Project Shirley Knott's Evil Web Of Shite - Volvo gets a clean sheet MOT, now on to wheel trims, thermostat and brakes revisited

[Shirley Knott]

Agreed. 

As a rule I avoid anything buying fitted with a sunroof like the plague, I broke this rule because the 940 was so clean/low mileage and regretted it instantly.

Matters are made worse because Volvo only used this particular moonroof on 940's and 960's from 1995-1998, the seal for it is no longer available. Finding a good used spare was very tricky, finding someone with one who was prepared to post one, glass included was harder still.

 

[danthecapriman]

Good luck! It’s actually looking better already with all that wob removed.

must admit, I absolutely hate sunroofs. My idea of a proper fix for them would be to have a panel welded into the roof to get rid of it then have the entire roof repainted to completely rid any sign of the sodding thing!

i mean, which kind of cun* decides it’s a good idea to hack a hole in the roof of a car that’s going to live in the wettest country on earth!? Why would you do that!?

It took ages to get the solid panel sunroof on my 740 to work and not leak.

[scdan4]

15 hours ago, JoeyEunos said:

 

Take note anyone who might feel like it's a good idea to seal up a sunroof like this, put the silicone down

 

You’re kidding right? 

How long has that been there, how stuck was it still and it didn’t leak once.

thats a recommendation!

[Shirley Knott]

6 hours ago, scdan4 said:

You’re kidding right? 

How long has that been there, how stuck was it still and it didn’t leak once.

thats a recommendation!

I refer the honourable gentleman to page 2 of this very thread

When I bought the car it was wetter than an otter's pocket and probably had around 5 litres of rainwater sloshing around it because someone had 'fixed' the sunroof with silicone.

I touched the existing mess up with more sealant as a kind of temporary bodge until I found the energy to bite the bullet and sort it properly. It's lasted about a year, during that time I've avoided taking it out in rain if possible on the basis of it being properly shit/weak link and very much on borrowed time.

 

[Broadsword]

Excellent work on the sunroof there, quite a scary looking job in it's way!

[mrbenn]

Good work on the sunroof. Shame they often end up leaking as they are great on a nice day!

[Shirley Knott]

This afternoon the sunroof de-wobbing process was finalised!

With the glass panel completely removed it was time to test/clear the drains. The front ones seemed mildly clogged but after some prodding with a length of strimmer wire and then flushing 4 litres of hot water with washing up liquid through to clear any residual muck out things were flowing smoothly and quickly out from under the car, lovely.

I also took advantage of having all of the carpets out and gave them a proper going over with the wet and dry shampooing attachment on the newly acquired Bissel. The stuff that came out of them was predictably manky...

 

 

Then out on the line to dry...

 

 

This left one job, the fun part, installing the new screen and adjusting. After some fiddling I was comfortable with the way the sunroof sat, I was also shocked to find the electric mechanism actually works and the roof tilts and retracts as it should do although TBH I'm unlikely to use it. Provided it doesn't leak in the future I'm genuinely unlikely to ever touch it again.

Before...

 

 

And after...

 

 

And the Volvo looking happy with it's new hat...

 

 

I've now reached a stage of quiet contentment about having made the right choice to tackle the sunroof,  I had serious doubts about mucking about with it TBH but I'm really glad I did as things look much better having got rid of the bodged up mess that the car came with.

Next step is to run the car sans carpets in all weathers for a couple of months to be on the safe side, that way if there's any water ingress I'll be able to spot it immediately although having tested it thoroughly I'm fairly confident it's all good.

[Mrs6C]

Well done!!!

[The Moog]

That's brilliant!

[danthecapriman]

Nice, it looks 100% better! Fingers crossed it doesn’t start to leak!

[Shirley Knott]

A week and a half on and no leaking from the sunroof, amazingly the German heater valve is all good too. For the first time during my year of ownership I can comfortably say the interior of the 940 is drier than a nun's chuff.

Flushed with success I decided it would be a good time to tackle the cabling for the Mk1 Golf heater valve I'd managed to bodge in  adapt to fit on the basis that the Volvo valve required is completely and utterly unobtanium. I'd felt pretty bitter about the part not being available and sulked for a couple of weeks, but in the spirit of using the lemons that life deals you to then make lemonade, I marched fearlessly on.

The main thorn in my side has been that the original cable is way too short due to having been forced to relocate the Golf valve further down the firewall and orient it in a different position to the original valve to make it fit. There was only one answer to the problem, a newer longer, better cable.

First step was to remove the heater control panel, this was much harder work than I'd expected...

