Hi all,

I'm working through my punch list of fixing little annoyances on my trusty '88 wagon that's gotta be around 300,000 miles now. Odometer broke at 222,XXX and that was about a decade ago.
Anyway,

A) The roof rack is leaking - I'm thinking I can a) buy gasket sheeting/cut new gaskets and try to put marine grade silicone up there. Any other tips? Or can I buy pre-cut gaskets somewhere? Alternately I can get the hole plug kit from IPD but I kind of like the roof rack even though I never use it

b) Door trim at bottom of door - best way to stick on some new trim? I found some trim at junkyard, peeled it off the donor car & want to make sure it sticks tight to my door. Tips/tricks to do it right?

Bonus question: experience getting a/c working again? Hasn't worked in the 12 years I've had the car, I'm just now getting around to figuring out why. There's no belt on it but the pulley spins freely. With warm summers coming and me now driving to work, I'd really love some a/c.
I'm not doing the a/c stuff myself but curious about cost and viability for those who've gotten theirs going again.
Thanks!
Susan



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Emperor for Life - Leaky Volvo Club of America (LVCOA)

I recently replaced old well-nuts with these:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040CZ2B6

They seem to fit fine, though they aren't labelled like the originals and it hasn't rained too hard. For me it's a temp fix until I can get the holes welded shut for a permanent roof rack delete.

Thx! I ordered these online a few days ago & am anxiously awaiting their arrival. Glad to hear they are the correct size, I ordered based on a review that referenced a '90 240 wagon.
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Emperor for Life - Leaky Volvo Club of America (LVCOA)

A) The roof rack is leaking.

What you need to do is replace the Wellnuts that hold the roof rack.
This is the size that you need.

https://www.imperialsupplies.com/item/0380250?service=Browse


The trick is getting the old ones out without pushing them thru. One way to do this is use a long screw with the same size thread. After you remove the rack screw it into the old wellnut and lever the rubber out of the hole.

The gasket that you see is more there for padding. It's the Wellnut that stops the water.

You may find that there is rust starting at some of the holes so you should be prepared to repair that with rustproofing paint.

Awesome thank you! I clearly wasn't sure how to get this fix going but this all sounds doable. Thx! One more thing I can do/cross off the punch list!!!
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Emperor for Life - Leaky Volvo Club of America (LVCOA)

Hi Susan,

Here are my thoughts on your questions:

A) Home depot sells a product called "Duct Seal". Its found in the electrical section of their store. Its like clay and can be molded and formed into whatever you need to be. I use this when removing the tailgate to fix wires, or when I remove the roof rack to polish the car. You use where ever you have a screw that goes through the sheet metal. If the roof rack was installed at the factory, then you won't need this as they used some sort of rubber grommet thing, that the names eludes me at the moment, which seal off the hole when tightened down. If the roof rack was installed at the stealership, then use this as all they used were screws to hold the rack down with.

B) 3M makes a double sided tape that you can pick up at Walmart or Home Depot, or you can order it on line. It works very well. Just make sure both surfaces are clean of any residual tape.

Bonus Question: With the A/C, I would start with putting a belt on it and seeing if you can get the compressor to energize and run with the engine running.

Once you've placed a belt on compressor to the crank pulley start the car and turn on the A/C inside. Then go and disconnect the two green wires to the dryer port. The Dryer is located on the passenger side between the radiator and passenger side headlight. With the wires disconnected from the dryer, jumper the two wires together with a paper clip. Once jumper-ed, the compressor should come to life in about 10 seconds or so. If it does not, then I would check the connections at the compressor, the fuse panel and the A/C relay that is behind the center console on the passenger side of the car to find out where the break is.

Once you know if the compressor works or not, then you can go from there. If the compressor is shot, it will need to be replaced, and then a vacuum will have to be pulled on the system to see if it will hold one. If it does not, then you will need to find out where it is leaking and repair that as well.

With these older systems, which run R12, the biggest problem was the evaporator becoming plugged and the only way to really get it going again was to replace it. Its very involved, and can be done, but it is hateful job. About as hateful as replacing the blower motor, which I've done as well.

Getting your A/C to come back to life may not be worth it, but that is not my call. Only you can decide how much time and money you are willing to put into it to get it come back to life.

Hope this was helpful.

Matt

Thank you! I'm gonna tackle the roof rack leak & trim this weekend. Little stuff like that really makes a difference, I appreciate the insights. Having all the trim intact just makes the whole car feel a little nicer.

AC belt on the list for the following weekend. Thx!
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Emperor for Life - Leaky Volvo Club of America (LVCOA)