What did you do to your Volvo today? Topic is solved

[bmdubya1198]

These guys and gals are out there, they seldom are on the Internet. I just drove by the guy who used to do all of our VW Beetle generators in the 1960s , in Niagara Falls. His grandson does it now!

Glad the grandson is carrying on this craft! We need skilled people who rebuild things, too many cheap operations going on now. For example, every cheap reman part at the auto parts stores.

[scot850]

Agreed. All we can do is to root them out and use them so they stay in business and hopefully can take on an apprentice.

Neil.

[454cid]

Next I did as Abscate recommended and went to find an alternator/starter rebuilder with any skills. Found one about 10 minutes from where I live. Love these small one man businesses...

I need to contact the local-ish shop that I know of. Its in a smaller town, that I drive through on my commute to work. I have the original starter from my truck (the 454) that I'd like to get rebuilt. I also have an alternator to rebuild from my 69 Buick, but I think I might do that myself.

[scot850]

I had thought about rebuilding the alternator myself. But it would have ended badly as I had assumed it was a Bosch alternator and not a Bosh reman of a Denso unit. Also, it wasn't just a case of a tired unit needing rebuilt. The car has about 150,000 miles on it with a rebuilt alternator. So I am assuming the unit can't have done a big mileage. So something has possibly gone wrong with the unit and that is way out of my pay grade. I have no qualms of taking an alternator apart, cleaning, replacing bearings and the likes, but these are a bit more complicated. They have the section at the back is soldered in on 3 different double pins which will need serious de-soldering kit. I will pay for the knowledge learning in this case and then I would tackle one again in the future. A P80/P2 alternator does not worry me, but again, it is easier if it is not faulty.

Back home today I finally took the covers of the 'princess' and pushed her into the new garage for room to swap the RH storage rims/tires over for the summers. A quick check of all the fluids (done before storage last winter), removed the fuel pump relay and got my son to crank the car a few times. Strangely, even after a few spins the oil light had not gone out. Put the fuse back in and the car started immediately and ran smoothly. The 'boss' who is the main driver now (and the reason it has not been sold) will have to take it for a few runs and when my mechanic buddy returns from vacation, we can swap the timing belt over and I might also do the coolant. The car has only done maybe 10,000 miles since 2012, and had a new radiator maybe 6 years ago (and maybe 3,000 miles ago) but it could do with a coolant swap. The brakes were bled about 3 years ago, but maybe worth doing the fluid flush in the fall before winter.

Oil has done about 300 miles on synthetic so it can also stay until the winter layup and replaced then.

With the timing belt, I plan to just swap the belt as the water pump, tensioner and idler have done maybe 10k miles in 10 years. I have a new Volvo belt ready to go on.

2000 V70R AWD

Neil.

[abscate]

In ozone free Calgary I would inspect the belt and timing gear and run them with 10 k miles. They fail on miles , not time, if you keep them free from oil. My T5 went 14 years 150k on its OE parts,100k 9 years on its second, and almost one month on the third INA roller…

[RedBrickCollector]

Glad the grandson is carrying on this craft! We need skilled people who rebuild things, too many cheap operations going on now. For example, every cheap reman part at the auto parts stores.

There's a place local to me well known among car communities. I wonder if it's because ordering parts is more difficult, but it's still common enough here. I worry that the owners are getting old but at least the guys doing the work have managed to train up a next generation. Been about 4 different alternators I've brought them over maybe 10 years but they somehow still remember me. They're busy enough that I've never been there alone and there's a good number of alternators, starters, etc in the claiming section.

[RedBrickCollector]

While getting to know the fuel system for our cars more, I started looking into what's so special about our fuel pump relay that makes it a special part and not just a standard relay. Is it just a timer circuit for priming on startup? or is there more to it?

Mostly I'm wondering because I see there are upgrade/replacement kits out there.

[RedBrickCollector]

I'd like to thank the other guys for bumping the 10 page fuel pump relay discussion haha

[jsrnsis]

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Neil.

What a nice looking car.


Here's my unfriendly reminder to everyone to wash their car.

[BlackBart]

I had thought about rebuilding the alternator myself. But it would have ended badly …

PXL_20240607_211950321.jpg

Neil.

That is a tidy organized garage Neil.

We have a good auto electric shop here. Old school. But I took an alternator and an old generator in to have rebuilt, and they couldn’t do it. They do a lot of Bosch, but they looked up the numbers and they couldn’t get the kits. Their work is primarily semi’s and big work trucks. So no luck.