Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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I've not updated this in ages, but have been doing various tinkering with the old Volvo. 1. Replaced oil cooler seals and clips, small leak cured. 2. I replaced the split CV boot. Not a particularly fun job and it took some force to get the joint off the driveshaft and at least three hands to hold the circlip open, hold the driveshaft and clout the joint in the appropriate direction. I first thought I'd try removing the joint 'in situ' so as to absolutely avoid losing any new gearbox oil. This didn't work. Jacked the car a bit more at one side to tilt it and avoid losing any gearbox oil, removed driveshaft... various applications of force got the joint off eventually... Reassembled with new circlip, grease, boot and clips (used my Dr Oetiker pliers again for the clips - easy!)... 3. Oil and filter change and replaced the cable ties on the majority of the new vacuum hoses with some small (10mm) spring band clips I ordered from Amazon. Also, diagnosed cruise control not working since my clutch change as a slight oversight on my part that I hadn't plugged the vacuum pump under the battery area back in... whoops. 4. Flushed and replaced the brake fluid, pedal felt much sharper. No nipples sheared off or anything like that so it was pretty straightforward, old fluid was rather murky so glad it's changed now. 5. Replaced the passenger side lower wishbone as after taking it all to bits doing the clutch I found the bushes where it attached to the subframe sub-optimal. That is to say, wonky and clunky over bumps. Needless to say, removal of the wishbone highlighted why... see the one on the left here where the bushes have fallen out. New one on the right now fitted and everything is much tighter. Also, MOT passed no problem :thumb: As an aside, the new clutch is proving excellent and I can use full power (where the law permits) without any slippage. The old tank goes really well.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Next I had a new suspension knock since replacing that wishbone so decided to check it out, mostly likely front strut top mounts (spring seats) according to the Volvo forum. The steering knuckle bolts seemed original and took some persuading to come out... IMG_6400 Top mount nuts loosened reasonably easily with appropriate leverage as they have a nice 9mm flat bit you can hold whilst swinging on a 22mm spanner. I did use a small 9mm open ended spanner but worried it'd fail, so upgraded to these large stilsons which sorted it. IMG_6401 The ARB drop links on these cars require you to hold the bolt like this with a T30 Torx bit hammered into the end. Not too easy and they were very tight but came apart with patience and WD40 and seemed in decent order (more later, it wasn't!). IMG_6402 First strut removed and ready to strip down. IMG_6404 Spring compressors in place, bearing plate removed (on the right in photo) and you have to undo this strange cross shaped nut. It came off ok though and allowed spring seats, bump stop, spring, dust cover etc. to come off the shock absorber. IMG_6406This is where things got less fun. I tested the shock and found it offered very little resistance (could compress with one hand and it wouldn't extend under it's own pressure). I dismantled the other side and found that shock slightly better but not great. Having never had an 850 before I just assumed the harsher / noisier ride quality compared to the later cars (it feels like a Mk2 Golf maybe) was a standard thing, now wondering if it'd be much better with new shocks?!? So, this little job escalated to a much larger one... as usual... Ordered lots of new bits... Full set of Bilstein B4 dampers, new top mounts with bearings, I'd also ordered new front Febi bump stops from eBay, and new strut to steering knuckle bolts from Volvo, and new Febi spring seats from Euro Parts when they had a good offer on. In for a penny and all that... IMG_6420 Assembling new strut with the old one for reference. IMG_6421 Both new front struts assembled and ready to fit, lots of tiring fun with the spring compressors to get to this stage! IMG_6422 Left hand side shown fitted to car, the right looked very similar! IMG_6423 Onto the rear end. Old and new bits shown. IMG_6425 After about an hour of very carefully lubricating the small bolts under the boot floor that secure the damper top mount and patiently working them out a few turns and back in, it came apart with nothing sheared or snapped. I'd read that these commonly shear or strip the captive nut threads so was happy mine didn't. IMG_6426 Old vs. new again. The old shocks in this case still felt pretty reasonable and took a little effort to compress though were very slow to return to position. Much better than the old front ones regardless which were knackered but glad to fit a full set. IMG_6427 Assembling the new shock you need a cranked 17mm ring spanner as the top nut is recessed into the top mount cup bit. Luckily my old backup tool box had one rattling around in there which sorted it. Here's one side fitted. IMG_6428 I did the other side, again taking it very carefully on the 12mm headed bolts in the boot and nothing