tuner4life

I got everything for the sound deadening project installed over the weekend. It is still a touch loud on the inside at times, but it is very obvious that is quieter then before. I'm satisfied with it. Considering how loud the exhaust really is, I can't complain at all. My wife however may still force me to add another muffler, or change the rear 2 mufflers to something better quality. Oh well lol.

I bought everything from http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/. Don is great to work with and was very helpful throughout the process. I added 3  of the CLD vibration dampening tiles (similar to dynamat) to the inner skin of the hatch, and one (cut up) to the inner structure of the hatch.

Then I cut out the "Mass loaded vinyl"  and "Closed cell foam" to the shape of the interior hatch panel and glued them together. Installing that was a little bit sketchy because it had to be installed upside-down over my head, but the Velcro worked well and held the weight of the materials even when the hatch was slammed. I added a couple extra screws to the interior cover just for peace of mind and to keep things from moving. The clips that hold the interior cover on are absolutely garbage (even when using the tab repair kit) I plan on redoing that entire mounting system with some decent looking hardware in the future. 

Next I applied the other 5 tiles around the perimeter walls of the spare tire well. Fairly simple. Looks sparse, but evidently you only need 25% coverage or so on a panel to get the full effectiveness with these.

There is a fabric piece that goes over the spare tire well, but underneath the actual floor lids. I traced that onto the MLV and Foam. Then I glued all 3 pieces together and installed. Then I cut the MLV pieces for under the floor panels on each side.

Lastly, I had a bit of MLV left, so I cut a piece to fit under the carpet underneath the back seat. Materials seemed to be good quality and were easy to work with using scissors and a box knife.

Before adding sound proofing I downloaded a decibel meter app for my phone. It may not be accurate, but it should at least be consistent for measuring before/after levels. Both tests were done with the phone in the front center cup holder. 

Before treatment: On acceleration I maxed around 77db in the "drone zone" (2000-3000 rpm). And averaged 68db with the cruise on at 55mph

After treatment: On acceleration it dropped to 69db at the loudest point, and averaged 64db at 55mph.

Those numbers didn't seem that different, but upon further research, there is a big difference in just 10 db. I can say that there is a lot less cabin noise now, although it still drones in the 2k-3k rpm range upon acceleration overall it is much better!

I'm now driving this semi-daily and trying to work out any remaining issues. 

-I noticed that there is an oil leak at the right side. I can't tell for sure, but it looks like it's coming from the rectangle shaped seal for the oil cooler line housing. Could be the lines themselves, but it didn't really look like it. I already changed that seal but it was a pita getting it to stay put so certainly possible it didn't seat correctly.  Very small chance that it is the crank seal, but I replaced that with new OEM, so I'm doubtful it's the issue. I'm going to change the oil again soon and I'll replace that seal and the cooler line o-rings and see what happens. Maybe I'll get lucky.

-The radio quit this morning. Still comes on like normal, but puts out no sound all of a sudden.. Might just use it as an excuse to grab another Kenwood unit like I have in the C70.

-etc, etc, etc.. lol. 

I'm going to take another look at the fobs tonight and see if I can tinker with them enough to work. 

As for the car, the locks/latches all work properly, but I saw online somewhere that there might be a sensor on the hood latches as well? I'll take a look later. I wonder if that might be the issue.

I've got 2 key fobs and neither one of them work. I've replaced the batteries in both and according to the little checker box at the parts store there is no output from either. So there is that, but there is also nothing coming from the red light on the dash once the doors are locked using the key.. 

I tried the ignition on/off 5 times method to see if I could get it to go into set mode, but nothing.

While I can't answer about the weight added, there is an excellent wealth of information on http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/.  I've been working with Don from there on some solutions to the droning exhaust. According to him that style of sound deadening will dampen panel vibration and resonance but actually do very little to block sound. Not sure if it applies to all materials, but for their style of vibration deadening (comes in tiles), you only need around 25% coverage on a panel to get all the most out of the vibration dampening. I'm going to add in some mass loaded vinyl and closed cell foam as well to block the sound. I'm optimistic, I'm not looking for silence, just to bring the noise level down in the cabin a bit.  I've got a decibel meter so I will get a before and after reading once the supplies show up and are installed..

Also, since putting this thing back together, the gas pedal has been kind of floppy. Never really worried about it because I had other things to fix.. Well last night I tightened the throttle cable up.. Holy crap, evidently the car was not hitting full throttle before. It most certainly is now! Definitely feels right. 

On a slightly different note. AWD is freakin cool!!  This being my first AWD car I was definitely impressed with how it handles the snow and ice. Very confidence inspiring. It is truly turning out to be a nice car for the weather.. The heat works now, the heated seats work now, wipers/washers work, defrosters work, heats up very quickly, and as of yesterday the cruise control works too.. It's all finally coming together!  