 

 

Predictably the plastic clip that holds the cable to the control broke internally on first contact, this was remedied with a cable tie, newer better cable now attached...

 

 

The cable was the routed under the dash, being 1.5m long it left me with some excess to deal with...

 

 

My knock off dremel made short work of it and the cable was soon cut down to size...

 

 

The cut down cable was then connected to the arm of the valve and then secured to the bracket that sits next to the clutch pedal assemble using (Shock) another cable tie...

 

 

At this stage the fix is very much at a 'proof of concept' stage, ideally at some point in the future I'll tidy up the cable ends and secure it with proper clamps, but for now it works!  I can now comfortably operate the heater from the cabin controls like an actual normal person without having to reach somewhere deep under the dashboard to adjusr the temperature in the car.

Success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kerr]

I really enjoy your updates on the 940 and excellent cable tie work too

[Shirley Knott]

12 hours ago, Kerr said:

I really enjoy your updates on the 940 and excellent cable tie work too

Thanks chap, TBH mostly the updates here provide me with an opportunity to keep track of what I've done of with my cars but it's nice to hear that someone enjoys them.

Meanwhile all's not quite well, the valve seems to work well however now the cable's been installed once the car's properly warmed up weirdly the heater control knob becomes much stiffer to move!? The cable that operates the valve tends to pop free from the cable tie that holds it in place too. I've checked it at the valve end and as expected the arm on the control is much tougher to move once the car's up to temperature...

I've posted about this ins the 'Ask A Shitter' section as I'm slightly baffled by it. The only thing I can really explain it away with is an increase in pressure after the car's heated up. The confusion is confusing.

[Broadsword]

Joey, there is a 940 Wentworth at UPullit close to me. Are you looking for any specific spares at the moment? It had had a major front end smash, so bits up front might not be brilliant.

[Shirley Knott]

Thanks mate, that's a great shout! I don't suppose you noticed what type of seats are in it or what engine it has?

 

[Broadsword]

I didn’t give it a great amount of time I must confess. It looked like a non-turbo with black leather.

[Shirley Knott]

I could be tempted.

If you're there again could you have a look for me/check prices? Also good doorcards and the wheels might be of interest too...

 

[danthecapriman]

Looks like it’s been sat on by an elephant!

I may be wrong, but do those yellow hazard stickers mean there might be traces of body fluids etc inside? If that’s what they are I wouldn’t want the interior!

[Broadsword]

I’ll report back to you next time I’m there. I live literally minutes from UPI so go there weekly. It hasn’t been there long so it should hang around for a bit.

[Shirley Knott]

EDIT: Double post

[Shirley Knott]

4 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Looks like it’s been sat on by an elephant!

I may be wrong, but do those yellow hazard stickers mean there might be traces of body fluids etc inside? If that’s what they are I wouldn’t want the interior!

Character....

3 minutes ago, Broadsword said:

I’ll report back to you next time I’m there. I live literally minutes from UPI so go there weekly. It hasn’t been there long so it should hang around for a bit.

You're a gudun', that would be appreciated hugely.

I'd be probably be interested in seats (If decent), doorcards (If decent), and wheels.

[Shirley Knott]

Predictably the cable tie method of securing things for the heater valve wasn't a long term solution (The cable kept popping loose as the valve stiffened up when hot). A couple of days ago I made a more permanent job of it in a moment of Heath Robinson-esque brilliance using an old tin can to make a bracket to hold the cable properly.

As it was...

 

 

Tinned tomatoes with the new bracket cut out...

 

 

The clutch pedal mount was removed and some holes drilled to mount the new high tech securing system...

 

 

The cable now held firmly in place using the new bracket, a couple of small bolts,washers and nylock nuts....

 

 

I'd thought I'd give it a few days before coming here and running my mouth about it, but it actually works and works well! The 940 is now fully adapted to use a VW Golf heater valve and is cable operated thus totally circumventing the issue of the correct valve no-longer being available from Volvo. 

[Shirley Knott]

After a few weeks of continuous testing running a totally carpet free state the Volvo remains completely dry after the sunroof install and heater control valve replacement. It's time to start putting it back together!

Before re-assembly begins in earnest I thought I'd get a couple of little jobs done that are made easier by the cars current state of undress.

First job I had a pretty badly torn drivers door seal...

 

 

 

Luckily I have a set of good door seals amongst my cache of spares from the low millage scrapyard find 940 I posted about last year (See page 4!) After some rummaging the seals were found and carried downstairs...

 

 

Removing the old seal is simple enough, no tabs or clips at all, they're held in place through pressure and a good dose of gloop from the factory.

Going...

 

 

Gone...

