Bear!!!
Bear!!!
Accidental selfie:
We had a guest out back this morning.
JUMP!!!
Wagon doing wagon stuff
Some nights, we just hang out in the garage with our cars
Looks like she took a selfe! Great photo.
New brake pads on all four corners. There's a story related to this, but it's not very interesting.
Not a difficult job, and long overdue.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Those are my favorite DD brake pads.
Suspicious Doggie wants to know what I'm doing in the garage without her...
It's just an oil change.
10w-40 is becoming hard to find.
I couldn't find any Mobil 1, so this time I had to go with Castrol GTX Synthetic Blend.
I've been stocking up on oil when so see the brand and viscosity I'm looking for in Wal-Mart. I'm typically looking for 0W-20, which should be fairly common, but there have been times when I couldn't find any in the brand I wanted.
On the other hand, I just counted 13 five quart jugs of oil in my basement, so I may just have an oil hoarding problem. Especially considering I work from home now!
In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :
I suspect that a bunch of us are in the same situation. In fact, we could probably organize some kind of GRM Strategic Oil Reserve, so we can swap viscosities amongst ourselves when we can't find what we need in the stores.
In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :
"Hoarding" makes you seem crazy.
"Strategic oil reserves" makes you seem smart.
Oil Update:
I collected another sample from the oil change last month and sent it off to Blackstone Labs for analysis. I just got the report and I'm pretty happy with. This is the fourth time I've changed the oil on this car, and I've tested a sample each time. Every report has been good.
To be honest, I'm doing this partly to satisfy my own curiosity, but also to document both the engine's condition as well as to show my obsessive level of maintenance on this car for when I decide to put it up for sale. I think it's worth the price of the tests (an extra $30 per oil change).
Oil Report:
"This Volvo engine continues to look great as it closes in on 125,000 miles. Wear metals are tracking
at the normal levels we've grown accustomed to seeing over the last couple of years. That's a good
indication that no problems are developing. Silicon shows that air filtration is working properly, and the low
insolubles show that the oil filter is separating solid particles out of the circulating oil, as it should. No
contamination was present, and the viscosity is correct for 10W/40 oil. No problems found."
dj06482 (Forum Supporter) said:I've been stocking up on oil when so see the brand and viscosity I'm looking for in Wal-Mart. I'm typically looking for 0W-20, which should be fairly common, but there have been times when I couldn't find any in the brand I wanted.
On the other hand, I just counted 13 five quart jugs of oil in my basement, so I may just have an oil hoarding problem. Especially considering I work from home now!
Yeah...I just did the count.
Looks like I currently have 38 assorted quarts in stock.
Once we move into the new house I'll be stocking more oil as well. It appears my strategic reserve and yours will be geographically close so there's that.
While we weren't having any issues with the tailgate staying open, I read something here on the forum (not sure which thread, or even if it was directly pertaining to Volvos) about how rear hatch struts don't just help keep it open, but they also help it to remain closed tightly.
This car rides pretty quietly, but it did suffer from a few squeaks and rattles out back, so I took a chance and ordered a pair of replacement tailgate struts.
Stabilus Lift-O-Mats, made in Romania, much like Nadia Comăneci.
(That's pretty much all I know about Romania...)
I didn't take many photos, but this sub-three minute video describes it better than I can, and neither side took much longer than that from start to finish.
Volvo Tailgate Strut Replacement Video from IPD
This was a quick and easy little project that really paid off. In fact, it was so easy that I was able to accomplish it with just one arm (recent shoulder surgery), although I did have a helper to hold the hatch open while I was working inside.
The car is substantially quieter over rough roads now, and I wish I had done this two years ago.
I may have been one of the people who mentioned the struts not only keep the door open but they help keep it closed. Back in about 2006, I replaced them on my '95 850 wagon and it made a huge difference. I seem to remember that I didn't have a helper but with the struts removed that tailgate gets really heavy and wants to crash down. I used a 4 ft ladder as a brace for the open hatch to rest on.
Similar:
I had shoulder surgery back in November and I was worried about how the dog would take the news. Our trips to the park are an everyday occurrence, and I had a feeling that she would be mighty disappointed if there was any interruption to our six year habit. I needed to figure out how I was going to make this happen.
A bunch of years ago, I bought a steering wheel spinner ("Knecker Knob" as my father called them) from a hot rod shop, but it was junk, and I never used it for anything. I did a little research and then went to a place that converts vans for drivers with disabilities.
I ended up with a SureGrip A600 Spinner Knob. It wasn't cheap, at a little over a hundred bucks, but it turned out to be worth every penny. I eventually bought a second one for my truck as well.
Installation was simple, but it took a little adjustment to get it aligned in the proper plane. I also added and removed a few pieces of rubberized foam to get it to clamp down securely, without risking any kind of permanent marking on the leather steering wheel cover.
This thing worked great and was exactly what I needed. It rotates smoothly and silently on its own bearings. You can remove the knob itself instantly with the push of a button (the clamp stays in place), but it also locks in place simply and securely.
I used it for about four months, and it would have nearly impossible to drive without it. I removed it from the Volvo last week, and there was minimal evidence that it had been installed on the leather steering wheel cover. It actually looks more obvious in photos than it does in person. I still have the one installed in the truck, as that wheel is a little further away from me, and while I can drive without it, the knob makes every trip more comfortable.
Highly recommended if you find yourself in a similar situation.
In reply to John Welsh :
Techs used to use transmission jacks to do the same thing, so you're actually following factory procedure.
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