Volvo 480 Club Europe

Here is the new exhaust I had fitted to my car off the shelf. When we started driving it again the knocking noise came on after every bump

what we found was the mounting bar (side of the pipe closest to fog lights, in front of the silencer) was slightly the wrong shape, it is suspended from a rubber mount under the body, and was bending this mount in an awkward position so we had to bend the bar a little bit (its not massively strong, but be careful) to get the fit to be more comfortable, now the knocking noise only comes on speed bumps and even then I am not sure if it is the exhaust, the Rover does it too I think (will confirm as getting that out soon)

Hope this helps

phil480 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 12, 2020 9:52 pm

Once I've got the proper replacement and it's daylight, I'll have another go at it

If you still need one....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Paire-de-cat ... ondition=4

Okay, it has been a while since I last posted here. Unfortunately, it's not good news.

I have a neighbour who is a bit of a Volvo enthusiast, so he was delighted to see a 480 parked on the street. Turns out he works at the local Volvo dealership, and was able to get me a very good price on a full service/MOT/Cambelt replaced. So I got it all booked in. Unfortunately, the car didn't get passed their initial health check. They found a lot of things that would definitely fail on the MOT. The worst of things being the rear beam, one of the spring mounts has broken, so the spring it no longer secured. So that's going to be coming off to get repaired.

The whole list is as follows...

• Major failues:
  
  Rear Beam -Clean, repair, paint. DONE. It was a pig of a job, but between me and my father in law we got it done. Made new spring seats from scratch, replaced shock absorbers, anti-rollbar links, torque arms and all bushes. Cleaned, treated and painted trailing arms and panhard rod, as well as most of the other components in that area
  
  Both Rear Calipers seized -I have sourced a replacement set which I will send off for refurb. DONE. I ended up buying a new pair in the end, things didn't work out with the person I had sourced a replacement set from.
  
  Handbrake cables- Just need re-securing. At least one of the clips is missing under the car. DONE. Clip replaced thanks to the marvels of 3D printing
  
  Rear lights- When operating the indicators, they interfere with the tail/brake lights. This is probably just some corroded contacts that need cleaning up. To check. I suspect the interference was down to the chewed up wiring at the tailgate harness. This has now been re-wired nice and clean, just haven't got around to checking the brake lights with indicators on.
  
  Idle speed too high- Replacement Idle Air Control Valve has been sourced thanks to DCWalker on here -Still have an issue here and have a few more things to try to find where the fault lies. Ruled out Idle Air Control Valve, MAP sensor, coolant sensor, throttle position sensor, even replaced distributor cap and rotor arm. It's either the ECU misbehaving or possibly a dodgy lambda sensor.

• Strong advisories:
  
  Front & rear disc backplates have excess rust -I've been told these can't be obtained any more. So I either need to have some new ones made or see if I can clean them up and paint them best I can. Rear plates made from scratch, the old ones pretty much disintegrated. New ones don't look all that pretty, but will do the job. Fronts aren't as bad, treated and painted, hopefully they will be fine now.
  
  Rear washer jet not working -Not sure about this, I topped up my screenwash a few days before the car went in and gave the front and rear windows a good squirt no problem. Will try this next time I'm with the car, could just be dirt/frost clogging the nozzle. No fault found, works fine. I think there may have been a build up of ice at the time they tried to test the washer
  
  Front lower arms corroded, may clean up okay but replacements would be best. DONE. Once cleaned, they were in good looking shape. As above they have been treated and painted
  
  Front subframe also needs some attention. DONE. Cleaned, treated and painted.

So there we have it, not good at all, but could also be a lot worse. If it was any other car, I'd just write it off. A 480 deserves better!
It will be off the road for a while until I can at least get the brakes and rear beam sorted. I've had a look at the beam overhaul guide on here and it looks like I should be able to get that done myself, or at least remove the beam and take it to a workshop.
This wouldn't be so bad if it was summer and we weren't in lockdown.

Surely the children that work at a Volvo dealer will never see an aged car in the usual circumstances? Apart from the rear suspension stuff that doesn’t seem to bad.

The brake disc shields aren’t particularly important and lots of people run without them when they do eventually turn to dust. If you do want new ones they are available from Skandix and from a Polish seller on eBay.

If your front arms are original and can be cleaned up and reprotected for another decade then personally I’d rather have repainted originals on that some aftermarket stuff that the paint will fall off after a year anyway.

Good luck with it!

jamescarruthers wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 5:45 pm

the brake disc shields aren’t particularly important and lots of people run without them when they do eventually turn to dust. If you do want new ones they are available from Skandix and from a Polish seller on eBay.

I doubt if actually a legal requirement? so remove entirely and say 'never fitted' ?

I made my own for rear from 18SWG galvanised, I have a pattern, it is held on with the clips normally used to hold mud-flaps, lasted about ten years so far...

for the front ones then ally and held on with the caliper bolts as opposed to the 'peened' as per original

jamescarruthers wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 5:45 pm

f your front arms are original and can be cleaned up and reprotected for another decade then personally I’d rather have repainted originals on that some aftermarket stuff that the paint will fall off after a year anyway.

oddly I replaced both on EVA and one the paint is still OK, the other 'not so good' !!

