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

[davehedgehog31]

Thanks chaps.

 

Yup, throttle body/butterfly all cleaned extensively. Rotor/cap/plugs/leads are all new but double checked anyway. The mystery is mysterious.

 

My thoughts had turned to VAC leaks but again despite extensive testing I can't find any.

 

Next steps will be to check fuel pressure, see what's happening there, then on to ignition coil perhaps. Failing all of that I suppose I'll pretty much just have to live with the occasional stumble at junctions etc and put it down to old car quirks until it either gets worse etc 

 

Sounds similar to my issues I had with the Rover. 

 

It will probably* just fix itself. 

[danthecapriman]

How Annoying!

Are the injectors all ok? Any weeping or leaks? Might be worth checking both fuel pumps (one in tank, one under rear floor). Is the fuel pump relay ok? These can give trouble and it’s worth having a spare one. Maybe worth swapping it for a known good one and trying it (there are a couple of different types though, yours is probably the white type).

[Shirley Knott]

Injectors seem fine but again that's something I need to look at in more detail.

 

Good call on the relay, haven't checked that yet.

 

Later 940's only have one pump (In the tank) unlike earlier models, but again good call as this could be causing issues, as could fuel pressure regulator etc...

 

We shall see. It's perfectly driveable but it still irks me to see the idle droop occasionally.

[Shirley Knott]

Right, running issues have now largely been sorted

 

In short I bought an Ebay special ICV for circa £25 with a 5 year guarantee (I know, I know) as a kind of experiment, low and behold idle is now completely 100% steady with zero droop. If/when the unit fails I'll either get a replacement FOC (5 year guarantee innit) or stump the £80 for a Bosch item. Either way, no dropping revs at junctions is nice.

 

I didn't take any pictures of the ICV, honestly it's a 2 minute job on these and pretty dull, but whilst buggering about with it I spotted this...

 

 

 

Yup, the wiring to the crank position sensor plug was right on the edge of letting go   New OEM sensor procured and tools assembled...

 

 

 

The crank sensor lives right down the back of the engine and whilst being slightly fiddly to get to it isn't half as bad of a job as the folks on the Volvo forums will have you believe...

 

 

 

 

All fitted...

 

 

 

 

Flushed with the success of the CPS and ICV replacements and still slightly paranoid about the damage I'd potentially caused cleaning the dizzy cap and rotor arm with my Dremel grinder I decided to replace those with genuine Volvo items, and then convinced myself that if I was doing those I might as well do plugs and leads too   

 

Parts gun re-loaded again and ready to fire...

 

 

 

And unboxed...

 

 

 

Disappointingly/weirdly the new Bosch HT leads looked pretty flimsy compared with the Eurocarparts specials that came off...

 

 

 

 

Ah well onwards and upwards. The dizzy caps/rotors on these are in the worst position ever...

 

 

 

 

Very pleased to be able to relax in the knowledge that it should be a long time before I have to go in there again.

 

The upshot of all this..?

 

The car runs sweeter than it ever has! Idle is now smooth and stable and the only niggle that remains is perhaps the slightest split second hesitation at low revs every now and then, although this could be a placebo and a case of me having heightened senses when in the car and actively looking/trying to find faults. I took it to my tame mechanic who owned and ran a series of 740's at the time they were current (I also used his pit for the underseal earlier in the thread) His feeling was that it certainly isn't misfiring, told me I am being way too picky and having grown up in the age of 16v/coil pack equipped cars I'd been spoiled,  even going as far as to say that if he'd just serviced it he'd be closing the bonnet, calling it job jobbed and deeming it to be running well. It certainly feels good to drive now.

 

The plan is to use the Volvo for various trips to the Lake District etc this winter and whilst I probably could have got away with battling on with lots of the older parts, I felt that with the wife a 3 year old in tow it makes sense to rule out as many potential weak links as possible. I'd ideally like to get the car to a stage where I can confidently get in it and drive anywhere like a 'modern' and TBH I recon it's almost there

[GrumpiusMaximus]

That is just a lovely car, mate.  Very envious.  Know sod all about them but the envy is still strong!

[Shirley Knott]

That is just a lovely car, mate.  Very envious.  Know sod all about them but the envy is still strong!

 

Thanks man.

 

TBH up until a few months back I knew nothing about them either, since then I've (In no particular order)

 

Extensively checked for vacuum leaks using all available methods and now know the network of hoses like the back of my hand.

Replaced distributer cap/rotor with Volvo parts.

