project Fumbler's Gone To America

[loserone]

2 hours ago, Fumbler said:

BX

This is a 1.4 XU with a carb just like the 205 GR I just got rid of, isn't it?

 

Fiesta looks dependable.

[rml2345]

Old Volvos seem to attract bad wiring repairs like bears to picnics.

Good to see some early progress though. I fitted the Pioneer head unit as the one it came with crapped it. IIRC all the original wiring is intact though so a Volvo one should go in no bother. 

[Fumbler]

8 hours ago, loserone said:

This is a 1.4 XU with a carb just like the 205 GR I just got rid of, isn't it?

 

Fiesta looks dependable.

1.4 TU just like the 205. I spiced mine up a bit by fitting a twin choke carb from a 205 XS.

The Fiesta certainly is being dependable. So far, I'm rather liking it. 

1 hour ago, rml2345 said:

Old Volvos seem to attract bad wiring repairs like bears to picnics.

Good to see some early progress though. I fitted the Pioneer head unit as the one it came with crapped it. IIRC all the original wiring is intact though so a Volvo one should go in no bother. 

Yeah I'm glad to see the stuff all gone. Hopefully the place doing the bearing can also remove the towbar and cure the low hanging exhaust.

I forgot to mention the sidelights and rear lights are constantly on. I don't mind the DRLs in the indicator modules, but I'd like the others disabled so they only come on when the switch is on. Any ideas anyone?

[brownnova]

51 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

forgot to mention the sidelights and rear lights are constantly on.

TADTS

 

Well my 940 does at least. 

[Bear]

1 hour ago, Fumbler said:

 

I forgot to mention the sidelights and rear lights are constantly on. I don't mind the DRLs in the indicator modules, but I'd like the others disabled so they only come on when the switch is on. Any ideas anyone?

From memory, which is pretty rusty, Volvo offered different lighting relays at this era (again the impact of brain fog but even 480 with sophisticated body control ECU used a fairly old-school many-pinned relay) and you would either get a different relay for a country that only used front DRLs, or on some (740 sounds familiar) you could choose light behaviour with different fuse positions. If it's a different country relay you might disable rear lights but lose dim-dip if that was still a thing, for example.

I don't know 940s enough to know the exact solution or if there was a switch to multiplex or more complex ECU based config, but I do remember the Citroen C6 had a UK/etc setting that would disable tail lights with DRLs, and I would be looking at if lighting relays are still a thing at this age and what options existed. You could probably cut a trace inside the relay, maybe.

[Fumbler]

6 minutes ago, RichardK said:

From memory, which is pretty rusty, Volvo offered different lighting relays at this era (again the impact of brain fog but even 480 with sophisticated body control ECU used a fairly old-school many-pinned relay) and you would either get a different relay for a country that only used front DRLs, or on some (740 sounds familiar) you could choose light behaviour with different fuse positions. If it's a different country relay you might disable rear lights but lose dim-dip if that was still a thing, for example.

I don't know 940s enough to know the exact solution or if there was a switch to multiplex or more complex ECU based config, but I do remember the Citroen C6 had a UK/etc setting that would disable tail lights with DRLs, and I would be looking at if lighting relays are still a thing at this age and what options existed. You could probably cut a trace inside the relay, maybe.

Indeed I have multiple relays to look at in my bag of spares, worth a try!

[jamescarruthers]

2 hours ago, Fumbler said:

 I forgot to mention the sidelights and rear lights are constantly on. I don't mind the DRLs in the indicator modules, but I'd like the others disabled so they only come on when the switch is on. Any ideas anyone?

Is there a tiny rotary switch on there headlight switch that you can adjust country settings on? When I say tiny I mean you will need a little screwdriver.  It should be described in the handbook. 
 

 (this, in the bottom right)

But a Volvo needs ALL the lights so would suggest leaving “as is”. 

[Fumbler]

2 minutes ago, jamescarruthers said:

Is there a tiny rotary switch on there headlight switch that you can adjust country settings on? When I say tiny I mean you will need a little screwdriver.  It should be described in the handbook. 
 

 (this, in the bottom right)

But a Volvo needs ALL the lights so would suggest leaving “as is”. 

Ah there might be. I'll investigate.

[Ghosty]

Yeah, the 850 has DRL/marker/running lights. Don't use the sidelights as they're actually dimmer, just put the headlights straight to dip. 

[jamescarruthers]

https://m.youtube.com/c/RobertDIY
This guy is just fantastic for keeping 850s going. I learnt a lot from him for my C70 adventures. 

Check the PCV system with a rubber glove for piece of mind. If you are lucky no work is required… if required, I’d recommend bumping it up the list.

 

[Fumbler]

4 hours ago, jamescarruthers said:

https://m.youtube.com/c/RobertDIY
This guy is just fantastic for keeping 850s going. I learnt a lot from him for my C70 adventures. 

