1987 245 Daily Driver Project Topic is solved

[WGFP]

I do not remember ever seeing a sensor in that location. Perhaps it is a coolant LEVEL sensor.
volvolugnut

I was a bit mystified. I was thinking the same thing... could it be a coolant level or maybe a pressure sensor? Looking at some diagrams and photos on the web, the normal configuration is a plug in that port, and I couldn't find any photos with the sensor.

But, mystery solved. It's a temperature sensor for an electric fan switch sensor. I don't think used on 240s, but 700/900 models did. There was collision repair in 1999 including the radiator. My bet is the shop sourced one off a later series.

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/7261/Ra ... 894-112973



BTW, the coolant was very clean. I was expecting some floating rust but nothing visible.

[volvolugnut]

Now you can install an electric fan and remove the power sucking water pump fan?
volvolugnut

[WGFP]

I had a little time today while the boy was out hiking and figured I would piddle around a bit. I started by wild goose chase looking for that cam cover stud. I found two local shops whose websites said they were open on Saturday mornings and since my calls went to voicemails that said they were probably busy in the shop, I took the drive into town, and... closed. Oh well, I got a couple other in-town projects done instead.

I got home around lunchtime and started cleaning up the car a bit - hitting the trim with dressing. While I was cleaning, I figured I'd clean up the engine bay a bit (not full-up detailing, but just getting rid of some of the grime). As I went, I kept a roll of electrical tape handy and shored up wiring insulation as I found opportunities. I found a very corroded set of wires going into the A/C drier, but I'll leave that alone till we bring it into an A/C tech. I swapped out the bulb on the under-hood light, but no dice. The old bulb looked good also. Lots of corrosion around the mercury switch, so I pulled out the multimeter to start hunting for gremlins, and figured I'd start with the fuse box. I found a few of the fuses running some resistance so I just went and replaced all of them, brushing the holders and applying Penatrox as I went. The IPD kit had brass/copper for blue 25A fuses and aluminum for everything else. Never got back to check if we are getting voltage to that hood light... oh well, another project for another day.

There is a single wire wrapped, not soldered or clipped, to the top fuse. I suspect it goes to the aftermarket radio. That can be another day's project also.

And I apologize - no idea why these pics are posting sideways. Yet another project for another day.

[WGFP]

I dropped by our local indy shop and he pulled two off a head he had in storage. That let us get that replaced this morning before the boy had to leave for work.

With the cam cover off, we took a reference photo for the rust issue. It looks as if it is slowly resolving. We'll change the oil soon (1k since last), see what has stuck to the plug, and do an autopsy on the filter. The 100% idea, I know, is to pull the head, disassemble, clean it out properly, and while we're at it, do a full overhaul. I don't see any evidence on the prior records that the head gasket has ever been replaced, and the motor at our best guess is approaching 200k.

My 142E had a bit of blowby and needed a full overhaul around 200k, but that was running at a much higher compression and during the time that motor oil and filters weren't as high quality, lead was being taken out of fuel, and I don't think octane improvements had kept up, at least in fuel available at the neighborhood station. Oh, and I drove like an idiot. I'd think a gently driven 245 with modern oils and fuels would have longer overhaul intervals.

But I don't think that's required just now. Again, the oil change autopsies will give us a better clue on this. We may do a Blackstone labs test at the next change.

[WGFP]

After sickness and a trip that took up most of the month, we are back up. We had just a short time today to hit the garage, so I helped my son chip away at the list for an hour. New plugs, wires, cap and rotor. We also replaced a nut and washer on the U-clamp that holds the exhaust to the bottom of the engine block. The car is running well as a daily driver but we have some projects to do to make it truly road trip worthy.

[volvolugnut]

I did not see it on work list, but you may want to check the valve adjustment. It used shims.

volvolugnut

[WGFP]

Well, it's been a long time since an update. We've done a few things that I'll update later, but the big project came from an excess of generosity and perhaps a deficit of caution (and of course, 36 years of wear and tear). Son's friend wanted to practice driving a manual transmission, so he obliged, and when friend found the best way to keep from lurching was riding the clutch in high gear at low speeds, son didn't intervene assertively until he smelled clutch.

We knew it was probably time to swap the clutch out anyhow - it had been replaced at 71k, and our best guess is that is about 130k ago. But to gain a bit of time, we tried adjusting the clutch cable back to spec. That helped a little, but not enough, and we were still seeing a good bit of slip. So, on to parts ordering.

IPD had the clutch kit on a 45-day backorder, so we ordered that through another company. We ordered the rest of the parts from IPD, following their recommendations for what other things we ought to add to a clutch kit - we've never been wrong doing so. This included:

• Pressure plate mounting bolts (6)
  clutch fork and boot
  throw bearing
  pivot boss and spring
  clutch return spring
  pilot bearing
  driveline center bearing
  driveshaft center bearing support, spring, and cup
  slip joint boot
  Gaskets and rear crankshaft seal

We dropped the transmission today and got to work. The shift lever pin popped out easily. We'd read that could be a real bear. The hardest part was getting to the top bolt securing the transmission to the motor. To get to that, we had to drop the shift lever support. The plug and insulation around the wires to the backup lights came apart like putty when we pulled them from the transmission.

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The driveshaft center bearing was still more than serviceable, but the rubber mount/support was in really bad shape. Good time to replace that before it gave out, and since we're already there there's no reason not to replace the bearing and flex joint boot.

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The next trick was getting the transmission to back out and drop. The transmission jack we were using was too wide and was getting hung up on the exhaust. So we dropped it off the aft hangers and that gave us enough room to work the transmission aft and down.

While my son and our friend worked on removing the clutch and pressure plate (which required a torch and stud puller - thanks IPD for the recommendation to buy bolts!), I got my first hint that something was wrong. The throw bearing that came with the clutch kit was the same height but a different design. While I was trying to noodle that out, the clutch got pulled and we saw that we were not pulling it too early. Fortunately, it was still shy of the rivets and hadn't damaged the flywheel.

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As I went back to working on the clutch fork and throw bearing, I hear some frustration from my son about the clutch pilot tool not fitting the clutch. I wish the problem had been that IPD had sent the wrong tool. Unfortunately, I had ordered/received the wrong clutch (one for a B18/B20), which has coarse splines vs fine (22 tooth).

Fortunately, our friend doesn't need his lift this week, so we just lowered the car to wait for the new clutch kit to show up tomorrow. I'm working out whether I should ship the old one back (at a loss of shipping and 10% restock fee) or pursue the long shot of anyone local needing a clutch for a pre-80s Volvo.