Replaced plugs and leads (Bosch and NGK).

Replaced coolant temp sensor (Bosch)

Thoroughly flushed coolant and replaced.

Replaced thermostat (Volvo part)

Stripped down and cleaned breather box and associated pipework (Twice!)

Stripped down and cleaned the throttle body and all associated connections (Now spotless)

Replaced silicone vacuum lines from breather box/BCV and FPR.

Thoroughly cleaned ICV and then actually replaced it with an Ebay special.

Tried a good used fuel pressure regulator swap with mine.

Replaced the crankshaft sensor (Volvo part).

Checked wiring/cleaned connections.

Changed air filter and oil/oil filter.

Ran injector cleaner through.

Reset ECU a couple of times.

Changed the MAF with a good/cleaned spare.

 

That's ignoring the none engine based stuff that I've done like stripping the whole interior to bare shell mode to track down a water leak, completely undersealing and cavity waxing the car and also having some bodywork done and repairs carried out the upholstery, also replacing the doorcards for good used ones.

 

Wow, reading all that back I realize I've actually got a fair amount done

[danthecapriman]

Great job getting that sorted! Everything you’ve done is worth doing too just to get the car up to a good reliable standard. Should run well and you’ll be able to rely on it for ages now!

[Shirley Knott]

Great job getting that sorted! Everything you’ve done is worth doing too just to get the car up to a good reliable standard. Should run well and you’ll be able to rely on it for ages now!

 

That's the plan.

 

Despite being non-interference I think the timing belt would make sense as a next step purely to avoid the potential of being stranded far from home! It looks pretty simple on these so will probably have a crack myself in the coming weeks.

[Jim Bell]

Top jobbing man. Must be a satisfying feeling having it all shipshape and bristolfashion.

[danthecapriman]

That's the plan.

 

Despite being non-interference I think the timing belt would make sense as a next step purely to avoid the potential of being stranded far from home! It looks pretty simple on these so will probably have a crack myself in the coming weeks.

It is dead easy. Almost as easy as a Pinto engine timing belt.

I got a new kit for my 740, new belt and new tensioner pulley which I’d recommend if you don’t know if/when it was last changed. The tensioner pulley on these are all metal so last well but the cars are getting old now so worth considering.

I played cam belt roulette on mine for a while too after I got it back on the road, it made me feel ill though at the thought of it snapping!

[Shirley Knott]

Top jobbing man. Must be a satisfying feeling having it all shipshape and bristolfashion.

 

Thanks marra.

 

TBH buying a sub £1k car for 'bangernomics' reasons and then lavishing cash/time/attention to it thus defeating the whole object of the exercise is pretty much standard craic for me. I always seem to be able to find reasons to justify what I'm doing too, that's the saddest part.

 

It's a sickness and I can't help it. 'Tis satisfying as you say though.

 

 

It is dead easy. Almost as easy as a Pinto engine timing belt.

I got a new kit for my 740, new belt and new tensioner pulley which I’d recommend if you don’t know if/when it was last changed. The tensioner pulley on these are all metal so last well but the cars are getting old now so worth considering.

I played cam belt roulette on mine for a while too after I got it back on the road, it made me feel ill though at the thought of it snapping!

 

 

Yup, the Gates kits seem to come in at circa £50 so no excuse not to really. I'll have to get it done while the weather's still decent.

[Shirley Knott]

About a month ago the trusty Golf started to make an awful rattling noise when reversing. Given I now seem to spend all of my free time fixing the Volvo, reading about Volvos and photographing the Volvo I pretty much ignored it and turned the radio up until earlier this week when the noise became so bad I couldn't ignore it anymore

 

The last time I had this happen on Mk4 I incorrectly assumed it was a loose heatshield only later to discover the cat had disintegrated internally and that was the source of the rattling. Naturally I approached the issue with a healthy dose of trepidation (This also is probably partly to blame for me putting the job off TBH.)

 

Up she goes....

 

 

And wait for it.... It actually was a heatshield this time. Yay!

 

Much relief was felt. I'll never forget replacing the cat on my old 1.4 Golf, the downpipe on those loops over the subframe and is one continuous part with the cat. Not fun... RE heatshields, VW uses these useless penny washer devices that attach to captive threaded studs...

 

 

 

Three of these were no longer there and had allowed the heatshield to drop down onto the exhaust. Usually I'm the kind of guy who rips heatshields off when they rattle, this time I decided to show the car some real love and fix it properly(ish). Off to the she shed to retrieve my nuts/bolts/washers tin and que upside down potato cam quality pics...

