850 T5 Project - Ivy
Discussion
Cookeh said:
With the newer one working and having much better condition buttons, but my original one having a better case I am rather tempted to try and swap the internals of the new one into the original one to make one 'okay' condition fob... For this to happen though, I would need to figure out how to separate the case as its not a screw affair like the two other cases I've encountered in my short automotive life.
Figured that out very easily after a caffeine injection, and butchered the two remotes to create one singe 'good' frankenstein of a remote and one 'not-so-good' frankenstein of a remote. To get it apart you have to remove the battery cover and the batteries, then pry the two apart. Don't insert anything into the interior of the caseor you can very easily hit things on the PCB, just work along the edges.The two donors. The new-to-me one has a much better condition rubber buttons, the battery access isn't chewed up, and it actually works. The original one has a case in a better condition and the rubber strap hasn't snapped off.
Broken down:
Nastiness (obviously cleaned everything, sad sad man that I am):
Reassembled into good and no-so.
aaaaaand of course I didnt rotate any images prior to uploading. Oh well.
@Davie, grab one! They are getting slightly rarer now and prices are on the up for those that are in good state of repairs. They really are excellent things too.
Small update, heard a slight rattle in the boot on the way home today so naturally stripped the entire boot floor and being me cleaned absolutely everything - leaving me with something I found acceptable but far from perfect:
Throughout the strip and clean I found a few items that may have been causing the rattle. Most of these were actually in the pockets to either side of the spare wheel stowage so really not sure how they got there. There was also a sizeable amount of shattered glass scattered around- which explains the rear window replacement I found in the history - quite what caused it though I have no idea.
There is one further possible source of rattle, namely the corroded strap that holds the spare tyres and jack in place.... might have to try and source a new one of these - presuming its cheap, sod spending more than a few pounds on something like that - could just buy a new ratchet mechanism and sew it in.
Amusingly, it seems Volvo's issues with wheel corrosion is not a new thing given the state of the spare that has never been used - complete with tyre sticker and all its casting nubs. Still, it's in much better condition than some of the alloys on the car so I might pick the very worst alloy and swap it. Every little bit helps until I get round to refurb'ing or even finding replacement Columbas/Volans.
A member on a different forum was kind enough to send me an indicator stalk, which arrived the other day too so I may try and fit that tomorrow (thanks again!). She also hit 4000 miles with me on Wednesday, so she was rewarded with the purchase of a (supposedly) working ABS module that I'll also try and fit tomorrow when I've gotten my hands on either an E5 female torx or a 12-point 4mm socket. This one looks like its previously been refurb'ed so Im hoping all should be well.
Small update, heard a slight rattle in the boot on the way home today so naturally stripped the entire boot floor and being me cleaned absolutely everything - leaving me with something I found acceptable but far from perfect:
Throughout the strip and clean I found a few items that may have been causing the rattle. Most of these were actually in the pockets to either side of the spare wheel stowage so really not sure how they got there. There was also a sizeable amount of shattered glass scattered around- which explains the rear window replacement I found in the history - quite what caused it though I have no idea.
There is one further possible source of rattle, namely the corroded strap that holds the spare tyres and jack in place.... might have to try and source a new one of these - presuming its cheap, sod spending more than a few pounds on something like that - could just buy a new ratchet mechanism and sew it in.
Amusingly, it seems Volvo's issues with wheel corrosion is not a new thing given the state of the spare that has never been used - complete with tyre sticker and all its casting nubs. Still, it's in much better condition than some of the alloys on the car so I might pick the very worst alloy and swap it. Every little bit helps until I get round to refurb'ing or even finding replacement Columbas/Volans.
A member on a different forum was kind enough to send me an indicator stalk, which arrived the other day too so I may try and fit that tomorrow (thanks again!). She also hit 4000 miles with me on Wednesday, so she was rewarded with the purchase of a (supposedly) working ABS module that I'll also try and fit tomorrow when I've gotten my hands on either an E5 female torx or a 12-point 4mm socket. This one looks like its previously been refurb'ed so Im hoping all should be well.
Chased down one more rattle today, in the drivers door. Took the door card off and found that 4 of the 6 bolts/screws were loose - no prizes for guessing the source of the rattle there...
Popped the door card off anyway to check for any cracks or broken items that may have also been contributing to the rattle but found nothing else. Put it all back together, nipped the bolts/screws up properly and moved on to the ABS ECU. I also removed the centre console to try and track down another very very occasional rattle that's somewhere in the front passenger cabin - but found nothing.
Of course, being me, couldn't do any work in the engine bay without at least giving it a wipe down (at least I didn't go as far as polishing the aluminium and dressing the plastics/hoses this time!) - bonus points to anyone who can spot the ABS ECU module too:
So here is our target, nicely constrained by the airbox, hose, and ABS hard lines:
Removal is nice and easy, just remove the power cable by depressing the tabs on the side then remove the main cable by lifting the n/s edge of it. This allows the cover to hinge back which will then lever the cable out by itself (pretty clever design in my opinion). Please either disconnect the battery (if you have your radio code) or at least leave the car without ignition on for 30mins or so.
Next is to try your very best to get access to the four E5 female torx bolts - which I didn't know existed until earlier this week - using your 3/8" ratchet + adapter + E5 socket. This then won't work, as the adapter makes the ratchet slightly too long to be able to fit in the limited space
. As such you'll have to reassemble what you've done so far and go to Screwfix to buy a 1/4" ratchet (I have honestly never used anything less than a 3/8" for, well, anything... Combined with the use of star sockets, this is far from a clever design...). On the plus side I found that the rattle in the driver door was fixed...yay! 
