The 20 year refresh on a P3 LR2 3.2 Topic is solved

[pgill]

MVS Readers,

This will be a short refresh and most of the content will apply to any P3 chassis.

My P3 chassis LR2 was manufactured in MAY 2007 which means that it has entered its 20 year on this planet.

My daughter has the LR2 most days but I got it for a few weeks to do the refresh.

All I had to do was let her borrow my 8 year old MERCEDES CABRIOLET.

Here is the as received condition

The first step is to clean up the vehicle so that I can see what I am working with.


Here is the post cleaning picture

I have a long list of things that I want to do watch this thread for more information

Thanks

Paul

[scot850]

For a 20 year old LR2, that is in amazing condition. The fact it is still running is a testament to care, as no Land Rover is expected to be running that old other then the old Series 2/3.

At least you have a good base to work on, so I wish you good luck on the renos!

Neil.

[pgill]

Scott,

The picture is the best angle.

I will likely do some paint work but that information will be in a future post

CREDIT to the VOLVO 3.2 for the longevity.

The LR2 is basically a S80 3.2 AWD under the bodywork.

I will post more as I move forward with the refresh.

Thanks

Paul

[pgill]

MVS Readers,

I checked the air conditioning today.

Top tip: if you are buying a P3 measure the AC vent temperature to confirm that the AC compressor is working properly.


For reference on my former S80 (my niece has it now) the vent temperature is very close to what I measured today.

Here is the link to what I measured on the S80


viewtopic.php?t=87687&start=110


Fun fact: Land Rover decided to use a single cooling fan for the radiator but the S80 dual fan is a drop in replacement. And I upgraded to it a while back.

Volvo upgrade #1 - dual cooling fan for a S80 fits perfectly

Take care

Paul

[abscate]

Almost a 50F delta drop ! Awesome !

[Clemens]

So about 50 degree is good for a modern AC? I remember that a 78 Ford I was in you could barely hold your hand in front of the AC vent because the exit temperature was around 35 F.

[pgill]

The AC refrigerant level is set so that you get excellent cooling without the risk of building up ICE.

If the amount of refrigerant in the system is too low then the pressure on the low side will drop and you can get a lower temperature. But you take on the risk that the evaporator will become a block of ICE and then the cooling won’t get to you.

Hopefully this makes sense.

Or if you prefer the simple explanation then: it’s a refrigerator not a freezer.

Thanks for the input

Take care

Paul

[pgill]

MVS readers,

I removed the air filter housing today to check for oil leaks at the Vacuum pump.

No leaks……one less thing to fix

Here is the close up of the vacuum pump

The engine is weeping oil out of its seals but it is not leaking.

Take care

Paul

PS even though the belt looks like it’s new I will replace it and the tensioner and the overdrive pulley because the overdrive pulley is seized solid. But that will be in a future post.

EDIT here is the old vs new air filter
Note the Volvo filter has a foam pad attached to the paper which makes the comparison slightly harder. If you do this test with your new Volvo filter you will get less light because of the foam.

[pgill]

Getting ready to change the Spark Plugs

Here is what I do now that I have owned more than one 3.2

1. Carefully disconnect the connection at the coil and then mark the connector on the side that is visible when reinstalling.

2. Also disconnect the capacitor and the variable valve lift solenoids

3. I don’t disconnect the two ground wires because the wiring can be moved out of the way without disconnecting (but I do inspect the ground wires)

Take care

Paul

PS Here is a bonus picture for something that I found.

[pgill]

I replaced the spark plugs today

From FCP EURO

“ This is a set of 6 OE Denso IKH20TT spark plugs made in the same factory as Genuine Volvo 31286359”

I did use 4 genuine VOLVO plugs and two IKH20TT plugs because that is what I had on the shelf

31286359 is the part number from Volvo later in the life of the 3.2. this is the Denso Iridium TT spark plug. I recommend getting the part directly from Volvo if the price is close to what the Denso plugs cost. The reason being that there are a lot of fake parts for sale.

I like to apply dielectric grease to the insulation as shown

Here are the old plugs and they look very consistent

After removing the coil and spark plug from cylinder number one you should take a look down the tube. As you can see from this picture the tube is extremely clean and it shows no signs of oil leaking.

One other thing to notice in the picture is FoMoCo on the aluminum casting. It a Volvo design Engine installed in a Land Rover but the engine was built in a FORD factory over in the UK

Some links with more information about spark plugs
https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic35121 ... ht=Ikh20tt

viewtopic.php?t=101753