It lives...sort of...

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

dan
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2002 7:12 am

It lives...sort of...

Post by dan » Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:17 am

Hi,

Been a long time, l come before you guilty of letting my 91 Volvo480 Turbo gently rot on my drive for last 7 years. If anyone remembers it was the red modified one with the split rims, red part leather seats/trim, lowered suspension and giant front discs and of course DBS's front and rear spoilers - which are still awesome to this day imho. (Edited to add, l just noticed the furore over a 2005 Dbs post, apologies for any inadvertent stirring of the silt. :( )

Garage mechanics and sump crush washers don't seem to go together very well and it dumped its entire load of oil on my drive having just driven it back from a service. Running it felt like a car version of whack a mole and so l mentally took a break but couldn't help but eye it guiltily every time l left the house.

Anyway, l've had to move house and that meant rolling up me arm sleeves and getting the rooster back on the road.
Had a vague wash to get the moss and algae off it (now l think of it l should have taken pictures) and the thousand spider carcasses.
Changed the tyres as these had rotted to the point where one of the fronts was not flat but actually concave with a wormery living in it. I had to buy a low profile jack as the front clearance was something like 9cm
Sorted the sump washer out, oiled it up.
3 liters of coolant.
2 new windscreen wipers.
New battery.
Couldn't get a hose in far enough to siphon the old fuel, and had very little time left to vacate my previous house, so went with the lets see what happens with the existing fuel celebrating its 7th year in my tank. (was 98RON, probably more like 60RON now)..

Disconnected injectors - cranked the engine until the oil pressure builds up before trying to properly start it up* and... it started first time! *Thanks to vital mate of mine, Ian who knows this sort of thing.

Remaining issues:
Horribly rusted arches and some spots on the undersill. Not bad elsewhere although l expect some of the underbody could do with some love. I think the bit holding on the rear bumper is more gap than metal.
Left hand side window motor decided to stop working.
Although working fine initially my petrol flap/boot release mechanism failed the next day. How to remove the mech housing without breaking it :/ any tips?
Left pop up light goes up, comes on - so far so good. When its time for it to go down, it does that and then comes up immediately and then down / up down etc.. Does this mean its fouling when trying to go down or some dodgy position sensor in the motor? I find it stays down if you give it a percussive palm (a hearty slap) as it reaches closed position.
Brake discs are corroded as you'd expect.
Sweaty cam gasket.

l daren't check anything else.

So partly l wondered if l should flog it or maybe buy another one in better condition and transplant stuff over.
Then l see there's only 30 odd of these left. So then l'm thinking l ought to get it properly restored, even if l lose £90 for every £100 l spend on it.

l got a wanted parts list which l'll post up in marketplace.
http://www.volvo-480-europe.org/forum/v ... 63#p204963

Thanks all!

User avatar
doingitsideways
480 Expert
Posts: 659
Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 8:55 pm
Location: Manchester

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by doingitsideways » Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:17 pm

dan wrote: (Edited to add, l just noticed the furore over a 2005 Dbs post, apologies for any inadvertent stirring of the silt. :( )
Before my time, I guess. But what happened?

Did he used to make those awesome looking spoilers that your car adornes??

Steve :hopping:
"If you can't fix it with a hammer, it's an electrical fault!"
Hammers can't fix a 480!!!

User avatar
glasgowjim
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 4830
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 5:28 pm
Location: GLASGOW SCOTLAND

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by glasgowjim » Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:59 pm

Steve check out the hall of shame but its all water under the bridge now ....

dan
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2002 7:12 am

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by dan » Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:40 pm

OK l got some photos pre MOT and post. Amazing what you can do with a plastic hammer!

Can someone tell me how to upload photos, l don't seem to have the option?

l'll also upload the MOT doc pics, apparently the garage said 3 pages was a first, YAY... oh wait... :crazy:

dan
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2002 7:12 am

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by dan » Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:24 pm

Imgur to the rescue.

Tyres
http://imgur.com/a/X3aPF#0

Pre MOT Hmm doesn't look too bad..
http://imgur.com/a/IcOmG#0

Post MOT "There l fixed it!"
http://imgur.com/a/EVeDW#0

MOT report
http://imgur.com/a/Op6do#0

So massive corrosion, no rear brakes to speak of and horribly high CO emissions. Everything else is petty.