Once you've gotten the smallest 1/4" ratchet you can find unscrew the module - being very aware that once the last screw comes out there is nothing holding it on and it can very easily fall if you aren't holding it. Best way to get it off is to lower it vertically to clear the 'pins' on the base of the ABS pump and then angle it so its vertical and bring it up by the left hand corner through the gap by the airbox hose. Here's some pics of the little blighter - which seemingly causes far more issues than it has reason to in the P80 Volvo 850s and C/S/V70s.
9140773 is the unit for most 2WD 850s without TRACS. If you have a 2WD 850 with TRACS its quite likely to be 9140774. This will differ for pre-OBDII (so pre-1995 cars), and will differ for me7 onwards P80 C/S/V70s. It looks like this blighter has had a previous repair too, given how chewed up the edges are and that its missing the metal retaining clips; this goes some way to highlighting just how common an issue this is. Almost a given though, when you consider the position which is upside down and fully exposed to water/dust/stones. Knowing it has been repaired before means I may well have a stab at fixing it myself and keeping it as a spare. In most cases its just a case of dried solder, typically in the ABS sensor connectors.
Anyway, refitting the new piece is just a reverse of removal and I personally found it easier to tighten the screws in by hand until all four were in before using the ratchet to fully tighten them, stops you having to balance the module whilst fighting for access.
At this point, having spent numerous hours extending a patio and reorganising a shed it was long past dinner time so I called it there and didn't get round to fitting the indicator stalk....tomorrow perhaps. Joys of your partner working one in two or three weekends in that occasionally you can work on your car without judgement or other commitments!
Popped the door card off anyway to check for any cracks or broken items that may have also been contributing to the rattle but found nothing else. Put it all back together, nipped the bolts/screws up properly and moved on to the ABS ECU. I also removed the centre console to try and track down another very very occasional rattle that's somewhere in the front passenger cabin - but found nothing.
Of course, being me, couldn't do any work in the engine bay without at least giving it a wipe down (at least I didn't go as far as polishing the aluminium and dressing the plastics/hoses this time!) - bonus points to anyone who can spot the ABS ECU module too:
So here is our target, nicely constrained by the airbox, hose, and ABS hard lines:
Removal is nice and easy, just remove the power cable by depressing the tabs on the side then remove the main cable by lifting the n/s edge of it. This allows the cover to hinge back which will then lever the cable out by itself (pretty clever design in my opinion). Please either disconnect the battery (if you have your radio code) or at least leave the car without ignition on for 30mins or so.
Next is to try your very best to get access to the four E5 female torx bolts - which I didn't know existed until earlier this week - using your 3/8" ratchet + adapter + E5 socket. This then won't work, as the adapter makes the ratchet slightly too long to be able to fit in the limited space
. As such you'll have to reassemble what you've done so far and go to Screwfix to buy a 1/4" ratchet (I have honestly never used anything less than a 3/8" for, well, anything... Combined with the use of star sockets, this is far from a clever design...). On the plus side I found that the rattle in the driver door was fixed...yay! Once you've gotten the smallest 1/4" ratchet you can find unscrew the module - being very aware that once the last screw comes out there is nothing holding it on and it can very easily fall if you aren't holding it. Best way to get it off is to lower it vertically to clear the 'pins' on the base of the ABS pump and then angle it so its vertical and bring it up by the left hand corner through the gap by the airbox hose. Here's some pics of the little blighter - which seemingly causes far more issues than it has reason to in the P80 Volvo 850s and C/S/V70s.
9140773 is the unit for most 2WD 850s without TRACS. If you have a 2WD 850 with TRACS its quite likely to be 9140774. This will differ for pre-OBDII (so pre-1995 cars), and will differ for me7 onwards P80 C/S/V70s. It looks like this blighter has had a previous repair too, given how chewed up the edges are and that its missing the metal retaining clips; this goes some way to highlighting just how common an issue this is. Almost a given though, when you consider the position which is upside down and fully exposed to water/dust/stones. Knowing it has been repaired before means I may well have a stab at fixing it myself and keeping it as a spare. In most cases its just a case of dried solder, typically in the ABS sensor connectors.
Anyway, refitting the new piece is just a reverse of removal and I personally found it easier to tighten the screws in by hand until all four were in before using the ratchet to fully tighten them, stops you having to balance the module whilst fighting for access.
At this point, having spent numerous hours extending a patio and reorganising a shed it was long past dinner time so I called it there and didn't get round to fitting the indicator stalk....tomorrow perhaps. Joys of your partner working one in two or three weekends in that occasionally you can work on your car without judgement or other commitments!
So, whilst on a day out in the Peaks I got stuck behind various cyclists (cant blame them, lovely day in a lovely area) and slow moving traffic for about 5 miles. As a result, as I pulled up to park at our destination I found she had overheated (hit the red as I put the handbrake on). Saw smoke from the bonnet at thought the absolute worst. Turns out my cooling fan had seized and burnt the motor out - which explains the smoke and is far less serious.
Found a used unit on eBay for £31 inc next day delivery, so hopefully have that sorted soon. Bunch of vac lines to unplug and then its as simple as loosening two torx bolts and removing a further two. I did want to go new, but with a price tag of £248.50+VAT and a 1 week lead time on delivery I thought better of that.
On a more positive note, my new suspension has arrived; Bilstein B4s all around, coupled with Lesjöfors 30mm lowering springs. Lowering springs worked out a lot cheaper than the stock springs, and have some excellent reviews. B4s are apparently designed to provide equal performance down to a 40mm drop so that's good - plus I've never been a fan of the stock ride height of 850s and found them a bit too roll-y. Hoping this will be a nice balance between handling and comfort (will definitely be better than whats on there at the minute anyway!).
