850 engine replacement woes (& Updates)

kcjones · Post by **kcjones** » 06 Jun 2011, 17:10

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Great work.

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 07 Jun 2011, 18:27

kcjones wrote:Thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Great work.

Thanks!

I went through the old box 'o parts this afternoon, and found that fuel filter I said I was going to replace about nine months ago.

So Lola finally got a new fuel filter today. I've showered and washed my hands half a dozen times, but still stink like gas.

Anywho, while I had Lola's rear in the air, I noticed this:

: DSC04363.JPG (225.62 KiB) Viewed 3259 times

That bump stop is supposed to be mounted to the upper spring perch right? I looked on IPD's and FCP's websites, and didn't find any replacement rear bump stops.

For the fronts I used some Daystar EVS universal bump stops, that were cheaper than any of the Volvo stuff I found, and they seem to be working great. Not that I ever take Lola off any "sweet jumps" or anything, but I guess I should probably address the bump stop issue, before I go loading any bodies in my trunk.

- Lee

kcjones · Post by **kcjones** » 07 Jun 2011, 21:55

Freshly squeezed lemon juice gets gas smell out pretty well.

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 25 Sep 2011, 16:30

Continuing with replacement of "all the little things" I should have done when I originally did the engine swap. I did most of the other engine mounts and bushings last weekend. I'm still adjusting to the new smooth ride, I was so accustomed to putting the transmission into neutral at every stop light to lessen vibrations, I've still caught my self reaching for the shifter a few times.

I'm guessing the biggest improvement was probably from replacing the front right lower engine mount, it was beyond shot.

The rubber was no longer attached to the old engine mount.

: Old Engine Mount 1.jpg (43.93 KiB) Viewed 3165 times

Here you can see the shiny bottom of the engine mount where it rubbed metal to metal on the sub frame.

: Old Engine Mount 2.jpg (35.59 KiB) Viewed 3165 times

Brand spanking new, I got a little crazy with the white lithium.

: New Engine Mount.JPG (149.22 KiB) Viewed 3165 times

I also got rid of the yellow polyurethane upper torque arm bushing, and replaced it with a rubber one. I used the big bolt with two pipe flanges DIY press method to install it, but even with that I had some difficulties. I chucked the new bushing with a bolt through it up in my drill press, on a low speed, and held a file at an angle to the edge of it. This let me put a taper/bevel on one side of it which greatly aided with pressing the new bushing into the mount. I also put the bushing in the deep freezer over night.

: Bushing.JPG (147.45 KiB) Viewed 3165 times

Last but not least (well actually I did this first) I put in a new transmission torque arm, all shiny and new.

: Trans Mount.JPG (142.02 KiB) Viewed 3165 times

I've also added a cabin air filter (finally bought a bracket) so hopefully I won't have any more pine needles shooting out of my vents.

On the short list of things do do still, I need a new dash light dimmer switch/rheostat. The local Volvo dealer wants $209 for one

, yeah right. I currently have the pink and orange wire shorted together with a jumper wire. This gives me dash lights, but they're always on, even during the day. Not a big deal, but will shorten the life of all of the bulbs.

I'm still getting exhaust fumes in the cabin at stop/idle, and have diagnosed the flex coupling between the manifold and cat to be the source. The flex coupling is part of the manifold, so it's a cut and weld fix, or buy a new manifold. I'm still debating what I'm going to do about that. I had/have everything I needed to fab up a whole new exhaust before we moved, but now I don't have access to a welder.

I will at the very minimum rattle can a clear coat onto the hood, trunk, and maybe the roof before winter gets here. I've been pricing paint, but I really don't have the facilities to do the job myself and me be happy with the results. I left the 60 Gal. air compressor in Arkansas, and our one car garage is so narrow, Julie parks to the side as much as she can, just so she can open the drivers side door without hitting the wall.

I told myself I'd have remote start, and maybe even heated seats before I made it through another winter here. With my new job, and the hours I'm working remote start will make life much more pleasant. I won some factory 850 seat heater switch on fleabay for cheap last week, so I'm at least one step closer.

That's probably enough of my babbling for another few months.

- Lee

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 12 Jul 2012, 20:45

How about another update?

I've done quite a bit since last September.

I replaced that leaking exhaust manifold with an eBay sourced stainless steel Chicom special.
www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45649

I figured out my Remote Start/Keyless Entry, all finally functioning as it should.
www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46111#p227877

I also got heating elements wired up, installed, and integrated with factory wiring/switches.
www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46183

I discovered an amazing place, Pick-N-Pull. I have no idea how I've made it this long without ever going. Such an amazing place, and so cheap. Thanks to Pick-N-Pull I got a new dash light dimmer switch, over head map light assembly, new head light lenses, head light wiring harnesses, roof trim, mass air sensor, bottom half of a turbo air cleaner box (no more flapper valve), and too many little switches, fasteners, and widgets to count, and all for peanuts. I flippin' love that place!

