Blinky 51/480

Here you can talk about the joy owning a Volvo 480 brings. Non-technical discussions take place here, like what is the difference between an ES and a S version.

Moderators: jifflemon, coyote1980, Rachel

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:44 pm

Today has been spent getting the old radiator out, cleaned the panel around it and cleaned up my spare crash bar.

Image

Image

Image

I will get some paint on the panel and bumper tonight and hopefully it is dry enough to refit tomorrow, I still a have to try and get the rotten one off the plastic shell, hopefully the screws aren't rusted too much. In true fashion something else broke, or rather I forgot to disconnect the fog lamps and the wires pulled out of the plugs :(

jifflemon
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2464
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:03 am

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by jifflemon » Sat Jan 04, 2020 4:50 pm

Need to see more of your lift!

Been toying with one for at home, but both front and rear driveways are sloped....

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sat Jan 04, 2020 5:00 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Sat Jan 04, 2020 4:50 pm
Need to see more of your lift!

Been toying with one for at home, but both front and rear driveways are sloped....
You really need a flat level surface for the lifts. Is has been great for my 480 ownership, the 480 has spent more time on it than any of my other cars but make allsorts of jobs you would roll on the floor doing a delight or at least easier. The only draw back is that it is a bit bulky, though I just park on top of it.

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sat Jan 04, 2020 5:25 pm

Manage to part the rotten bumper bar from the plastic.

You never realise how bad things can be until you strip them down. I only managed to break one of the fog lamps and as luck would have it the spare lamp I have is for the opposite side. :(

Image

Image

Image

Image

Paint is dry enough to refit the radiator, I have taken the opportunity to replace a bodged hose with a better used one and as I had bought one ages ago the only radiator hose I could buy new. The hose clips were all shot and had to be cut off. I usually replace them with genuine jubilee stainless steel clips and I had just taken delivery of a box from another project this week. I find the genuine jubilee clip are worth buying, a point proven when the a 10mm clip supplied with the radiator gave up when I was tightening it, I did find a suitable stainless one though.

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1489
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:03 am
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by Alan 480 » Sat Jan 04, 2020 9:15 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Sat Jan 04, 2020 4:50 pm
Need to see more of your lift!
but both front and rear driveways are sloped....
ditto, but at least I can use the gargae, one side at a time .. .

cheated a wee bit yesterday as needed access to N/S rear wheel, so just lifted the car up with a pair of 250kg chain pulls, both off set by eight inches to the right on the RSJ and lifted it bodily and then swung the semi-ramps across below the wheels. used a 'choked' soft strop through two spokes with a 4x3 block to keep strops off body work. surprisingly easy :wink: not sure it will go back as easily? ? ? ?

I made up semi ramps following a picture I'd seen in a Classic Car magazine, ( https://carlift-ramp-mr1.com/ ) gets the car wheels about 15" off the deck. but in my case the garage is 'split level' with the workshop area being two feet lower than main area so the ramps extend out into the shop area,

I really need a shed to store the 'stuff' in so that I can move around the car :( but this option WILL be vetoed by SWAMBO :cry:
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sat Jan 04, 2020 11:17 pm

Coolant system all back together and holding fluid.

Bumper back together but I was a bit tired so rather than scratching it and risk tearing the plastic I will finish off tomorrow. I will need to order new spire clips and screws for the grill and spoiler (which need repaired).

Hopefully tomorrow I will get the gear box oil drained and swap out that new top mount for the good used volvo one I have.

Many years ago when I was starting out on cars and didnt have a garage my rear garden had a split level. I used breeze blocks to get the car higher that the drive on ramps and axle stands. I only bought about 20 blocks and would roll the car forward and move the blocks around, good thing was I could take the breeze blocks out of the way to give access to crawl about underneath. I might have a photo somewhere.

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sun Jan 05, 2020 2:54 pm

The N/S non has an original volvo top mount, I drained the gearbox oil as a precaution but I got the strut off and back on without pulling the CV boot off, that was until I tried to get the drive shaft seated back in the box. Thankfully no oil was lost.

Before I put the strut back I took some side by side photos, hopefully this will help someone in the future.