Found a used unit on eBay for £31 inc next day delivery, so hopefully have that sorted soon. Bunch of vac lines to unplug and then its as simple as loosening two torx bolts and removing a further two. I did want to go new, but with a price tag of £248.50+VAT and a 1 week lead time on delivery I thought better of that.
On a more positive note, my new suspension has arrived; Bilstein B4s all around, coupled with Lesjöfors 30mm lowering springs. Lowering springs worked out a lot cheaper than the stock springs, and have some excellent reviews. B4s are apparently designed to provide equal performance down to a 40mm drop so that's good - plus I've never been a fan of the stock ride height of 850s and found them a bit too roll-y. Hoping this will be a nice balance between handling and comfort (will definitely be better than whats on there at the minute anyway!).
Edited by Cookeh on Monday 21st May 18:01
So, fairly large update. Went with the second hand cooling fan in the end, £31 next-day delivered, as I couldn't stomach the cost of a new one or it's lead time. That arrived on Thurs of last week, and I promptly set about fitting it.
Simple process really: unplug the cables -> remove some air hoses for better access -> unscrew the top two T25 torxs -> then with the front of the car jacked up (front subframe or if you have two jacks like me and your car is stupidly low, the control arm mounts) back off the lower two T25 torx screws and slide the assembly out. Fitting is just the reverse of removal. Easy.
Hoses removed:
I also ended up removal the plastic shroud covering the throttle body and the inlet hose just above the rad too for a bit more access, but no pics.
Here's a bad pictures of the burnt up motor and melted cables:
I then took the car to the local Volvo specialist and got the coolant replaced, 12 litres, costing £85. Really need to invest in a drain pan, would save me a fortune. They also did a quick diagnostics of the cooling system at my request and found nothing else untoward. I've been checking coolant levels and both dipstick and filler caps during the last 700 miles she's done since then and I've fortunately not seen anything. Fingers crossed, touch wood, and whatever other superstitions one may have, the head is ok.
Something else happened to arrive in the post that same day, a rather larger and rather more expensive thing at that:
If I'm being honest I was quite daunted at the prospect of changing suspension out, but it turned out to be a really simple process and quite enjoyable (even with some seized knuckle bolts that were seemingly made of cheese they rounded so easily). Took 6 bolts to undo and 6 bolts to refit on each corner. Rears took me about 20 mins a side, fronts about 50 mins. My fears over spring compressors were also misplaced, as the two-pronged spring compressors I got showed no signs of slipping or instability.
Couldn't believe how easy the rears were, all one has to do is remove the boot floor (two 10mm bolts), remove the two 12mm bolts on the top damper mounts, remove the 18mm bolt retaining the damper, jack the control arm up and bit and slide the damper off and up out through the boot. The springs are then one 17mm nut on the lower spring mount and then the whole thing can pop out if you push down on the axle.
Fronts were as simple as removing the two bolts on the knuckle (17mm nuts on 18mm bolts), undoing the three 14mm nuts at the top of the strut towers, then removing the 17mm nut on the drop-link rod (I think that's what it's called, it ties the ARB into the shock absorber). The whole thing just slides down and out then, making sure to avoid snagging the ABS cables.
I didn't take any pictures of the process as I was trying to beat the weather that kept threatening to pour on me, and I was due to go and collect a concrete compost bin, lawn-mower and cement mixer from our coastal cottage later that day too.
She now sits 30mm lower than standard, but 25mm higher than on the coilovers (if anyone wants a set of TA-Technix, let me know, they're about 2 years old and have done around 10k miles). I was expecting the sport springs to feel a little harsh but I have no complaints. Front of the car feels much more settled, there's more weight in the steering and all the twitchiness and bump-steer over rougher roads has gone. The rear is also less skittish, seems to move around a little less.
This is unfortunately the only picture I have of her with the new ride height (and it doesn't show it very well!), snapped on a rubbish phone by an operator with no talent:
Anyone remember this?
[QUOTE="Cookeh, post: 31610553, member: 94250"]Unfortunately the breaker snapped a few too many pins from the centre-mid brake light cover so that doesn't fit, but he's going to send me a different one in the coming days. Awfully nice of him.[/QUOTE]
The different one arrived in the post just yesterday.
It also has a few snapped pins, but does hold in place and will do until I can find one in actual 'good' condition.
Simple process really: unplug the cables -> remove some air hoses for better access -> unscrew the top two T25 torxs -> then with the front of the car jacked up (front subframe or if you have two jacks like me and your car is stupidly low, the control arm mounts) back off the lower two T25 torx screws and slide the assembly out. Fitting is just the reverse of removal. Easy.
Hoses removed:
I also ended up removal the plastic shroud covering the throttle body and the inlet hose just above the rad too for a bit more access, but no pics.
Here's a bad pictures of the burnt up motor and melted cables:
I then took the car to the local Volvo specialist and got the coolant replaced, 12 litres, costing £85. Really need to invest in a drain pan, would save me a fortune. They also did a quick diagnostics of the cooling system at my request and found nothing else untoward. I've been checking coolant levels and both dipstick and filler caps during the last 700 miles she's done since then and I've fortunately not seen anything. Fingers crossed, touch wood, and whatever other superstitions one may have, the head is ok.