Sounds as if the Volvo people are going for perfection rather than being realistic about the age of the car.

Brake disc back plates aren't an MOT item as far as I know - I suppose if there was a risk of a bit breaking off and getting caught in the brakes that would be an issue but otherwise... my 440 lacks them at the back, wasn't even mentioned at MOT. I have brushed up what's left of the front ones, removed any really rusty, hanging-off bits, then painted with Hammerite.

Take a wire brush to the subframe and wishbone if the bushes are ok. Treat then paint.

If new wishbones would be easier, Lemforder are good. Don't battle trying to replace the bushes - false economy in my view!

Rear washer - if you remove the c-pillar trim inside the boot you'll see the pipe to the washer jet. Following it back up above the side window- there may be enough free-play to pull the hose out, or may need to remove strip holding up the headlining there (it just pulls off). What you're looking for is a valve connection piece -- any muck in the washer bottle gets as far as that then gets caught. Remove and check water pumps out (put a container under it or it'll go straight in had boot!). Clean out valve carefully under tap with piece of wire. Hopefully that'll solve it.

David

phil480 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:10 pm

• Major failues:
  
  Rear Beam -Clean, repair, paint.
  
  Both Rear Calipers seized -I have sourced a replacement set which I will send off for refurb.
  
  Handbrake cables- Just need re-securing. At least one of the clips is missing under the car.
  
  Rear lights- When operating the indicators, they interfere with the tail/brake lights. This is probably just some corroded contacts that need cleaning up.
  
  Idle speed too high- Replacement Idle Air Control Valve has been sourced thanks to DCWalker on here

• Strong advisories:
  
  Front & rear disc backplates have excess rust -I've been told these can't be obtained any more. So I either need to have some new ones made or see if I can clean them up and paint them best I can.
  
  Rear washer jet not working -Not sure about this, I topped up my screenwash a few days before the car went in and gave the front and rear windows a good squirt no problem. Will try this next time I'm with the car, could just be dirt/frost clogging the nozzle.
  
  Front lower arms corroded, may clean up okay but replacements would be best.
  
  Front subframe also needs some attention.

Rear Beam - Clean, repair paint. Absolutely the right thing to do.
Both Rear Calipers seized - I'd recommend BCS, although I'd get the fronts done at the same time.
Handbrake cables - Again, probably worth replacing for the money they cost.
Idle speed too high - Good old DC......

Strong advisories:

Front & rear disc backplates have excess rust. Complete and utter twaddle. As James has said, you can run without or spend a fortune replacing them. Doesn't affect MOT, doesn't affect brake performance, its purely a cosmetic thing.
Rear washer jet - Yup, give a blow with some compressed air, usually clears them
Front lower arms corroded - Once again, I call BS. Unless there's play in the bushes or balljoint, or the corrosion is SO excessive its weakening the metal....
Front subframe - Treat it like the rear. Clean and paint.

Just from that list, I'd be steering absolutely clear of volvo.... Especially as the car is probably older than all their "mechanics".

jifflemon wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:29 pm

Especially as the car is probably older than all their "mechanics".

You mean, "Diagnostic technicians"?

Maybe that is a bit harsh

MisterH wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:35 pm

jifflemon wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:29 pm

Especially as the car is probably older than all their "mechanics".

You mean, "Diagnostic technicians"?

Maybe that is a bit harsh

I did get the luxury of driving a new XC40 R Design with all the gadgets on. Very nice to drive, but it's like a bloody spaceship and does most of the driving for you. Imagine all the things that could go wrong with these and how much you can't repair yourself without taking it in to be plugged into a computer.

dcwalker wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:07 pm

Sounds as if the Volvo people are going for perfection rather than being realistic about the age of the car.

Brake disc back plates aren't an MOT item as far as I know - I suppose if there was a risk of a bit breaking off and getting caught in the brakes that would be an issue but otherwise...

I'd agree there, I think perfection rather than just roadworthy was their agenda here.
Regarding the back plates, that puts my mind at ease with you, Jeff, James and Alan all saying they shouldn't be an MOT requirement. So I'll take them off, clean and hammerite and see what the MOT says when the time comes.

phil480 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:56 pm

Regarding the back plates, that puts my mind at ease with you, Jeff, James and Alan all saying they shouldn't be an MOT requirement. So I'll take them off, clean and hammerite and see what the MOT says when the time comes.

I suspect when you remove them then there will be nowt left to clean

front are peened around front hub, so not possible to remove, (Jay kay had a comment/ picture?) can't recall how rears 'should' be attached, but I suspect any fttings will be long gone/fragile....

Rears are secured by the stub axle bolts.

It ain't pretty... and you are working in close proximity to vulnerable wheel speed sensors...



Fronts are peened like you say. Unlikely to be removable due to condition. You have to destroy your wheel bearings to fit/peen new ones as the hub blocks their installation path. I chose to secure with CV boot clamps rather than destructive peening.



