"twochevrons" (twochevrons)
11/08/2014 at 21:09 • Filed to: diy, parts, 850R
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"twochevrons" (twochevrons)
11/08/2014 at 21:09 • Filed to: diy, parts, 850R | 2
| 26 |
Don't you hate it when you end up getting stuck, with your car inoperative for a week while you wait for a replacement part to arrive? The solution: be a parts hoarder!
A lot of what I know about cars, I learned from my father – he's a mechanical engineer, a true petrolhead, and all-around great guy. One of the many lessons that I learned from him was to keep a parts stash – not every single possible thing, but a collection of those hard to find, but failure-prone, items that could easily leave you stranded while you wait for a replacement.
One occasion that sticks in my mind was in the Triumph 2500 that served as family transport for many years. A bearing failed in the distributor, chewing up the cap and rotor arm, and leaving us stranded on the highway. Nonchalantly, he dug into the spare wheel well, pulled out a replacement distributor, installed it, timed it 'by ear', and we were on our way. This may well be a somewhat extreme case, but since then, I have always kept a comprehensive toolkit, and a few spares, in every car I have owned.
When I bought my 850R, one of the first things that I did was find an accident-damaged junkyard car to make a parts stash from. It cost me all of $20 for a full set of engine sensors, relays, ignition components and the like. Today, that preparation paid off when a dead cam position sensor left me stranded. I didn't have the part with me, so I ended up getting towed home, but having a replacement right there, rather than having to wait for one to be delivered, was a lifesaver.
Keeping a few vital parts on hand is cheap insurance against unexpected breakdowns, and I wholeheartedly recommend it, especially for those of us that own older, more cantankerous cars. What kinds of things do you keep in your parts stash?
norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:13 |
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In my mind it's a few spare MGB's because you know, British reliability. In reality, since I no of car, nothing.
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:13 |
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My parts stash for my AW11 now contains three coils. I'm not quite sure how that happened.
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twochevrons
> norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
11/08/2014 at 21:21 |
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A whole parts car is definitely the way to go, if you have the space. I just make do with a box of the most important bits and pieces stuffed in to a corner of my garage, though.
Funnily enough, for all that everybody says about British reliability, that Triumph was the most reliable car that my family have ever owned: we had it for 22 years, put 200,000 miles on it, and my brother and I both learned to drive in it (and then proceeded to thrash it mercilessly), with only 3 breakdowns. Not bad for a '70s car.
I'm all about British cars (I have an MGA roadster, and as well as that Triumph, I used to own a Rover SD1). Don't let the whole 'unreliability' thing scare you – in particular, the MGA and B are so ludicrously simple that they're very easy to make reliable – there's almost nothing to go wrong. I really wouldn't rate them as any less reliable than any other car of the same era.
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twochevrons
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
11/08/2014 at 21:24 |
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Now that I think of it, the Triumph's parts stash included far more ignition leads than cylinders, too. I suspect that ignition components multiply when you're not looking. Regardless, when you do need them, the leads are always all the wrong length, or have weird fittings on the end.
Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:27 |
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Pics of the MGA plz!
TheMightyTexMex
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:28 |
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I just got my 850 T5 Wagon working! What parts do you recommend i should hoard from junkers? What should i watch out for?
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norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:29 |
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Oh I know they're simple. I like making jokes off them. I'd quite like to see pix of the MGA! I really want a MGB GT.
Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:36 |
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Ran into this today.....thought that someone would have rear leaf spring bushings for an XJ.....nope no one has them time to let my Jeep sit with the rear suspension all apart for a week while I wait for it to be shipped.
unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:36 |
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I had a spare e38 parts car with no transmission or driveshaft, I have all the sheetmetal, driveline and body parts are stored in a shed. I pretty much gutted the thing and but all the bolts are in a giant yogurt bucket. I still keep hording crap from junkyards for that car.
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twochevrons
> TheMightyTexMex
11/08/2014 at 21:49 |
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Awesome! Welcome to the boosted wagon club! I'd love to hear the story of yours – mine was a case of "getting it working," too. They're great cars, and capable of quite astonishing mileages when well-maintained. It's very easy to make the T5 go faster, too – T5 (225bhp) and the R (240bhp) are mechanically identical – the R's ECU just allows more boost.
As far as parts go, definitely grab a cam position sensor, crank position sensor, and fuel pump relay. They're expensive to buy new, and will leave you stranded if they fail. Aside from that, I scored a nearly-new distributor cap, rotor arm and leads. Grab a coil as well – turbocharged 850s are apparently very fussy about ignition components.
