FDPP #2

[RickHaleParker]

The car didn't start acting up until I put gas in it. I usually use Kroger's gas and it runs without misfiring, but this is the 2nd time using gas from Sunoco (same gas station both times) and then having all kinds of problems afterwards. Is Sunoco 93 octane worse to use than Kroger's 91 in the NA 2.4, or could it just be bad gas from the same gas station?

Nowadays reading just the octane on the pump is not enough. Some of the high octane fuels are up to 30% alcohol. The older cars don't do well with over 10% alcohol. Read the fine print on the pump before pumping.

[gnalan]

ETM checks out ok in VIDA, I think. Cold the variation is 6.66, and hot is 6.97. I think the max allowed is 13, so I'm assuming this isn't my problem.

I pulled the airbox out, and made sure there wasn't any cracks or anything causing any air to bypass the MAF. All looked ok. I attempted to fix the flap so it would hold open to just normal air through the scoop instead of from the hot side, because even with the hose removed from the exhaust the air intake temps were still 165F+.

In my attempt I accidentally broke of the plastic flap that covers the exhaust hole. Not what I meant to do, so I ended up removing the flap entirely from the thermostat and leaving it out. The piece that broke off I went ahead and cut off the rest of the stem, flipped it over to cover the hole, and glued it into place. Now I should only get clean cooler air from the scoop, instead of the hot air from under the hood.

I'm planning to get some MAF cleaner tomorrow, and cleaning the sensor, to see if all is fixed now with the stumbling/surging/dieing problems I've been having. I also plan to check all the other hoses for any vacuum leaks, if cleaning the MAF doesn't help. Running the gas in it out, and putting different gas in it didn't help anything unfortunately.

I wish the car would throw a code, or something, to point me to what/where the problem is. That would make things a whole lot easier to fix.

I still need to change the strut too, which I'd like to get done this weekend. Is anyone on here close to me that could come give me a hand swapping it out?

[cn90]

@gnalan,

I went to the junk yard today and got the part you requested.
I got these parts from a 2007 S60 3.2L car:

1- Battery Top Bracket (black) + one bolt.
Could not find the other bolt but you can easily find it at hardware store.
Make sure you have the correct thread pitch (I think it is M8 x 1.25, but please verify yourself).

2- Bottom Bracket + bolt.

- Please PM me your:
a. Street Address
b. Email for USPS tracking

For now, I think you have big medical stuff to worry about, just focus on the absolute essential how to keep the car running.
Just ignore the cosmetic stuff for now.

PS: If anyone has driver's door with trim panel Int Code #9981, please let @gnalan know. He needs some odds and ends.

[gnalan]

I have the original top bracket and hardware for my battery, just not the hold down for the bottom of the battery which I thought was a plastic piece (but it didn't come with the car so I may be wrong).

The battery terminals are held onto the battery posts with 2" or 2.5" Phillips head cap screws and nuts that didn't want to hold very well. I put double nuts on them to help, but my battery cover won't fit over the longer bolts. Does anyone have the original bolts and nuts for the terminals to clamp onto the battery posts? I wasn't sure if I could just grab a set at the parts store that would fit or not. Does anyone know if those would work? The holes look smaller than the universal bolts are that I did see.

Right now there's nothing holding the battery down, and since it's new I don't want it sliding around or causing me more problems than I already have. Just putting the top bracket on without the plastic cover on first, or anything keeping the battery from sliding, didn't look safe with the long screws. I don't want the battery shorting out against the metal bracket, and blowing up. I had a battery that shorted to ground before, and it blew up in the middle of a 90 degree turn. Not much fun when nothing worked, and ending up in the ditch on a back road trying to find help. That was before cell phones, back in high school, but still not something I want to go through again.

Thank you for your help cn90.

We're both going through health issues, and doing what we can to get where we need to go safely.

Now the car is popping/backfiring through the intake manifold, which I can hear with the hood closed and feel with my hand on the air box. I started a thread on it, and it doesn't sound like something that's easy/cheap to fix. I can't afford the downtime to pull the head, or the cost to replace the parts that may be needed to fix it. I can't afford another car either, so I'm stuck with what I have.

I'm desperately trying to do what I can for my fiance, me, and to keep my car running. I'm so overwhelmed with everything already, and it feels like life keeps kicking me when I'm down.

[cn90]

Does anyone know standard nuts/bolts at hardware store work for battery cables?

PS: If you look at FCPEuro or other DIYs, the bolts are not that special:
- One end is square to avoid turning.
- Other than that nothing special.

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/how-to-choose- ... vo-battery

[cn90]

@gnalan,

If the current car is too much of a headache, then this 2004 S60 seems like a good car, good price ($2950).
It is in Grove City OH, only 25 miles from you:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/d/c ... 71955.html

[gnalan]

@gnalan,

If the current car is too much of a headache, then this 2004 S60 seems like a good car, good price ($2950).
It is in Grove City OH, only 25 miles from you:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/d/c ... 71955.html

I can't afford anything right now. The best I can do is $250, and I doubt I can talk him that low. I would like to either keep my Volvo, or find another Volvo that doesn't need any work.

[gnalan]

@gnalan,

If the current car is too much of a headache, then this 2004 S60 seems like a good car, good price ($2950).
It is in Grove City OH, only 25 miles from you:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/d/c ... 71955.html

It's already been sold.

[cn90]

...The battery terminals are held onto the battery posts with 2" or 2.5" Phillips head cap screws and nuts that didn't want to hold very well. I put double nuts on them to help, but my battery cover won't fit over the longer bolts. Does anyone have the original bolts and nuts for the terminals to clamp onto the battery posts? I wasn't sure if I could just grab a set at the parts store that would fit or not. Does anyone know if those would work? The holes look smaller than the universal bolts are that I did see....

I removed the bolts and nuts from my 2004 V70 just to show you and others the dimensions.
For the P2 cars, I don't think Volvo sells the battery cable bolts and nuts for the P2 (S60, S80, V70, XC90) cars...I might be wrong though.

The bolt is M6 x1.0 x 25 mm. The square end is nice bc it prevents spinning.
In the absence of square end bolt, use generic M6 bolt, just use a separate wrench on the bolt head to prevent spinning.

However, you can use the bolts and nuts from the Volvo 240, 850 era. The PNs are:
- Bolt 987526...$3 or so
- Nut 987529...$3 or so

Just snug it with one finger so you don't strip it. No need for massive torque, which is what stripped them to start with.
People at local Advance Auto, Autozone etc. tend to over-tighten these nuts/bolts and strip them.

If you google "Ford Battery Cable Bolt 1/4-inch", you will see they sell a set of 2 bolts/nuts (good for one car) for about $2-$3.
Recall that 1/4 inch = 6.35mm, which *should* work for Volvo S60.

Anyway, photo of the Volvo factory bolts/nuts...

Battery-Bolt.png (1.18 MiB) Viewed 416 times

[gnalan]

Thank you for pulling and measuring yours for me.

I'll see what I can find at ACE, sometime this weekend, and see if they have square head bolts that size.