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Ok, so here I am looking out the window at my beloved '91 940 turbo 130k and I am in a quandry. I really need to decide if she is worth keeping, or if I should bite the bullet and fix her for the long term. Here are the problems that I feel need attention:
1. The dopes at the place where I bought it buffed all the clear coat off trying to make it look shiny (hood and Roof mainly) then hid it by hosing it down and telling me it was just washed when I picked it up. They formerly light grey paint is oxidizing and turning an ugly mottled dark grey/black, and the hood is (I think) showing tiny dots of rust beginning to poke through. A complete paint job is in the works I fear.
2. It leaks a TON of oil. I am the bane of all my friends, they make me park in the street and one even has an old cardboard box with my name on it in his garage that he makes me carry out and slide under the car. sheesh. Flame trap on the way from friendly internet ye olde parts barne. I suspect rear main seal, engine is dry from the rear of the oil pan forward, and clean on top, excepting the breather, which is caked with gunk.
3. Exhaust is rotten from cat on back. Got both mufflers, tail pipe and rear hanger (must have been some carbon monoxide leaking into the engineering office the day THAT was designed) from friendly internet ye olde parts barne, but have since abandoned project because I got out there with my trusty sawzall only to find that humpy piece that goes over the rear has a hole in it too, and I can't find it anywhere....*sigh*...
4. Some rotating thing up in front of the engine just HOWLS at idle, but exhibits no other symptoms that would give me more of a clue as to which thing it is. Engine runs GREAT, aside from the leaking thing. It is loud enough to scare small children at 7-11, and I have been waiting for some sort of failure but six months of family ferry duty and no change.
5. It has recently developed a piercing SQUEAK that seems to come from just aft of the back seat that sounds like there is a wounded chipmunk trapped under it, and he yells every time I hit a bump. At first I thought it was some strange harmonic tuned to my wife's nagging frequency, but it seems to be just as strong during the occasinonal solo flight.
I love this car. As someone said in the "hate 900" post, every time I drive it I feel that I'm piloting something well beyond my true means. But by my calcs, I'm lookin at 1.5 large for the paint job, and another 1 large for parts and a lot of weekend time away from the kids to fix her right.
So if you have bothered to read this far, should I go with my head (and wifey's voice bouncing around within), krylon the hood, buy stock in Exxon, turn up the radio and drive it into the proverbial ground, spending the 3 large on a used vista cruiser? Or go with my heart and make her right again?
Any and all opinions greatly appreciated.
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Sweet Jesus, Felix! How can you even consider getting rid of her?!?! Sure she nags you a little – but good God man, she’s a human being. She can’t just be tossed aside like an old shoe! You heartless bastard!
Wait a minute… were you talking about getting rid of your wife or your car?
Well it really doesn’t matter – you should try to hold on to both!
www.fcpgroton.com has your exhaust pipe, and just about everything else you’ll need to fix the car.
Hold off on the paint. It’s not going anywhere. Fix the other stuff first and make sure you really want to hold on to the car. If so, then spring for a fresh paint job. With a little work, she'll be in ship-shape again. (I mean the car!)
Good luck.
Jeff Pierce
--
'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece -- sold to a loving home), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow
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Dear Felix,
Good a.m. and may this find you well.
(a) PAINT. Once you found out what the dopes did, they should have been asked to cover the costs of a paint job. If there are rust spots, they "buffed" down to and through the zinc plating. Get a replacement hood from a salvage yard. It should be a $200 item. You may be able to get a paint job for less. It doesn't have to last for 20 years. Is there any underbody rust? If not, that's a plus. If there's a lot of underbody rust, that's a reason to cut your losses.
(b) OIL. Does the engine burn oil? If not, that's a big plus. A rear main seal change is a $300 job (more or less, depending on location). Unless you have a lift and/or huge upper body strength, this is a hard job to do single-handed, while the car is on jackstands (tranny has to be pulled back to allow access to the seal). Check the oil pan bolts. They tend to work loose over time. Tighten in criss-cross pattern. This compresses the gasket evenly. Tighten 'til "snug" and the do 1/8 turn further. Use one hand on the wrench. Check the front seals. If the flame trap has been plugged, there's a risk that oil has been forced past the front seals, and has damaged the timing belt.
(c) EXHAUST. The cross-over exhaust pipe can be had from a dealer. Try www.borton.com, a Minneapolis Volvo dealer that discounts Volvo parts. Shipping will not be huge: the pipe is not heavy
(d) "HOWL". It could be a slipping belt. Belts should be tensioned, such that when you press on them with an index finger, you should be able to depress the belt by 3/8". Do this test with the engine "off" (sorry, couldn't resist that!!). If the belt is loose, use the tensioner on the alternator, air con compressor, and power steering motor, properly to set the tension.
(e) "SQUEAK". The "squeak" could be from a loose upper shock bolt. They are accessible via a rubber plug, visible when you remove each rear tire. The plug is at the top of the wheel well. Pry out gently, using a screwdriver tip, and then tighten the bolt. If the bolt moves, you've found the problem. If the shock bolts are tight, the driveshaft center bearing and its support should be examined.
This is a low miles car - less than 10K/year - so it might be worth saving.
If you elect to go for a replacement, be sure to get the maintenance records. If the owner doesn't have them, that's a bad sign (didn't do the maintenance or was simply a paperwork slob). If the owner is unknown, get CARFAX, see where the car lived, and call Volvo dealers in that area. Ask for the service department. Provide the last 6-8 VIN numerals. If they saw the car, they'll have records.
You want to know if oil changes were done regularly and if the timing belt was done at 50K (B230F/FT) or 100K (B230FD). Someone, who got oil changed regularly and had the timing belt done - when due - likely was careful about other things.
If you can't get maintenance records, don't buy the car. Don't even take the car for free. I live by this rule: no records = no sale.
Keep the Board posted on your thinking.
Yours faithfully,
spook
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