After putting up with the rough idle as long as I could, I finally decided to change the intake manifold gasket on the 97 960. Who would have thought that somebody (apparently a graduate engineer) would have designed a manifold mounting strategy with a bolt directly under the @#^&#@@ thing in a place where my hands would not fit? And how about the second bolt from the rear under the manifold? I finally gave up on the bottom bolt and removed all of the flange bolts to allow the thing to be pulled back about an inch and a half from the head so the old gasket could be removed and the new one slid back in. Fortunately I had no leaks and the car runs smooth, but it is sad to own a basically great ride that should have evolved to a level higher than my 86 245(my favorite), but certainly misses that mark in the engine compartment.


I am now thinking that, if my new novel sells well, I might pull the in-line six and put in a Ford V-6 and automatic from a Mustang. The car would certainly benefit from picking up over a hundred horsepower a couple of thousand rpms below the peak power curve of the Volvo six.

Regards,