The BumbleBrick, Part I: Curse of the Car Cancer

[Anadinolin]

Volvos are like wild horses, you gotta tame them first.

I would find a local junkyard or go on the bay of e and fund a s/h master cylinder to get you on your feet and give the mechanical bits a good polish and once over, concentrate on your brake system. The calipers may have become sticky so i would take them off and service those too, assuming these cars have sliders on their calipers, give them a good clean and some decent copper slip. Should get em going for a little while or you can jyst replace them. Look at the cindition of your flexible brake pipes too, you wouldnt want them bursting!!!

[BumbleBrick]

Originally Posted by Anadinolin

Volvos are like wild horses, you gotta tame them first.

Assuming that's true, mine would be a shetland pony, also called the shetmobile.

[john h]

The rust under the car doesn't look too bad, but obviously it's hard to say without some close-up shots of the bad parts.

Ball joints quite easy - as long as you can hammer hard and accurately (at the same time!).

My 245 had similar tailgate and window channel rust. Repairs documented from this page onwards in my project thread.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showth...159425&page=17

I'm guessing that your brake failure is cause by old brake fluid. Brake fluid absorbs water over time, which lowers its boiling point and allows rust inside callipers, which can make them stick. So, you get a calliper stuck on, generating heat, and when the fluid boils, you have no braking. Because the 240 has a dual brake circuits where both circuits operate both front brakes, an overheating calliper can knock out both circuits and cause failure.

[BumbleBrick]

Originally Posted by john h

I'm guessing that your brake failure is cause by old brake fluid. Brake fluid absorbs water over time, which lowers its boiling point and allows rust inside callipers, which can make them stick. So, you get a calliper stuck on, generating heat, and when the fluid boils, you have no braking. Because the 240 has a dual brake circuits where both circuits operate both front brakes, an overheating calliper can knock out both circuits and cause failure.

Would old brake fluid also cause the following:

-Extremely hard to start, requires a jump to get the engine to turn over even though it would start fine before the brakes went out
-Once started, brake pedal goes to the floor with only enough resistance to keep it up if it isn't stepped on
-If I stand with my entire weight on the brake pedal, the car slows a little bit and white steam/smoke issues from within the wheel wells (didn't test this once I got it home, but it happened during the 2 or 3 brake applications between failure and home)
-Applying pressure to the brake pedal causes the engine to suck like crazy and almost die
-Turning the engine off and pumping the pedal restores resistance and position

Or should I look elsewhere (the vacuum lines, MBC, power assist)?

I'm thinking that maybe I have a massive vacuum leak, or that the master cylinder failed internally. Anyone else have this happen to them?

[Stephen Edwin]

I am sunk out of my depth here BUT it does sound as if maybe perhaps part of your problem is the brake servo?

[rusty244]

Originally Posted by BumbleBrick

Would old brake fluid also cause the following:

-Extremely hard to start, requires a jump to get the engine to turn over even though it would start fine before the brakes went out
-Once started, brake pedal goes to the floor with only enough resistance to keep it up if it isn't stepped on
-If I stand with my entire weight on the brake pedal, the car slows a little bit and white steam/smoke issues from within the wheel wells (didn't test this once I got it home, but it happened during the 2 or 3 brake applications between failure and home)
-Applying pressure to the brake pedal causes the engine to suck like crazy and almost die
-Turning the engine off and pumping the pedal restores resistance and position

Or should I look elsewhere (the vacuum lines, MBC, power assist)?

I'm thinking that maybe I have a massive vacuum leak, or that the master cylinder failed internally. Anyone else have this happen to them?

Does sound like a vacuum issue.

Plastic connector/bung on my brake booster perished meaning the system was pulling in loads of air and the engine was running very rough/hard to start.

[JJKM]

I would suggest a combination of servo problems and knackered lines/fluid. I would suggest renewing the brake system in it's entirety (not as expensive as you might think). The pressure issues from the servo could cause difficult starting, although I haven't experienced it but technically back pressure could be altered. Being able to produce pressure on the pedal without the engine on is normal, but it still won't stop the thing. The servo working correctly is imperative on these. Check every line from the servo unit to the rear calipers for leaks etc in fluid or air. Good luck!

[BumbleBrick]

All of you have been extremely helpful and supportive through my journey with the old, ailing BumbleBrick. I thank you all, and now I know the real reason why the BumbleBrick came my way: so I could find the car pictured below, and have the knowledge to know just how lucky I was to find her when I did.

While I was taking that last, fateful drive that sent the BumbleBrick over the edge into brake failure, I took a back road that I don't normally travel on (to avoid the freeway). That's where I first saw her parked, grey paint gleaming in the muted warmth of the afternoon sun. She's a '91 sedan, storm grey with black interior, sun roof, a five-speed transmission, and an engine that purrs like a smilodon kitten. If I hadn't bought the BumbleBrick, I never would have known she existed.

I'll make a thread to show her off, and in the meantime, if there's anyone in these forums from the bad old US of A who wants to restore the BumbleBrick... well, they could and should turn him into the BumbleBeast. Otherwise, I'm putting him on Craigslist.