Something else happened to arrive in the post that same day, a rather larger and rather more expensive thing at that:
If I'm being honest I was quite daunted at the prospect of changing suspension out, but it turned out to be a really simple process and quite enjoyable (even with some seized knuckle bolts that were seemingly made of cheese they rounded so easily). Took 6 bolts to undo and 6 bolts to refit on each corner. Rears took me about 20 mins a side, fronts about 50 mins. My fears over spring compressors were also misplaced, as the two-pronged spring compressors I got showed no signs of slipping or instability.
Couldn't believe how easy the rears were, all one has to do is remove the boot floor (two 10mm bolts), remove the two 12mm bolts on the top damper mounts, remove the 18mm bolt retaining the damper, jack the control arm up and bit and slide the damper off and up out through the boot. The springs are then one 17mm nut on the lower spring mount and then the whole thing can pop out if you push down on the axle.
Fronts were as simple as removing the two bolts on the knuckle (17mm nuts on 18mm bolts), undoing the three 14mm nuts at the top of the strut towers, then removing the 17mm nut on the drop-link rod (I think that's what it's called, it ties the ARB into the shock absorber). The whole thing just slides down and out then, making sure to avoid snagging the ABS cables.
I didn't take any pictures of the process as I was trying to beat the weather that kept threatening to pour on me, and I was due to go and collect a concrete compost bin, lawn-mower and cement mixer from our coastal cottage later that day too.
She now sits 30mm lower than standard, but 25mm higher than on the coilovers (if anyone wants a set of TA-Technix, let me know, they're about 2 years old and have done around 10k miles). I was expecting the sport springs to feel a little harsh but I have no complaints. Front of the car feels much more settled, there's more weight in the steering and all the twitchiness and bump-steer over rougher roads has gone. The rear is also less skittish, seems to move around a little less.
This is unfortunately the only picture I have of her with the new ride height (and it doesn't show it very well!), snapped on a rubbish phone by an operator with no talent:
Anyone remember this?
[QUOTE="Cookeh, post: 31610553, member: 94250"]Unfortunately the breaker snapped a few too many pins from the centre-mid brake light cover so that doesn't fit, but he's going to send me a different one in the coming days. Awfully nice of him.[/QUOTE]
The different one arrived in the post just yesterday.
It also has a few snapped pins, but does hold in place and will do until I can find one in actual 'good' condition.
From a purely aesthetic point of view I almost agree, but she gets used for carting all sorts so need the travel. In addition to that I can also actually drive over speed bumps and potholes without dropping to 5mph and the ride is significantly improved (twitchiness and bump-steer also eliminated) so function beats out form in this instance.
Larger arch gap does mean I should get 17" wheels under there, with a potential upgrade to 7 or 7.5J rims too.
Larger arch gap does mean I should get 17" wheels under there, with a potential upgrade to 7 or 7.5J rims too.
Hunted down another little rattle today. Partially fixed, but need to find some parts to fix it fully...
Rattle is in the D-pillar trims, caused by the three clips (per side) that should hold it firmly being broken (50%) or missing (50%).
The part in question:
These blighters are rather easy to find, available for around £1 from Skandix.de - the only issue being ze Germans charge a flat rate of £18 shipping to the UK (up to a 31kg weight). Can't seem to find any on eBay or even any 'aftermarket' equivalents so I'm hunting down some breakers...the two I've spoken to so far are also broken or missing.
For now I was able to rig a couple of broken ones together to make 1.5 clips, which seem to be holding it:
Rattle is in the D-pillar trims, caused by the three clips (per side) that should hold it firmly being broken (50%) or missing (50%).
The part in question:
These blighters are rather easy to find, available for around £1 from Skandix.de - the only issue being ze Germans charge a flat rate of £18 shipping to the UK (up to a 31kg weight). Can't seem to find any on eBay or even any 'aftermarket' equivalents so I'm hunting down some breakers...the two I've spoken to so far are also broken or missing.
For now I was able to rig a couple of broken ones together to make 1.5 clips, which seem to be holding it:
Cambs_Stuart said:
I like the new ride height, just a subtle drop.
With these cars do you need to get the geometry re-set when you lower it?
Generally no, but depends how far you drop it. T5R and 850R sat at 35mm lower than the stock 850s and T5s using same suspension setups if I recall correctly.With these cars do you need to get the geometry re-set when you lower it?
Stedman said:
Do Volvo not sell them?
Popped in to Volvo today looking for the clips. Given their price for the radiator I was expecting crazy money, turns our they were £1.20 which was more reasonable than expected. 3539879 is the part number for those looking. 
Fitting was simple, just pop the D-pillar trims off:
Clean the spider webs and detritus:
Slide the clips in, clipping the water hose that came lose at some point in whilst you're at it :
Reassemble. I found it helpful to pop off the speaker trim to assure everything lined up properly:
Also cleaned up the old ProSport coilovers in the hope I can sell them and recoup some money.
Edited by Cookeh on Tuesday 5th June 21:40
Well, sold the old suspension for £100 without even advertising it. Boxed it up and sent it off, all managed to fit in the Lesjofors spring box so saved me buying a box too. Gunna put that towards an armrest with cup holders, V70 gutter trim and potentially a new stereo... Or spend it on a seat retrim. Choices.
Also got round to cleaning her today after a massive 674 miles since her last bath. Learned recently that the P80 cars should have grey trim (not black) which makes me feel slightly better about the state its in.
Also got round to cleaning her today after a massive 674 miles since her last bath. Learned recently that the P80 cars should have grey trim (not black) which makes me feel slightly better about the state its in.
Edited by Cookeh on Thursday 7th June 23:49
Heard a slight thunk over rougher road surfaces today, turns out the lower spring seat's bolt had slackened off...Teach me for not re-checking torque values once the car was on the ground weighted. Tightened that up and re-torqued with the car on the ground. Bonus regarding the new suspension set-up, I didn't have to put the car on ramps to get the trolley jack under it! Woo!
