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

[Broadsword]

For a TDI in good nick that might be about right, otherwise it would have to be a minter for that money.

 

 

Yeah that's my thought roughly. Its a scruffy 1.7 SDi with low miles but no service history unfortunately.

[Shirley Knott]

If you're looking at SDI's then make sure you buy a post March 2001 example for the £30 tax.

[Shirley Knott]

Another year's MOT secured on the Golf this morning, sans advisories! I always feel like I should be giving an acceptance speech when this happens.

 

Also, slightly taken aback to learn I've done less that 7k since it was last tested, must try harder in the forthcoming year.

[Shirley Knott]

Not much happening here of late, the SDI's are trundling around without any fuss as usual just requiring fuel to be added now and then. Also, I've now hit the 6 month mark in ownership of the Volvo, something of a record for the third car space in the fleet. I seem to have reached a stage where there's nothing wrong with it anymore and whilst I should be happy as usual this is the point at which I start getting itchy feet...

 

It's such a good car I'm trying to resist changing it but when projects come to an end I always find myself looking for something else to get stuck into, I've been entering into the odd roffle, will I never learn?

 

Meanwhile the deployment of shit tons of road salt is imminent (Tis grim up North) so this afternoon I spend a ludicrous amount of time giving the terrible trio a much needed two bucket wrongun style wash followed by a through going over with Poorboy's Natty's paste wax, hopefully that should go some way to protecting them from the forthcoming wintery onslaught.

 

[Shirley Knott]

Right, another couple of hours spent on the Volvo this afternoon.

 

First up, one of the seat compartments has always had a nasty looking stain, it's irked me for a while and given I'd got a spare amongst the parts liberated from a breaker car I'd found locally it seemed like a good time to swap them over.

 

It looks like a rust stain or something, weird as the part is entirely constructed entirely of plastic? Either way, here's old vs new...

 

 

 

 

Much better....

 

 

 

 

Next up, the speaker in the passenger door has started farting and now even Radio 4 sounds terrible, music isn't an option at all. I had a couple of spare speakers I'd also snaffled from the aforementioned breaker car as well as a cache of door trim clips so got cracking with that...

 

 

 

 

 

All was going well until I realised the speakers I'd whipped from the breaker were in fact a completely different size, bugger! Perhaps they'd come from the back doors? Oh well, I removed the offending speaker and re-assembled the door. I'll get on to Ebay shortly and will probably look to replace both fronts with something aftermarket of the correct proportions.

 

Next problem, the tape deck doesn't work and never has during my tenure with the car. You can hear it spooling but it produces no sound, zero. I'd sourced a replacement CR906 unit online so thought I'd swap them to see if it was any better....

 

 

 

 

Out with the old and in with the new...

 

 

 

Power on... Code in.... Fuck!

 

The new tape deck is broken in exactly the same way as the old one.

 

Some googling has uncovered that this is a common issue with this particular head unit, apparently there's a little plastic cog to blame for it, in short it breaks and unfortunately the part is no longer available and hasn't been for some time. Despite only having paid a tenner for the unit I don't think I can face finding a code and fitting yet another. The problem I've got is that most available aftermarket stuff wouldn't be in keeping with the basic layout and design of the dash, a cheap Sony or Kenwood jobbie flashing it's displays like a 90's fruit machine would ruin the whole vibe of the car I recon  Maybe I'll just make do with listening to the radio.

 

All in all a mildly frustrating day, at least the seat bucket/compartments is sorted I suppose!

[Kringle]

Can you get your hands on the plastic cog? Maybe collectively we can find a replacement, eg scalextric car

 

Also I must admire the cleanliness of your driveway, mine get covered in shit after a simple oil change, even with a catch can.

[Shirley Knott]

Can you get your hands on the plastic cog? Maybe collectively we can find a replacement, eg scalextric car

 

 

TBH the idea of opening up the head unit and fiddling with small cogs etc fills me with dread.

 

At present I've  got a second browser window open looking for the blandest/least flashy stereos available...

 

Also I must admire the cleanliness of your driveway, mine get covered in shit after a simple oil change, even with a catch can.

