Amazon: New (to me) 1963 Volvo 122

[142 Guy]

I was going to respond to your reverse light question; but, packers1712 mostly beat me to the punch. His picture shows the location on the M41 for what seems to be the more common miserable excuse for a switch. There is a pressed steel box mounted on the top back of the transmission with the switch (actually a tiny metal spring) located in the side of the box. When reverse is selected the reverse selector rod pokes out the back of the transmission case and bashes into the spring creating a ground connection.

However, there is another option which uses a switch mounted on the top cover. I can't remember which specific versions use the top mounted switch. If your transmission lacks the little metal can and the hole in the back of the transmission case then it may be set up for a top mount switch.

With respect to the can on the back of the transmission version, from personal experience, I have found it easier to remove the little metal cover from the back of the transmission to replace the switch rather than to try and replace the switch with the cover still on the transmission. On my M41, the cover is attached to the back of the transmission with two rather large philips head screws. I raise the car up high enough in front to allow me to slide directly under the transmission. When I am directly under the transmission I can barely see the switch; but, on my 142 I can easily reach my hands up around the back of the transmission to access the cover. A stubby philips screwdriver might work to remove the cover; but, I use a mini ratchet like this one

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...w.ds#store=263

Takes me about 5 minutes to remove the cover and replace the actual switch. A little longer to reinstall because your are threading the screws in blind.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by packers1712

Hi Alan,

I hope your inhibitor switch installation is progressing well, attached is a picture of where the reverse light switch is found on the M41 gearbox, strangely it is just a push in item and notoriously difficult to do with the gearbox installed but not impossible!

Doug.

Many thanks Doug,

That is really helpful. I'll have a look next time I'm under the motor car.

The inhibitor switch installation: see above - it has stalled (excuse the gearbox pun) for the time being. There isn't that much of a rush to sort it out as I'm the only driver.

Best wishes,

Alan

[packers1712]

142Guy’s explanation of how to change the switch needs absolutely no further instructions from me, that is exactly how I fixed mine and his terminology for the “ engineering solution “ our Swedish friends dealt us with this switch installation is perfect!🤪

Doug.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by 142 Guy

I was going to respond to your reverse light question; but, packers1712 mostly beat me to the punch. His picture shows the location on the M41 for what seems to be the more common miserable excuse for a switch. There is a pressed steel box mounted on the top back of the transmission with the switch (actually a tiny metal spring) located in the side of the box. When reverse is selected the reverse selector rod pokes out the back of the transmission case and bashes into the spring creating a ground connection.

However, there is another option which uses a switch mounted on the top cover. I can't remember which specific versions use the top mounted switch. If your transmission lacks the little metal can and the hole in the back of the transmission case then it may be set up for a top mount switch.

With respect to the can on the back of the transmission version, from personal experience, I have found it easier to remove the little metal cover from the back of the transmission to replace the switch rather than to try and replace the switch with the cover still on the transmission. On my M41, the cover is attached to the back of the transmission with two rather large philips head screws. I raise the car up high enough in front to allow me to slide directly under the transmission. When I am directly under the transmission I can barely see the switch; but, on my 142 I can easily reach my hands up around the back of the transmission to access the cover. A stubby philips screwdriver might work to remove the cover; but, I use a mini ratchet like this one

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...w.ds#store=263

Takes me about 5 minutes to remove the cover and replace the actual switch. A little longer to reinstall because your are threading the screws in blind.

Originally Posted by packers1712

142Guy’s explanation of how to change the switch needs absolutely no further instructions from me, that is exactly how I fixed mine and his terminology for the “ engineering solution “ our Swedish friends dealt us with this switch installation is perfect!🤪

Doug.

Thank you chaps, that is really helpful.

It is a bit too difficult to see what is going on at the back of my gearbox:



... I'm guessing the reversing switch lives above where the crossmember is fitted. I can't feel anything in that area so I'm not sure whether a switch has been fitted or not.

I think I'm going to have to drop the gearbox off to sort out the OD inhibitor switch anyway, so that would be a good opportunity to fit a reversing light switch.

Alan

[simonvolvo]

Re thread size: I have no direct knowledge, but if you need any further corroboration, it is M16 according to these two threads on the Dutch forum.

https://www.volvokv.nl/forum/aandrij...-deksel#114036

https://www.volvokv.nl/forum/aandrij...efdraad#115859

[Othen]

Originally Posted by simonvolvo

Re thread size: I have no direct knowledge, but if you need any further corroboration, it is M16 according to these two threads on the Dutch forum.

https://www.volvokv.nl/forum/aandrij...-deksel#114036

https://www.volvokv.nl/forum/aandrij...efdraad#115859

I can’t read the Dutch, but thank you for that, I think we may conclude it is a M16x2 thread :-).

[dgbalfour]

Originally Posted by Othen

Thank you chaps, that is really helpful.

