Wrenchin... Adventures under the hood... Put em here.

[gravitylover]

Go get one of these

[MontuckyFried]

Go get one of these

Had one already. But you know what the BIGGEST game changer was? This cheap set of hose pliers!
https://www.harborfreight.com/3-piec...ers-37909.html

Picked up one of these too. Long reach hose clamp pliers.
https://www.harborfreight.com/long-r...ers-57784.html

Holy crap. These tools have made it SO easy to slide off hoses in tight spots that I've just been ripping all the old ones out and going to replace while I'm in there. Ends up many look original so it's definitely time.

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[gravitylover]

Don't ya just love when you spill about a quart of dirty old transmission fluid on the driveway Man, that old factory sealant with 160k on it was some nasty shit to get off the pan. I'm used to a plastic scraper being sufficient but this took some effort and a few minutes with scotch brite to clean it from the pan. I bet it'll work better with a new filter and some new fluid. I'll finish it tomorrow and find out.

[fatnslow]

Had one already. But you know what the BIGGEST game changer was? This cheap set of hose pliers!
https://www.harborfreight.com/3-piec...ers-37909.html

Picked up one of these too. Long reach hose clamp pliers.
https://www.harborfreight.com/long-r...ers-57784.html

Holy crap. These tools have made it SO easy to slide off hoses in tight spots that I've just been ripping all the old ones out and going to replace while I'm in there. Ends up many look original so it's definitely time.

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Do you have a set of wobbler extensions ?
Best Harbor Freight purchase about 15 years ago.

[AdironRider]

Brake job on my GX470 was a series of escalating frustration this past weekend. Haven't had the wheels off in well over three years and everything was a rust filled challenge. Started with a lost locking lug nut key and just got better from there.

Ended up only getting the rears done as the pins holding the brake pads into the front calipers are both rusted in solid and unremovable. Ordered the new calipers and brake fluid for the bleed. Luckily the fronts actually have maybe 10k of life left in them so can wait a week or three to get back under there.

[MontuckyFried]

Do you have a set of wobbler extensions ?
Best Harbor Freight purchase about 15 years ago.

I didn't but I do NOW thanks to your suggestion! Ran to HF this morning to pick up a cheap bench vise so snagged the wobble extensions while I was there. Can't believe I didn't have that. Will make removing my oil filter cap SO much easier. Thanks!

Brake job on my GX470 was a series of escalating frustration this past weekend. Haven't had the wheels off in well over three years and everything was a rust filled challenge. Started with a lost locking lug nut key and just got better from there.

Ended up only getting the rears done as the pins holding the brake pads into the front calipers are both rusted in solid and unremovable. Ordered the new calipers and brake fluid for the bleed. Luckily the fronts actually have maybe 10k of life left in them so can wait a week or three to get back under there.

Doh! Gotta love when what should be a fairly straightforward project ends up being a complete shitshow from beginning to end. After over a decade of marriage, I FINALLY learned the proper response when my wife asks how long this or that project is going to take. "I have no idea. However long as it takes." She didn't like it but she was a trooper holding down the fort while I wrenched all weekend.

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[MontuckyFried]

Got the head off mofos! Woo! Dropped it off at the machine shop the morning so hopefully the resurfacing needed will be within allowable tolerances. Was definitely warped but at least my block was totally fine.

Here's what I learned so far. Fasteners related to the previous timing belt job were a bitch to deal with thanks to massively over-torqued stripped screws and rounded off bolts. SUCKED pulling off my idler pulley in a crazy tight spot with a rounded bolt. Everything never touched before by hack mechanics was no trouble at all, and job wasn't too terrible. I seriously spent 90% of my time on effed up fasteners. I feel your pain, Adiron. Can't wait to get the report on whether not head is good enough to refurb. They said it should be ready within a week if it's good to go.

Gotta say. The good thing about me doing this job is that while I'm in there, I found a bunch of other things I need to replace while it's all torn apart. All cheap stuff so no big deal, BUT if a shop had it, I'd be getting that dreaded phone call about how it needs a crapton more stuff and now the job went from $3000 to $5000 worth of repairs. And I'd pretty much just have to take their word for it. Makes me feel better knowing the things are being properly torqued down and with new bolts and screws where needed. Man, I just don't trust shops any more since I don't have a good Swede shop here. Especially after encountering what I did with this one.

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[fatnslow]

Got the head off mofos! Woo! Dropped it off at the machine shop the morning so hopefully the resurfacing needed will be within allowable tolerances. Was definitely warped but at least my block was totally fine.

Here's what I learned so far. Fasteners related to the previous timing belt job were a bitch to deal with thanks to massively over-torqued stripped screws and rounded off bolts. SUCKED pulling off my idler pulley in a crazy tight spot with a rounded bolt. Everything never touched before by hack mechanics was no trouble at all, and job wasn't too terrible. I seriously spent 90% of my time on effed up fasteners. I feel your pain, Adiron. Can't wait to get the report on whether not head is good enough to refurb. They said it should be ready within a week if it's good to go.

Gotta say. The good thing about me doing this job is that while I'm in there, I found a bunch of other things I need to replace while it's all torn apart. All cheap stuff so no big deal, BUT if a shop had it, I'd be getting that dreaded phone call about how it needs a crapton more stuff and now the job went from $3000 to $5000 worth of repairs. And I'd pretty much just have to take their word for it. Makes me feel better knowing the things are being properly torqued down and with new bolts and screws where needed. Man, I just don't trust shops any more since I don't have a good Swede shop here. Especially after encountering what I did with this one.

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If you can get well versed on HG replacements after your two you might be able to have a nice side hustle flipping Volvo's that need HG. Lot of them end up at the junk yard when people see a $3-5K estimate.