 

The secret is rugs (Seriously)

 

When we moved in about 4 years ago I found an old thick 3X4 rug in the spare room. It now lives in the shed and comes out to serve as something to lie on/catch drips etc, that used in conjunction with a Pela 6000 keeps things ship shape.

 

[danthecapriman]

Top marks for trying I suppose!

 

My radio in the 740 is wankerd too, it takes the code and turns on fine but it just will not pick up anything or play anything other than an irritating morse code type sound. Sadly I think the head unit is dead but, as you say, I don’t want anything other than a genuine radio as it looks best.

I’ve opted to go for standard looks and no tunes so far!

[loserone]

Wire in a 3.5mm input, so it looks standard but is useful.

 

Or 3d print a new cog.

[Shirley Knott]

Top marks for trying I suppose!

 

My radio in the 740 is wankerd too, it takes the code and turns on fine but it just will not pick up anything or play anything other than an irritating morse code type sound. Sadly I think the head unit is dead but, as you say, I don’t want anything other than a genuine radio as it looks best.

I’ve opted to go for standard looks and no tunes so far!

 

Oof!

 

I'm a purist and want it to look OE and all that but I think I'd probably have cracked if the only option was silence. As mentioned, I think  I'll live with poodling around listening to Radio 3/Radio 4 for the foreseeable, although there must be some old fashioned/basic looking head units out there...

 

 

Wire in a 3.5mm input, so it looks standard but is useful.

 

Or 3d print a new cog.

 

That sounds great, but at heart I'm pretty much a Neanderthal, I'm capable of ripping an interior out and have managed to change the timing belt etc but fiddly stuff and electrickery scares me TBH.

[danthecapriman]

Oof!

 

I'm a purist and want it to look OE and all that but I think I'd probably have cracked if the only option was silence. As mentioned, I think  I'll live with poodling around listening to Radio 3/Radio 4 for the foreseeable, although there must be some old fashioned/basic looking head units out there...

 

 

 

 

That sounds great, but at heart I'm pretty much a Neanderthal, I'm capable of ripping an interior out and have managed to change the timing belt etc but fiddly stuff and electrickery scares me TBH.

Ok. I’ll be honest here...

 

 

When I’m in my old chod I don’t ever listen to the radio! No idea why, I think I just prefer to listen to the engine/gearbox whine/bits falling off etc etc. Besides that the silence means I can hear the voices in my head!

[Shirley Knott]

Aye, I do that for the first month or so in order to decide just what degree of pup I've bought 'this time' and also to try to identify any problems, understandably silence is needed then.

 

With the 940 fortunately/unfortunately all of the car's failings were apparent almost immediately after pulling off in it. Within half an hour of driving it away I was questioning my purchase and two days after that I was removing carpets and seats trying to work out where the 5 gallons of water had come from and really wishing I hadn't.

 

Luckily the troubles now seem to be for the most part over *touches wood and crosses fingers* and as such it's time to allow myself some music whilst driving it, or at least that was the plan!

[Richard]

I think I have a working CR906 in the shed. You'd probably have to put one of your fronts on it because I butchered the surround a bit to fit an aftermarket stereo, and the number 3 button doesn't work very well- not handy when the security code contains two threes.

 

If I find it I'll post it out to you, and liberate another few cubic inches in the shed.

[loserone]

That sounds great, but at heart I'm pretty much a Neanderthal, I'm capable of ripping an interior out and have managed to change the timing belt etc but fiddly stuff and electrickery scares me TBH.

If you have two, and don't mind me taking months over it, I could have a go for you.

[Shirley Knott]

If you have two, and don't mind me taking months over it, I could have a go for you.

 

Very kind.

 

I will be in touch

[Richard]

Get one of these things

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Transmitter-Wireless-Adapter-Function-x/dp/B01MZADLK8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541233586&sr=8-4&keywords=nulaxy+fm+transmitter

 

 

With a 32GB short USB stick or Micro SD card plugged in you can have all the music you need, plus wired or Bluetooth streaming from your phone. They manage to look almost as if they are meant to be there and just unplug if you have a sudden desire to go concours.