snapped. Lowered the car back onto it's wheels and then torqued the bottom shock mount nuts up correctly with weight on them. I then jumped around in the boot them to check operation of the new dampers. I had done this scientific test before disassembly and decided it felt nicer now. Of course, the real judge of boot ride comfort will be my dog. The ride height at the rear is now slightly higher than previous I think, but looks about right whereas the front looks a little high I think but will hopefully settle. I didn't want a lowered car, but likewise didn't want one that looked ready to off road! I suppose new spring seats plus standard height springs is going to take it up a little compared to collapsed seats. If the ride height remains too high after winter and negatively affects my street cred with the youths ( ) I suppose I could fit some lowering springs... A test drive revealed what an 850 must be supposed to ride like - lovely! Far more compliant, quiet and smooth, a lot closer to the P2 V70 I had previously so happy with that. Not crashy at all over speed bumps, potholes and the steering is lovely and direct with no creaky noises... for now...
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Knockers! In typical fashion, one of the few suspension bits I didn't replace (a front ARB drop link) decided to start knocking a few weeks later on a long trip last weekend. I should have just replaced them with everything else I suppose. Anyway, I ordered a pair of these Meyle 'Heavy Duty' ones with a four year warranty (interestingly, same fitment as a Dacia Duster!) and stuck those on. Knocks eliminated, and they seem much meatier, thicker gauge rods and much larger ball joints. IMG_6493 Also, I got a full set of five Uniroyal Rainsports fitted today in 205/55/16 profile (note standard profile is 205/50/16 for this car, which you can get but they cost about 50% more). No clearance issues going up a profile, the tyres do noticeably look higher profile but suit the age of the car more than the 50 profiles I'd say. Too early to comment on noise, grip, ride etc but all good so far and nice to have a matching set as I hate mismatched tyres on cars. I got the spare replaced too as it has a full size spare (which I like) which wore what appeared to be a genuine 1995 vintage original Pirelli tyre (which I didn't like). If you're going to have a proper size alloy spare wheel you might as well be able to trust it's a good 'un if you need it. That brings us up to date. Hopefully I can stop replacing and fixing stuff now and enjoy the car, heated seats are already starting to a get some use again now the weather is cooling down!
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Last Edit: Oct 5, 2017 16:03:00 GMT by Stu
'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Nice work I do like an 850 and this one is getting the love they deserve.
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Nov 26, 2017 17:48:59 GMT
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The Volvotron has been doing some good mileage this month as it was the vehicle of choice for my birthday week away on a trip to the Isle of Skye. The cottage we'd booked was approx. 420 miles from home, so taking in lots of scenery the round trip was about 1100 miles. Here's a few pics on the way up... It was quite scenic... :thumb: Not much traffic either The new suspension, tyres and clutch performed superbly, as did the rest of the car, really. According to the surprisingly accurate trip computer I averaged just over 30mpg which I thought was pretty good for a well loaded, square, 20-odd year old car making good progress with heated seats permanently cranked up It's such a great old thing to chuck everything plus the dog in and just warble off up the motorway, feels like you could drive the length of the country in one go (rather than just half the length as we did...) Anyway, a few more pics. We spotted this at Fort William McDonalds when stopping for a coffee... This castle was quite near the bridge over to Skye on the A87 Just after this sign... This was the view from our cottage A shot worthy of a 90's car brochure Only items of note that need attention from the trip are as follows: 1. Reversing lights seem to have stopped working, suspect the connector has popped off the gearbox switch again 2. Rear washer clogged up and needs poking when I find a pin 3. Check engine light came on about half way home, car had been idling slightly high and smelling a little rich on cold start but drove fine. Suspected a vacuum leak, confirmed by reading fault code (you do that with a little button and LED in a box under the bonnet on this, old school style). I get fault code 232 'Long term fuel trim, idling'. I'll see which vacuum hose has come loose at the weekend, have reset the code for now and it's not come back yet.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,191
Club RR Member Number: 170
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1995 Volvo 850 T5 GLE estateChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Nov 26, 2017 23:34:31 GMT
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This hasn't helped the T5 lust. However, I already have one quick car and I don't nee another!
