Another MOT passed, eventually.

[Ian21401]

The car is 29 years old this month with 226,240 recorded miles.
CO = 0.6%. Max. permitted 3.5%
HC = 104ppm. Max permitted 1200ppm.
Two Advisories:
1) Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Offside.
2) Brake pipe corroded, covered on grease or other material (All brake pipes) [1.1.11 (c)]
When I questioned the examiner regarding these advisories he advised that
1) the play in the steering rack inner joint was actually the inner joint of the steering rod/track rod and it was very slight and not a cause for concern, and 2) he had not found any corrosion on the brake pipes but as they all had a coating of a grease like material he was unable to check for corrosion.

I'll be servicing the brakes in the near future so will check the steering rod joint then.
The grease like material on the brake pipes is Supertrol which I spray on the pipes, any fixing bolts, suspension joints and bushes, floor pan and chassis members which are accessible whenever I am working on brakes or under the car. As I have recently replaced the exhaust from the cat. back there was quite a lot of Supertrol spraying done before the replacement exhaust was fitted.
The examiner is a new employee at the garage I use and is quite young. After performing all the usual underside checks and lowering the hoist he commented that it was the oldest car he had examined and was surprised at how clean it was underneath. I asked him if he meant clean as in not dirty and he replied that he meant the absence of rust and asked if I had recently had it treated so I informed him of my Supertrol regime.
I returned to the waiting area as he started the emissions checks and was soon aware that he was performing successive emissions test with the engine revving. He then removed the emissions probe from the exhaust and the machine and proceeded to blow through it with compressed air. At this point I asked him if there was a problem to which he replied that the CO figure and Lambda figure were too high and he was making sure that the probe was clear of any material from any previous tests. I suspected that he was performing a Basic Emissions Test (BET) which requires the emissions to be checked at "fast idle speed" (2500 to 3000 rpm) and then the CO at "normal idle speed".
I advised him that due to it's age the car fell into the transition period and so was only subject to the Standard Emissions Test, the so-called "non-catalyst" test with the engine at normal idle speed. He went to consult someone else then returned and input the relevant data on the testing device, which included, in the Annex, NOT clicking on the Volvo 940 Series MY 1992 Engine Family B230FB or Engine Family B234FT, and it duly recorded a Pass.

I had had a similar conversation several years ago with the garage's previous tester when he was first employed there.

The CO figure is the highest ever recorded during my ownership of the car and this started my train of thought re the car’s emissions history.
Checking back through my records I have found that back in 2006 and 2007, when I had no knowledge of the transition period, at a different testing station, the car passed the Basics Emissions Test with CO = 0.00%, HC = 3ppm and Lambda 1.03. In 2008 the car had only been subjected to the Standard Emissions Test yet in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 it again passed the Basic Emissions Test. Then in 2013 upon changing the testing station it was only subjected to the Standard Emissions Test which it passed with a CO figure of 0.04%. In 2014 CO = 0.04%. 2015 CO =0.07%. In 2016 the CO jumped to 0.38% and it has gradually increased to it's present 0.6%.
Curious. So what changed in 2016? The cat. wasn’t replaced until June 2017 and that was because it had holed next to it’s front pipe. It had been on the car since 2010 and done 56,000 miles. It was supplied by North East Tyres and Exhausts at a cost of £250.00 and was listed as for a 240 series 2.0 litre engine. The replacement in 2017 only cost £53.00 from a local trade parts factor and a genuine Bosch Lambda sensor was fitted at the same time.

I seem to recall that a number of years ago the emissions testing machines were upgraded but I cannot remember when that was and it may not be relevant anyway.

[jpliddy]

well done ian take it you got a nice warm garage , i try and get maintenance done spring onwards as ive only got my drive had a emergency weekend i managed to loose a front calliper bolt lucky i had a spare one in the shed my own fault i put grease on the thread won't ever be doing that again ,thread locker from now on !
once ive degreased the fitting

[cheshired5]

Inner track rods are straightforward enough with the correct size removal tool.



Disconnect the track rod end at the hub, unscrew track rod end from the inner track rod, place removal tool over the track rod and unscrew.
Screw in the new inner rod and tighten with the special tool, screw on the track rod end and reattach to the hub.

[Ian21401]

jpliddy,
I don’t have a nice warm garage. The garage is full of stuff and even if it wasn’t and I could get the car in, it’s not big enough to permit working on the car. I’m limited to the drive and choose when depending upon the weather.

Cheshired5,
I’m not familiar with that repair so will have to do some research on that but thanks for the information.

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by Ian21401

Cheshired5,
I’m not familiar with that repair so will have to do some research on that but thanks for the information.

No problem.
Inner rod replacement is shown in this video and you'll see just how loose they can get.
Different car to yours but the principle is the same.

My Lemforder rods were £25 each, as was the removal tool.