What did you do to your x40 today???

[bimmer49]

Well folks, that was an interesting day:

Off to ITV (MOT), drove it like i stole it (hot up the CAT), booked in for test.....then sat for 45 mins for some reason. Kept engine running at 1500 rpm.
Firing on LPG, gas test first. 2500rpm 0.04% and at idle 0.25%, lambda rate 1.010, that means a PASS! Yay! TF4T!
Coming back from test, braked to come off the motorway...NO BRAKES! Pedal to the floor!
Pulled in using the handbrake, front left brake hose split! Kinnel!
Only 15km to get home, a bit of 2000ft mountain to negociate! We manages it, judicious use of gears and handbrake. Luckilly I had saved a rear brake hose as a useful spare and made it fit the front!
ITV ran out 19th of March and I got to March 19th 2021. Oh well!

[clarkey1984]

That's 2 of the 4 wheels painted, I had untold amounts of trouble with these, firstly discovering that they'd been sand blasted previously, then having to use a lot of 2 part primer to fill all the indentations, this turned out to be very tough to sand back, then using supposed quality simoniz aerosol white gloss, 3 coats in just looked like chalky whitewash with no shine and terrible coverage, so grabbed the thinners and washed the lot off, then chances on some stuff called coloured lacquer in Lidl of all places, one misty thin coat then one wet coat after about 10 minutes produced this result, pleased as punch with that, so I celebrated by buying some blue wheel centres, I'd lost one ages ago and the 59mm Volvo ones sink in too far on these mitsi wheels, im gonna give it until at least Friday then refit the 2 I've done and do the other pair, which are just getting a light sand, no blasting this time.

[clarkey1984]

Oh yes, white was definitely the right decision, predictably with me though the front pair didn't come out quite as good as the rears, despite my rubbing down efforts some of the cracks from where the silver reacted last time has shown through ever so slightly, although the white itself hasn't reacted, it's just slightly visible underneath, you have to be quite close to see it though, the new number plates also arrived yesterday too, not strictly legal as the font isn't the Charles Wright standard lettering, but the spacing is all correct and the right size so I think it'll be ok, I was chuffed to find the font again actually as I thought the serck font died out years ago and was no longer available, had an old astra with serck plates on years ago (it used to be a standard font) and always preferred it, but it turns out it's now listed as euro style, chuffed anyway, all I'm waiting for now is the blue wheel centres and also the silver indicator bulbs for the front and new white LEDs for inside.

[clarkey1984]

Done, well happy with the look

[bimmer49]

MISFIRE!
Under 3k rpm, misfire.
I always had a misfire at 1500rpm on Gas but not on petroleo.
Now I have one up to 3k.
Foxwell on....No.2 cylinder misfire. Lids off, Undo 2, pull out plug with a magnet (dont have a plug tool for that size), part of the ceramic is missing.......down into the plug hole!
Rotate the engine in gear by pulling the car back and forth....now you see it now you dont!
Furk it, remove all the plugs and whang it over, hoping the bits will fly out...!
Umm dunno, made a few noises so fitted a new set of plugs (NOT the correct ones but good enough, NGK BKR6EK) Fired up, with engine management light on, reset with the Foxwell, running fine AND the misfire at 1500rpm has gone!
Phew!

[ITSv40]

There is a little surface rust bubbling around the rear wheel arch and sill on the drivers side - passenger side is still immaculate. Stripped all the trim ready to take to the painters for a side re-spray. There are also a couple of small parking dings on the drivers door so a side re-spray will prevent any colour mismatch.

[LTEcactus]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

There is a little surface rust bubbling around the rear wheel arch and sill on the drivers side - passenger side is still immaculate. Stripped all the trim ready to take to the painters for a side re-spray. There are also a couple of small parking dings on the drivers door so a side re-spray will prevent any colour mismatch.

I had that, although I repaired it myself with rust treatment, a lot of sanding and an aerosol spray can lol

[ITSv40]

The car is now back from the painters having had the whole side refinished.

I had caught a high kerb and split the piano black bumper insert. These are no longer available from Volvo and I had always assumed they were solid black plastic with an industrial polished finish that would be impossible to replicate. They are however painted plastic. I removed the inserts while the rest of the trim went to the painters. Then repaired it with superglue and body filler and resprayed it black gloss with a rattle can, I also used black primer/undercoat so there is no chance of a grey undercoat coming through. Have now reassembled it ready for fitting, done both sides and undistinguishable from original.

[ITSv40]

Treating the little bit of surface rust by the rear wheel arch is now turning out to be a mini restoration - I keep finding little things to do.

The window scraper trims on the outside of the doors - at the bottom of the glass - have looked 'mottled' for sometime. I assumed they were black anodised aluminium and not restorable, so lived with them as is and just gave them a coat of polish as and when.

However, when removing the trims prior to sending to the painter, I realised they are in fact black plastic. They have now been sanded with 1200wet and dry - wet with a drop of fairy liquid in the water - and polished with G3 and G10 and finished with a coat of wax. They are now a uniform shiny black and compliment the new paintwork.

[ITSv40]

The underside from the back axle to the bumper was showing signs of surface rust breaking out, nothing serious or structural. I have cleaned it all down and treated with the POR15 system and then overcoated with Dinitrol Stonechip. The area forward of the axle and around the fuel tank had already been treated several years ago when I dropped the tank to replace the rear brake pipes.

Todays job has been to treat all the box sections, sills, doors etc with Dinitrol rustproofing. I have also made up a new heat shield for the rear exhaust box. New ones are no longer available from Volvo so I have fashioned one from 3mm ali. perhaps a bit overkill and 2mm would have worked, but I wanted it to be self supporting and avoid the dreaded rattle due to the shield flexing.