Both front and rears are a pain in the backside to be fair, especially if considered for replacement in isolation.

ah yes for the rear I must have 'removed' as much as possible, leaving 'debris' behind under the bolts, too much hassle for not much gain, if not fussed about 'originality' ......
front just removed all remains with a cold chisel to get bits removed, I had a look in my book of hints & tips afraid no pattern for them

I haven't posted for a while so I thought I best get an update in.
Some progress at last, over the last couple of weekends I have got the rear beam removed with a lot of help from my father in law. We have cleaned up the beam, panhard rod and trailing arms, and he has managed to fabricate some new spring seats. The old spring seats were pretty bad, what was left of them anyway...



The beam itself didn't look too bad once the surface crap had been cleaned off. The splash guards for the discs were pretty rotten, way beyond saving. We will attempt fabricating some new ones but failing that I will leave them off based off advice from many of you here (basically, they're not essential for MOT).
I've got a pair of new shock absorbers, new torque rods, new anti-rollbar links and all new bushings due to arrive this week.
So, things are looking good so far. After a bit of welding, rust treatment and painting, it will all be going back together very soon Hopefully we should never have to touch the rear suspension again after all that is done, then it's on to see what the situation is at the front.

Hopefully all that is needed at the front is just a clean up and some treatment of the lower arms.

Then it's just the rear calipers/handbrake to get sorted and a few other minor bits and pieces including the idling issue.

Thanks to DCWalker for sending me a replacement ICV. I have fitted this and it seems to have improved the idling, however it's still not quite right. After running for a while, the idle speed raises as it warms up so some further investigation is needed there. I'll check the sensors next time I'm under the bonnet.

So far, it has not been too costly (famous last words, fingers crossed and all that). All being well, she will be back on the road for the summer And then I will treat her to some shiny new rear lenses from France.

Thanks for all your advise on here! I'll try and get more photos next time.

Looks like you're making good progress!

If the replacement ICV hasn't completely cured it then do check the temperature sensors (air - in the rubber belows connection between filter box and throttle intake) and coolant (front of the engine RHS, buried under spark plug leads (the one on the back is separate for the Info Centre)).

I think Haynes gives the resistance readings they should be.

I've lost track, so rather than wading through the whole thread I'll risk repeating myself (!) - has checking error codes revealed anything?

If it's any consolation in terms of belonging to the "missing disc back plate" club, I think I mentioned above that my 440 is missing them completely at the back. Front NS is pretty good, but it was only ever the little tin-worms holding hands that was keeping the front OS one together. I changed the front calipers on the 440 at the weekend - and was a tad surprised to find that what little there was of the OS back plate has disappeared completely!! The poor things obviously couldn't keep their grip any longer

David

Update 10/4/2021
I think we are almost there! Over the last few weeks we have got the beam back on and the back end all back together with new shock absorbers, torque arms, anti-rollbar links and all new bushings. New rear calipers and handbrake cables sorted as well.
At the front, the lower arms were fine after a clean up. Like everything else, they have been treated with Neutrarust 661 (seems to be a good product) and a coating of paint. Front calipers have been cleaned up and painted. During all this we discovered the coil spring on the drivers side had snapped! Got another on order. Luckily the bottom spring seat is still good and I haven't got to find a replacement, I understand these are hard to get hold of now.
Also, the wiring into the boot lid has now been replaced, no more exposed wire!

Fingers crossed, all that's left to do now is get the spring on and a few other bits around the subframe.
The high idle is still happening. I checked the resistance on the air and coolant sensors, air was in spec but the coolant seemed way off so I got a new one but that has made no difference. We had the throttle body off and cleaned all that up, but still no joy. Diagnostic codes just flash the code for battery voltage being incorrect, even after re-setting the codes (battery is quite new, and the voltmeter shows good readings). I found a post on here with some good diagnostics to run through, so will be looking more into that now we are mostly done with the repairs.

So with all that, I'm hoping to get it booked in for MOT later this month. It will be great to have it back on the road again, I've missed the drive!

Sounds like a good amount of progress! Spring pans are getting like gold dust, so if you’ve a good set, rustproof and keep them clean!

jifflemon wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 10, 2021 6:43 pm

Sounds like a good amount of progress! Spring pans are getting like gold dust, so if you’ve a good set, rustproof and keep them clean!

I thought they were NLA!!

I hunted for ages and eventually bought a whole spring/shock etc just for the pan....

you could do 'coil-over' if really stuck? (and don't care for 'originality' ?)

Sounds like it's all coming together nicely now, Phil - well done!

David

Alan 480 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 11, 2021 3:56 pm

I thought they were NLA!!

I hunted for ages and eventually bought a whole spring/shock etc just for the pan....

you could do 'coil-over' if really stuck? (and don't care for 'originality' ?)

Oh come on, they’re obviously NLA!

Coil overs are available (very expensive), my worry would be that the bearing would be on the strut top, not the spring pan.