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 13, 2013

Intermittent Starting Problem

My car has been making some funny noises.  It sounding like the front right tire, but pushing on the back bumper I heard some noise. 

I am hearing lots of noise on bumpy roads, none on smooth roads.  Something is loose somewhere.

Next I started having an intermittent starting problem.  I swapped in a spare fuel pump relay from a junk car--no change. 

My back up lights crapped out for the third time.  I took my car to three shops and each fixed it for only a short period.  The last place disabled all my trailer light wiring, and somehow disconnected my voltmeter light.

So being busy with another boat project, I parked the car for a while.  When I revisited it, I located a bunch of relays I ordered some time back, and swapped the fuel pump relay and one other, and the intermittent problem seems to have gone away, but it is too soon to tell.

I put the car up on ramps and crawling underneath, I found a plastic part making rubbing sounds.  I taped that up, and that did not fix the problem.  There may be another problem making noise.  I am debating cutting away some of this part, or finding a replacement. 

Which leads me to brakes.  My front rotors are scored, and had been making a bit of noise.  Not sure if something got in there or what.  I might be the dust shields which are no longer available.  Mine were getting pretty rusty with holes in places.  I wonder if the 1990 dust shields will work, as there is some sort of sensor for the anti-lock brakes in the 1992 version which are no longer available.  The anti-lock brakes are not working as far as I know.  The anti-lock brakes on these cars are dangerous and increase stopping distance, I'm told, so most people disable them.

So my plan is to install new front brake pads, cut the front rotors, install new wheel studs, and enclosed chrome lug nuts, while inspecting the dust shields on this car and my part's car, and debating the purchase of the 1990 dust shields right now.  It seems likely that either rusted dust shields, or else debris from those or the road, caused the early failure of my brakes and rotors.  I need a solution.

And it is time to put some effort into bring Sea Dog back into prime operating condition so I can use it and park my pickup truck for a while.


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