After getting an over head map light assembly that worked (actually got a newer one from an S70) I switched all of the interior lighting to surface mount LEDs.

2x 36 LED panels in the map lights

: Map LED.JPG (113.39 KiB) Viewed 2926 times

5 LED "replacement bulbs" in the rear

: Rear LED.JPG (120.8 KiB) Viewed 2926 times

48 LED panel in the trunk:

: Trunk LED.JPG (139.25 KiB) Viewed 2926 times

I wasn't happy that the color temperatures weren't the same, but it's so much brighter, and the eBay LEDs are cheap enough I haven't bothered to do anything about it. I even added a 36 LED panel in the driver and passenger side foot wells, and have been very happy with the extra light.

- Lee

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 12 Jul 2012, 21:06

That's enough about piddling little things.

I've given my AMSOIL guy a good chunk of a pay check or two. I've got AMSOIL full synthetic in the transmission and power steering. I used the guides found here on MVS for changing the trans and power steering fluids.

There's so much fearmongering about flushing old transmissions and stirring up old junk in the trans that I decided to do an in-line filter. Gswede convinced me that there shouldn't be any major flow restriction issues with an in-line filter in this thread.

I put a Derale 13090 filter kit in line between the transmission and the aux cooler I'm using. I installed a new filter each time I drained/filled the trans.

: Trans Filter.JPG (144.38 KiB) Viewed 2926 times

And just to verify restriction/lack of I shot this little video.

I didn't noticed any huge improvements with the trans fluid, though the conventional fluid I was using wasn't that old. I put in new when I did the engine swap, and thanks to an auto parts store selling me the wrong axle (twice) I had an unplanned trans drain at highway speed, when the new axle popped out of the transmission.

Instead of using "power steering fluid" I'm using AMSOIL synthetic tractor hydraulic fluid, and it was a very noticeable difference.

- Lee

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 12 Jul 2012, 21:53

The biggest update has happened over the past few weeks. I had put new struts and strut hardware on a couple years ago (page 3 of this thread) I bought the cheapest I could find at the time, $75 got me a pair of spring seats and strut bearings from FCPGroton, well they don't seem to carry the particular kit I purchased anymore. That ought to tell you something. I was having similar noises (not as severe) from the front end as when I replaced the spring seats before.

Sure enough, worn out already. You get what you pay for I guess.

: Worn Out Spring Seat.JPG (164.55 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

This lead to some decision making on my part. I decided I wanted all new suspension, shocks, struts, springs, bushings, etc. I wanted a little more performance oriented suspension, but didn't want to brake the bank, nor did I want to be scalping ground hogs. So goals were affordable performance with the least drop. I wound up with a set of Koni STR.T (orange) shocks and an Eibach Pro Kit. I'm kind of a guinea pig on the Konis since there don't seem to be many in the Volvo community using them yet. They had positive enough reviews on forums of plenty of other auto makes/models, and Tire Rack had a 20% off sale on all Koni products a few months ago I decided to take the plunge.

After extensive research to find a decent set of performance coil springs with the least amount of drop, I decided on Eibach. I spent more than I originally planned, but found a good deal via Discount Tire Direct on eBay. They claimed free shipping, but charged me enough in tax to make up for it, still cheaper (just barely) than anywhere else I could find them. After they/Eibach screwed up the shipping, Discount Tire stepped up and refunded me $50, so that almost made all the hassle and a trip to the UPS warehouse worth it.

Enough Jabbering, on with the pictures:

Front Spring Old vs. New

: Front Spring Old vs New.JPG (171.99 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

Strut Assembly Old vs. New

: Strut Assembly Old vs New.JPG (169.83 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

I upgraded to XC90 spring seats. You can obviously see how much beefier the new XC90 spring seats are than the old cheap crap I was using. Holding each one in your had you can also feel how much more substantial the XC90 seat is.

: XC70 vs Junk 1.JPG (159.11 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

: XC70 vs Junk 2.JPG (182.63 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

Finally front strut assembly on the car. That Koni orange paint is very delicate, I had the strut bodies wrapped in butcher paper and duct tape to protect them when assembling them, but still manage to nick/chip the paint in a few places.

: Strut Mounted.JPG (170.81 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

- Lee

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 12 Jul 2012, 22:09

On to the rear.