Whilst trying to find that rattle I spotted some more shattered glass under the back of the seats...skinny extension on the vacuum got rid of those. Weirdly some of the debris looked a bit likes an insect nest of some sort. I also found a debit card belonging to the wife of the previous owner; was partially tempted to use it buy some more parts but realised that card had probably had enough Volvo-related abuse during their ownership! (I am of course joking, for the snowflakes out there).
Whilst trying to find that rattle I spotted some more shattered glass under the back of the seats...skinny extension on the vacuum got rid of those. Weirdly some of the debris looked a bit likes an insect nest of some sort. I also found a debit card belonging to the wife of the previous owner; was partially tempted to use it buy some more parts but realised that card had probably had enough Volvo-related abuse during their ownership! (I am of course joking, for the snowflakes out there).
Receiving this last item in the post really made me realise just how sad I was. I present to you my latest acquisition:
Yes, that's right. One plastic screw. Marvellous. Truly reached the absolute peak of motoring with this buy.
Anyway, it resides in the side of the door panel, helping(ish) to locate it (ish) properly (ish) on the door skin. It truly is pointless, but it was missing and it was free.
So we pop the door card off, revealing the post that holds the psuedo-rawlplug and place that in like so:
From there we place the door card back in place and insert the screw in, leaving us with this:
Ah, perfection.
On a more serious note, spotted something rather dire whilst in there. Seems the spot welds that hold the door check strap in place have failed some time ago, and over time this has fatigued the A-pillar metal causing that to fail and crack, which when the door is fully opened has caused it to be folded over itself. This explains the very large crack I occasionally hear when opening the door fully (something I have tried to avoid since hearing it the first time). Looks like that will require some attention sooner rather than later, hopefully just some heat, flattening and re-welding.
Here is a very poor picture due to very poor access in the area, but you can get the gist of the issue from it. Note I am holding the door check strap as otherwise it will fall into the chassis rails and be lost forever.
Yes, that's right. One plastic screw. Marvellous. Truly reached the absolute peak of motoring with this buy.
Anyway, it resides in the side of the door panel, helping(ish) to locate it (ish) properly (ish) on the door skin. It truly is pointless, but it was missing and it was free.
So we pop the door card off, revealing the post that holds the psuedo-rawlplug and place that in like so:
From there we place the door card back in place and insert the screw in, leaving us with this:
Ah, perfection.
On a more serious note, spotted something rather dire whilst in there. Seems the spot welds that hold the door check strap in place have failed some time ago, and over time this has fatigued the A-pillar metal causing that to fail and crack, which when the door is fully opened has caused it to be folded over itself. This explains the very large crack I occasionally hear when opening the door fully (something I have tried to avoid since hearing it the first time). Looks like that will require some attention sooner rather than later, hopefully just some heat, flattening and re-welding.
Here is a very poor picture due to very poor access in the area, but you can get the gist of the issue from it. Note I am holding the door check strap as otherwise it will fall into the chassis rails and be lost forever.
Helps make the car feel like less of a shed and more of a car. Helps me, anyway, with my silly mental gripes. Came from a car that was absolutely flawless in terms of trim and interior by the time I was finished with it so I kind of have to get this one back to it.
Unfortunately, the N/S/F caliper has seized now. That will be three calipers in 4 months. Ordered the parts, £90 for the caliper and pads. I'm definitely going to try and rebuild, if possible, all the calipers I've taken off the car now as she seems to eat them. I think a full fluid flush is in order though, cant see in the history when it was last done so its probably absorbed so much water now that its corroding the pistons from the inside out.
On the plus side, beat a chirp/rattle that the 850s (and all P80s) are famous for... The rear seat latches. Turns out that this chirp/rattle is caused by the rubber mount (pictured) wearing out. Sadly, Volvo dont seem to stock these as individual pieces - forcing you to buy a whole new latch. I didn't do this, I just took it out and flipped it, leaving me with the unworn side facing the latch.
Worn rubber.
Removed. You can see the profile it has and where it has worn on one side.
Flipped and installed.
Obviously this fix wont last forever and I will need to find something more permanent, but its free and works!
I also spent a £5 on something useful for once (makes a change from silly little cosmetic bits!) and bought a battery clamp. Much needed to stop the battery sliding around and connection issues causing all sorts of random gremlines.
Part and part number.
Fitted. Clever design on the battery tray means it will clamp a wide variety of batteries, and not just the stock behemoth (which I don't have).
Unfortunately, the N/S/F caliper has seized now. That will be three calipers in 4 months. Ordered the parts, £90 for the caliper and pads. I'm definitely going to try and rebuild, if possible, all the calipers I've taken off the car now as she seems to eat them. I think a full fluid flush is in order though, cant see in the history when it was last done so its probably absorbed so much water now that its corroding the pistons from the inside out.
On the plus side, beat a chirp/rattle that the 850s (and all P80s) are famous for... The rear seat latches. Turns out that this chirp/rattle is caused by the rubber mount (pictured) wearing out. Sadly, Volvo dont seem to stock these as individual pieces - forcing you to buy a whole new latch. I didn't do this, I just took it out and flipped it, leaving me with the unworn side facing the latch.
Worn rubber.
Removed. You can see the profile it has and where it has worn on one side.
Flipped and installed.
Obviously this fix wont last forever and I will need to find something more permanent, but its free and works!
I also spent a £5 on something useful for once (makes a change from silly little cosmetic bits!) and bought a battery clamp. Much needed to stop the battery sliding around and connection issues causing all sorts of random gremlines.
