What did you do to your P2 Volvo today?

[Starbuck]

Nice work! Congrats on the upcoming nuptials!

Thank you!

Ben decided he would stop drinking nearly a gallon into filling him back up. Since I started with distilled water only...this concerned me greatly. I thought I did the maths correctly in that he is supposed to take nearly 3 gallons total so I figured I'd be safe with Plan A: start with an entire gallon of water in case I effed something up/didn't install the water pump correctly...then follow up with a gallon of pure Pentosin and finish the job with 50/50. Nope. You're a tricksy one, Mr. Murphy!

So after lovingly massaging his scary-original hoses to no avail I opted to run him at idle to burp. When this yielded no significant extra reservoir room I switched to idling until hot and VERY CAREFULLY opening the reservoir cap to depressurize just like we're all warned not to do. I did this twice and Ben was having none of it so I loaded up my dish bin with the remainder of the water, 5 quarts of premixed 50/50 and an entire gallon of pure coolant and hit the road.

...where I made it about a mile before Ben slapped my forehead with our first RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHT. Low Coolant said the handy text. Ben, you little f***er.

Not mad at all, I calmly pulled into the Dollar General lot, popped the hatch, grabbed my coolant gallon, the I-clearly-know-what-I'm-doing-because-I-have-a-blue-paper-towel paper towel, wee funnel marked "coolant only" and repeated my careful opening procedure because...remember I can't hear the warning hiss of pressure so I have to use my peepers instead.

Topped up past FULL, I pulled out and putted home keeping a wary eyeball out for another triangle of doom. Nada. Later when he'd cooled naturally, I checked him and topped off more. I have a lot of coolant just loitering in the back now like I'm the paranoid owner of a Bavarian car. Page 1B*2 clearly states; Cooling System...All models...12.5 litres, which is 3.302151 gallons. Ben, won't you drink your coolant for mommy? Please?

Anyway, the trip to Jersey was a boring affair. I played the license plate game with myself: Florida, Georgia, Alabama-stan, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Quebec, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oklahoma Texass, Californyuh. I learned people in DC are terrified of corners.

The highlight of the trip though was pulling into a gas station in Virginia and sharing a smile and exuberant wave with a young gentleman in a red R. He loved Ben's prancing moose wheel hub thingies and I admired his car's wing. He gave me a card and probably said something about having a site on the FB but he was wearing a mask (me too) and I couldn't read his lips. Still, it was my first in-person Volvo enthusiast encounter. Dare I ask...are there more of us out in the world?

Ha, I have located the card and he's from RVA Swedes. I have a FB I only use for Oculus2 but I have added him on IG.

Lovely. I'm still in Jersey and nearly done with my honey-do list. Are there parts yards up here? Would they be worth it because of the rust monster? I've rambled long enough. Have a great night, everyone!

[abscate]

Anyway, the trip to Jersey was a boring affair. I played the license plate game with myself: Florida, Georgia, Alabama-stan, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Quebec, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oklahoma Texass, Californyuh. I learned people in DC are terrified of corners.

I think ‘ Kali-Phornia’ is preferred, and Nu-Yahk

My preferred attack on refills...

Look up total cooling system capacity...12 liters

Flush to replace all coolant with water. Drain to best ability. Now add 6 liters pure coolant , and run and top off with water over next few runs until it stabilizes. We run 50-50 up here in tundra, You might only need 40-60 in Hot-Lanta.

Don’t sweat tap over distilled if you are using any municipal water. It has to be really pathologicallyhardwater. To even approach 1% consumption of the hard water scavengers in coolant.


Harry’s In PA is the best yard local to NJ but that’s quite a hike East. Might put you on cheaper 81 for the ride home though. Still looking for that boot? Rust isn’t usually bad even on metal Volvo parts here.

Starbuck...watch your weather, there’s nasty moving into the NE thisweek.

[abscate]

I missed this earlier Starbuck, ?

I have a lot of coolant just loitering in the back now like I'm the paranoid owner of a Bavarian car.

Classic!

I finally tracked down the misfire on SWMBOs E83 to a bad coil pack that did not throw any code. Volvos Software is much better than this, almost too sensitive, but I wasted a month trying to follow the fuel fork putting faith in BTWs* ability to detect bad ignition.

* Bavarian Time Waster

[Starbuck]

I missed this earlier Starbuck, ?

Yuppers.

I really wanted to flush it but then I have to capture, hold and properly dispose of the water/coolant. I don't have a line yet on a parts store that takes coolant. They're spotty about hazardous fluids around me. I don't want to kill all of the cute little creatures outside (and inside) the garage.

I usually keep a few bottles of distilled water tucked away for a rainy day but yeah I was raised in the automotive culture that says a drop of tap water will break everything OMG! Destruction! Mineral deposits! Calcification! The Fortress of Solitude was actually formed when Superman flew to the Arctic and poured tap water into the radiator of his Nash-Healey.

I forgot where I was going this ramble. Weather! Thank you for the heads up. It's a different cold here than Atlanta and when I say that people give me weird looks. It's been 30s-40s for a couple of days and I'm wearing shorts. It feels so nice; dry cold is different from the humid cold of the south. That's my story. I'll go for a run today unless the alleged snow we might get makes the sidewalk slick. Wet will automatically equal ice too for me. Thanks for the warning as I don't watch the news/weather!

[abscate]

You rmunicipal water and waste treatment plant might permit disposal of coolant down the drain in 'household quantities' check with them.

[volvolugnut]

I have a NIMBY (not in my back yard) problem with pouring anything in the drain. I have a septic tank system in the back yard, so anything down the drain stays in my back yard!
Antifreeze volume will reduce by about half if left to evaporate in the sun. I do this in clear plastic bottles with small opening (windshield wiper bottles work well). This small opening keeps bugs and leaves out. It helps to add a white rag to expose more coolant to air flow. Colored rags will have dye leached into the coolant. You do have to be careful to cap before a rain or you loss headway.
volvolugnut

[abscate]

Then you can send it back to FCP for a refund

[Starbuck]

*whispers* This was the only thing I bought from Rock Auto...so. Next time? I do need to replace all the original coolant system hoses. I don't even want to say this next bit aloud but how often do radiators die? I think I looked for an all aluminum radiator back when I bought Ben but didn't have any luck. Anyone know where I can get a quality aluminum (no plastic sides!) radiator? I'm still dreaming of pretty colored hoses too. Sigh. Some blue or yella hoses sure would look nifty under the bonnet.

[abscate]

P2s seem to last longer than the last generation. My first P80 died at 140k. Very often , it’s motor mounts that kill them. The engine moves, which stresses the hoses and the metal plastic joint you know about

There have been some all metal options (d088) but they are Beacoup Many Waffles

Nissens from FCP Is my preferred poison

[DonnVa]

I scored at the Pick a Part the other day. 2 sets of VVT’s for my P2 S60 for $25. This set is the best. Axial play 1.7mm, look nice as well. I know my exhaust hub is easily more that double that. I’m getting some oil leakage. I replaced my harmonic balancer and crank seal a couple weeks ago. I’ll get a measurement on the play of my hubs when I take them off. I think I’ll be doing a minimum of intake, exhaust cam seals and exhaust hub today. I also have to form a game plan on my power steering rack crossover fluid lines. They are leaking at the steering wheel linkage end. I think it might be the O-rings as it had ATF in it.