My new 740!

[Laird Scooby]

There's nothing like being thorough and that is absolutely nothing like being thorough! That's more like being exceptionally thorough!

Seriously you've done an amazing job on those bits so far, nice welding (or should that be wedding? ) too!

Amazing how well the seats have come up too, beige really does show the dirt for some reason.

[swedish brick]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

There's nothing like being thorough and that is absolutely nothing like being thorough! That's more like being exceptionally thorough!

Seriously you've done an amazing job on those bits so far, nice welding (or should that be wedding? ) too!

Amazing how well the seats have come up too, beige really does show the dirt for some reason.

Yes, stupid iPad predictive text thing choosing my words for me!

It's nice to know it's done and done right, it's a shame though that nobody will ever know as it's all hidden by the interior and under the car. Still, at least I know...

The beige is a lovely colour, when clean. Trouble is that it picks up dirt very easy. Even when I was putting everything back together I had to keep washing my hands now and again because I was leaving dirty marks and finger prints on it all!


The frustrating thing is that the cause of all the rust was a simple leak. I fixed it in less than 5 mins with some seam sealer I already had. If it hadn't been ignored by the last owner it wouldn't have ever gotten that bad.
The Volvo plastic floor trays don't help things either as they stop the carpets from drying out and hide the wet.
It's pristine still on the drivers side of the car. The water got in through the passenger footwell vent and just filled up the floor pans, the transmission tunnel acted like a dam to stop the water getting to the other side but it just ate its way through the floors instead. The underlay material acts like a big sponge too which doesn't help matters.
The moral to this is that if you find your car is leaking - find it and fix it!

[stephend]

Nice job on the welding, swedish brick. I've got the same job in prospect on mine: patched by the garage for the last MoT, but I want to try and do it properly at some point in the not-too-distant future.

[swedish brick]

Today was the Volvo's MOT, first one for a few years.

It did fail, as one of the rear indicator bulbs blew on the way to the test centre (typically!) but aside from that it's fine, so with a new bulb the car is now MOT'd for the first time since mid 2015.


Here it is outside the test centre looking fabulous! It was easily the oldest car there.


And the certificate for proof!
A few advisories to look into but overall a good result.

I drove home the long way, still got no tax so had to be a bit careful!
It drives perfectly, it's miles better than my old saloon but it has done half the mileage of that car so it still feels tight and strong. It doesn't have any rattles, creaks or groans either, it really does feel like a very well sorted car now.

While it was in for the MOT I got them to drain the auto box atf and fit my new ZF box oil filter and gasket along with new atf. It needed doing as the old oil was awfull, which the mechanic confirmed afterwards! It changes gears much better now and puts my mind at ease too as I like my autos having the oil done regularly. It's an easy enough job I could have done at home but this saved me laying under the car with oil dripping all over me on the drive.

I'm going to leave it now until Saturday (April 1st) before taxing it as I'll end up paying from March 1st if I do it now and I'm not paying for that!
Once it's taxed I'll start putting some miles on it, the old manky petrol needs using up anyway, hopefully it'll be fine now.
I'm just really pleased it's now back on the road where it should be.

[stephend]

Congratulations! Always good to see a brick fit to roll for another year.

[Laird Scooby]

Congratulations! Nice to see the obligatory oil leak as part of the advisory section!

Before you start putting the miles on it, you'll obviously need some petrol. To help get rid of the stale stuff and any condensation that has formed in the tank, pour a litre of meths in just before you put the fresh petrol in. When i say just before, when you're stood at the pump literally just before you grab the pump.

It does work and in this quantity/concentration won't do any harm just "mix" with any condensation and stale petrol and allow it to burn. The proper word is "miscible" - i'm not a chemist though so can't explain the in's and out's but it works very well.

As for changing the ATF yourself, these work well with no mess :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-60W-El...wAAOSwdGFYr9up

Getting the back end of the car higher than the front ensures you get all the gunge , shove the tube down the dipstick hole, switch on and catch the old ATF in a bucket or similar.
Half hour ish later switch off, replenish with however much came out using new ATF - job done!

[swedish brick]

Thanks guys!

It's great to have it now useable and not just sat on the drive requiring work.


I'll give that meths trick a go, sounds like it'll be worthwhile. The old fuel smells a bit 'off', understandable as it's been sat in the tank for a couple of years.
I've had a car before where it had really gone bad and turned into a varnish like substance! Trying to clean it out of the carburettor was a right pain. I don't think this is quite that bad though!
It's running ok on it though, it's a bit hesitant and rough at times but with fresh fuel and a good blow out it'll get better I'm sure.

[Joe of Loath]

Originally Posted by swedish brick

I've had a car before where it had really gone bad and turned into a varnish like substance! Trying to clean it out of the carburettor was a right pain. I don't think this is quite that bad though!

Sounds like my dad's petrol garden equipment every Spring...

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Joe of Loath

Sounds like my dad's petrol garden equipment every Spring...

The trick with that is to run them out of petrol while the engines are hot at the end of the previous season.
That way there's no residual petrol to go snotty or turn to lacquer inside the carbs.
If by some small chance it does happen, carb cleaner is your best friend!

[Joe of Loath]

Yeah, I tell him that every year when he's struggling to get the strimmer started.