Well, after 4 months of delays caused by numerous things, I finally managed to take my C70 for a short 'exploratory' drive
I was naturally cautious about driving the old girl for the first time - ears on high alert for suspicious noises (not helped by having a boot full of tools and other clanky stuff!).
On the whole, I was pretty relieved to discover no serious-looking problems - bar the odd rattle to be expected of an unrestored 21 year-old Volvo
The auto box gear changes were virtually imperceptible, with no thumping or flaring. No misfiring or warning lights on the dash. No groaning from the steering, or juddery brakes.
So far, so good.....
However, I got the feeling that several of the 240 horses had either fled the stable - or been shot for French supermarket meat counters
Possibly because I was being ultra-cautious, possibly because of the auto box, but there didn't seem enough 'urge' from a 2.3-litre turbocharged engine. The last comparable petrol turbo car I've owned was a long-departed Citroen CX GTi Turbo - with a rattly pushrod engine of 168PS - which seemed far more accelerative in nature. I had expected something similar of the C70, but couldn't really detect the same sort of 'on boost' shove.
It's early days yet, so maybe when I have full confidence in the car I can begin to drive it accordingly. Not having anything to compare it against doesn't help, either.....
Can anyone suggest a good take-off point for fitting a boost gauge to check that the turbo is actually doing something? This would purely be for temporary diagnostics - not a 'Barry Boy' accessory
The car has had new oil, spark plugs and an air filter. While fitting a new timing belt I did notice good compression when rotating the crankshaft - but I haven't done a 'proper' compression test.