Funny thing, the "Bulb out" warning light on the dashboard went out. Maybe its blown. :D

User avatar
doingitsideways
480 Expert
Posts: 659
Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 8:55 pm
Location: Manchester

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by doingitsideways » Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:53 pm

Wow!!

That's some faiure sheet right there! :(

Although, mine would probably look like that if I didn't buy the tester a bacon sandwich every time... Does get expensive though, sending 5 cars in!

I think a hog roast may be in order if it ever comes to sending my Capri in though. Lol :rofl:

So, do you think you're still going ahead?

I hope you do, but first dibs on the spoilers if not ;)

Steve :hopping:
"If you can't fix it with a hammer, it's an electrical fault!"
Hammers can't fix a 480!!!

dan
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2002 7:12 am

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by dan » Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:04 pm

Well l am sort of stuck at locating the relevant parts. I expect the restorer would work better if l could provide the necessary parts in a timely fashion. It appears that l can't get new parts and so maybe a donor car? Tricky one as a car that has good quarter panels is not likely to be in bad shape generally and l wouldn't want to sacrifice another car that might otherwise have a perfectly serviceable life.

User avatar
chris1roll
Friend of Club 480 Europe
Posts: 3927
Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2003 6:50 pm
Location: Using LOTS of petrol!

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by chris1roll » Thu Aug 28, 2014 10:47 pm

Lol 3 pages!
Are you handy with a welder?
2001 V70 XC 2.5T
1989 744 GL Auto

hellgrea
480 Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:51 pm

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by hellgrea » Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:58 am

(Sorry to hijack this thread...)
Left pop up light goes up, comes on - so far so good. When its time for it to go down, it does that and then comes up immediately and then down / up down etc.. Does this mean its fouling when trying to go down or some dodgy position sensor in the motor? I find it stays down if you give it a percussive palm (a hearty slap) as it reaches closed position.
Hi
I have the exact same problem but with the right pop-up and have been searching the forum for some time for answers.

Do anyone know the reason or/and have a solution to the winking problem?
Also the reversing lights seems to not work but I'm not sure if thats a related problem...

I'm from Sweden and have a left-hand driven turbo from 1990.

Cheers
Anderz

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

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by Alan 480 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:59 pm

hellgrea wrote:(

Hi
I have the exact same problem but with the right pop-up and have been searching the forum for some time for answers.

Do anyone know the reason or/and have a solution to the winking problem?
Also the reversing lights seems to not work but I'm not sure if thats a related problem...

I'm from Sweden and have a left-hand driven turbo from 1990.

Cheers
Anderz
Check that the lighting relay (the big one) is fully seated and all contacts are clean

then more digging to check that the switches WITHIN the motor are clean, the internal switches act in the same way as the wipers park function . . . .
does yours pop when engine running but OK with ign ON /engine OFF. I have an SS1 and it gave same effect if engine was on as teh motor speed was just that bit faster and the internal switches were NOT 'breaking' cleanly. It was OK if you held your finger onto the lamp as this also slowed it down (or I had to bite the bullet and remove the motors/split open and fix)

PS I think that THERE IS a link somewhere on how this is fixed, not sure where the link is , in electrical ? ? :? . . . . .
Alan

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

hellgrea
480 Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:51 pm

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by hellgrea » Mon Dec 05, 2016 1:19 pm

Hi
Thank you for the answer Alan!

The problem is not the relay itself, I have tested it in my bench and swapped contacts between left and right pop-up.
I had problems when I tryed to dismount the relaybox so I have just tested conectivety between pop-ups and relay-poles and it works.

I can do the same thing as you, if I slow it down by hand it will stop in the right spot but if it goes down with normal speed it is like the switch is to slow and jumps over the stop face and just comes right up again.

Sometimes, maybe 1 out of 20 times, I can match the pop-up pace with the dashboard switch and make it stop in the lower position so my conclution is that there is corrosion on some contact inside the mechanical switch.

- I have checked the white cylindrical contact and it is shining and fully functional and in contact with the relaybox.
- I have swapped the bulb and it is working perfect on the other left side.

What I have NOT done is dismounted the whole thing and checked the switching mechanism.

