Herman and Operation 30MPG

kilnsea · Post by **kilnsea** » 22 Dec 2019, 08:45

All's well that ends well! Congrats on another happy ending.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 22 Dec 2019, 18:08

What a great story! And the Volvo rides off again into the sunset.
The photo of all the cans in the trunk is great. Previous reading of this thread made me think you had a wagon. Who needs a wagon when you can put three grocery carts into the trunk.
volvolugnut

Post by **matthew1** » 22 Dec 2019, 18:29

Love the Night Before Christmas-Volvo poem, Ryan!

Glad you got it sorted.

Post by **abscate** » 22 Dec 2019, 21:03

I snapped off one of the slotted head stopcocks on one of the cars, and dropped the coolant, JB welded a bolt in, and ran it for 3-4 years.

The new style , 1/4 turn and pull, seal with an oring, not a pipe thread, and don’t snap.

callahanoffroad · Post by **callahanoffroad** » 27 Jan 2020, 14:43

I realized I haven't posted since Christmas! Oh my!

Herman has developed a few new issues. An exhaust leak somewhere between the catalytic converter and the header. The rear right emergency brake cable seized last week. And now the coolant expansion tank has developed a crack with dirt around it and I'm wondering if the head isn't failing.

It wouldn't be 15 degrees out if Herman didn't break!!!

: Expansion Tank In Question

What do you guys think? Just replace the tank or do a more thorough investigation?

Obligatory picture of Herman jacked up.

Post by **scot850** » 27 Jan 2020, 16:24

Unless there are any other signs pointing to a bad head gasket, I'd suggest it is just old car issues. You obviously work your car hard and at it's age it is complaining. The header tanks are a known issue with age of the cars so would not necessarily mean a bad head gasket. Could have got dinged when you were working on the steering or anything else. If you have no bubbling in the header tank, or brown sludge in the header tank or engine oil then you are probably fine.

Parking brake cables are also prone to failure with age and if they were not used much then occasional use and a split in the casing when cold/wet will cause it to freeze. PITA job. Be aware of aftermarket cables. Been bitten twice with poor aftermarket parts. Just hate do-overs.

Good luck!

Neil.

callahanoffroad · Post by **callahanoffroad** » 27 Jan 2020, 19:58

scot850 wrote: ↑27 Jan 2020, 16:24 Unless there are any other signs pointing to a bad head gasket, I'd suggest it is just old car issues. You obviously work your car hard and at it's age it is complaining. The header tanks are a known issue with age of the cars so would not necessarily mean a bad head gasket. Could have got dinged when you were working on the steering or anything else. If you have no bubbling in the header tank, or brown sludge in the header tank or engine oil then you are probably fine.

Parking brake cables are also prone to failure with age and if they were not used much then occasional use and a split in the casing when cold/wet will cause it to freeze. PITA job. Be aware of aftermarket cables. Been bitten twice with poor aftermarket parts. Just hate do-overs.

Good luck!

Neil.

Thanks Neil, that makes me feel a little better. For some reason I'm always waiting for the engine to pop on these cars, but never actually does!

Two winter's ago the other parking brake side busted in the parking lot at the apartment that I lived in and I had no place to work on it. Had to pay a shop. Until I watched a repair video I didn't know there were two independent cables involved! Usually it's one single cable with a split.

Lucky for me I have all the parts I need to fix the ebrake and the coolant reservoir. While I'm at it I'll track down that smelly exhaust leak.

Post by **scot850** » 28 Jan 2020, 10:24

The exhaust leak may be at the flexi joint mid-way between the exhaust manifold and the cat. Again age related issue of constantly flexing they eventually fail at the joint. Other known areas of fail are the exhaust manifold gaskets, cracked exhaust manifolds and general rust on the muffler system. Also check the joint just to the rear of the cat.

Neil.

callahanoffroad · Post by **callahanoffroad** » 22 Feb 2020, 05:21

I took Herman out of service this week and rented a car while I tracked down the exhaust issue.

: Broken exhaust flange

Turns out that the exhaust flange cracked at the welds with the collector and had actually disconnected! Turns out no one makes new two bolt manifolds anymore. Per Abscate's suggestion I took it to a local fabrication shop and they were able to fix it for $17!

Pics of the repaired manifold:

As you can see on these early n/a motors there is no flex pipe and only two bolts on the header.

While I had the exhaust apart I inspected the exhaust valves and found that one of my valve stem seals in my exhaust was failing.

: Failing valve stem seal on the left

Herman has a about 246,000 miles. Robert DIY recommends rebuilding whiteblock heads around 250k. So that's been added to the To-do list.

While I was in the engine bay I went ahead and rebuilt my PCV system using the smallest amount of rubber possible, and substituting copper pipe for most of the lengths. One of my rubber hoses had swollen under the intake manifold and had begun to leak oil everywhere. With the Variable intake manifold I couldn't go under the intake manifold or around the bottom without pinching. So I went up and over. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

: From the oil trap up; 20200221_154238.jpg (147.99 KiB) Viewed 626 times

: Behind the fuel rail; 20200221_162530.jpg (140.59 KiB) Viewed 626 times

: Connects behind like stock; 20200221_162536.jpg (151.71 KiB) Viewed 626 times

I managed to give myself a 121 and 232 code somehow in the process

Today I will tackle the parking brake cable and making sure those codes are cleared.

Looks like Herman will ride again. I've also been toying with changing Herman's name to Sherman, because he's no longer a monster and is more of a tank.

Took another whack at that thermostat housing with fresh bolts and a torch. Thing wouldn't budge. I think that's going to become Someone Else's Problem at a shop.

I still need to install fresh front brake lines, a new seatbelt button and fix some of the dash lights to pass my local inspection in August. Of course I also need to do a head overhaul as well. I'll report back after I fix the parking brake.

Post by **abscate** » 22 Feb 2020, 08:04

Get some oetikers on that PCs hoses so you don’t have to worry about them loosening up, you can buy them cheap at the home store u]in the PEX section

I wonder if you should spring nut that two bolt exhaust flange? Give it the ability to flex a bit to take strain off the joint

Herman and Operation 30MPG

Re: Herman and Operation 30MPG