Category: Information

Recently the weather has been particularly cold. During that late winter snap I had noticed that a lot of exhaust was coming out of the connection between the catalytic converter pipe and resonator. When the weather improved slightly I and my son went to tighten the clamp, but what we found was that the clamp had actually been knocked back from the junction and that one of rubber donut hangers had broken off and disappeared. This probably happened when I ran over some compacted snow or something. I didn’t have any spare hangers so at that point I readjusted the clamp to the correct position and said a prayer for the remaining hanger . It wasn’t looking great itself, but it would have to last until I could get a replacement for the missing one.

Now that the original radio was out of the dash it was time to put in a new one. I’m no audiophile, but I do have a few requirement. This is 2020 after all. The car may be old, but the audio system doesn’t need to be. First, there’s no need for a tape deck like the original, or a CD player. An auxiliary in and Bluetooth connectivity will do. I am somewhat cheap, though. I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money. Luckily the date was close to the Black Friday sale time.

To test my theory that my stalling issue was due to a failed MAF sensor I ordered a replacement. Since original Bosch sensors are pricey and I wasn’t even sure if this was the problem I went with a cheap aftermarket part this time. I know, I know… “Buy Cheap, Buy Twice.” I fully expect this part to die in a few years at which point I will replace it with a better one. Who knows? Perhaps this part will defy the typically shoddy workmanship and QC of these sorts of manufacturers and go the distance. Stranger things have happened.

For the record, the part I bought was made by Bapmic. I looked them up to see where the parts are made and found a corporate website that was doing its level best to look like the homepage of a German manufacturer. A little more digging told a different story. A story where Bapmic, which may have at one point been German, was actually a trademark owned by Shanghai Tongzhi Auto Parts. They also own the brands Topaz and Autopa. So, yeah, one of many cheap Chinese auto part manufacturers. We’ll see how well it does in the long run. I’m just happy that my car is running.

Since I’d gotten her registered I’ve been driving my car around fairly regularly, or at least as regularly as the current pandemic lifestyle both requires and allows. Happily there’s been no real issues. The engine starts when asked, the car rolls, and it stops when I push the brake pedals. What more could one ask for? Well, consistency would be nice. That was called into question one morning when I climbed in, turned the key, and almost immediately stalled out. Rats.

Since my Volvo is effectively locked into my driveway by my other cars I don’t worry to much about it being stolen. As such I don’t often both to lock it. Recently after taking the front door panels off in an effort to fix the passenger side door switch and lubricate the window mechanisms I noticed that the driver side central locking switch, part 3540135 which I had previously fixed up, didn’t look right. Specifically the plastic part that connects to the door lock had fallen off. Closer examination showed that not only had it fallen off but it had come apart. Some bad wiring routing on my part had caused that side of the mechanism to get caught on the window as it rolled down, breaking it.

After I got the air intake system back together I spent a little time pondering a few spots in the vacuum system that didn’t seem to have any connections. My library of photos was no help, and I kicked myself for not documenting all this stuff more thoroughly. Finally I got a flashlight and peered down into the innards of the engine bay and noticed a stray hose coming from the brake booster that had no place to go. Where it seemed like it should go was currently occupied by the other side of the IAC. Then it hit me: I had the IAC going to the completely incorrect place. Where the IAC was going on the side of the throttle was where the brake booster’s vacuum line was supposed to go and the open spot on the back of the intake was where the IAC was meant to connect to! I switched them around and am now confident that everything is in the right place. To help others I drew up a simple (read: crude) diagram of where the various vacuum hoses should go.

After previously getting the timing belt on and reinstalling the water pump the next logical step was to bolt the fan pulley and clutch. They simply attach in-line using the four stud posts on the pump. However when I put mine on I found that the pulley doesn’t quite clear the timing belt housing and rubs on it at a couple of spots. Looking at the old housing I saw significant marks from this rubbing so it’s not new, but I’m not sure why it’s happening. Perhaps the water pump shaft is bent over so slightly? Or the pulley itself is not even? I’m not quite sure yet. Before I continue putting things back together I should figure this out.