Chris1Roll's return to 700 ownership

[Chris1Roll]

86,016 miles - 6 months and 3,664 miles since purchase and the piston/valve interface.

Time for it's 6 month service



My first time ever not fitting a genuine filter on a redblock, but I'm 99% sure Mahle make the Volvo ones, they have the non-return valve in them, it was half the price and just down the road rather than almost in the next county.

I also now posess enough sump washers to do a 6-monthly change from now until June 2035, which my wife says is 'optimistic'.

This was the 7th Drain and fill of the gearbox. It still looks dark in the drain pan, but holding it up to the light in a syringe it's not bad:


The gearbox is vastly, vastly improved over when I got it, with only the very occasional 'firmish' 1-2 change at low speed. I can live with that, if it's firm, its not slipping!

That'll do for the repeated drain and fills-now at 96% new fluid, hereafter I'll do one every service, its only £12.50's worth of ATF each time.


Onto the oil and filter, and I've decided it is literally impossible to remove the filter on these without making a mess. This time I tried putting a plastic bag over it but that didn't help. The fact I was short of blue towel to put under it didn't make it any cleaner either.

While that was draining I pulled the spark plugs. Schedule calls for changing them every six months but i think that is a touch excessive - just a check and gap is fine for the minor service IMHO.
They looked in good nick with only Cyl1 needing a little tweak up (the 0.7mm feeler gauge was a bit loose)

No.1:

No.2:

No.3:

No.4:


Doesn't seem to be much wrong with it.

In preparation for my planned rebuild of the front calipers in the new year, I decided to try and free the bleed valves, as if they were just going to shear off there wouldn't be much point buying the rebuild kit.
Copious application of 'super slax' (I'm dreading running out of that, it came from the quarry my mate worked at about 15 years ago), and a gentle tap longitudinally with a hammer and then the 10mm 1/4drive socket on them and all 4 on the front calipers came undone, with only the upper one on the off side putting up a little bit of a fight.
I was most surprised with the rear ones - looked in worse condition and only an 8mm hex on them, but they came undone easily.
The unions onto the flexi's don't look too bad. I soaked them in super slax in readiness, but I'll go into the job prepared to have to replace at least one hard line.

Then I had planned to change the diff oil because, well, why not?
Ah, someone has been here before. That copper washer looks quite well squished and the bolt head has seen better days.

(Its not leaking, thats after I cleaned all the crap off with brake cleaner)

Well, you win some, you lose some, my luck following the bleed nipples couldn't last.
I am so glad I remembered to try and undo this before the drain plug!
I had a quick go, but no chance.

I will come back to this with a set of Irwin bolt grips and a pair of replacement drain/fill plugs.

[griston64]

I get genuine Volvo filters from my local main dealer for under £6 each

[Forrest]

I've used Mann filters before. I think both Mann and Mahle have the anti-return valve so should be fine. Pretty sure both have OEMed parts for Volvo too.

I'm currently still working my way through a job lot of Volvo oil filters I got cheap from Skandix in the brief period at the end of 2020 after Berlin had reduced VAT and before the post-Brexit bureaucracy came in.

If you want to get the transmission fluid completely clear you can always use the Gibbons method of flushing it through the cooler lines. This replaces the oil in the torque converter as well as in the pan. There is an argument that this is dangerous if the transmission has been neglected but once you're running nearly clear oil anyway it should be safe enough.

Is that 80W-90 mineral oil the right stuff for the rear differential? I've never touched mine on the basis I've always been confused about its type and the type of oil needed. I've never succeeded in finding the label on my axle.

[Chris1Roll]

I know for a fact Mahle make the Volvo fuel filters - as they say Mahle on them!
See: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296008093...Bk9SR6aeysuKYw
So they most probably do oil filters along with Mann.

I used to be able to get Volvo oil filters for £5-6 about 20 years ago, but not now.
I'm comfortable with the Mahle oil filter anyway

Ref the Diff oil, I have the original handbook, and thats what is specified in there for a non-lsd diff.....
It won't be an LSD on my lowly 2.0 GL - they do need a more special oil.

That said my parents did have a 245 GL (with the B23A engine) with the LSD....but I did have some single-wheel spin in a gravelly junction back in the summer so pretty sure mine is not!

[Chris1Roll]

Some minor tinkering today.

I had sat down one evening earlier in the week to start looking for brake parts, but turns out in typical 80's Volvo fashion, that in addition to the two different caliper possibilities I was aware of, there are also three options for discs, that can't be determined from reg or VIN.
Whipped the front wheels off to check which of the multiple possible variants of discs/calipers I have - turns out to be 260mm discs without integral hubs ( I think integral hubs were only very early cars) and bendix calipers.
The front hoses are in good nick but I'll replace them since I've got to remove them anyway. One of the rear ones is _just_ starting to show some cracking on close inspection, so since the system is going to be open I might as well do those too, providing the unions don't round off.