Image

Image

You can just see something isnt quite right but hard to tell with the naked eye.

This is the aftermarket item, no brand or serial numbers on them just a lot of date type marks.

Image

This is the volvo item.
Image

If you are going to buy replacements hopefully you don't have the same problem I did. also not convinced that the metal insert would last long in regular service. Shame as it look like a lot of work has went in to reproduce them.

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:13 pm

The car is almost back on in service, I managed to get the bumper back on last weekend so that just left few bits.

The front spoiler had a bit of duct tape covering a missing section in the middle. I put some epoxy putty on yesterday so that will be looking better once rubbed down and painted.

I had ordered new connectors for the fog lamps and spire clips to mount the grill, these came during the week and are a lot better that the crusty remains.

Whilst the lights were off I fitted the LED DRL bulbs. they look great but the pop ups wont work with them (could also do with a replacement holder for one). I will need to read back the forum to see how others have managed. Maybe need to add a resistor to the circuit to by pass or match the load of the original load.

jifflemon
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2464
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:03 am

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by jifflemon » Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:04 am

arthuy wrote:
Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:13 pm
Whilst the lights were off I fitted the LED DRL bulbs. they look great but the pop ups wont work with them (could also do with a replacement holder for one). I will need to read back the forum to see how others have managed. Maybe need to add a resistor to the circuit to by pass or match the load of the original load.
DRL's have zero impact on popups. Just making sure you didn't do the classic mistake of having the bonnet up whilst checking popups?

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1489
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:03 am
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by Alan 480 » Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:39 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:04 am
arthuy wrote:
Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:13 pm
Whilst the lights were off I fitted the LED DRL bulbs. they look great but the pop ups wont work with them (could also do with a replacement holder for one). I will need to read back the forum to see how others have managed. Maybe need to add a resistor to the circuit to by pass or match the load of the original load.
DRL's have zero impact on popups. Just making sure you didn't do the classic mistake of having the bonnet up whilst checking popups?
I'm not disagreeing,

but if the LEDs have diode already would that 'possibly' screw-up the function of the relays if they are 'wrong polarity' ? are there not diodes within the pop-up circuit? I know that diodes exist within the pop-up motors of the SS1 as it's a common 'failure mode' :(
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

User avatar
jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by jamescarruthers » Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:41 pm

Wow, great progress and a good find on the dodgy strut mounts. 

Looking forward to seeing you on one of Sylvia's meets. It's great there are so many cars getting back on the road this year. ‎
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

jifflemon
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2464
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:03 am

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by jifflemon » Mon Jan 13, 2020 3:38 pm

Alan 480 wrote:
Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:39 pm
jifflemon wrote:
Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:04 am
arthuy wrote:
Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:13 pm
Whilst the lights were off I fitted the LED DRL bulbs. they look great but the pop ups wont work with them (could also do with a replacement holder for one). I will need to read back the forum to see how others have managed. Maybe need to add a resistor to the circuit to by pass or match the load of the original load.
DRL's have zero impact on popups. Just making sure you didn't do the classic mistake of having the bonnet up whilst checking popups?
I'm not disagreeing,

but if the LEDs have diode already would that 'possibly' screw-up the function of the relays if they are 'wrong polarity' ? are there not diodes within the pop-up circuit? I know that diodes exist within the pop-up motors of the SS1 as it's a common 'failure mode' :(
It's a fair point; I'm assuming he's using the DRL LED we've discussed and recommended on here; It's wired as a replacement BAZ15d bulb with low/high settings. It does consume less power, but there's nothing in the DRL circuit that should be affected by it.

Robou
Knows an Aerodeck isn't a 480
Posts: 270
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:34 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by Robou » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:02 pm

In some cases circuits in which the DRL's are included in the defect check are affected: The warning light stays on.
Just do away with the bulb failure detector in the relais box. The rear bulbs check will remain.
The resistor idea is nonsense. They are in parallel with the bulbs so always cause a current and heat.
Inside the detector are some resistors. Adapting them for the current of the LEDs is a better idea.
That is if you value the presence of the front check. But the car in front of you will tell.
Too old to bother
480 Turbo midst '91

User avatar
brinkie
480 Connoisseur
Posts: 857
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:20 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by brinkie » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:45 pm

The bulb failure circuit works by comparing the currents of two bulbs, if there is a big difference, one of the bulbs must be blown. So if you change both incandescent bulbs for LEDs you're still good. I changed the rear lights/brake lights for LEDs (all 4 of them) and the bulb failure circuit still functions properly, that is, the bulb failure lamp extinguishes after pressing the brake pedal.
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sat Jan 25, 2020 4:40 pm

I have stuck with standard bulbs for now, I did retry with the LED but headlamps stayed down. Will investigate another day.

