Need help reviving a 67 wagon

troy 67 · Post by **troy 67** » 11 Mar 2010, 14:25

I just bought a 67 wagon (project) for my daughter. The car was in good running condition when it was parked in the garage........ 10 years ago! I checked all the fluids and they are all full. The old fuel in the system concerns me.

Any suggestions regarding the old fuel (tank, pump, lines, and carbs)?

I was planning to:
1. Drain the tank
2. Remove and clean the tank (suggestions?) and reinstall
3. Remove carbs and soak them in fresh gas overnight
4. Crank the motor and pump fresh fuel (mechanical) through the system
5. Reinstall the carbs
6. Fire her up (with fingers crossed)

Any suggestions?
PS- Will try and post pics.

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Post by **billofdurham** » 11 Mar 2010, 15:55

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

The old fuel will be useless after so long so you are doing the right thing in changing it.

Cleaning, and sealing, the tank can be done with a product like this.

Why remove and soak the carbs overnight? There is a possibility that seals, diaphragms etc will need to be replaced and soaking them won't achieve very much. You may also upset the balance. Better to leave them until you have the engine running as they may just still be in tune.

I'm not sure about the car you have but a lot of cars from that period had a hand primer attached to the pump. It is a small lever either under or at the side of the pump. If it has one it is an ideal way of checking the diaphragm in the pump without dismantling it.

You haven't mentioned a fuel filter. On my old cars, which when I had them weren't so old, I always had an in-line filter immediately in front of the pump.

Please keep us posted.

Bill.

troy 67 · Post by **troy 67** » 11 Mar 2010, 16:22

Thanks for the info Bill.

The car seems to have been well-cared for. I'm hoping that just a quick clean of the fuel system will do the trick. Removing the tank seems to be a big job. I wonder if there is any way to drain the old fuel, refill with fresh, drain and inspect the clarity of the fuel. It might be worth a try before tackling the tank removal job. I forgot about the inline filter...... good call. I will look for the hand primer on the pump.

I was thinking to soak the carbs to tighten the seals. I am concerned about fuel leaks. Your right about testing them first..... no reason not to. Why fix something that (possibly) isn't broken.

Thanks again for the help!

Post by **jblackburn** » 11 Mar 2010, 17:24

Cool! I love old cars...never had any experiences with the old Swede cars, but they are awesome-looking!

I wonder if there is any way to drain the old fuel, refill with fresh, drain and inspect the clarity of the fuel

IF there is an in-line filter on your car, pull off the line before the filter and turn on the ignition and let the pump do all the work for you and drain it all into a can.

I used one of those big 6-gallon water jugs they carry on the back of Jeeps and things when I had to drain mine to replace a fuel pump. Unfortunately my pump was dead, and I had to siphon out a full tank of 12 gallons...ugh. I think I got the water jugs at Lowe's?

Just don't let the pump run dry, that's not good for them. If you're able to drain out all but a gallon or so, you should be much better off getting the thing running.

Much easier than trying to siphon out all the old gas though

Post by **billofdurham** » 12 Mar 2010, 12:18

IF there is an in-line filter on your car, pull off the line before the filter and turn on the ignition and let the pump do all the work for you and drain it all into a can.

That works for an electric pump but not mechanical, which is powered by the engine.

The easy way to siphon is with a power drill operated pump. I have emptied all sorts of tanks, both petrol and water, with mine. On a large quantity I run the pump for 10 minutes, let it cool for 10 minutes and so on. It beats getting a mouthful of petrol.

Bill.

troy 67 · Post by **troy 67** » 15 Mar 2010, 14:23

Okay..... busy weekend.

I saw what looks like a drain in the bottom of the fuel tank. My car was towed into an awkward spot and it is difficult to work under the car. My thinking now is to get her running enough to park it in a more 'mechanic friendly' spot. With this new plan, I completely bypassed the fuel tank by siphoning fresh fuel from a one-gallon tank. I removed the fuel line from the carb and cranked the motor (mechanically pumping fresh fuel through the old lines). EVERYTHING leaked. All the old flex lines leaked and the pump itself leaked like crazy. $5 worth of new fuel hose and a quarter turn on all the fuel pump screws and all the leaks went away. Earlier in the day, I lubed up the carbs and the cylinders (removed the plugs and shot some wd40). After a shot of ether in each carb she fired up immediately! Amazingly...... she didn't even smoke!

Okay, now she's running (off auxilary tank) but the clutch is gone. After closer inspection, the clutch master cylinder was still moving fluid, but the piston in the clutch slave cylinder is seized (and pitted). After removing it, it seems that no amount of 'encouragement' will free it up. I ordered a new one this morning ($100+- ouch!). I hope that the master is okay...... but won't really know until I replace the slave. It requires a lot of pressure to move the clutch lever. I suspect that when the new slave is installed, the master will leak. The only consolation is that the master seems to be rebuildable..... $20 rather than $200!

The brake master cylinder is not functioning either (I figured this out after wasting time attempting to bleed the brakes). The resovior was full of clean fluid, but the fluid doesn't move. I also removed this from the car but have not had time to look closely at it. I am able to move the piston and am hoping that it is rebuildable.

Post by **writer100** » 15 Mar 2010, 15:30

Nice to see a post from a fellow Angeleno.

Your car sounds great -- I'd love to see pictures.

Alex

Post by **billofdurham** » 15 Mar 2010, 16:40

I think there will be a drain in the bottom of the tank as they seemed to be 'standard issue' on vehicles of that era. Most maintenance tasks were done by the DIY method and we only visited the main dealer for parts, if we couldn't get them anywhere else.

It is encouraging that the engine runs, albeit from an unofficial tank. The master cylinders of that age were designed to be rebuilt. I did several over the years. I'm not sure if parts are still available but someone, somewhere will have a seal kit that will fit. It is just a case of knowing which system it is.

A good start!

Bill.

troy 67 · Post by **troy 67** » 16 Mar 2010, 11:36

Turns out the brake master cylinder is okay. I took it apart, lubed up the piston and tapped it with a hammer and the entire thing sprang apart. I will try and take a picture of the internal parts. Because the master cylinder is made of steel rather than aluminum (like the clutch slave) it is still in good shape. There was only a little build up inside and I was able to scrub the inside of the cylinder with a green scruby pad. I put the entire thing back together and plan to install it back on the car tonight. I want to build a little pump to force (under pressure) fresh brake fluid through all the steel brake lines. It seems like all the old fluid crystalized and gummed up the system. I think if I were able to force some fresh fluid through I will be able to salvage all the old lines..... more on that later.
NOTE (for newbies like me)- I took both parts to my local independent volvo mechanic and he wouldn't even consider rebuilding them. The aluminum clutch slave was beyond rebuilding due to pitting (no mystery there). The shop didn't even want to spend 5 minutes looking at the brake master cyl. He quickly suggested buying a new one for $200. I took the parts home and after a couple of minutes had the entire thing apart, cleaned, and put back together. For all you DIYers out there. Spend a few minutes and check things out for yourself. These old volvos were very well made. As Bill mentioned earlier... most of these maintenance issues can be done at home (volvo designed it that way). If you take it to the shop, I guarantee they will take your money. If you have more money than time, the shop isn't a bad option.

Post by **billofdurham** » 16 Mar 2010, 13:42

My very trusty, but old (my wife thinks I am describing myself, but I am only old) pressure bleeder runs off the air in the spare wheel and is very similar to this. I'm not sure if you can get Sealey tools in the US but somebody over there should make similar.

Bill.