Part and part number.
Fitted. Clever design on the battery tray means it will clamp a wide variety of batteries, and not just the stock behemoth (which I don't have).
Whilst ordering the caliper I thought for the sake of £60 I might as well get new front disks and pads too, so that lot turned up middle of last week. Swapped the caliper out with no issues, my trusty £5 Halfords Vizibleed Brake and Clutch Bleeder being as useful as ever for both the new caliper and the n/s/r to get rid of all the old crap. I did take a pic but cant find it now, sorry! That will be the theme of this update actually, pictures are either lost or forgotten about!
Next up was the discs and pads, this was easy and quick on the n/s, but a royal pain in the arse and taking several hours on the o/s. Caliper carrier bolt had just completely rounded. Cue the application of several tools, box end and open ended spanners, mole grips, a Stilson (I think this would have worked were it not for the limited space meaning not lot of teeth could grip), files to create two very large flat areas to try and grip with a smaller open-ended spanner. Ultimately the judicious use of heat resulted in it coming loose. Subsequent disc replacement proved simple, so we now have fresh friction material on all four corners and fresh brake fluid.
I also spoke to the body shop that amended my bonnet and have been quoted £50 and a couple of hours to address the A-pillar situation above - will be getting that booked and sorted in the coming weeks. I also have a timing belt coming up which needs to be booked, around £200 for that. I'm not brave enough to try and change it myself yet, especially not with very limited time and the need of a daily.
Next up was the discs and pads, this was easy and quick on the n/s, but a royal pain in the arse and taking several hours on the o/s. Caliper carrier bolt had just completely rounded. Cue the application of several tools, box end and open ended spanners, mole grips, a Stilson (I think this would have worked were it not for the limited space meaning not lot of teeth could grip), files to create two very large flat areas to try and grip with a smaller open-ended spanner. Ultimately the judicious use of heat resulted in it coming loose. Subsequent disc replacement proved simple, so we now have fresh friction material on all four corners and fresh brake fluid.
I also spoke to the body shop that amended my bonnet and have been quoted £50 and a couple of hours to address the A-pillar situation above - will be getting that booked and sorted in the coming weeks. I also have a timing belt coming up which needs to be booked, around £200 for that. I'm not brave enough to try and change it myself yet, especially not with very limited time and the need of a daily.
Parts!! Shiny new useful parts!
Popped to a breaker fairly local to me ('Minty', in Derby - if anyone needs his number please message me; he's also happy to post and very reasonable prices indeed), originally just for one item but I left with six and a whole rear bench for a chap I know in need. Lovely service, very friendly and polite. Anyway, here's the haul:
So the part I went for is the pollen filter frame, its joined by the spare wheel belt, a spare frame, a carbon filter, an armrest with cupholders (WOO!), an a SC-805 headunit. The SC-805 was the optional upgrade to the SC700 for my MY of 850, and can be paired with a CD changer (which I may or may not grab at a later date).
First things first, cleaning...obviously... Started with the armrest, which wasn't too terrible. Minty was also kind enough to allow me to 'frankenstein' this good condition arm rest from two mediocre ones (one with broken cupholders but good leather, and one the other way round). Seriously top marks for this chap. To do this more easily and more thoroughly I disassembled the armrest.
Leather cover removed, two torx screws (T20s).
Front plate and cupholders removed, they all just slide out.
After cleaning and re-assembly it was taken to the car. They're very easy to remove, just two more T20 torx screws.
Here's a brief comparison of the profiles and heights of old vs new. The cupholder one has a much taller and more rounded profile, definitely more comfortable!
And the new one installed and cupholders extended.
I dont mind the contrast in colour as it matches with the centre console.
Next up was the pollen filter frame, which was decidedly dirtier. Interestingly, despite having AC most 850s did not originally come with a cabin pollen filter - they were another optional extra. This, however, led to the demise of a lot of evaporators, as you'll see below.
(very) Dirty.
Cleaned.
Access to the location for the filter is very easy. It resides under the passenger side scuttle panel. Remove the two T20 torx screws on the passenger side of the scuttle panel and then just tease it up - no need to remove it!
The second image shows the 'rain diverter' that is stock in these cars. If we take a peek down it, we can see the heater blower and the evaporator...and now we understand why the lack of a pollen filter does so much damage. When blowers are £150 (£70 for just the motor) and evaporators are also £150 it's certainly cheaper to fit a £30 new filter!
Anyway, we cleaned out the area beneath the scuttle panel, and the drain tubes whilst at it, and popped the frame in. These just press in to place, no screws or bolts to worry about.
That brings me to the spare tyre belt. It's sole purpose in life is to stop the jack from rattling around the boot, a la:
Next, that SC-805... Ah, I might finally be able to enjoy some music in my car... no CD player in the SC700, the tape deck is useless and its FM receiver is borked. Can't simply install it, though. Not when the volume control know is loose and rattling. So, first step there is to pull the knob:
Then we undo the three screws (top two on the left in the following image, then the same one in the plastic clip on the other side).
It's then a case of releasing all the clips and lifting the face. Easiest to use a flathead screw driver or similar and slowly release one at a time.
Do NOT lift the face too far, as you'll pull out one of the cables from the equalizer panel.
Once that is off you need an 11mm socket/spanner and just tighten the volume knob up.
Re-assembly is obviously the reverse of assembly, nothing special there. Then to install it just slides right in.
Removal of the stereo from the car is the easiest system I've seen. Just pop the two clips out (I use 50ps because I have some right beneath the stereo!), then pull the clips and the whole unit will slide out.