[Shirley Knott]

^ I think I will! I owe you one as I didn't even know these things existed. I've had a look them on Youtube etc and it seems to be the most stress free 'fix' and will allow me to keep the OE unit so that's that, cheers.

 

Meanwhile I've just returned from a 5 day break in the Lake District. I'd planned to take the Ovlov but decided against it at the last minute as the weather's filthy up there at this time of year so opted for the Golf SDI instead, nearly 500 miles covered in less than a week without even a hint of trouble!  The Golf might be dull and noisy but I have to respect it for what it does. At 14 years old, battered with life and with nearly 150k on the clock it just relentlessly plods on without any fuss. It's still showing a quarter of  a tank amazingly, meaning I may even crack 650 miles from this fill, a personal record for me. The 940 would likely have cost circa £100 more to use for the week which puts it in perspective really...

 

Tomorrow I should really be cleaning and hoovering out the Lakes chariot but unfortunately whilst away I got a message from my brother telling me that his 2014 Corsa is misfiring, a cursory google suggests it's always the coil pack M9....Unfortunately these come in at £82 for a decent branded aftermarket jobbie, add new plugs at the same time and the bill is even bigger. Only two weekends ago I was putting an alternator on his 2010 Twingo at circa £200 so he's having a bit of a bad time car wise, I suppose at least he isn't having to pay the big boys £50 an hour to fit stuff  so all's not lost.

[Shirley Knott]

After returning from the Lakes both mornings I've started the Ovlov I have been greeted by rough running, full on engine rocking about car bouncing up and down fairground ride stuff. Weirdly this only goes on for the first couple of minutes after which the idle calms down and things run smoothly for the rest of the day.

 

Plugs/leads/dizzy/arm/coil are all good so my suspicion is that the aftermarket (FAE) coolant temperature sensor is playing up I'd bought this from 'Parts Monster' on Ebay who seem to sell lots of Volvo bits, they had it listed with 'Volvo Part' in big letters, in reality it's made by Italian firm FAE, it's a bit naughty they way they list things like that really but hey ho.... I fitted it about 5 months back as part of a cooling system refresh and the car's been fine all summer but now the weather has turned I recon it's perhaps not telling the ECU to adjust fuelling etc as it should be. Time to install a proper Bosch sensor.

 

Coolant system drained....

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty pleased with how clean the old antifreeze looked to be honest, after multiple flushes I clearly got the job right when I did this in the summer!

 

The CTS is located under the intake manifold next to cylinder 3. The chaps on the Volvo forums talk about this job as though it's a total nightmare, they've clearly never had to replace a CTS on a PD130 Passat, in reality on these redblock engines it's not that bad....

 

 

 

Extension bars and UJ's make everything possible...

 

 

 

FAE sensor out...

 

 

 

Bosch sensor ready to go in....

 

 

 

 

Everything back together/topped up and run up to temperature with another lot of fresh antifreeze (Cleanest coolant system in the Western hemisphere now probably)....

 

 

 

 

All seems better but I'll have to wait for a really cold morning to test it and say for sure, hopefully this will be job jobbed otherwise I'll need to start testing wiring looms/injectors/fuel pressure etc *crosses fingers*

[Zelandeth]

There is something very pleasing about an engine bay with a clean expansion tank full of spotlessly clean coolant.

 

The expansion tank on the Saab was badly stained the whole time I had the car and it never ceased to bug me.

[Shirley Knott]

I've got a bit of a fetish for clean expansion tanks and spent more time than I'd like to admit getting it like that tbh. When I got the car it was shocking, you'd have been forgiven for thinking the previous owner had used coffee instead of antifreeze!

[Jim Bell]

Do these have a cold start injector?

If they do, and it isn't firing, would that give the symptoms described?

Sorry, it's been a while since I had a Volvo.

[Shirley Knott]

Do these have a cold start injector?

If they do, and it isn't firing, would that give the symptoms described?

Sorry, it's been a while since I had a Volvo.