Had the car out today so I could get the tracking done, after changing the rack it was all over the place. There is a place about 20miles away that aren't bad. They have got it much better but pulls a little to the left. I will put some miles on and recheck it.

The front is looking a little naked without the spoiler and fog lamps. One of the lamps plastic fixings broke, I have a spare but wrong side and the ones from the Dutch car were sold.

The spoiler just needs rubbed down following the repair to the centre section.

At least the car is in a drivable condition again.

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sun Jan 26, 2020 12:48 pm

Few photos of the spoiler repair, I used a plastic kit for motorbike repairs. It has a stick of epoxy putty and black plastic filler.

I cut a piece out of an old 480 arch liner and the rest is self explanatory.

Image

Image

Image

It will do the trick for now, I could spend a bit more time filling and sanding, the plastic filler was pretty good.

The repair using the kits epoxy to the right hand fog lamp fixing didnt hold so I will use a different epoxy putty.

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:58 pm

The 480 has been awoken this week due to a planned holiday, I want to get some miles under the wheel in prep for the next meet .

I will need to get the fog lamps and spoiler refitted as it looks a bit bare without.

Image

Image

The suspension is sitting better which is a relief after all the work.

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Thu Mar 19, 2020 5:11 pm

I have been clocking some miles this week and will try and keep that up for the next few weeks.

Having not been in regular use for some time I have forgotten about my snagging list and you will be surprised to hear that there are a few more items to add.

I am thinking of re-bonding the steering wheel, the top section is rotating around the steel inner core. I have a few ideas unless I find a good used one.

There is a strange idle at times I want to get to the bottom of, I have swapped a few items and there are no air leaks I can find. Sometimes when driving it feels like the engine stalls for a second. Currently running a bottle of redex through to see i there is improvement.

Clutch adjustment, starts to release when you touch the pedal, should be straight forward.

Light in the VEM knob and the knob itself but have a nice spare to fit.

Not sure If I saw it on this forum but the exhaust banging against the floor cross member is annoying, there is a fix involving a support bracket, I have an idea how to do similar.

Relocate the CD changer to under the passenger seat. Currently in the rear centre cubby.

Cleaning/squeaks and rattles are still on the list.

When I was out i had bought a take away coffee and after driving modern cars you look for the cup holder. Volvo designers made a nice little table for owners, so long as you drive with finesse.

Image

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Fri Mar 20, 2020 7:20 pm

Couple of jobs ticked off.

Thanks to the great resource that is the forum.

Reset the SRS lamp, I had tried it when I replaced the clock spring but what I didn't do was read all the codes before re-setting. There was an open and short circuit code.

Clutch adjusted, was so simple I was worried but the Haynes gives a basic diagram. Measured the movement and it is 30mm now. Biting point is more mid pedal rather than just as you tapped the pedal.

A few months back I treated myself to a roller cover, it didn't have any spring action so I had thought it was faulty. A search on the forum helped and I found a post with photos. So that's another thing working now.

I really like old forums like ours, information is easy to find with a basic search.

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: Blinky 51/480

Post by arthuy » Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:54 pm

I have got the hang of the diagnostic LED now so thought would see if there was any clues to help my idle problem.

2 codes are:

4-1-1 Throttle valve sensor: signal faulty
2-2-3 Idle speed regulating valve: no signal or signal faulty

Suppose 4-1-1 will be oil in the sensor I have read about perhaps.

I will check the wiring on the ICV, I did change this with a spare and it does appear to be working as when I pull the wiring plug off it alters the engine speed.

Any hints would be great.

Post Reply