A/C is getting charged tomorrow night. Not really the most ideal time of the year, but I need to make sure that there is no moisture in the system. The list is certainly getting shorter of the things that need to be done:

-Charge A/C

-Sound deadening project

-Find and install (or fabricate) a splash shield/skid plate up front

-Diag/repair key fobs not working. (Looks like it will end up being a dealer thing)

-Remove and have new tint installed

-Stereo Project.

-Spoiler

-(in a year or 2) Refresh/rebuild rear subframe including all bushings, shocks, springs, etc.. Also replace all fuel tank components at this time. 

Seems to be a solid driver for now though!

Yeah, I'm definitely going to put together a small kit of spare common failure parts to keep in the car. And an identical kit to keep in each of the Volvos.

Late last night I also diagnosed the cruise control. The pedal switch is just out of adjustment. If I pull up hard on the brake pedal with my left foot, the cruise will work. I was going to attempt to adjust it this morning before work, but The car was not inside of the shop and it's "God doesn't love you anymore" cold outside so it will have to wait..

It's alive and taking nourishment! Swapped the fuel pump relay between my 2 jobs and it fired right up. All seems well again.. For now anyways...

Upon further research, I'll be swapping the FPR and ECT sensor from the parts car and see if they make a difference.. Seems to be common problems.

Alright, This job is complete!!  Everything is back together and seems to be working (things related to that project anyways). I'll be having the A/C charged in the next week or so if all goes well.

Over the weekend I completed the following: Heater core is new and blows super hot now, heater pipes replaced with hoses, DO88 Heater hoses, A/C evaporator, Dryer, many various seals and o-rings. Cluster lights replaced, Radar detector hard wired, Cigarette lighter wiring repaired. Airbag clock spring replaced, Turn signal switch replaced, Steering column adjust lever replaced, Drivers power seat switch replaced, Drivers Heated seat switch replaced, PRNDL indicator repaired, Both rear door lock actuators replaced, Licence plate lights replaced. I think that's all of it. There is some funky attachment on the firewall with an electrical plug on it that the throttle cable runs through that I think I broke when changing the heater hoses. This has resulted in the gas pedal feeling slightly floppy.. I'll deal with that later.. It works for now.

We drove it around locally last night and every thing seemed to be working great! Heat was hot, seats were warm, engine sounded good, even tested out the AWD in an iced over parking lot and it was truly glorious! Got groceries and went home. I was going to drive it to work today. This morning I hopped in and went to crank it up and NOW IT WONT %&$*@# START!!!  It cranks just fine, and occasionally spits once or twice but it would not start. I swear this car is the most ungrateful shitpile I have ever owned! With no time to diagnose it I switched over to my 1997 LS400 (which fired up on the first try after sitting for several days outside in the cold), and left for work which is where I am now mentally going over what might possibly be wrong with the wagon from hell this time.

My thoughts are:

-It was -2 deg F outside. I fully expect that I will get home after it has warmed up a little and it will fire up right away leaving me to create more special words and names for this car.

-Battery low on voltage? Being so cold, and seeing that the battery is a little on the older side. Maybe it just didn't have that little extra kick to fire the coil. Sounds weird, but I had this happen on an old Honda once. New battery cured it. 

-Fuel pump possibly dead? Could be, Couldn't really hear it, but didn't spend a bunch of time listening for it either. This is the worst possible scenario because it would force me to complete the rear subframe project now that I was planning on pushing off until next year. Par for the course I suppose.. Then I got to thinking a little more....

-Maybe the fuel is just frozen?? I usually put a bottle of "Heet" in the tank of my cars when it's this cold. I hadn't done this to the wagon yet.. Plus it has been in a heated shop for the last couple weeks and it was about 40 deg warmer when it went into the shop then it was this morning.. The combination of that temperature differential, and the lack of "Heet" in the gas could cause condensation which would then freeze because I live in the antarctic hell that is northern IN. I am really just hoping that this is the issue. I am going to add a bottle of "Heet" tonight see what happens. I'm working 12 hour days the next 3 days, so the f#@%er will probably just sit till Thursday.

-Could also just be any random sensor not reading correctly.. MAF, Cam sensor, etc.. CEL is not on, but I just put the battery back in last night, so might be something pending, I'll check it sometime. Thankfully I bought that Manual swap donor car for my 1998 C70 so I have a parts bin that I can try various things from if necessary. I even had the forethought (just lucky I guess) to park the wagon pile right next to the parts car pile in the driveway. So swapping parts out will be a short walk lol.

Seriously, I have never had so many issues with a single car in my life. Thankfully I have a few Toyota products that actually function as reliable transportation while I slap fight with this Wagon.

I was going to use the stock heater hose elbows.. Are those not sufficient?