 

Stud 1 sorted.

 

 

 

Stud 2 sorted.

 

 

 

The rusty threads on stud 3 let go, by this point I the desire to show the car love had faded somewhat, in a merciless mood I simply brayed the stud round with a BFH to create a rudimentary hook to hold the shield up...

 

 

 

It's not a bodge if it works, right?

 

The upshot is that the car still sounds like a tractor, the tinny vibration however is all gone.

[danthecapriman]

If it works it works! = not a bodge!

I’m actually impressed you managed to get any of those rusty old studs to thread and bolt down tbh, they’re almost always just brittle rusty blobs.

[Shirley Knott]

Cheers Dan.

 

The studs aren't in great fettle and I recon I got lucky managing to get a decent thread going on two of the three.

 

As an '04 it's pretty much one of the last Mk4's built and as the pics show things aren't too bad underneath rust wise. I really need to have at it with a wire brush on the subframes and spread about some Dynax UB before the summer's out and the grit spreading starts again TBH.

[Shirley Knott]

Today I have been rustproofing (Again)  This time only in a minor way, but having noticed a smattering of surface corrosion on the subframes on both the Golf and the Lupo it seemed rude not to given I have a litre or so of Dynax UB going begging after treating the Volvo.

 

Subframe grot...

 

 

 

 

Gear assembled...

 

 

 

 

And after half an hour of wire brushing and spreading UB about with a 2" paint brush job jobbed...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's both cars done, no pics of the Lupo but obviously it looked much the same. This is 100% the last undersealing I'm doing this year.

[Shirley Knott]

I seem to be spending far more time than is healthy looking underneath the 940, fortunately this mornings inspection revealed that the Dynax UB had finally gone tacky, so time to reinstall the arch liners and splash guards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile I've been sowing the seeds for a timing belt change and was about to stump circa £60 for the special crank pulley locking tool from Volvo until I stumbled across an Ebay listing for a job lot of parts including genuine tensioner/exhaust hanger/rocker gasket and a Haynes book of fantasy, but more importantly a funky home made crank locking tool all for £27 posted! Needless to say I pulled the trigger and the parts turned up earlier in the week...

 

 

The tool is an absolute beast and looks deeply sturdy...

 

 

 

Belt waiting in the wings too...

 

 

 

 

Hopefully, and depending on what life throws at me I'll likely get stuck in and do the belt next weekend, the only thing I'm missing is a torque wrench for the crank pulley bolt but hopefully I'll be able to cadge one from someone locally.

[Shirley Knott]

After weeks of procrastinating this  morning I finally got the timing belt sorted on the Volvo, it appears to have been long overdue...

 

 

 

 

Even the simplest jobs on old cars seem to have a way of throwing you curveballs, this one was no different. As I was about to remove the PAS and ALT belts I peered over and noticed that the alignment looked slightly wonky, hmmm....

 

 

 

Ah well, onwards and upwards I thought as I started to slacken the tensioner on the steering pump, only to be met by a sickening popping sound as I watched a bolt fly off into the distance. I initially assumed the adjustment arrangement had failed but after investigation it became clear the bolt on which the pump pivots was actually the culprit and had completely sheered...

 

 

 

I was pretty gutted at that stage but at least it explained the wonky belt. As luck would have it an engineering shop on an industrial estate a couple of miles away that I use fairly regularly were able to find a perfect match for the bolt even down to the smooth/non threaded inner section and supplied it with washers and nylock nut for a highly reasonable £1.90 (Thanks K-Engineering!) This meant removing the undertray again after putting it back on the car less than a week ago, what a ball ache! After this initial delay I regained my mojo, cracked on and got the aux belts and top cover off...

 

 

Next step, my newly acquired crank locking gizmo came into play. Someone was clearly very bored on a nightshift at some point as this tool is definitely home made, it's an awesome bit of kit and saved me having to mess about putting the car in 4th with the handbrake on or jamming a screwdriver in to remove the crank pulley...

 

 

 

 

Out with the old...

 

 

 

 

In with the new...

 

 

 

Crank pulley and bottom cover off, new tensioner set and ready to go...

 

 

 

And new belt on. I rate Gates Powergrip belts and at £11.50 delivered it hardly broke the bank so seemed worth paying a couple of quid more for vs the other options available...