Loving the work on this car.
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Nov 27, 2017 14:03:49 GMT
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excellent work on the suspension bits....mine is due for another look see, as Ive got a rattle somewhere I cannot find...I suspect a strut top mount...but who knows?
I went with the same replacement set...Billies all around and have been very happy with the results. Did the same thing on the wifes car a few months later...very happy with those too!....
there were some bits that I should have done at the time too...like A arm bushings...but all seemed fine...Her car has developed some torque steer...which was not there before the driveshaft swap......anyway..we are looking at new tires for her car before winter sets in...
is that the Castle "ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHH" ?....beautiful photos....glad the trip went well
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Cheers, Chaps Reverse lights now fixed courtesy of a new genuine switch for the gearbox from Volvo (couldn't be bothered with aftermarket part). High idle remains, though I did dismantle, check and reconnect a load of vacuum lines, the vacuum tree and check a few other bits and pieces looking for the fault a few weekends ago. No sign of the check engine light again though, and doesn't smell rich so ok for now and fixable when the weather is more favourable.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Jan 21, 2018 13:24:05 GMT
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Not too much to report on the Volvo, it keeps doing what it should and has covered 167k miles now. No further fault lights or anything like that, but the boot has decided to only intermittently lock with the central locking now for some reason. There is a common issue on these where the wiring gets chaffed at the hinge to the tailgate causing funny business with the rear wiper and lock. I don't think it's that though as I had that previously and fixed the wiring there by soldering and re-water proofing it. This time it seems related to the tailgate lock itself, I think. I took it to bits last weekend to see what's what with reference to the Haynes book of lies... This is the lock removed (rear panel removed first with some horrible brittle sharp clips): It seems to work well enough manually (i.e. if you put the key in the tailgate, and in fact locks / unlocks all other doors too). I suspected a weak servo so took that off to have a look. It felt extremely weak in operation and when I got my wife to turn the key in the drivers door with it plugged in I could see it would only move to lock, but not pop back up to unlock unless I helped it a bit by hand. Probably not fixable but I took it apart a bit more to see what's inside as I like dismantling things. Ooh, a little motor, worm gear, switch contacts etc. Everything seemed to move freely in there, and the lock mechanism itself was easy to operate by hand so I put it back together and headed to eBay... I will fit the replacement lock I tracked down when the weather is a little warmer to see if that sorts it. Not sure what else could be at fault but any suggestions welcomed. In the meantime, central locking works everything but the boot reliably, that needs checking and use of the key which quickly becomes a chore. Still have a slightly high idle I've not got around to fettling, but car runs well and in current weather conditions is great, heated seats and an excellent heater add up to comfortable retro motoring, though even with good tyres traction can be an issue if attempting a prompt start from the traffic lights.
