Amazon: "I told you so"

[twinbeech]

When I bought my first and only Amazon 6 mths ago as my daily driver (70 miles/day), everyone at work said I was mad, and that it would not be reliable. I was needless-to-say keen to prove them wrong, and although it is my first old car, and I have no mechanical knowledge, I was pretty sure I'd be right and they'd be wrong.

The problem is, I think the tables have turned irrevocably. Despite the numerous niggles with the car, the worst of which is the water pouring in from the windscreen, the overdrive has now as good as exploded...I think. It does not engage at all, and when you select it in fourth, the sound I can only describe as being like a fan contained within a steel drum with a million loose nuts and bolts being thrown in for good measure.

My question is, in my very limited knowledge,

Am I right that this is terminal?
What is the likely remedy?
What is the likely cost of the remedy?

I am currently carless as I can't drive without OD at a maximum of 40-45mph all the way to work and back, so at the moment, my colleagues are right and the looks I'm getting at work say it all.

[edworcs]

I've not driven an Amazon with an overdrive so I can't say what might be broken. However, if it is the overdrive then this company may be able to help:

http://www.odspares.com/

I have a gearbox and overdrive on my spares shelves that I plan on fitting at some point. Overdrive Spares quoted around £250 to refurbish the overdrive and had a reasonable turn around time (days/weeks rather than weeks/months). Getting it out of the car will add time/costs.

Hopefully someone else with a little more experience will have some advice!

[austingipsy]

You didn't reverse with the overdrive engaged did you? Never ever do that or there is a good chance something horrible will happen . If it's a retro fit overdrive maybe there is no inhibitor switch so you can get overdrive in any gear (like mine) Dangerous if you ever leave in the hands of a garage without detailed instructions.

[Moosejaw]

Oh dear, you certainly have my sympathies, especially where the leaky screen is concerned. Mine's the same and putting mastic stuff all round it really hasn't helped at all. I've resigned myself to getting it fixed though, even if it means the expense of taking the screen out and doing whatever welding is required, because if I don't, it'll end up killing what is still quite a decent example of Volvo's finest!

I don't know about the O/D, but I'm surprised when you say you feel limited to 40-45mph without it. Mine doesn't have an O/D and it easily cruises at 70mph with just under 4,000rpm on the rev counter and can be wound up to 90mph before my limited mechanical sympathy kicks in!
Maybe mine has a higher gear ratio or final drive than yours, but from what I've heard any Amazon, even an old 1,600cc one, should be happy enough at 60mph.

[jakobandhismakarov]

Hmm.

O \ D buggered - NFTW.

If you're saying it's getting breathless at 45 mph, that points to an engine somewhat out of tune.

I would have the timing checked at TDC and BTDC against a manual, with a strobe, and make sure your carb (or carbs, can't remember what spec your car is) is in tune and hasn't gone for the dogs.

Even an non OD Amazon should be able to do more that what you're suggesting. My car is one off the bottom rung of the Amazon ladder - a 121 with no OD and has the back axle ratio to suit, and although it screams its nuts off over 70 its happy to sit at that speed. In fact, a GPS \ Vbox verified 68 mph seems to be where it cruises happiest (no idea why).

It might be that, with the OD effectively fubared, you're trying to pull a much lower final drive ratio in top which is why you feel you have no power.

Get the overdrive looked at as soon as you can afford to. The above company sound good and I know Amazon Cars do a recon exchange service. I would imagine that your OD is a Type D as opposed to a Type J - although I am more than willing to be corrected on that one!

[loon]

i have a 122s with factory fitted O/D it seems that it was build for exceloration not speed and when the relay went doolally earlyer this year it was screeming at me not to go over 60mph
which was a right pain as i was folowing a friend driving a supercharged zetec powered HA Viva

are you sure it is the o/d and not the gearbox if it is the g/box it is quite easy to change and to convert a m40 o/d box from a p1800 to fit buy changing the gear salector and the prop flange if you cant find a amazon g/box

LN

[twinbeech]

The gearbox works fine and nice and quietly in all 4 gears, so that has to be fine...? But in 4th, when I select O/D and lift the clutch, the sound is awful! A really loud crunching sound. Not sure about the relay, the car has ALWAYS seemed unwilling to go much beyond 60, but perhaps I need to be heavier with the right foot? It has had compression and timing checked just recently. In terms of the relay, is there a way to check if it is operating properly?

I've dropped an email to odspares, thanks edworcs, the O/D gaskets need changing as they leak, and I need that done anyway, so maybe I could get it all done together...but my funds are down to a few pounds at the moment...and then there's Christmas coming up...Aaaaaahhhhh

[loon]

your relay is probably ok but the o/d does seem to be broken
the reason the o/d is slow to inguage is because the oil level is low or the filter is getting blocked

LN

[222s]

Factory fitment o/d cars did indeed have lower diffs - IIRC the same one as the estates (4.55:1?). With that diff, 4th gear can be pushed to at least 80mph, but I wouldn't want to cruise at that speed since the engine is turning at 5000rpm. Without the o/d, imho you should be able to cruise comfortably at about 65 / 70mph. However I suspect that at that speed, the wind and tyre noise etc won't be drowning out the engine noise as much as it would for the same rpm when in o/d.

BTW, all o/d boxes are M41 - the M40 is the the non-o/d type. Differences are the position of the oil filler (lower on the M40) and the M40's output shaft is shorter. A P1800 box can be converted to Amazon fitment, as Loon says, simply by swapping the lids over to fit the Amazon's gearchange setup.

[Derek UK]

It certainly sounds as if the OD is out to lunch. I hope it isn't damaged so badly that OD spares, or whoever you go to, won't accept it as a core for standard overhaul. Even running the car without using it, still means the drive goes through the centre. Your description maybe a bit over the top but if there are any loose bits moving about in there you could have the whole thing sieze up. No fun there. I don't think it would be considered a defeat if you bought a something small and cheap to use for a few months over the worst of the winter while you get both the OD and leaky screen done. Lots of good usable cars were being scrapped recently when the price of steel was high but it's dropped a lot now so ask around. £200 or less, with 6 months tax and MOT and you're off. If you know a friendly MOT man he'll likely be able to tell you about something that just needs a small lite fix, as they say in Sweden.