 

 

 

 

After this in true Haynes book of fantasy style the re-assembly was the reverse of the above. Starting a car after a timing belt change always brings on the nerves, no ned in this instance as the car started right up and ran well. I've covered 20 miles or so in it this afternoon pottering around without any dramas so I'm going to call it job jobbed.

[Shirley Knott]

Card night with comrades this evening.

 

We rent an old basement on the West side of Sunderland at a long defunct jewellery shop for a couple of hundred quid a month for band practice/card games/sleeping quarters after nights out etc although how long that can continue who knows?

 

I was just getting over the fact that the timing belt on the Volvo hadn't grenaded yet and it struck me...

 

 

My friends are shitters too. They might not be on the site or realise it yet but they are...

 

I'm pretty envious of both the 1.8T Golf and also the Accord. Living the dream without even realising it....

[Shirley Knott]

200 miles deep on the new timing belt and all seems well, I'm starting to believe I might well have pulled the whole thing off without overlooking something

[Shirley Knott]

Inside this box is...

 

 

 

 

...The internet (Not really)

 

The most recent of the specialist Volvo tool purchases has arrived. Most of the 700/900 series cars had a diagnostic box in the engine bay but around 1995 Volvo *helpfully changed this and fitted an OBD2 port under the armrest in the centre console, which is great and all other than the fact that it won't connect to any modern OBD2 readers

 

The solution is the box above, one of the chaps on the Volvo forum makes these. It has the ability to test fault codes for Ignition/Fuel/ABS/Cruise control and at £20 delivered is a bit of a steal IMO.

 

As it happens my car doesn't seem to have any codes stored (Surely a good thing) but the box should come in useful for diagnosing any future problems.

[Shirley Knott]

When I bought the Lupo a few years back it had a battle scar hinting that some kind of kerb level assault had taken place at one stage in it's history. I tidied it up at the time which seems to have held it off but unfortunately the grot recently started to creep it's way back through the paint.

 

I'd been putting it off for ages but today I gathered the bits needed and had at it  Ginger stuff ground back with a drill mounted wire wheel...

 

 

Bilthamber Hydrate80 to the rescue. I love watching this stuff turn from milky blue to jet black as the reaction takes place and the magic happens (I really should think about getting out more)

 

 

 

 

Starting to apply coats of etch primer....

 

 

 

And several coats of Halfords Flash Red later...

 

 

Ideally it wants that part of the sill cutting out and replacing but the above treatment seems to hold everything at bay for a couple of years at a time and for a sub £500 car I'd struggle to justify paying someone to weld it up for me.

 

I then proceeded to shuffle the fleet around again with an eye to giving the 940 back it's rightful warm/dry place under the carport, but before doing so I celebrated with a cold beer outside as I stood back and admired my chod collection.

 

[danthecapriman]

Nice job on that sill. Looks much less obvious now and it’ll stop things getting worse too.

[Shirley Knott]

Masking/covers off this morning and I'm quite pleased with the results...

 

 

 

Some runs are present near the bottom of the sill seam where I'd laid the paint on really thick but that's to be expected, other than that colour match is spot on and all suspect areas have been treated. I don't rate Halfords much these days but have to say their aerosols of vehicle specific paint are a bit of a bargain at £6.99 and seem to work well.

 

Job jobbed for another couple of years I recon.

[Jim Bell]

Proffessional finish from 7 yards?

Tick!

 

Very well done man.

[Supernaut]

Smol red car on steel wheels! I like.

[Shirley Knott]

Cheers.

 

They're actually the original black steelies sprayed in silver hammerite then finished off with MK2 Golf G60 hub caps. Cheap to do but looks good IMO.

[Broadsword]

Your account of the Lupo is making me question whether I dismissed one I looked at this week too soon. £699 seems too strong though, maybe I will go back with an offer again later. It’s so small there must be somewhere I could stash one of these.

[Fumbler]

Liking the Volvo, will look into this UB stuff. Otherwise I'm just going to go with chain oil thinned with used engine oil.

[ProgRocker]

I like the Lupo's steelies & black hubcaps.

[Shirley Knott]

Your account of the Lupo is making me question whether I dismissed one I looked at this week too soon. £699 seems too strong though, maybe I will go back with an offer again later. It’s so small there must be somewhere I could stash one of these.

 

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

 

 

Liking the Volvo, will look into this UB stuff. Otherwise I'm just going to go with chain oil thinned with used engine oil.

 

Thanks.

 

The UB is good stuff, it's available in aerosols but results are far better with a compressor and a shutz gun IME. It actually works out a fair bit cheaper doing it that way too.