I had some problems with the "rear light/brake light" that was the wrong bulb 25/5W instead of 21/5W but I have not yet get some new ones. Althought the problem with the pop-ups are the same either with or without the brake light connected.

travelman
Started learning about 480
Posts: 54
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:34 pm

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by travelman » Mon Dec 05, 2016 4:42 pm

Have you checked the lights on/off switch in the car.I had similar problems with the headlamps having a mind of their own.The relays were good,but I found my problem by accident.I needed to get behind the dash for another reason and on doing this found that the lights switch had a crack in it which was causing the headlights to work intermittently as the contacts were loose.I assume you would get the same problems if the clips making the contacts had not been pushed back together tightly. A "new" secondhand switch assembly solved the problem.Works perfectly now.Worth having a look before delving into the front end.

hellgrea
480 Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:51 pm

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by hellgrea » Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:42 am

Hi
Thank you Travelman.
But would not it affect both pop-ups in the case where the dashboard switch is loose or faulty?
I only have problem with the right pop-up.

Although I might found the problem, but not solved it yet...
As I changed the brake/rear lights to the correct size BAY15d (21/5W) I had a quick look at the fromt right cluster and to my suprise the right DRL had a BAY15d (21/5W) jamed in it :(
I do not have a spare correct one BAZ15d (21/4W) at home but I will buy one today and test it tonight!

I have also read here in some post that a bad earth can cause a lot of problem so I will go over the earthing points and clean them too!

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

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by Alan 480 » Tue Dec 06, 2016 12:36 pm

hellgrea wrote: I had a quick look at the fromt right cluster and to my suprise the right DRL had a BAY15d (21/5W) jamed in it :(
I do not have a spare correct one BAZ15d (21/4W) at home but I will buy one today and test it tonight!!
hope that's it then . . . . . .
funnier things are known to happen , but not as funny as the wiring on a Volvo 480 :-)
Alan

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

hellgrea
480 Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:51 pm

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by hellgrea » Fri Dec 09, 2016 10:53 am

Last night I manage to get some time to change bulbs but no luck in the winking problem.

Now all lights works and have the right bulbs and still the right pop-up is not stoping on the way down unless you help it by applying a small amount of force.

I have found a "new" pair of pop-ups here in sweden that I will buy and have as spare if I can't repair the one I've got.

Any more suggestions?

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

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by jifflemon » Tue Dec 20, 2016 12:41 am

I'm more intrigued as to whether the car got fixed!

The rot doesn't look that bad, but then I've a friend who's quite handy with the sparkle stick.

hellgrea
480 Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:51 pm

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by hellgrea » Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:40 am

Now the winking problem is solved!

It was a faulty gas spring under the pop up light.
The gas spring had no gas at all and when replaced I got a nice double syncrone blink :-D

I found one gas spring but will change the other one too when I find one more.

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

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by brinkie » Fri Jan 27, 2017 9:32 am

Estate Services in The Netherlands sells them new for € 24,85 each.
http://www.estateservices.nl/gasveer-koplamp-480.html

However, what causes the popups to wink is excessive wear of the internal gears of the popup motor. Replacing the gas struts will temporarily solve the problem as the headlight will be pushed stronger into its upwards position, it will start winking again when the teeth of the nylon wheel have worn off completely. The turning motion of the headlight assembly will not stop then, the wiper inside the motor will make contact again, the motor will be energized again and make another turn. Closing the popups is not controlled by the ignition key (to allow the headlights to be closed when you turn the lights off after you have pulled the key out of the ignition) so it may continue forever even if you are not in the car. Or it may have worn out so much that the motor will not turn the headlight up at all.

This is how a worn gear looks like.
Image

I have replaced both gas struts, they were from 08-1994 (i.e. original from factory) and had almost no pressure left in both of them! But it was very frustrating to find out that both popup motors have worn out so much that many times they wink a couple of times before closing. Even more frustrating: the replacement popup motor had the same problem. Can't find them new anymore.
Robert.

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

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

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by Alan 480 » Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:09 pm

hellgrea wrote:Now the winking problem is solved!

It was a faulty gas spring under the pop up light.
The gas spring had no gas at all and when replaced I got a nice double syncrone blink :-D

I found one gas spring but will change the other one too when I find one more.

I filed the gas struts in the shelf/bin marked 'scrap', no problems for last five or six years :-)

as Brinkie says, wear on the knobbly bit will be the root cause (or the contacts)
Alan

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

User avatar
AleksanderHugo
Started learning about 480
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:13 pm
Location: Lodz, Poland

Re: It lives...sort of...

Post by AleksanderHugo » Fri Jan 27, 2017 10:23 pm

That calls for some good 3D printing designer!

Post Reply