 

 

3M weather strip sealant was the gloop of choice to re-secure the replacement seal...

 

 

And one of the new weather strip in place...

 

 

Next job was cavity waxing. Admittedly I already got the car pretty good with a compressor over a pit last summer, but at that stage the interior of the car was in-tact so whilst all box sections were waxed the sills only really got accessed through the rubber bungs at the front of the rear wheel arches. Having a couple of tins of Dynax S50 wax knocking about and easy access to the inner sills made getting a bit more in there while I could irresistible. 

These useful covers pop out (Two on each side) to give great access to the inner sill area...

 

 

 

Next, and adaptation was made to my Henry allow the inner sills to be hoovered out, ensuring I wasn't about to spray cavity wax over the top of various dirt/dust/road muck. Like most of my tools and workmanship this one's also pretty high tech, but if you look closely enough you'll spot it's a heater hose with gaffer tape wrapped round the end and jammed into Henry's nozzle.

Either way, it worked quite well....

 

 

 

After that it was a time to give the full length of each sill a good soaking of wax...

 

 

I'm always amazed at the amount that drains out under the car, the aerosol is only supposed to hold circa 750ml, it looked like lots more than that had drained out once I'd finished. In short, it's properly messy stuff.

Basically I'm now at a stage where the carpets/trims need to go back on, after that's done the whole leaky Volvo fiasco with be over and done with and I can hopefully start to enjoy the car for what it is rather than spending my spare time constantly fixing it!

 

 

 

 

 

[danthecapriman]

Jolly good job with that!

It is messy stuff isn’t it that wax. I’ve been doing the same on the Capri and it pisses out everywhere! I’ve been laying news papers all over the floor trying to catch it. It’s a nightmare to try to get off of tarmac!

[Shirley Knott]

Thanks chap.

Yup, it's not good stuff to be using on a drive/anywhere you care about. No matter how well you think you've prepared you're 100% going to find some of it spills somewhere IME.

 

 

[DVee8]

Cracking job you have made,love the ingenuity of the tomato tin.The sunroof looks factory fresh.

On a side note i noticed that Lorna is your next door neighbor. 

 

[Shirley Knott]

4 hours ago, DVee8 said:

Cracking job you have made,love the ingenuity of the tomato tin.The sunroof looks factory fresh.

 

Thanks man, cutting edge technology with the tomato tin (I genuinely did cut myself on it)

The sunroof was a pain to sort, the seals for them are NLA and as mentioned Volvo only used that roof from 95-98 IIRC so they're not exactly common. 

4 hours ago, DVee8 said:

On a side note i noticed that Lorna is your next door neighbor. 

 

Top detective work! Yep, Lorna is indeed my neighbour.  Do you know her through her business?

She's a good sort and never seems bothered in the slightest by the fact that I'm always mucking about with cars out the front thankfully.

 

[DVee8]

2 hours ago, JoeyEunos said:

Thanks man, cutting edge technology with the tomato tin (I genuinely did cut myself on it)

The sunroof was a pain to sort, the seals for them are NLA and as mentioned Volvo only used that roof from 95-98 IIRC so they're not exactly common. 

Top detective work! Yep, Lorna is indeed my neighbour.  Do you know her through her business?

She's a good sort and never seems bothered in the slightest by the fact that I'm always mucking about with cars out the front thankfully.

 

Yeah,my wife and Lorna are both in the wedding game.

[mat_the_cat]

On 5/26/2019 at 10:09 PM, danthecapriman said:

Jolly good job with that!

It is messy stuff isn’t it that wax. I’ve been doing the same on the Capri and it pisses out everywhere! I’ve been laying news papers all over the floor trying to catch it. It’s a nightmare to try to get off of tarmac!

Probably a good sign that it's a bit of a bugger to remove - you'd be disappointed if it washed off with water! I'm always surprised at how well it finds its way though the tiniest of gaps, even seams that have supposedly been sealed there still seems to be the odd pinhole.

[danthecapriman]

3 minutes ago, mat_the_cat said:

Probably a good sign that it's a bit of a bugger to remove - you'd be disappointed if it washed off with water! I'm always surprised at how well it finds its way though the tiniest of gaps, even seams that have supposedly been sealed there still seems to be the odd pinhole.

Sometimes I wish it’d was off with water. You should see my driveway where it all dripped out of the Capri’s sills!

 

I was watching it soak through the seam on the front valance on the Capri, I sprayed it into the join from inside then watched the seam from outside and you could gradually see a thin brown bead appearing through the join. It looked like the gap was tight closed but it still crept through it. It’s great stuff!