Check the PCV system with a rubber glove for piece of mind. If you are lucky no work is required… if required, I’d recommend bumping it up the list.

 

I'll check that now. The headlamp dial doesn't have a country selection nub on it unfortunately. I'm not all that fussed tbh.

[Fumbler]

Not great not terrible.

[Fumbler]

So I've tried to look at the areas of the engine in @jamescarruthers' video, but I can't see the PCV valve in question. I have, however, managed to locate the catch box and associated pipework. Getting to the system sounds like a right ballache which is probably why people say it's best to just replace it while you're there.

[jamescarruthers]

24 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

So I've tried to look at the areas of the engine in @jamescarruthers' video, but I can't see the PCV valve in question. I have, however, managed to locate the catch box and associated pipework. Getting to the system sounds like a right ballache which is probably why people say it's best to just replace it while you're there.

It’s not too bad work at all TBH— quite satisfying methodical work rather than lack of access horribleness. 
 

I seem to remember that you can clean some of the pipes rather than replace them (as they are “due at 100,000 miles) if you want to do it cheaper but word is the parts don’t last as long as genuine ones. I got mine from a Welsh Volvo dealer during lockdown who seem to reknowned for being happy to post parts out. Parts for Volvo Online will do you cheaper pattern parts though. 
 

I seem to remember the radiator needed drained so I took the opportunity to put in a new coolant temperature sensor which was also recommended to me. 
 

I also took them time to have the injectors ultrasonically cleaned by post while they were right in front of me. Just an optional extra.

[Fumbler]

Well then, within 6 hours of listing the BX it's off the drive and onto its next owner... Who's taking it on a roadtrip to Cornwall! He's madder than I am.

Sad times. I learned so much with that car. But anyway, I'm back down to two cars and I have money in the bank. Refresh completed, here's to success in the future.

[rml2345]

I replaced the oil separator and associated pipework whilst the inlet manifold was off. That was removed for better access to the block earthing points whilst chasing something else last year after the Covid lay up. 

Not sure what else would be blocked to cause excessive crankcase pressure, unless it's clogged again. 

[Remspoor]

I know that the 850 and 7series have different engines. But there will be a similar plumbing design. This guy with a 740 found out after doing the glove test changing parts he still had high pressure. This is what he found. It looks as if the glove test does not prove the vacuum  issues are always associated with the PCV Skip to 3:50 if you do not want to watch the compression test.

 

[Fumbler]

1 hour ago, Remspoor said:

I know that the 850 and 7series have different engines. But there will be a similar plumbing design. This guy with a 740 found out after doing the glove test changing parts he still had high pressure. This is what he found. It looks as if the glove test does not prove the vacuum  issues are always associated with the PCV Skip to 3:50 if you do not want to watch the compression test.

 

I wish access was as nice as on a 740! Unfortunately, most of this on the 850 appears to be run underneath the inlet manifold and to the sides of the engine. I'll have a look at the vacuum tree, the pipework under the IACV, valve elbow on the side of the intake, and on the flame trap in case there's cracked hoses. If I'm really bothered about it, I'll probably run a snorkel tube or something. I do prefer PSA's approach to crankcase breather systems which consisted of a pipe from the cam cover to the intake and calling it a day.

In the meantime, I've been attacking the offside wing.

Cellulose thinners are being more effective than this Strypit shit I have. So far it's shown most of the panel is bare metal. A quick sanding verifies this. Going forward, I'll use the paint removal disc I have and go gingerly. I'll slap some cold galv on, filler primer, sand and then paint with the tins I got with the car. Eaaaasyyyyyyy😂

 

[Fumbler]

While I muster the courage to write up all the bodywork shizz I've done, I've got an question for the AS hive. The Volvo has developed a habit of starting then immediately bogging down, either stalling just afterwards or quickly rising in RPM before bogging down etc. Replacing the cam position sensor hasn't helped it at all, so I'm wondering what else might be suspect. Any thoughts?

[bear-in-the-air]

I was  going to suggest it's the dreaded e throttle issues, but luckily for you the 850 gets a cable throttle.

I don't know if you're a member already but the Volvo UK forum has a wealth of knowledge on it: https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=16
 

I think I'd start by cleaning the throttle body and idle air control valve. Could be throttle position sensor but I'm not sure if that would give the surge or not.

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 24/07/2022 at 00:23, Fumbler said:

i don't really understand what the installer actually intended to tow, because they installed 1 7-pin plug with this grey cable attached, and only 1 wire (and pin) was actually being used.
 

 

1 wire in grey 12s socket will most likely be for reverse lights

[Fumbler]

 

I decided to try and record what it does upon initial startup. Not touching the throttle pedal at all here- the engine's doing all this of its own accord.

