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1997 Volvo 850, new old friend

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    #46
    Just my luck, I had to drive at dark just the next day the dash lights went.
    It wasn't even remotely dark and I couldn't see my speedo at all.
    No worries! I hit a pothole in the highway and the lights came back on.
    Even the other half of the trip computer came back a few km later.
    Click image for larger version

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    Mint! Almost...
    1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
    1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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      #47
      So, last night I was on a joyride with a couple friends.
      A terrible, slightly sweet burnt smell, I stopped to check things out. Milkshake on the dipstick...
      I drove it a short bit to a friends place.

      Today, I had it towed home. The oil barely reaches the dipstick anymore and the stuff is almost like liquid mud. I'll drop the oil once I have time off, probably next weekend.
      I'll be driving my parents SLK again...
      1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
      1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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        #48
        The newer Volvos aren't the older Volvos, that's for sure.

        I've been keeping out of this thread as I'm not a fan of the post-240 Volvos. I'd love a 164; I've got a 1965 122 4-door as an ongoing project.

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          #49
          I don't know if I've been tripping or something.
          I did drop the oil today anyways, it's just "regular old black oil" nothing to it. I have genuinely no idea what happened last night.
          It was quite low though, I last checked the level about 3 weeks ago, it was fine?? Oil pan etc is dry on the outside, no evidence of a large oil leak.

          If it blows up catastrophically on the highway tomorrow, I'll be sure to mention it
          "The red brick of bad luck"
          1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
          1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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            #50
            Originally posted by bgreywolf View Post
            The newer Volvos aren't the older Volvos, that's for sure.
            Ah, you prefer them oooold Volvos lol. Many say the best Volvos are RWD, I'd be inclined to agree. Then there's the era of "yeah that's a good car, them Volvos are safe". Then the 2016- or whatever chinese redesign lineup, that ruined Volvo's for me. They look sharp, but it's as if they tried too hard and in result, got a boring and sterile car, just like the newer germans.
            1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
            1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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              #51
              You may have a bad head gasket or a cracked head/block is the worst senario I am thinking of so just be ready for the worst.

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                #52
                Drove about 110km today. Seems fine. Runs smooth, temps are fine, got heat and no extra sounds.
                I can only guess what actually happened that night, maybe some condensation pocket in the oil, the oil I removed was super dark, almost black, slightly cloudy. Not sludgy though. And boy was it low.

                For a fact I know that this engine's PCV is totally fuckered. That causes oily leak on top of the engine and visible vapours coming from the dipstick tube and oil cap when opened. Also the crusty stuff on the dipstick is most likely caused by that.
                Also the engine sips some coolant, very slight, I've added a couple desiliters at most. I'm pretty sure it only consumes it during cold starts, the car smokes quite a bit when cold, it's a slightly sweet smell when well below freezing.

                I'll get the oil + filter changed properly soon. I didn't change the filter and put in some cheap gas station brand oil.
                The old oil was super black, some years on it definitely.
                1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
                1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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                  #53
                  lack of pcv and cold weather can make for condensation inside an engine. Temp swings, condensation forms, and with no airflow it just collects in a high area like the top of the dipstick or under the fill cap.
                  86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                  5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                  91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                  1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                  Originally posted by phayzer5
                  I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

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                    #54
                    Finally tackled the horrendously squealing blower motor today, I learned that the bearings are actually open so I just lubricated them. Definitely not a long-term fix but I avoided buying the 60€ part this time.
                    I used oil on one of the 2 bearings, wd-40 on the other. The salad spinner is a slight interference fit on the blower motor shaft, and I'm definitely not going to try and punch off the 23- year old plastic fan from the rusty shaft, so I just sprayed a bit of wd on the fan end bearing.

                    Interestingly, this car does not have a front passenger airbag, except for the SIPS airbag. From what I read, it's standard equipment in most markets, maybe it's a scandinavian thing? This car was bought new in Finland.

                    Anyways, the blower doesn't squeal anymore, we'll see about tomorrow (102% confidence)
                    1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
                    1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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                      #55
                      hydraulic oil is a better motor lube. it will stay put nicely and its the right weight. Jack oil, power steering fluid, or trans fluid will also do in a pinch. Motor oil can work but you want the thinnest stuff you have available.
                      86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                      5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                      91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                      1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                      Originally posted by phayzer5
                      I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                      Comment


                        #56
                        We'll see how it holds up.
                        The motor has squealed for almost as long as I've had this thing, recently it just has gotten pretty much constant. I don't know how long the bearings are going to last, the blower motor was absolutely positively original. Listening closely, the bearings do make a bit of noise after lubricating.

                        Somebody recommended lithium grease, but I used what I had, this isn't that important to me. WD-40 probably won't last as long as the oil, whatever.
                        If it starts making annoying noises again, I'll just replace it.
                        1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
                        1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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                          #57
                          If you used a small amount of WD-40 and it got some old lube to act like lube again, you might be okay. If you flushed out all the old lube, you might want to try some proper lube before giving up. Also, if your motor has an opening that allows you to clean the commutator that the brushes ride on, you could try cleaning that. It's one of those "can't hurt" things that might provide a benefit.

                          2000 Grand Marquis LS HPP, a hand-me-down in 2008 with 128,000 km; 175,000 km as of July 2014
                          mods: air filter box 'tuba', headlight relay harness, J-mod (around 186,350 km), 70mm throttle body, KYB Gas-A-Just shocks, aluminum driveshaft, ARA3 PCM

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                            #58
                            Originally posted by IPreferDIY View Post
                            If you used a small amount of WD-40 and it got some old lube to act like lube again, you might be okay. If you flushed out all the old lube, you might want to try some proper lube before giving up. Also, if your motor has an opening that allows you to clean the commutator that the brushes ride on, you could try cleaning that. It's one of those "can't hurt" things that might provide a benefit.
                            The blower motor looks like this:
                            Click image for larger version

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                            I do not know much about electric motors.
                            I'm not really worried about it's longevity, but the squealing is what I don't want to hear. Removing it is a fiddly job to do, but not that hard. For the money that a new one costs, I can't really be arsed to take the motor in and out that many times.
                            1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
                            1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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                              #59
                              Motors like that have sleeve bearings, which is just a fancy way of saying a hunk of bronze with a hole in it. Its usually an oil impregnated material, so its porous and often there is a felt packing around it that serves as a reservoir. Eventually it runs dry, the bearing gets hot, then whatever lube is still inside cooks out. Sometimes you can just re-oil it, sometimes the pores just end up varnished over so it doesn't hold the new lube. If it starts howling again soon, the bushings are clogged or the felt has disintegrated.

                              They are not intended to use grease though, just light oil.
                              86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                              5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                              91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                              1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                              Originally posted by phayzer5
                              I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                              Comment


                                #60
                                Blower motor has worked fine so far.

                                Today I oiled the throttle cable, since it started getting stiff again. Lasted way longer than I expected.
                                Having the hood open on a windy street made it pretty much a sail, either tried to squish me or yanked the car slightly back so the oil dropped everywhere but the right place lol.

                                Also repinned the trailer connector on the car, was quite crusty and trailer lights started working a bit intermittently. Parents have been overhauling their yard, so I've hauled a dozen or so loads of trees, branches, stumps, two loads of paving stones and sand. The car definitely didn't appreciate the approx. 700 kg of stones + a bunch of other junk in the trunk. Completely floored going up a hill and barely keeping speed.
                                1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
                                1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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