Didn't get much done last night. Just replaced the evaporator and ran the heater core through the dishwasher. My wife found that amusing. Also pulled a good turn signal switch, column adjust lever, and clock spring from the parts car for the wagon. 

Oh yeah, and I also cut the heater pipes and gutted the firewall plate in preparation for using heater hose instead of the pipes. 

I'm hoping to make significant progress tonight with reassembly.

Progress as of last night: Everything is out, Dash and HVAC on the floor, A/C lines capped off to prevent moisture. Parts everywhere..

What I noticed:

-Dash mounting points are in perfect shape!

-Evaporator and Heater core both junk

-Turn signal canceling parts broken (looks like it only comes as the complete clock spring. yay..)

-Steering column adjusting lever broken (oops)

-Center console parts, especially around shifter and e brake tabs broken off (PO was a little special methinks)

-Should be able to source most of the various small parts from my parts car.

This job really hasn't been as bad as I expected it to be so far. We'll see what tonight holds...

Definitely doing something very similar to that, but adding some other barrier/sound blocking materials. Should be interesting. I'm going to use a decibel meter before and after to compare the differences.

Well the next project (and hopefully last large project before this thing starts pulling daily driver duty) is underway..  Doing evaporator, heater core, heater hoses, heater pipe mod, ac system reseal, ac accumulator, dash lights, radar detector install, etc.. And anything else that I find to be out of place.. I'm following the instructions on Matthew's Volvo Site. So far I have the engine side disassembly complete and will start on the inside tomorrow. Going smoothly so far..

Got a manual swap parts car last night!!  1998 C70 High pressure 5 speed. Black/Tan, only 75k apparently rough Michigan miles.  I'm keeping the manual swap stuff, but the rest will be parted out. Keep an eye out for that thread coming in the for sale section.

Now I am probably going to start doing some performance mods to the C70 and not have to feel bad about breaking the automatic in it  :D

19 hours ago, matt b said:

Frank is a great guy too.

Love what you're doing with this wagon, I admire your patience and thoroughness. It will be a great car once you're done.

Thanks. I've had enough of these cars to know that what gets left undone will almost always come back to haunt me in the future, so I try to stay on top of things, and upgrade for longevity whenever possible. Especially considering that my wife and 6 month old will be the ones primarily using this car, it needs to be as safe and reliable as possible. (Plus there is nothing I hate more than having to redo my own work because I cheaped out the first time around).

No real update on the car right now.. Sitting outside the shop over the weekend while I work on some other projects, got snowed on... Waiting on more parts.  Went to the junkyard again the other day and got some more piddly trim pieces, another pair of rear lock actuators, seat switch, etc..  Almost got a charcoal 3rd row setup but it was pretty beat so I passed.  Also currently working with Don from http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/ on some deadening solutions for the exhaust drone inside the car without actually changing the exhaust. That stuff is fascinating to me.

Interesting.. You are right. The shipping is cheaper from EST. Not sure why I didn't check them previously, but I had already ordered from Viva when I posted previously. Thankfully there was only about a $3 difference in total price. Definitely will be checking EST first in the future. 

Also just found that Viva Performance has Do88 Silicone heater hoses for $50 while a pair of OEM replacements is well over $100.. Score.

I'll cut the crimps and reuse the old elbows for that!

I remember that thread.. Finally found it after a while of searching.. Thanks for reminding me about that!

Here it is: http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/155521-anyone-tried-the-ebay-improved-alvo-brand-heater-cores/?page=12

It is archived now like many other useful threads on here making it hard to find and unable to post in.. Anyways, I've ordered one. Should be here in about a week. Hoping to put an FCP order together soon for the rest.

Over my time off, I had a chance to look into the heating issues. The heat does work reasonably well when the fan is on a low speed, but if I turn up the blower fan speed the temperature gradually cools off indicating a partially clogged heater core. I pulled the lower dash apart and pulled back the carpet to check the heater core. I'm fairly confident that it has never been changed before. As you can see in the picture, the plastic end tank of the core is very dark brown and is even showing some stress cracks starting to form. There are also traces of a previous leak on the floor below the core. Considering that there was a considerable amount of stop leak in the cooling system, I am assuming that the core started leaking, the PO couldn't find the leak and put stop leak in the system. The stop leak the effectively fixed the leak but partially clogged the heater core in the process. I'm going to change the heater core, o-rings, firewall adapter plate/pipes, and both heater hoses.. I don't want to mess with that again any time soon..

Picture of heater core:

In an attempt to be thorough, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to check on the A/C evaporator while I was in the area.. The A/C worked when I drove it home, but slowly lost pressure over the next few months so I added some dye. I didn't see anything obvious under the hood so the evaporator was worth investigating.. 

