Road Trip Preparation 98 XC

Post by **Ludermilch** » 05 May 2015, 05:25

The position of renting a car instead of repairing/improving my own car is lost in me. The least expensive option in my neighborhood is a silly KIA Rio @ $54 a day. Plus it's a compact car, not suited to the true road trip I will be taking. Risks aside, I am excited to take my wagon on such a trip.

Post by **850 LPT** » 05 May 2015, 05:48

You did all the big stuff it seems, just go and enjoy the trip. Take some photos when you see neat sites and post them in the "road trip" section

Post by **rspi** » 05 May 2015, 05:53

Road trip section? Wow, I've been using this site for years and did not know it had a road trip forum.

mika · Post by **mika** » 05 May 2015, 07:42

Sounds like you have prepped all you can. What else...Check tire pressure in spare? Make sure lug wrench is a usable one? (those L shaped ones are horrible).

I don't know if I would be driving around a spare fuel pump. These days, even with shipping, you can get anything delivered pretty much anywhere you break down. Extra weight adds up quick on a trip! I would personally remove the rear seats for weight reduction, and then pack heavier stuff low and middle of the car.

Post by **cn90** » 05 May 2015, 08:48

Let's see what can get you stranded and see if you can avoid it...

1. The 2 turbo coolant hoses. Glad you are replacing them.
I wrote the tricks in forum. Use Volvo OEM only. Do not use URO brand!

2. Go to local junk yard and pull: Cam sensor, Crank sensor and Ignition coil (this rarely goes bad, make sure you get the power stage too, part of ignition coil), and throw them in the trunk as spare.

3. Open the driver's side kick panel and inspect the heater core for any surprise.

4. Coolant Reservoir usually cracks at 120K. Best is to get new one: use Volvo OEM reservoir only.
The heater hoses that go from firewall to engine: after 150K miles, it is a guess. I wrote a DIY using generic Gates heater hose in forum.

5. Tstat: I use Wahler.

6. Bougicord $55.

7. Cap/rotor: Bosch only.

8. Spark plugs: I use NGK Iridium plug.

9. I assume the timing belt, rollers, WP are up-to-date.

10. Fuel pump: google Bosch 69693.

Have a good trip...

Post by **Ludermilch** » 13 May 2015, 20:16

After a visit to the pick-n-pull today, I walked away with the last of the emergency parts I needed. I also grabbed both front hard brake lines, a "Turbo" labeled air box cover from an 850, and an ECU to do some tuning with.

Post by **j-dawg** » 13 May 2015, 20:29

Heater core hoses? Only thing that's failed on me (so far!) while driving.

Actually, before that, check your ball joints, control arm bushings, outer tie rods, tie rod boots, sway bar endlinks, and CV joint boots are also worth checking out. You can inspect them all in two minutes per side, and none of them is particularly hard to replace besides maybe the CV boots.

Get an alignment whether or not those parts need replacement.

Post by **Ludermilch** » 13 May 2015, 21:27

They appear fine (heater hoses). Are there symptoms common with failure? Alignment is upcoming after I replace the driver control arm, passenger sway link.

Post by **j-dawg** » 13 May 2015, 22:22

Nothing specific, no. I guess you might see bulging or other signs of weakness, but they're just hoses.

Given that replacing those heater hoses often results in a dribble at the firewall fitting, it's probably best not to mess with it unless you think the hoses look like they're in bad shape. Maybe carry some 5/8" ID hose and a few extra clamps just in case. You can replace the hoses (and bypass the heater core) pretty easily by the side of the road if a hose bursts. (Mine were probably fine at ~245k; I replaced 'em because my heater core went and I figured I might as well do the hoses too.)