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Last Edit: Jan 21, 2018 13:25:42 GMT by Stu
'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Jan 23, 2018 23:25:36 GMT
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Yes, I’ve done a fluid change, took ages, it seems to be a solenoid problem, went into limp 3 times on a 200 mile stop start Manchester trip. It does it only in traffic, driving me mad. Goes for weeks sometimes, then throws a wobbly always CODE 222
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Yes, I’ve done a fluid change, took ages, it seems to be a solenoid problem, went into limp 3 times on a 200 mile stop start Manchester trip. It does it only in traffic, driving me mad. Goes for weeks sometimes, then throws a wobbly always CODE 222 Oh, that doesn’t sound great. May need more fluid flushes or a solenoid as you say. Try asking on the Volvo forum in the 850 section, they are very knowledgable on there and I’m sure will point you in the right direction: www.volvoforums.org.uk/
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Stu The Castle you stopped at is the one they filmed some of Highlander at. Cool! Didn’t know that but it was quite magnificent, thanks.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Also, just noticed that most of the early photos in this thread have gone missing via photobucket so I’ll move them to Flickr and re link when I get chance :-)
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Jan 26, 2018 17:22:46 GMT
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Updated pics so they are all on Flickr instead now, hopefully the thread still makes sense.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Jan 26, 2018 17:23:31 GMT
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I finally had a day off today and it wasn't raining, so got chance to fit the replacement boot lock (inc. servo) I got from eBay a few weeks ago. Replacement on left, old one on right: I noticed the replacement one had a bigger VDO servo rather than 'Rockwell international' original, not sure it'll make much difference. Anyway, stripped the original lock back out of the tailgate, dangled the new one on the wiring and locked/unlocked the car a few times - seems to work. Put it in place and connected up all the gubbins and I now have a car that central locks/unlocks all doors and the boot too again. To celebrate I fitted new batteries in the remote fob that I'd ordered so that works again now too. Only other little job I did was to clean out the door drain holes and scuttle panel drain tubes under the bonnet as the car has been holding moisture lately and steaming up a bit.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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nevvo
Part of things
Posts: 15
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Jan 31, 2018 20:01:25 GMT
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Great thread Stu. Don't suppose the old bus is going up for sale any time soon?
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Great thread Stu. Don't suppose the old bus is going up for sale any time soon? Cheers, but no - not planning to sell any time soon I'm afraid. I did notice one the same colour on eBay (also a T5 manual) recently though which looked good but had cloth seats I think. Might be worth a look?
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Jun 17, 2018 15:17:27 GMT
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Amazingly, I've had the Volvo almost two years, and as it came with a pretty fresh MOT that means it's due a test next month. As such, on the first weekend in June I had a poke around to see if anything was required. I knew I had a squeaky front brake, and in general braking performance wasn't too inspiring so thought there may be something to do there. I found the following: 1. Split CV boot I only fitted (complete ball ache of a job) a year and under 5k miles ago on front driver's side. 2. Front passenger side, a sticking front caliper piston as the dust seal had split and allowed corrosion 3. I also wasn't too keen on the condition of the front driver's side flexi hose to the caliper and seem to recall that bleed nipple being seized so don't think I was able to bleed that one easily. Me being me, this led to purchasing some brake bits... I decided that if I was going to replace one front flexi, I might as well do both as the callipers were coming off anyway to sort them out. Existing discs and pads weren't bad, but Euro Parts had a 35% off code so I thought I'd just reassemble it with all new friction bits too, all round. Plus, I might as well replace the bleed nipples, rebuild the calipers with new seals and pistons, change the fluid... you know how these things go... I also had that CV boot to do, again
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Last Edit: Jun 17, 2018 15:20:12 GMT by Stu
'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Jun 17, 2018 15:18:20 GMT
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The following weekend it was boiling hot, but dry so I thought I better crack on. Firstly with the front passenger side sticky caliper. Extracting the piston... piece of wood stops it wanging out across the driveway when you press the pedal (it wasn't moving any other way): Changed flex hose (pic later), then cleaned caliper up and fitted new internal seal and piston. Tested this one moved more freely with just air pressure, it did: Rebuilt caliper with new dust seal, rubber mounting parts, cleaned up, greased and re-fitted slider pics and new bleed nipple. The piston would easily push in with your fingers and come out via slight air pressure now, very smooth! Re-fitted to car with new discs, pads and flexi. Note I hadn't fitted pad retaining clip here yet and later re-visited to loosen and rotate the flexi at little at the fixed line end to remove the kink and stop it twisting towards the strut. Flushed and bled with new fluid.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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