It is a bit too difficult to see what is going on at the back of my gearbox:



... I'm guessing the reversing switch lives above where the crossmember is fitted. I can't feel anything in that area so I'm not sure whether a switch has been fitted or not.

I think I'm going to have to drop the gearbox off to sort out the OD inhibitor switch anyway, so that would be a good opportunity to fit a reversing light switch.

Alan

Alas there is no reverse light switch fitted to GAM Alan. I can’t remember exactly what happened, but the switch disintegrated either during M40 removal or M41 installation.

The M41 now in the car came from what must have been an early P1800, as there wasn’t a reverse light switch fitted to the gearbox when I got it. However I seem to remember fitting the M40 pressed steel cover to the M41 so you should have a hole ready to accept it.

As mentioned above by 142guy though, there is a ring cast in the underside of the gearbox top plate that is crying out to be drilled and tapped for a switch. If that top cover is coming off anyway, this is a better engineered solution than the OEM spring switch.

Really enjoying this thread.

David

[Othen]

Originally Posted by dgbalfour

Alas there is no reverse light switch fitted to GAM Alan. I can’t remember exactly what happened, but the switch disintegrated either during M40 removal or M41 installation.

The M41 now in the car came from what must have been an early P1800, as there wasn’t a reverse light switch fitted to the gearbox when I got it. However I seem to remember fitting the M40 pressed steel cover to the M41 so you should have a hole ready to accept it.

As mentioned above by 142guy though, there is a ring cast in the underside of the gearbox top plate that is crying out to be drilled and tapped for a switch. If that top cover is coming off anyway, this is a better engineered solution than the OEM spring switch.

Really enjoying this thread.

David

Thank you David, that comment is so useful - it will save me a huge amount of time and effort. I'd more of less concluded there was no reversing light switch fitted.

I've spent a good amount of time looking at the problem and concluded it wouldn't be possible to get the lid off the car for machining without removing the transmission: even if I got the 6 securing bolts undone from inside the tunnel I don't think the selector boss would allow the cover to come out of the motor car. That means taking the M41/Type D out - but that is hardly onerous (prop shaft, support bracket then a few bolts to the bell housing).

I'm slightly concerned that the 5/8" hole for the OD might not have enough meat left to tap out the M16x2, so I may end up with a helicoil solution there. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I've seen a photo of a second switch attached to the lid somewhere on the internet, and had rather assumed it was probably for the reversing lights, so that may be a good solution - just drill and tap it to M16x2 and fit a second OD switch for the lights.

What I may look at is acquiring a spare M41 top cover and machining both M16x2 threaded holes ready to swap over. That would be a clever solution, but I don't know whether the lid would be easily available.

The good thing is there is no particular rush - you drove the motor car as it is for a decade, and as I'm the only driver now the risk would be low if I carried on doing that for a while yet.

Many thanks again - that was really helpful.

Alan

[Othen]

Regular readers may recall I'd treated myself to a tyre changing machine and a static wheel balancer. A set of new 175/60R15 M&S tyres arrived the other day so as it was a miserable, wet day here I have fitted them today:



I decided upon the 175/60 tyres to be a little different from the 165 section boots I have now. They are a little shorter and fatter, but M&S for winter use. Being 7" tyres on 4" rims they were a little tricky to fit because the Volvo wheel wells are so narrow. The first beads went on easily enough on the changing machine, but I found the best technique was to use the bead breaker to hold the second bead into the well whilst I got it started, then lever it on with a tyre iron.

This is just so coolio:



... it takes just a few minutes to balance each wheel and tyre.

The tyres cost me £130/set delivered, similar ones from F1 would have been about £260 fitted; the tyre changer was £58 and the balancer £79 - so the new tools have almost paid for themselves already - I'm just £7 down, throw in a few valves and weights and I'm only a tenner in the red. The good bit is I can fit more tyres at minimal cost, like this set of 205/55R16 winter tyres I bought for only £110/set to replace the Skoda's winter boots:



Compared with buying fitted tyres this will save me around £170 - and take a day of my time (but I won't need to go to the gym!).

One thing I had not realised about the Amazon wheels bought is that they are from a later model, so the nice shiny hub caps I'd bought for GAM won't fit. Ho hum. I've bought a set of 9 1/2" Volvo hub caps (for a 140 I think) for only £11.90 which should be here by the end of the week. When they arrive I'll try the silver wheels on GAM and post some photos.

:-)

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

This is just so coolio:



... it takes just a few minutes to balance each wheel and tyre.

:-)

Alan

The wheel should be further down on the cone in the centre of the balancer Alan - that's why the upper ring has springs on it so the wheel/tyre can be pushed down to centralise it. It's possible to introduce an imbalance if the wheel isn't central - also did you check/adjust the bullseye before adding the wheel to ensure the bubble was central?