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FCP Euro Service Kits

FCP Euro Kits

You could say that I’ve been around RWD Volvos for a while. When I was young enough to still need a booster seat, I sat on my dad’s lap and steered our Volvo 240 wagon into our driveway as part of my very first driving lesson. The 240 was replaced by a 1991 Toyota Previa when its frame started rusting out. Relatively soon after, our basket-case Mercury Topaz needed retirement. Lucky for us, there was a 1991 Volvo 940 GLE conveniently for sale in the area. It looked good, ran well, but needed a little bit of work. At first, we didn’t know much about fixing up cars so when the car wouldn’t start, we took it to a shop right outside the parking lot the car died at. They promptly changed the spark plugs, spark plug wires, spark rotor, and cap. They also did an oil change for us, just in case. Needless to say, that didn’t do it. We then took it to the local Volvo dealer and they figured out it was the radio suppression relay, or fuel injector relay in non-Volvo speak. In all, it wasn’t cheap.

Over the years, my family has slowly upgraded to a more modern fleet, with our newest being a 2005 Volvo S80. Yes the newer cars have proven more reliable, and the lack of unexpected repairs are a telling sign of how far modern cars have come. But there’s something that keeps me wrenching on the old brick. If something breaks my first thought isn’t, “got to call the mechanic”, its instead, “lets get this back on the road!”

The following list contains 5 reasons why you should own a RWD Volvo sometime in your life.

1. There’s no plastic covers in the engine bay

Almost without exception, modern cars have plastic covers over everything. If you want to inspect your engine, you have to rip off the covers just to have a look at what’s going on. Aside from making the engine bay look ‘clean’, there’s a more ominous issue at hand. Without being able to see the engine, you’re more likely to miss any fluid leaks that show up. Additionally, that plastic cover is a subliminal message for you to take your car to the dealer, “You don’t want to know what’s going on under there. Just take it a professional”.

940 GLE Engine Bay

2. You can drive your car without coolant on a hot summer day

Let’s say that this wasn’t an intentional experiment. After sitting in the garage for a while, the old brick needed to get back on the road. It was simple enough, fill it up with premium and run the engine like an Italian. Unfortunately, my heater control valve didn’t like my antics and decided to break in half, promptly turning it into an exit path for all my coolant. My immediate diagnoses after seeing a puff of smoke from the engine was to pop the hood and check things out. Usually, seeing green coolant pouring out of your engine compartment is not a good thing. Being inexperienced with cars, I thought the best thing to do was drive home before the coolant entirely ran out. I made it home, with my temperature needle barely nudging past the half-way mark. I only realized much later on why my engine didn’t seize up. Despite all my engine coolant watering a random neighborhood’s plants, my belt-driven fan was strong enough to keep the engine cool. For 10 miles. It makes me wonder, is the Volvo Redblock really a Porsche air-cooled engine in disguise?  Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home!

3. Minor parts will wear out, major components won’t

I figure, what’s the point of having a car if you don’t know how to fix things. If a car never breaks, you’ll never learn what’s going on. Any RWD Volvo on the used car market today will be at least a whopping 16 years old. By now, despite these cars being known for bullet-proof reliability, there will be items that need your attention. Ball joints, suspension parts, belts, pumps, you name it. Having parts near the end of their lifetime is simply an excuse to wrench on your car. What you won’t need to worry about are major components. As long as you keep your oil topped up, you can pretty much assume your engine will be fine. The transmission is indestructible, and even wheel bearings seem to last indefinitely. My car is nearing 240k miles and I am only starting to hear the symptoms of a failing front wheel bearing.

4. Cheap and quality parts are easy to find

Volvo 940 Water PumpBuilding on my last point, when it comes to part replacement there’s nothing better than to stroll into your local junk yard and come out with what you need for less than a couple lattes. I recently replaced an HVAC servo that would normally cost over $70. I pulled it out of a car for $10. Though old Volvos are becoming less common than before, you will still find plenty of junked cars available for picking. In case you can’t find the part you’re looking for, there are also plenty of sources online for both OEM and aftermarket parts. These parts won’t cost you a kidney (or two) and better yet, once installed, you can have confidence it won’t break anytime soon.

5. It teaches you about vehicle engineering

If I could tell you one reason I am keeping my old Volvo around, it’s this. I consider my brick as both essential transportation as well as an educational investment. Every part of the car is plain to see, and how everything interacts with each other makes sense as well. Diagnoses are performed with a flashlight and screwdriver, not a computer and an OBD port. One of the more revealing jobs I’ve done was the replacement of the heater core. In these cars, it’s easily a full day affair, with most of it on your back and squeezing yourself into the passenger foot well to reach hidden screws. But despite the difficulty, it’s very interesting to see how it all works and how the engineers managed to squeeze everything under the dash. Every time a part needs replacement, the process of replacement is a new learning experience that an average DIY’er can do with off-the shelf tools.

Timing Belt System B234F

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Thumbnail Tim WongAbout the Author: Tim Wong
Tim is a Canadian from Windsor, which means he has plans to use his Volvo as an emergency space heater. He is a mechanical engineer by day and backyard mechanic by night. His mantra in life is to never break another bolt. 

 

 


author image
Written by :
Tim Wong

Tim is a Canadian from Windsor, with a knack for taking things apart, and sometimes putting them back together. He is a mechanical engineer by day and backyard mechanic by night. His mantra in life is to never break another bolt.


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