I swapped the wheels front-back on the off chance the oddly intermittent steering wheel wobble is caused by a tyre rather than the play in the near side rack shaft bushing. I am not holding out much hope on that tbh but worth trying before spending money on a rebuild.

Gave it a quick wash and spray wax since it was covered in white dust, either limestone dust from the quarry nearby or the mineral plant at work I guess - either way abrasive stuff I wanted hosed off!

You may remember it has been day-running light less since I checked the fuse and found it a little bit melty.

Well, it's not really a 1980's Volvo without the lights being on all the time, is it?

I had to watch a video to work out how to get the fuse and relay block out - I had unclipped it and tried lifting it up, but it turns out that you need to slide it towards you first, then lift it over the lip of the gear surround, slide it a bit more and up, etc. Its actually quite well designed in that if the radio is removed as well, one can in fact pull it all of the way out and flip it over to get full access to all the contacts.
Anyway, I left the radio be, and pulled it far enough forward to get access to the DRL fuse.


After sliding the contacts out of the holder I could trim the cables and untangle them from the loom for maximum length.

The load side of the fuse had some discoloured copper so I had to trim back a bit further.

I made one attempt at crimping but there wasn't enough space for the tool/length on the wires so instead I went for a couple of my beloved Wago221s. If they can handle 32A @ 450v they'll be fine at 15A @12v. They also have the benefit of not mangling the wires in case of future work.


After digging around in my spares box for the best looking 15A fuse, I shone the terminals up with some 240grit, and it all snuggled nicely down out of the way:


And the car's identity crisis was ended:


I also took the opportunity to shine up the terminals on the high load fuses - heated seats, rear demist etc. Notably, they have good thick copper contacts in the fuse holder compared to the basic contacts in the DRL position.

A quick walk around and spotted the near side numberplate lamp was out. It came on when tapped a bit, but decided to take a look.
The bulb was all blackend so on its last legs, all the connections looked fine.
Of course I didn't have a T4W bulb in my box so a quick trip to Halfords was in order where a pair was obtained for less than the cost from Amazon. Fitted in the car park and we were back to full lighting.

[J liddy]

Keep up the good work hopefully you will bring your car to the VOC national rally at Stratford in the summer !

[Chris1Roll]

That sounds like a plan!

[Chris1Roll]

Inconclusive investigation work today.

22/23/24th Jan were very busy and I did about 350miles in those three days. All was going well, until on the way home on the 24th I was heading up the slope of the bridge at Avonmouth at 70mph when suddenly the engine/exhaust note changed accompanied with a loud 'click click click click click' noise that sped up and slowed down with the engine.
I'm not sure if it lost any power, I think I just instinctively lifted off and the hill slowed me down.
Of course based on the history my first thought was that something that got clobbered when the belt stripped, had finally given up.
I got into Gordano services, left the engine running and popped the bonnet. It was still clicking away loudly and sounded like top end.

On the basis that it was still running, still had oil and coolant in it and didn't have a visible hole in the block, I decided 'F*** it, lets get her done' and ventured back onto the motorway and did the next 30 miles at 55 with it clacking away like a good 'un.
I was planning on taking a video when I got home, but when I got home after the few miles of driving off the motorway it didn't sound too bad?
The car was then used for about another 70 miles of school runs. Drives fine. The sound is still there all this time, hwever much quieter than when it first occurred, mostly noticeable between 1,500 to 2,500 rpm under load, seems to disappear off throttle now, and is heard mostly when warm.

A dose of the flu since last Thursday meant that I spent all last weekend in bed and was unable to investigate any further until today, and I still feel a bit pathetic!



I pulled off all the belts and checked for noisy pulleys. all good. There is the *slightest* bit of play in the water pump pulley if you grab hold and properly yank it around but nothing to worry about.
Checked the timing marks, all good.
Also means I could listen for things without the fan noise.

While it was cold, I got Mrs1Roll to (attempt to) hold her hand over the exhaust while I felt round the manifold joints - I couldn't feel anything in the 15 seconds it took to start getting hot enough to burn me.
Tried listening around with the length of heater hose in the picture - couldn't find anything.

Moved onto a compression test:


Those results are [checks notes] better than when I got the car, presumably from being driven regularly.

I was originally thinking about whipping the valve cover off, but with those compression figures I think I'd be wasting my time. if it was a valve/spring/ something that had given up I'd have a low cylinder and/or a dead miss, surely?


So, in conclusion, I have no bloody idea where this noise is coming from!


I've ordered a set of Elring exhaust manifold gaskets, maybe I'll fit them and see. Manifold studs don't look too bad, a dose of ATF an acetone should hopefully get them off. I hope.
I can't see any soot deposits (especially with the oil from the rocker cover which is leaking again!) or feel anything at idle when cold but all the gaskets look like this:



So I gave up and washed it!

[Forrest]

What you describe sounds like an exhaust problem to me, especially if the car's performance is not much affected. Possibly something come loose in a silencer or the cat or more likely a small leak in the exhaust manifold or gasket.

Good luck tracking it down.

[griston64]

If you have a cracked manifold I have a spare on in the garage