On the interior, grab all the power window switches and the transmission mode switch – they can be a bit trouble-prone, too. I got a set of power seat switches too, just for good measure. It also might pay to get a set of the plastic trim that goes around the load area, and along the seat back – it's fragile, and tends to rattle when it gets cracked. On that note, it took me a long time to figure out how to remove the plastic panel from the seat back – fold the seat down, remove the inner end cap (the one with the screws), then slide the panel towards the inside of the car.
If the black coating on the roof trim is peeling, replace the trim strips either with roof rails (like I did), or the trim strips from a first-generation V70 – they're a straight swap, and don't peel like the 850 ones do. The tail lights from first-generation V70s are also a straight swap, too, but you have to get both the bulb holders and the lenses – you can't mix and match.
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:52 |
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My basement is full of parts. Sometimes I wish I could throw it all out but I just can't bring myself to do it because I never know when I will need something.
Bycjoe
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 21:54 |
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Nice 850r!
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twochevrons
> Bycjoe
11/08/2014 at 21:57 |
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Thanks! It's a bit rough around the edges (note the front valance held together with tape), but it's still my pride and joy.
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twochevrons
> Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
11/08/2014 at 22:08 |
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It was a wedding present from my father-in-law. He had it when he was dating his now-wife, then stored it not long after he got married. 30 years down the track, he said I could have it if I could get it going. I want to restore it properly in the near future, but for now, it's still in as-found condition: missing the roof, side curtains, and a fair bit of trim, but it still runs and drives beautifully.
Here's a video of it from the first time I started it (after nothing but a brake rebuild and fluid change), as well as some photos:
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twochevrons
> norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
11/08/2014 at 22:13 |
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I posted some photos (and a vide0) in a reply to Sportwagen's post.
The BGT is gorgeous – I've always wanted one, too, but the MGA just happened to fall into my lap. They're an excellent 'starter classic' – they're relatively cheap, extremely DIY-friendly, with cheap parts and loads of support, fun to drive, and although they're nowhere near as fast as modern cars, they're still quite capable of keeping up with traffic.
I still wouldn't recommend any old car unless you're willing to get your hands dirty (or have the money to pay somebody else to), but if you're cool with that, classic car ownership is extremely rewarding, and you end up learning a huge amount.
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twochevrons
>
11/08/2014 at 22:18 |
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Oh, I totally get that. I have a hard enough time throwing away broken parts (what if I could rebuild it?), so I always end up with a vast excess of spares, even for cars that I no longer own. I'm the same way with repair manuals – I keep all of them, as mementoes of the cars that I have owned.
My grandfather, a retired mechanic who worked on aircraft in WW2, was like that to the extreme. Whenever such a situation arose, he'd go rummage in his shed for a while, and either produce the exact part that you were looking for, or cobble something together that would work in its place. It was amazing what he had in there.
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norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 22:18 |
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Nice! I quite like that Minnesota shirt!
I have no problem getting my hands dirty. I love working on cars. I feel like it'd be quite a good experience to have.
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twochevrons
> unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
11/08/2014 at 22:21 |
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It's the best way to have parts on hand. If I had the space, I'd definitely keep a couple of parts cars around.
There's something fun about stripping a car for parts, too – you get to see how it was all put together, without the concern of actually have to get everything back together again. When I'm working on the interior, I'll often go to the junkyard and practice on a car until I can be sure that I can do it without breaking anything.
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twochevrons
> Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
11/08/2014 at 22:23 |
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THE WORST.
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unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
> twochevrons
11/08/2014 at 22:35 |
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I learned on the parts car, at least most of it was held with bolts and clips. When prying with on plastic surfaces, put electrical tape on the flathead blade or knife when prying, it prevents damaging the plastic. They only thing I didn't need is the engine which is a m60 ob1. I have it sitting around and want to sell it to a good home.
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twochevrons
> norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
11/08/2014 at 23:29 |
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Thanks – I'm a computer science student at UMN. Never followed the sports stuff much, but the freebie T-shirts make great working-on-the-car clothes.
It takes a certain mindset, but at least for me, working on cars is quite a lot of fun. Sure, there's a lot of frustration involved, and things won't always go according to plan, but there's no better way to get to know your car. When I learned to drive, my father taught me about the mechanical side of things at the same time, with lots of practical lessons – rebuilding carburettors, brake jobs, oil changes, and a bunch more. It helped a huge amount in understanding what was actually going on behind the scenes, and I honestly think that it's made me a better driver. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
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Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
> twochevrons
11/09/2014 at 00:22 |
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NICE!!! Meanwhile...
"HAAAAALLLLLLPPPPPP PLZ! SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEE MEEEEEEEEE!"
Tohru
> twochevrons
11/09/2014 at 00:51 |
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When I had my Escort I had so many spare parts for it.
