A Cult Car

This is a blog on refurbishing a Volvo 240 Wagon-- a cult car that is legendary for its durability. The 5 speeds manual transmission in particular gets great fuel economy, 32.5 mpg is attainable at speeds of 60 mph. Both the sedan and the wagon have plenty of rear leg and head room, even for tall people. Additionally, a tall person can sleep in the back--it is 77" long if the rear seat bottom is removed.

Thick sheet metal make it durable--so is the motor. Volvo took a V8 truck engine cut in half, to make this 4 cylinder engine. It has bearings and rods are designed for much heavy loads and this makes the engine nearly impossible to kill. People can get literally a million miles between rebuilds with regular oil changes and normal preventative maintenance.

The 5 speeds cars are fun to drive. Their durability means it is a smart economic choice to put money into them--they will last indefinitely if maintained. Parts are cheap. They are easy and simple to work on. Police just don't ever pull them over. It is because they like to stay at legal freeway speeds and purr along at 60 mph--so police expect them to be driven slowly. Finally, they are safe--built around a full roll cage. These are the reasons why there are so many are still on the road today.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tested Wiring for Power Mirrors

I tested nearly every combination of wires for my power mirrors and could not get four way control. I deliberately did not test the solid blue wire, since the wiring diagram indicates it is use for the heating element of the mirrors. I blew a fuse testing the blue wire--so I need to think about testing every combination of wires. Five wires mated to the four control wires, is 120 combinations. That would take a while to test every combination.

The other possibility is the switches for the early mirrors are different for the later mirrors. The wiring diagrams are different, and I think this might be my problem.

I may try to see what wires go where inside the mirror. I can stick my iPhone in there and take a picture to see what wires control which functions. And I may call Volvo Service to see if anyone knows what the problem could be.
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