I decided (foolhardily) that I should probably do the rear trailing arm bushings and link ends while I was at it. I'll preface this with a HUGE thanks to Ozark Lee for the info on replacing the rear links, would have taken me 5 times as long with out reading this: www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=31294

I decided though, that if I ever find myself needing to replace these links and/or bushings again, well it's time for a new car.

New trailing arm link, I didn't really think much about taking pictures of any of this, I was mostly focused on getting the stupid things out, what a chore that was. A torch is your friend, I used my propane torch, but an oxy/acetylene with a rosebud would NOT be overkill.

: Trailing Arm Link.JPG (158.12 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

On the trailing arm bushings, it was a learn as you go, and of course I read VADIS after I was done, more of a "did I do it right," than "how do I do this." Smart huh? This was very much a 2 steps forward one step back. If you notice in the pictures that the passenger side (US) is "captured" and thus both the passenger and driver side bushings, and at least one of the trailing arm links must be removed before the passenger side bushing can be removed. I of course did the driver side first, only to have to remove it again.

Passenger Side:

: Passenger Side.JPG (183.56 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

Driver Side:

: Driver Side.JPG (169.42 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

- Lee

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 12 Jul 2012, 22:35

Finally the rear springs, shocks, and bumps.

Rear Springs Old vs. New with new coil spring spacer too.

: Rear Spring Old vs New.JPG (168.15 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

Now the rear bumps on my car were beyond gone. The driver side was rattling around at the bottom of the spring, and both would crumble to pieces pretty much just by looking at them. I looked at factory replacements, but am not a fan of it being held in place with a plastic push pin, how expensive they are (seem to be a dealer only item) or the fact that my now slightly lower suspension would have slightly too long bump stop if I used a factory one. So I used my mad Googlefu skills and went to work, I found several possible solutions, but I finally decided polyurethane bump stops from Energy Suspension. Specifically the 9-9143R, which is 3.125" tall and 2.437" around with a 3/8" through hole for mounting. I used a 1" long 3/8" socket head bolt and square nut to mount the bump stop to the bump stop mount. I used a square nut because I couldn't fit a hexagonal nut down into the bump stop mount.

Bump Stop Old vs. New with mounting hardware

: Rear Bump.JPG (169.14 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

Another issue I ran into were the press fit bolts in the rear lower spring retainers no longer being "pressed" in place. This made removal difficult because the bolt would just spin when attempting to remove the nut. This was solved by a friend at work welding the bolts in place. They got a coat of Rust-Oleum, to stave off any rust.

: Welded Rear Spring Retainer.JPG (163.35 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

Finally the whole mess together

: Rear Suspension.JPG (162.86 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

One of my evening rituals is to search Craig's List for Volvos/Volvo parts. I scored this beauty, brand new never before installed for $67. While I had my car's rear end in the air I figured I might as well install it too.

: Hitch.JPG (191.65 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

Rear Suspension and Hitch all done

: Hitch & Rear Suspension.JPG (172.98 KiB) Viewed 2925 times

- Lee

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 12 Jul 2012, 22:56

Ride height

Before

: Before.JPG (176.6 KiB) Viewed 2922 times

After

I think I achieved my goals, not quite an inch lower, I'm sure it'll get a little lower as the springs settle. The ride is firm and responsive without being too harsh. Freeway on-ramps are fun! The lack of body roll is amazing, like a whole new car. I was toying with the idea of getting the IPD sway bars, but unless I were doing AutoX or something, I don't know why I'd need them.

Still need to do an alignment, but I'm going to replace the strut bearings first. Yeah I've got to take the front struts off/apart again. I was expecting to reuse those cheap POS strut bearings I bought, well the passenger side literally came apart when I removed it. I cleaned it up and re-packed the bearings with some good Lucas Red N Tacky grease, put it back together and put it on the car, didn't have any other options. I will order some new OEM bearings this weekend.

I've got a new Lemforder lower engine mount and Meyel torque rod bushing to replace the Scan-Crap I used last fall. I knew better, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. Who doesn't like doing the same repair over and over?

Also on the to-do list are the front subframe bushings, I've got them all, but it's just one of those jobs I don't want to/can't make time for. I've shopped around for the specialty tool, but just can't justify the price.

I've mentioned paint a few hundred times in this thread. It's going to happen, I've been doing a lot of research and have a friend at work that has offered his facilities and help. Just gotta find time to make it work.

I guess that's about it for now.

- Lee

850 engine replacement woes (& Updates)

Re: 850 engine replacement woes (& Updates)