Yep.. There's the culprit:

Terrible picture, but the evaporator is definitely leaking. Looks like I'll be pulling the dash and doing the A/C evaporator, accumulator, all accessible A/C seals, heater core, firewall plate/pipes, all o-rings, both heater hoses, cluster lights, and hard wiring the radar detector under the dash..

What else should I be doing while it's apart?

So after driving this for a whole week I am confident about the reliability. It's started every time, no significant leaks, no fluid loss, etc... I am off work next week on vacation so there are a few issues that I am hoping to be able to sort out.

-The droning exhaust noise on the highway! I vastly underestimated the "wagon effect" with this exhaust. On a sedan it would probably be fine, but in this wagon the exhaust drones like crazy despite not really being very loud outside the car. I am not changing the exhaust, so I am looking into some sound deadening materials and going to try to quiet the cabin down that way. I am confident that I can bring the noise inside to a more acceptable level.

-The weak heater... The heat does work but it is not very hot, worse on the passenger side (wife isn't thrilled about that), and basically only cold air to the rear floor boards. Water pump, thermostat, radiator, hoses, etc are all new. The temp gauge goes to half and stays there. The automatic hvac controller seems to function correctly. No flashing lights, every vent mode seems to work when selected, and the temp control on both sides also seems to be working. It just doesn't get warm enough. (not even close to my other 2 P80 cars). My bet is that the heater core is partially clogged. The retarded PO has a bunch of stop leak in the system and while I managed to flush a significant amount out, I believe that the heater core may still be clogged. I need to disconnect the heater hoses and flush it backwards separately from the rest of the system and see if that makes a difference. Heater hoses seem like a pain to get to though..

-Rear wiper motor inop. Bought one yesterday from a member here. Will install next week.

-Cruise control inop.. I checked vac lines. Need to diag further.

-Drivers heated seat inop.. I think this is just a bad switch, Will switch around to check

-Key fobs (2x) both inop. Need to Diag.

Etc, etc, etc...  There is still a bunch to do, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

BTW: Instagram can make Saffron look so good!

The VR is finally on the road!! Drove it to work this morning.

I finished up the valve seal project and the changed the oil again shortly after to clean out any junk that had gotten into the oil. Also changed the trans fluid again.. After 2 changes it's slowly starting to look red again. I'll do another atf change in the spring. Also got it aligned on Saturday. Everything came back alright except the caster was off on the front right. I'm assuming it's a bent strut since I changed everything else. I'll add those to the list soon enough. Also had to tweak the mufflers slightly because they were contacting the bumper mounting bolts. They hang a little lower now, but seem to clear everything.

The more I drive this car, the better it seems to run. It is making boost (something that is never did when I bought it for a variety of reasons), but it seems to be a little inconsistent and surge on occasion. Going to run some seafoam through the next tank and see if that does any tricks, but I'm assuming maybe the tcv or something is confused. otherwise it seems to run fine and pulls hard. Put about 100 mines on it so far over the weekend though and it doesn't appear to have lost any fluids.

Also repainted the roof racks and roof trims that I pulled from a 1998 XC at the junk yard a few months ago. I think they make the car look better and will definitely be useful. I have the crossbars too but one of them needs repair. 

I also underestimated how much the exhaust drones. If it was a sedan I doubt it would be this bad, but being a wagon it definitely drones on the highway. It's not even that loud outside. I'm going to add some sound deadening this week and see if I can combat that noise. I'm confident that I can bring it down to an acceptable level.

Lastly, I had previously posted about redoing the failing headliner in black while I the sunroof was out to be changed. Well I finished that up over the weekend as well. I painted or dyed all of the ceiling parts and trim to better match the headliner. I'm very happy with how it turned out. (Crappy pictures, but you get the idea)

I got this one from ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331551681946?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It worked pretty good, when doing the exhaust valves it didn't line up perfectly centered on the valve and made it interesting getting the keepers back in. Definitely usable though. The whole project is a pain nomatter what you use lol. Remember to get the hose for pressurizing the cylinder too.

Finally got the valve seals done. What a pain! I believe that fixed the smoking issue. No more smoke on start up or hot idle. I havent really gotten on it yet, but by all other indications the turbo seems to be fine.  
 

Now I'm working on putting the interior back together.

I started on the valve seal project yesterday. Holy crap, this is the most aggravating tedious thing ever!! The intake valves aren't too bad, but the exhaust side is nearly impossible to get the keepers back into place, even with trying the "dab of grease" method. After 4 hours I got it torn down, and got done with cylinder #1. I called it a night after that. I'll do the other 4 later this week. Now that I have sorted out what tools and things I need to do this job, I think I can get in a rhythm and get the rest done relatively quick. The valve seals that I removed though were in fact hard as a rock and cracking badly. I'm optimistic that this will fix my smoking issues.

Impressive! This car just keeps getting better and better!