendly. If you find that the wire inside the cable is not broken, there are ways to get some oil/liquid/stuff in there to free it up and make in useable again. Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368509&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:42 GMT You have a lot of what's needed to get the car running. About tools - be sure that they are metric, not "English" or whatever the US calls the regular sizes. Also a set of screwdrivers, philips and flat-tip, four or five of each. Get a box or 100 latex gloves AND a can of GoJo hand cleaner and have plenty of paper towels available. Have you checked the timing belt? Symptoms - engine turns over, sounds very uneven, does not even try to start. Test - open oil filler cover and look at the camshaft. Note the position of any one of the lobes you can see. Turn over the engine just a little. Go look at cam shaft, has it turned? (This is easier with a friend looking while you do the ignition switch.) Cam NOT moving is almost ALWAYS the timing belt. Failure does no damage the engine. New belt from many sources, even AutoZone or the like. Cheap. Repair is a great place to learn your engine - anyone on this board can walk you through, or look in the FAQ's or get a shop manual like Haynes. Bentley is good, but hard to find. Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368498&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:13 GMT Yeah, the Maserati was on news at 10pm channel 2 or 11 or 13, in the jaws of one of those monster things picking up and puncturing the doors. I had seen that car or an exact same, parked behind a strip center at Grant and Louetta Roads (NW Harris county) about a year ago. It was in poor shape, looked somehow a little twisted. Glass intact but part (1/4 or so) of the windshield was de-laminated. For me the thought of all those great solid 5-bearing four cylinder high-nickel-iron alloy blocks being now useless for even other use. Run a water pump to bring water to a village in southeast asia or Africa, maybe a power generator somewhere. The 100 or so horsepower would run a lot - 60kw to 90kw, I would guess. (My entire house including a 4-ton a/c would need 17 to 20kw). Plus now we see news of dealers "Holding the bag" on the rebate. Storage land, other overhead, and 20 cars could be a $90,000 "float" while waiting for Uncle Sam to get his act together. No surprises if fraud is there at every step. Money on the table with not much oversight or accountability always brings out human ingenuity to find a way to get more. We've been doing that since Mom said "No, you can't have an ice cream cone" since age five or so. Maybe a sodium-silicated engine can be cleaned, not cheap. Stripped except for valves, "boiled" in a vat of some chemical that re-dissolves the stuff out of the oil passageways and bearings and valve guides and all. Wishful, I know. Visited with a guy (this week) with a 1992 240. He's a deputy sheriff school crossing guard, around 65-70, and knows the car is eligible. But he does not want the car notes obligation of a new anything. I am sure his story is not unique. Are you surprised that over half the vehicles purchased are not "Big Three" models? Many years ago I vowed to never own a GM vahicle - long story why. Ford is not immune to the same problems, and Chrysler has pulled the chrome handle and is headed down the dumper. See Ya 'round. Bob, near Cypress :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368494&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:52 GMT I had similar problems installing the center armrest in my 1988 244. Longer bolts - take one to your nearby hardware store (mine is an ACE store) and match both the thread (it is metric) and the marking on the head. The head marking is a strength grade, important in seatbelt anchor bolts. It should take just a 1/2-inch or so longer. Extra length sticks out below the floor pan and I don't know how close to the drive shaft. Shorter bolts - replace the ones that hold the console cover in place with longer ones. Leave the little inset trim piece in the large hole to center the new bolt/screw. Best would be a matching thread round or pan head sheet metal type screw, add a lock washer and flat washer right under the head. Too long is better than making another trip, or get two sets of two lengths. Unless your set belt anchor stalks HAVE a light inside (mine did) AND you want to replace the bulbs while you are in there, DON'T do it unless you have the extra time. Took me an extra hour or two for that little diversion. The bulbs are like the ones illuminating the central control panel. Cheap at AutoZone or whoever. Good luck, you will love that upgrade. Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368489&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:17 GMT Nice to hear that O'Reilly's might have them. Not long ago I found blade and holder from Rain-X for both my 240's (16-inch) and my 960's (21-inch) at a large (100,000+ sqft) H-E-B grocery store in Houston for $8.99 each. Lower by $2 or $3 than Auto-Zone. They have more blade gripper points than Bosch in both those sizes. On the 960, 8 points rather than 6. On the 240, 6 rather than four. So far they do just fine. As to buying just the rubber blades, let us know if you find a supplier. For the 13-inch wiper on my 965 cargo door I cut down a good used blade from one of the cars' front blades. Can be tricky, but the price beats that of the dealer price. Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368416&rss=1 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:13 GMT Perfectly fine cars crushed.... Heartbreakers each, damn. Did you see on a Houston TV channel the little red/black top Maserati? Gotta run----- Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368326&rss=1 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:46 GMT <i>One of the black wires (the leftmost one) has been cut and grounded into the same place the grounding wire for the light assembly is. Could this cause the problem? </i> ABSOLUTELY! In almost every place on the 240, and maybe other models, black = ground. This is a place where 'tis not so. Right now I cannot recall the other place. If you look at the place on the lamp circuit board where the harness connector attaches, you will note that where there are two wires same color side-by-side, there is a double width copper attach point. Of the two black, one brings back-up light power from the cabin, the other takes power from the left tail light over to the right. The white pair do the rear fog lights (of which your model has two like my 1988) in the same way. The damage done by the well-meaning but ignorant person who installed the tail light, is easily repaired. Your nearby ACE Hardware store, and I am sure other stores too, can provide an insulated butt splicer for a clean job. You could do a quick-and-dirty test by twist-splicing the end grounded back onto the wires that goes into the harness, and testing the system again. Here's a tip for future use: The copper foil under where the incoming power for any of the lights connects to the circuit board can get burnt and/or oxidized and fail to work. While you have the spare out, use a mirror to inspect those spot. If the back ups or fogs fail, you can get the left side to work by swapping places of the two same-color wires. That puts the wire bringing power on a cleaner spot on the copper. The right side bulb may or may not work, but living with just the left back up is not a serious problem, right?? The back of the harness connector can be opened - look carefully for a hinge on one of the long sides, and for a latch on either the other side or the ends. Use care and a needle-nose pliers to do the swap. Don't yield to the temptation to tighten the little pincer contact bits, too tight makes other problems. DAMHIK Good Luck, Bob :>) PS If you tell the tail light repair person what was wrong, be diplomatic. http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368307&rss=1 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:03 GMT Many thanks-- Our S90 has no winter package except for the 'W' choice on the tranny. Also missing are the seat heaters and the outdoor temp readout. So, I will assume no locker differential and stay away from wide deep muddy places. The 1997 965, initially delivered (maybe ordered new w/option choices made)in Nashville, TN. Winter package seems all there: seat heaters, dash temp reading, cargo door window heater. If there is a heater for outside rearview mirrors they haven't gotten my attention yet. Wonder, do they run while the rear window 'de-mist' is running, from the same switch. So I will assume that the diffy IS a lock-up. Thanks again, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368302&rss=1 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:32 GMT Bought a rather nice 1998 S90 in July for a newer wifemobile. (Replaces the 1997 965 with "iffy" air condtioning.) It came with a lot of documentation but nothing I found spoke of that type of rear axle. Maybe I missed something in the Owner's Manual? With the car up on a rack it there a tag or other marker I could see? Perhaps a code on one of the information tags? Thanks for reading this and for whatever help you send. Regards, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368103&rss=1 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:16 GMT If I recall correctly, that lamp is lit by a device that measures 5000 miles travelled since the last time it was re-set. When it is triggered, it is supposed to be on for jusy a few minutes after start-up. On all my 240's over the years I have disabled that system. On my 960's I have to (1) assure wife it is not an engine problem, and (2) prise out a little plug on the front of the instrument cluster, reach in a bit with something like a straigtened paper clip and push the button in there, replace plug and get the service done - oil & filter change at minimum. I can't see any link to an ignition switch problem. Good Luck, Bob :>) http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=1368101&rss=1 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:51 GMT Use the text input below to search brickboard.com query http://www.brickboard.com/FIND/