Spare parts kept in-car:
- Fuel injector
- Alternator
- Coil pack
- Plug wire set
- Serpentine belt
- Two compact spares
- PCV valve
- Dash cluster (non-tach)
Parts in garage:
- Side mirrors
- Taillights & reverse lights
- Left headlight
- Dash cluster (tach)
- Dash cluster (non-tach, missing speedo head)
- Front seats
- Power steering pump
- Power steering reservoir
- Shifter, automatic
- Coil pack
- Rear spoiler
- Window cranks (4x)
- Door handles
- Center console
- Starter
- Throttle body
- Upper intake
- Split-Port manifold
- Exhaust manifold
- Trunk-mount reflector assembly
- 2 full sets of hubcaps
Parts outside of garage:
- 14 spare wheels
- Windshield
It was sold, and all of that got dumped on the new buyer.
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TheMightyTexMex
> twochevrons
11/11/2014 at 02:35 |
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Holy crap thanks for all the great info! I found my brick on Craigslist and fell in live with it right away. It was running, but it wouldn't want to idle. I think it lived a rough previous life as a soccer mom stroller. Oil was forcing its way out the oil filler cap and the dipstick type, so got new gaskets for those and a new pcv valve. There was much more I wanted to work on myself, but I lack the experience, money, and time, so I let it sit for a while until I could get it to a mechanic that can help me being this old brick to its former glory! :)
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twochevrons
> TheMightyTexMex
11/11/2014 at 09:35 |
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I love the colour! What year is it? They're great cars, and although they don't take kindly to neglect, unless they have been really let go, it's easy to reverse the decline with some TLC. If you do want to gain a bit of DIY experience, they're a good start, too – they're reasonably easy to work on (so long as you have a set of Torx screwdrivers), and the online community is massively helpful – the forums on Matthew's Volvo Site , as well as Jim Peisker's excellent blog on Volvo 850 repairs are amazing resources, and the people are really nice, too. If you do end up taking it to a mechanic for most of the work, make sure that you find one that knows Volvos – they have a few oddities to them that will either cost you a lot of money, or cause problems down the line, or both, if your mechanic doesn't understand them.
My 850R was in a similar state when I got it – the previous owner had looked after it well in some respects, but really let it go in others. There's a bit of a story to my acquisition of it, which I wrote up here, a while ago (long story short, it died completely on the test drive, and I still bought it). It's had a few problems here and there, but on the whole, it's been practical, fun, and cheap transport, and after a decent snowfall yesterday, it turns out that on winter tires, it's amazingly good performer in snow and ice. I hope that you enjoy yours as much as I have mine, and I'm happy to answer whatever questions you have on yours. I've not had mine all that long (I bought it in June this year), but I've spent enough time messing about with it that I'd like to think that I have a decent understanding of them.
When you say that you replaced the PCV valve, do you mean the fitting that goes into the air intake just before the turbocharger? If you'll allow me to be absurdly pedantic, it's a heated orifice tube, rather than a valve. The PCV system on Volvo 5-cylinder is a weird one – there is also an oil trap, located under the inlet manifold, which is supposed to drain back into the oil pan. If the drain hole in the crankcase clogs up (and it often does, especially if non-synthetic oil is used on the turbo models), the oil trap will fill up, either blocking the system at that point, or causing the orifice tube to clog up again quickly, depending on how bad the clog is.
Removing the oil trap to clean the drain is a non-trivial task (you have to remove the intake manifold to get to it) and you will probably break the brittle plastic oil trap in the process, but the parts are cheap, and it's worth the effort. If the PCV system is still clogged and you've replaced the filler cap and dipstick gaskets, crankcase pressure will just find another way out. If you're lucky, it'll be the cam seals, which are fairly easy to replace (although if they fail, the leaks can damage the distributor and cam position sensor), but if you're unlucky (and this happened to mine under the previous owner), the rear main seal will be the exit of choice, and you can't fix that without dropping the transmission. The PCV system on mine was completely replaced not long after, but the seal damage was permanent, and it still leaks a bit of oil. It's not the end of the world, but it's good if you can avoid that happening.
The quick test for a clogged PCV system on the 850 is to warm it up, pull the dipstick, and put a balloon over the dipstick tube while revving the engine. If the PCV system is healthy, the balloon should stay deflated, or even be sucked onto the tube. A clogged PCV system will cause the balloon to inflate slightly. The only way to tell for sure is to measure the crankcase pressure with a manometer, and the balloon test won't pick up a partial clog, but it's a good way to quickly check whether it needs further attention.
Hiroku
> Tohru
12/01/2014 at 06:53 |
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I can barely afford the parts I need RIGHT NOW, let alone ones to stash :(
#broke
(Really digging up an old thread here, am I not?)
Edit. That was meant at OP, sorry!