[MontuckyFried]

If you can get well versed on HG replacements after your two you might be able to have a nice side hustle flipping Volvo's that need HG. Lot of them end up at the junk yard when people see a $3-5K estimate.

That would be awesome. My current game plan (depending on how well I do with this one and the S60) is keep buying/selling until I can work my way up to a V60 or 90! At least vehicles with the 2.5T.

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[gravitylover]

Well, other than making a mess, my first tranny service seems to have gone pretty well. No more shuddering in reverse and everything else is much smoother and feels like it should. I may have added a bit too much fluid, tough to get it right without knowing the fluid temp but I'll check it again in the morning so it's cold and see what's up. If I went over I'll suck some out the dipstick tube.

I need to find an underbody tray because I apparently don't have one. I didn't really think about it before but when I crawled under and was ready to remove it but it isn't there. Seeing as how there's absolutely no rust or corrosion anywhere I need to get one asap.

[AdironRider]

That would be awesome. My current game plan (depending on how well I do with this one and the S60) is keep buying/selling until I can work my way up to a V60 or 90! At least vehicles with the 2.5T.

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Just don't turn into one of my wrenching buddies who has ended up with about 16 different crapcans that he hasn't been able to flip instead of one decent car. Couple of them are even relatively interesting, AMG Merc wagon for one (to bad it has substantial rust and 220k miles so no one wants to touch it).

[iamTRuTH]

Helped install a new rear and a few other goodies for my old man’s current project.

[fatnslow]

Just don't turn into one of my wrenching buddies who has ended up with about 16 different crapcans that he hasn't been able to flip instead of one decent car. Couple of them are even relatively interesting, AMG Merc wagon for one (to bad it has substantial rust and 220k miles so no one wants to touch it).

Maybe angling for a reality show where the main character has an estranged roommate/wife but a yard full of "interesting" cars and sleeps in a different one every night out of necessity.

[MontuckyFried]

Just don't turn into one of my wrenching buddies who has ended up with about 16 different crapcans that he hasn't been able to flip instead of one decent car. Couple of them are even relatively interesting, AMG Merc wagon for one (to bad it has substantial rust and 220k miles so no one wants to touch it).

Haha. I'll sure try my best!

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[aanev]

New intake manifold and throttle body for M57 - took less than an hour to replace them.

The old intake was leaking from the swirl valves and the throttle body was throwing errors , because it was partially filled with oil.

Next: new Bilsteins are on the way.

[Self Jupiter]

Got it. I'm excited for our next installment.

Have you scoped the cylinders to see if this is all worth the trouble? I dunno if you got peanut butter in the chocolate with coolant and oil, or caught it in time?

Personally I’d see if could get the cylinders pressure tested as well— at least that was the move with similar jobs on early 2000s turbo Audis.

[MontuckyFried]

Got it. I'm excited for our next installment.

Have you scoped the cylinders to see if this is all worth the trouble? I dunno if you got peanut butter in the chocolate with coolant and oil, or caught it in time?

I did not scope them. Thankfully tho, the block and cylinder sleeves appear to be in perfect shape aside from all the schmutz from the blown head gasket. I must've caught things in time because although there was a bit of mixing going on with some chocolate milk looking oil, there was no peanut buttery sludge. Cams and everything looked fine. Cylinder heads at the machine shop right now for resurfacing and I actually just dropped by today to give them my intake manifold too for some much needed cleaning up. Can't wait to get going on Phase 2! Waiting on lots more parts I just ordered today to do other stuff while it's all so accessible. That's cool tho. Gives me time to clean up the block, swap all sorts of seals, hoses, and what not. This car better be good to go for a LONG time by the time I'm done with this project.

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[MontuckyFried]

Personally I’d see if could get the cylinder pressure tested as well— at least that was the move with similar jobs on early 2000s turbo Audis.

Didn't do that before hand, but machine shop will pressure test the head to make sure it's good. I might do a pressure test when it's all done, but then again not sure if I'd do anything about it if it runs fine as I am not about to pull it all apart again if I can help it. This whole job has been pretty extensive.

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[Self Jupiter]

Didn't do that before hand, but machine shop will pressure test the head to make sure it's good. I might do a pressure test when it's all done, but then again not sure if I'd do anything about it if it runs fine as I am not about to pull it all apart again if I can help it. This whole job has been pretty extensive.

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Fixed my post— I missed the s in cylinders. I recall having it done after blowing a head gasket in my ‘00 A4 only to find I had multiple cylinders running low pressure. But that was a known issue with that particular year of that engine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[El Chupacabra]

This car better be good to go for a LONG time by the time I'm done with this project.

How reliable are Volvo transmissions?

[MontuckyFried]

How reliable are Volvo transmissions?

Automatics not so good (although I have over 210K on mine and still shifts like new). The M66 manual transmission as in my C30 is pretty bomber from what I've heard. Being a manual, not too much should go wrong with them compared to your average AT. Generally speaking of course.

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[gravitylover]

The Aisin trannies that Volvo uses ought to be as good as the ones in Toyotas.

[aanev]

However, Volvo claims the transmission fluid is lifetime. The valve body solenoids start to fail after 150k miles. AFAIK Rostra sells upgraded solenoids.
Regular fluid change can help a lot but adaptation with VIDA is required as Volvo opted for software correction instead of fluid change.

[gravitylover]

Yeah the lifetime thing is such bullshit. Aisin usually has something like a 60k service intervals but, like so many car co's, Volvo calls it lifetime because their drivetrain warranty only goes to 60k.

[SB]

Had to replace the original battery in my 2011 4R yesterday, hated to turn it in almost. Panasonic makes darn good batteries.