Good shout chap but the later ones are different I'm told. No cold start injector on these, they rely on the temperature sensor to tell the ECU it's a bit nippy out and enrich the fuel supply as needed, ergo changing the sensor.

 

Just had to scrape the Golf after finishing work an hour ago, feels propper brassers tonight so tomorrow morning the conditions should be perfect for testing.

[Shirley Knott]

And we have a winner!

 

The Ovlov fired up this morning with zero drama and ran like a champ, clearly my suspicions were correct and the FAE branded sensor was duff 

 

Now to fire up Ebay and pen a strongly worded message to 'PartsMonster'... I doubt they'll do much but listing stuff as a 'Volvo Part' and selling for only a couple of quid less than the actual Volvo part is a bit iffy, particularly if the parts fail inside of 6 months!

[Fabergé Greggs]

Class!

 

Enjoying these updates, however can’t help feeling you’re going to get bored and sell it to me.

 

*crosses fingers*

[Shirley Knott]

Class!

 

Enjoying these updates, however can’t help feeling you’re going to get bored and sell it to me.

 

*crosses fingers*

 

The truth is often stranger than fiction but I'm having waaay too much fun with it at the minute.

[shedenvy]

Bonus points for colour coded coolant. See also Molten Orange Fiesta ST and Snapper Rocks Blue BMWs.

[Shirley Knott]

Another few weeks have passed and I'm not ashamed to admit my love for the 940 grows stronger with each passing day...

 

The Golf's central locking is doing funny things, the drivers door lock on the Lupo is now fubar too and both of the aforementioned cars take circa 10 miles to reach anything like an acceptable temperature... Meanwhile the Volvo sits wagging it's tail under the carport eager to go and is seeing much more use, almost being pressed into daily duties at present! After a period of intervention and recommissioning in the summer it's proving itself to be more than up to the job thankfully.

 

 

 

Red hot heaters within a couple of miles and toasty heated seats, check. Need to bring back a pine table and four chairs from a local furniture auction? No problem. Fetch a 6 foot+ Norwegian Spruce home for Christmas? Easy peasy.

 

It's a thoroughly lovely place to be in the winter, also the build quality makes the millennium era VAG cars in the fleet feel like plastic children's toys by comparison. I really do like it quite a lot and I'm reluctantly beginning to accept that it might be a forever car/keeper, which is odd as I rarely hang on to cars for this long.

[Shirley Knott]

I have an ongoing niggle with the 940 where-as there's a slight belt squeal for the first few minutes of driving, it's always been like that and no amount of adjustment seems to fix it unfortunately, I've been meaning to tackle this for ages but have had bigger fish to fry.

 

Yesterday morning I decided to get in there and fit new belts for both the PAS/waterpump and also the alternator and hopefully be done with it, I really should have done these when I changed the timing belt but hindsight's 20/20 and I didn't have the correct parts to hand at the time, ho hum.

 

Belts and tools assembled....

 

 

 

Some light on the job...

 

 

 

 

Undertray orf…

 

 

 

Fan needs to come out to remove the belt from the PAS/Waterpump side of things...

 

 

 

New belts fitted and tensioned properly...

 

 

 

At this point the car was tested resulting in disappointment, the irritating sound persists, fuck!

 

I did some further testing and found that when revving the car in neutral with the clutch disengaged all is quiet, however when the clutch is dipped and the engine revved, or when pulling away for a brief period after disengaging the clutch, that's when the slight 'belt squeal' type of sound occurs...

 

I'm assuming now that it's perhaps been down to a tired release bearing or shaft that needs grease all along and the belts were a red herring FWIW the clutch feels good, bite point is nice and having just clicked over 88k I'd hope it has lots of life left in it. Plans at this stage are to live with it/let it develop, the noise only persists for the first couple of minutes until the clutch has warmed up I'm not inclined to get involved with splitting the box from the engine to investigate really.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Saw a Golf MkIV SDI Estate in Dover yesterday and thought of you, Joey!

[Jim Bell]

Ignore ALL noises that go away after a couple of miles.

 

That's like rule 78 man.