Well 'Grace' and us continue to clock the miles, she's running well at the moment and serving the role of decorating cum dump run wagon well. A couple of days ago the dog guard arrived courtesy of a forum member, and I've just fitted it, so now we're ready for dog transportation duties too!

Still some niggles to sort out, the worst now is the sometimes difficult selection of first and reverse. Checked cylinder movement and it's OK, I'm going to change the oil/flush the 'box and see how we go. The clutch is biting near the end of the pedal so maybe we'll be up in the air come Summer for a clutch change.

Now, where did I leave my Battersea Dogs Home window stickers.....

Wonderful. I enjoy reading this 'day in the life of a middle aged Volvo' journal.

Alan

I've not been happy with the high idle which came about after I fitted a new IAC valve and O2 sensor. The IAC is controlling well, so I figured I'd refit the old O2 sensor and see what happens, especially since the new one was a different part number, and a little digging shows it's for a 230F turbo. Parts swapped, we're running like an old dog again, so back in with the new. I'll order a new one with the correct part number and see what happens.

I'm also bored with no music. The stereo switches on, but no noise other than fuzz. Removed and found aerial unplugged! Plugged in, hey presto, we have a working radio! The cassette player, no. Removed and stripped the stereo as it's usually just the drive belt that's gone, and sure enough broken rubber. I'll have to order a new one. And also some front door speakers, since these are missing...

Cheap fixes like the cassette player are satisfying, free fixes such as the unplugged antenna even more so. Well done.

Alan

PS. Where are you going to get cassette music these days?

Well it's day 3 of self isolation thanks to my daughter having symptoms. I've done work, I've nearly finished the en-suite shower room, so I figured some car time.
I've got everything now for a full major service, but before having a day at it decided to see if the fan to water pump bolts would come off easily, and also if the crankshaft pulley bolt would come loose with a breaker bar (car in gear with handbrake on), or whether I'd need the special tool.

Well the 10 minute job took 2 hours. The fan bolts were so tight the car was rocking through the drivetrain. Eventually 3 nuts removed, the 4th took more effort with mole grips in the end and bought the stub with it. With the fan shroud removed I tried to crack the crankshaft pulley bolt, I only have a 12" breaker bar so not surprised I got nowhere, but the car was moving so I think either the correct tool, or an impact wrench, to get that done.

Whilst in there it was clear the water pump was leaking, and the seal to the head was perished somewhat. Oil leak from crank seal too, so a few more bits to order before I can actually do anything.

Re the Volvo tool. It works. Loki loans one out. If keeping the car, buying the tool was for me an obvious sensible investment.

Reams can be written and have been written, some disparaging, for and against the tool and whether to use it.

I could not expect to shift that tightness with a 12" breaker bar even when I was younger. My breaker bar of choice now is 2 metres.

Impact driver. Used by some very experienced forum members. There is an interesting thread where Classic Swede and his father (iirc) changed a belt road side in 25 seconds. I quote that time inaccurately. Beware tightening with impact driver.

There's a lot to be said for Clifford Pope's method. Cut the lower belt cover. such that it can be removed and replaced without disturbing the crankshaft pulley bolt. It has been discussed in the forum. I understand no problem has been experienced from ingress of anything.

Good luck.

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P.S.

Remmnber that when you re-assemble. If you have removed the bolt, re-tightening to specification requires the crankshaft to be held firm and force applied, torque plus degrees. Easy, with good nice tools ....

On the other hand I've not heard, yet, of anyone suffering from e.g. "bung it together tight" .... EEK. :)


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I endorse that!

I've used it on several cars and must have done at least 300,000 miles with no evidence of anything getting in. In fact, the opposite, because any potentially harmful oil leak is easily spotted.
Early on I tried to take care to cut the plastic and then tape it up, but later I didn't bother and just left the lower section missing and the pulley visible.
There's a substantial cover under the front of the engine so it would be almost impossible for any road debris to get in.

It of course eliminates the only significant difficulty and delay in the belt change process.

Another short cut is to avoid any fuss over timing marks by simply stopping the engine, making three snopake marks on the belt and pulley teeth at each pulley, transposing the marks to the new belt laid flat on top of the old on the bench, and then fitting the new belt so the new marks align with the pulleys.
You can of course then turn the engine to TDC and observe that the timing marks are all correctly aligned. But if you were confident that the timing was correct before than it will still be correct.

Excellent REME (rough engineering made easy).

Alan

Last parcel of bits arrived today courtesy of PartsforVolvos, and dropped by Parcelforce whilst keeping to social distancing rules.
Not much time on my hands at the minute, but a spare hour this afternoon and I used it to have a look at the rear arches.
Lots of mud and muck under the lips cleared out, quite a bit of flaking paint and metal removed. I've seen worse, so short term Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 applied to stem the spread. Long term I'll wave my welding wand and replace, but that's 5 + years away before they are a real issue.

I had a look at the brake/clutch fluid which looks a bit old and thin, so I have a Gunson Eezibleed on route with some brake fluid, have to order everything online now as I'm grounded and the shops are shut anyway.