To complicate things, it doesn't usually do all this stuff in this order either! I suppose that's because it was cold started an hour prior to move it into the drive. Here's how it usually goes about its thing:

• Crank
• Fires, rises to 1500RPM for a second
• Bogs down instead of settling at idle speed, sometimes stalls here
• RPM rises back to normal level before bogging down again
• Continues surging

If the engine does stall, it then takes some effort to get it going again. I also have to feather the throttle to make the car move and not stall whenever I'm parking or crawling in a queue. The above behaviour doesn't seem to change either hot or cold.

[tommytwo]

Engine surging. On my Rover 820, the cause of the engine surging was traced to broken wires to the oxygen sensor. Wont do any harm to check that.

[Fumbler]

21 minutes ago, tommytwo said:

Engine surging. On my Rover 820, the cause of the engine surging was traced to broken wires to the oxygen sensor. Wont do any harm to check that.

I'm fairly sure on one of these the Volvo version of the EML would light up if that were the case, but, like you say, no harm in checking.

[Fumbler]

Volvo achieved a 12 month ticket. Yessssssssssssss

It appears some drivetrain and oily bits need attending to. Unsure if I'll farm that stuff out or give it a go when it's a bit warmer. The tyre wear was down to HUGE underinflation- 10 psi instead of the recommended 32. I haven't driven the car much at all in recent months so I reckon either there's a leak somewhere on the tyre or the wheel's gone porous. Shoulder wear notwithstanding none of the tyres match, they're all Chinese plastic circles and the fronts are a different size to the rears. It sure does make driving in the wet and around corners exciting*
The engine is still surging and bogging down.

So with this in mind, here's what I've found it still needs:

• Undercoating
• A bung put back in the spare wheel basket
• 4 new tyres
• A new headlining
• A scrub down in the engine bay
• Front and rear plates
• Fuel tank straps
• The last of the towbar to be removed
• The intake system investigating to figure out why it hunts and stalls and splutters
• Another horn
• OSF strut investigations to fix the creaking at low speeds

Still in two minds as to if I should keep it or move it on to someone else.

Meanwhile and more pressingly, I need to change the cambelt on the Ford and service it. I've done just over 8000 miles in it so far.

[Fumbler]

I also noticed the heater only blows warm, even when both knobs are turned to Lucifer mode... Might need to shove a dishwasher tablet into the coolant system.

[Fumbler]

On 16/10/2022 at 13:08, bear-in-the-air said:

I was  going to suggest it's the dreaded e throttle issues, but luckily for you the 850 gets a cable throttle.

I don't know if you're a member already but the Volvo UK forum has a wealth of knowledge on it: https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=16
 

I think I'd start by cleaning the throttle body and idle air control valve. Could be throttle position sensor but I'm not sure if that would give the surge or not.

I've been out to have a look. IAC is new. Will spray out the throttlebody and the IAC with some carb cleaner, however I'm a tad suspect wih the MAF sensor. There's another one lying around in my bag of bits and bobs and they most definitely aren't Bosch. I've read that it must be Bosch and nothing else but the prices are eye-wateringly expensive.

[bear-in-the-air]

On 12/12/2022 at 4:51 PM, Fumbler said:

I've been out to have a look. IAC is new. Will spray out the throttlebody and the IAC with some carb cleaner, however I'm a tad suspect wih the MAF sensor. There's another one lying around in my bag of bits and bobs and they most definitely aren't Bosch. I've read that it must be Bosch and nothing else but the prices are eye-wateringly expensive.

I picked up a replacement Bosch maf for mine off ebay from a breakers. Risk of getting a dud part but you can buy many ebay parts for one new Bosch.

[rob88h]

On 10/16/2022 at 8:16 PM, Fumbler said:

On 10/16/2022 at 7:54 PM, tommytwo said:

Engine surging. On my Rover 820, the cause of the engine surging was traced to broken wires to the oxygen sensor. Wont do any harm to check that.

I'm fairly sure on one of these the Volvo version of the EML would light up if that were the case, but, like you say, no harm in checking.

Is the 850 of an age where there’s built in Blink Code diagnostics? I didn’t even know they existed until I had to do some work to my 440 engine management. I’m fairly sure there is a sensor check mode you can run where it checks resistances or something and blinks back little Volvo morse messages. For me the O2 sensor was kaput. 

EDIT: Quick Google, near the screen wash filler on an 850 maybe.

[Fumbler]

Just now, rob88h said:

Is the 850 of an age where there’s built in Blink Code diagnostics? I didn’t even know they existed until I had to do some work to my 440 engine management. I’m fairly sure there is a sensor check mode you can run where it checks resistances or something and blinks back little Volvo morse messages. For me the O2 sensor was kaput. 

I have a feeling it may, though surely if an O2 sensor was dead it'd bring up the EML? Not ruling it out however, I know the catalytic converter is new and I presume the sensors are as well. Wouldn't be the first time they only work for a while.