Well, no rattles and I have FM radio at last, tape deck also works, alas the CD player immediately tries to eject any CD. Quick Google suggests that's caused by a a sticking microswitch - so will take a look at that a little later. Also annoying are the gummy buttons. Might have to try and find a fix for that that doesn't strip the labelling. Or perhaps I can swap the buttons for the solid and excellent condition ones on the SC700....
Popped to a breaker fairly local to me ('Minty', in Derby - if anyone needs his number please message me; he's also happy to post and very reasonable prices indeed), originally just for one item but I left with six and a whole rear bench for a chap I know in need. Lovely service, very friendly and polite. Anyway, here's the haul:
So the part I went for is the pollen filter frame, its joined by the spare wheel belt, a spare frame, a carbon filter, an armrest with cupholders (WOO!), an a SC-805 headunit. The SC-805 was the optional upgrade to the SC700 for my MY of 850, and can be paired with a CD changer (which I may or may not grab at a later date).
First things first, cleaning...obviously... Started with the armrest, which wasn't too terrible. Minty was also kind enough to allow me to 'frankenstein' this good condition arm rest from two mediocre ones (one with broken cupholders but good leather, and one the other way round). Seriously top marks for this chap. To do this more easily and more thoroughly I disassembled the armrest.
Leather cover removed, two torx screws (T20s).
Front plate and cupholders removed, they all just slide out.
After cleaning and re-assembly it was taken to the car. They're very easy to remove, just two more T20 torx screws.
Here's a brief comparison of the profiles and heights of old vs new. The cupholder one has a much taller and more rounded profile, definitely more comfortable!
And the new one installed and cupholders extended.
I dont mind the contrast in colour as it matches with the centre console.
Next up was the pollen filter frame, which was decidedly dirtier. Interestingly, despite having AC most 850s did not originally come with a cabin pollen filter - they were another optional extra. This, however, led to the demise of a lot of evaporators, as you'll see below.
(very) Dirty.
Cleaned.
Access to the location for the filter is very easy. It resides under the passenger side scuttle panel. Remove the two T20 torx screws on the passenger side of the scuttle panel and then just tease it up - no need to remove it!
The second image shows the 'rain diverter' that is stock in these cars. If we take a peek down it, we can see the heater blower and the evaporator...and now we understand why the lack of a pollen filter does so much damage. When blowers are £150 (£70 for just the motor) and evaporators are also £150 it's certainly cheaper to fit a £30 new filter!
Anyway, we cleaned out the area beneath the scuttle panel, and the drain tubes whilst at it, and popped the frame in. These just press in to place, no screws or bolts to worry about.
That brings me to the spare tyre belt. It's sole purpose in life is to stop the jack from rattling around the boot, a la:
Next, that SC-805... Ah, I might finally be able to enjoy some music in my car... no CD player in the SC700, the tape deck is useless and its FM receiver is borked. Can't simply install it, though. Not when the volume control know is loose and rattling. So, first step there is to pull the knob:
Then we undo the three screws (top two on the left in the following image, then the same one in the plastic clip on the other side).
It's then a case of releasing all the clips and lifting the face. Easiest to use a flathead screw driver or similar and slowly release one at a time.
Do NOT lift the face too far, as you'll pull out one of the cables from the equalizer panel.
Once that is off you need an 11mm socket/spanner and just tighten the volume knob up.
Re-assembly is obviously the reverse of assembly, nothing special there. Then to install it just slides right in.
Removal of the stereo from the car is the easiest system I've seen. Just pop the two clips out (I use 50ps because I have some right beneath the stereo!), then pull the clips and the whole unit will slide out.
Well, no rattles and I have FM radio at last, tape deck also works, alas the CD player immediately tries to eject any CD. Quick Google suggests that's caused by a a sticking microswitch - so will take a look at that a little later. Also annoying are the gummy buttons. Might have to try and find a fix for that that doesn't strip the labelling. Or perhaps I can swap the buttons for the solid and excellent condition ones on the SC700....
Thanks! Wasn't aware of a plywood board. I have a great reinforced cloth piece that sits over it, but it doesn't have any compartments, or anything built in for storage. Don't suppose you have a picture or similar?
In any case, here are some pictures of microswitch and lens cleaning, in case it helps someone somewhere:
For almost all the SC-series with a CD player the microswitch you need to find is behind this right hand (as you look at the stereo face) rail. It's held in with two small screws (forget the size, sorry!), and then the middle is clipped in and a pita to remove. Use tweezers or similar to compress the clips and free it from the centre. Don't worry if you break them as they aren't structural or even important and it won't rattle even if you do break them.
This is the microswitch you're looking for. Its in the only large hole in the side, you cant miss it! Use the lettering on the sides in both images to help you locate it if you're struggling. This chap becomes gummed up over time and needs to be freed. Cottonbud with some electrical safe cleaner (contact cleaner, WD40 at a push, anhydrous isopropyl alcohol, etc) to clean him up, then use tweezers, screw driver, or whatever you fancy to push him in and out a few times until he's moving freely. Then re-assemble, which is the reverse of disassembly.
To clean the lens you have to remove a few more panels. Namely the front panel (see early post) and the top panel. Screws and clips, same as ever to remove. Levering the top off from the back corners is the easiest way of removing it, getting the rear freed and then pulling back and up to clear the tricky front clips. That leaves you with this:
You can then access the lens through the weird looking sort-of-'P' shaped hole on the top:
Again, electrical safe cleaner and a cotton bud, preferably one that evaporates quite quickly to avoid leaving any residue on the lens. I was quite surprised by the amount of dirt on the lens so was rather hopeful that was the fix. Oh well. Re-assembly is, broken record, the reverse of disassembly. Again for the top plate, it's easier to get the front clips in first and make your way backwards.
Cookeh said:
Well, no rattles and I have FM radio at last, tape deck also works, alas the CD player immediately tries to eject any CD. Quick Google suggests that's caused by a a sticking microswitch - so will take a look at that a little later. Also annoying are the gummy buttons. Might have to try and find a fix for that that doesn't strip the labelling. Or perhaps I can swap the buttons for the solid and excellent condition ones on the SC700....
Blast. Wasn't the microswitch. Also wasn't a dirty lens. Stuck for ideas now - anyone have any suggestions as to what might cause a CD player to insert a CD, spin it for around 3 seconds and then eject it?In any case, here are some pictures of microswitch and lens cleaning, in case it helps someone somewhere:
For almost all the SC-series with a CD player the microswitch you need to find is behind this right hand (as you look at the stereo face) rail. It's held in with two small screws (forget the size, sorry!), and then the middle is clipped in and a pita to remove. Use tweezers or similar to compress the clips and free it from the centre. Don't worry if you break them as they aren't structural or even important and it won't rattle even if you do break them.
This is the microswitch you're looking for. Its in the only large hole in the side, you cant miss it! Use the lettering on the sides in both images to help you locate it if you're struggling. This chap becomes gummed up over time and needs to be freed. Cottonbud with some electrical safe cleaner (contact cleaner, WD40 at a push, anhydrous isopropyl alcohol, etc) to clean him up, then use tweezers, screw driver, or whatever you fancy to push him in and out a few times until he's moving freely. Then re-assemble, which is the reverse of disassembly.
To clean the lens you have to remove a few more panels. Namely the front panel (see early post) and the top panel. Screws and clips, same as ever to remove. Levering the top off from the back corners is the easiest way of removing it, getting the rear freed and then pulling back and up to clear the tricky front clips. That leaves you with this:
You can then access the lens through the weird looking sort-of-'P' shaped hole on the top:
Again, electrical safe cleaner and a cotton bud, preferably one that evaporates quite quickly to avoid leaving any residue on the lens. I was quite surprised by the amount of dirt on the lens so was rather hopeful that was the fix. Oh well. Re-assembly is, broken record, the reverse of disassembly. Again for the top plate, it's easier to get the front clips in first and make your way backwards.
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Bielawski's Sheffield Trimming Co, or Autotrim Leicester. Say Rob at Leather Better (me!) sent you.
Thank you. I did message yourselves at one point but there is no harm in getting addition quotes!Update!
First things first, pic of my working stereo. Yes, its grey and not black so looks a bit out of place when looking at centre console directly, but when considering the interior as a whole it fits well as matches the grey on the trim. Very trivial thing I know, but makes such a difference having some music back (the first thing I do when I wake up is put music on, and I always have something playing...!), especially on those long trips.
Today was the day that Ivy was booked in at the bodyshop to get the A-pillar amended. Got there for opening at 0830, by 0930 there was still no sign of Dean the welder (he's contracted by the bodyshop). Steve at Karmagik was incredibly accommodating about this, plenty of caffeine and banter supplied! Whilst waiting for him I decided to take the door off. Very easy, and thankfully can be done without needing to re-align the door afterwards. For those that care, its as simple as removing the electrical conduit (undo the T10 screw, rotate counter-clockwise until the collar is loose, then pull straight back), undoing the T40 bolt in the door check strap, and undoing the two E8 grub screws in the door pins. You can then just lift the door straight off the pins. It weighs about 40kgs and that weight is not balanced evenly, so be aware of that. So here is Ivy sitting in the waiting area door-less.
Also decided to get a picture of the cracked A-pillar to show you what we were dealing with. This turned out to be far worse than expected by both myself and Dean as most of this damage was invisible without the door off.
You can see in the second image where the welds failed. From factory this check-strap anchor is only spot-welded in two places - top and bottom right of the captive nut. When, not if, these fail they allow the A-pillar to flex when the door is opened eventually leading to metal fatigue and the cracking you see here. When Dean had sufficiently recovered from his hangover (slight mix-up in dates and communications, no-one really to blame), we decided the best course of action would be to cut out both skins of the A-pillar and put fresh metal in. Instead of replacing the two spot welds the whole anchor was fully welded into the A-pillar, which should make this repair much more structurally sound and longer-lasting. Quick snap to highlight the inner repair. I didn't want to be in the chaps way taking pictures, so they aren't the best.
The outer skin was then replaced and welded in very neatly. Unfortunately after being at the shop for four hours and feeling very conscientious about that fact I was too eager to put the door back on to get a picture of the finished product at the time, and now I don't want to take the door off for the sake of it - so here is the best my lazy self can do...Very observant chaps amongst you may notice the colour isn't correct - its actually Jaguar's British Racing Green as the shop didn't have any left-overs of my Dark Olive Pearl and we wanted to get something on to protect. Very hard to notice in the shadow though. Big thanks again to the guys at Karmagik for their impeccable work, fantastic attitude and hospitality putting up with me for hours!
Whilst waiting for Dean to turn up I decided to try and figure out why my heated seats weren't working. Again the pic will be atrocious as its in the dark, with some significant contortion going on to try and see beneath the seat base. As you can see the wires from the thermostat have snapped and come loose. Can't really fix that without removing the seats, so that has been placed on the backburner until I see what happens on the seat front. If I get new T5 seats then this obviously wont be an issue.
Edited by Cookeh on Friday 20th July 20:58
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