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After being a Volvo 240 owner since 1983, I would like to try doing some of the work on my Volvo (1990 240 DL sedan) myself, but have zero experience.
I am interested in suggestions on the best way to get started. Yes, I could take a 2 year associates degree at the local community college, at a cost of $10K, however this is not cost effective.
Are their other alternatives?
My one thought was to find someone in my area (Nashua, NH) who works on their own Volvo and would not mine being a mentor for me. I could assist them on work they are doing and get advice on work I would like to do, etc.
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Thanks to all for your comments!
I'm getting a Bentley manual next week, and looking into tools. I'm also checking into local high schools and voc techs to see if they have any adult programs or use of their facilities.
By chance, much to my wife's chagrin, I also have my 1989 240DL wagon sitting on the side of my house. I got 333K miles out of it before I decided to let it die; just had too many things to fix/replace, to keep it running.
Now if I can only get it started after sitting for two years so I can move it into the garage (my driveway is a good sized hill), then I'll have a Volvo that I can take apart and learn some things on.
I am not sure how far I will get with this "doing some things myself", but I am looking forward to giving it a try.
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And if you're ever down in Connecticut, stop in, we'll have a beer and go over some things or just talk cars if you want.
You can always get in touch with me at myvwsgotme (at) snet (dot) net...
--
::: Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 92 244 ::: 90 745GL ::: 90 745T ::: 84 242DL ::: 90 745T Parts ::: Used to have : 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 91 244, 88 244GL, 88 744GLE, 82 245T, 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 88 245DL, 89 244DL!
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Warning from personal experience. Do not sit down to yak with another brick head without setting a time limit.
3 hours? How much coffee can you hold? Beer? Set a shorter time limit.
Plus - I found it helpful to have along a few Green Books. Helps a newbie to see their value.
Lastly - Damn but I wish I count sit in.
Regards,
Bob
:>)
PS: While I have owned a Volvo only since 1977, I started on cars with a 1947 Chevvy when I put in a 1955 I-6, with help of the nearby Chev dealer's parts guy, in 1956. Like you, I don't know what I know, or when I learned it. !
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Yes, Bentleys, Brickboard, tools and a PARTS CAR! Find the same model/year as the car you drive thats dead from rust or collision and take it and take it apart. You will learn much without wrecking your daily driver (and aquire many valuable spares).
yours, martin
p.s. if you have space
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you might check with local high school or vo-tech school.we used to have a cheap class in indpls that essentially consisted of 5-6 people doing their own thing in a lavishly equipped at taxpayers expense shop whilst the teacher waxed his own car and made sure nobody walked off with the snap on tire balancer. many areas have wonderful shops and nobody using them at night. a good question to ask school board as to why so much waste in equipment. think of heated room, lifts, alignment rack, snap-on galore, tire mounters and balancers, brake lathes, air lines, expensive diagnostic devices, all essentially untouched by human hands. start a class for $50-75 or so, you probably pay taxes somewhere and should get some benefit. also, craftsman good for basic tools but harbor freight is better for everything else.....cheaper and good for light duty home use. compare!
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Harbor freight is definitely good for some things, but you get what you pay for.
-Ryan
--
--------------------------
Athens, Ohio
1990 245 DL 133k M47, E-codes, bunch of fun accessories
1991 745 GL 290k (Girlfriend-mobile)
Buckeye Volvo Club
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I second that.
And with Craftsman, you at least have the ability to run right out and get what you need (or broke!)... assuming you have a local Sears store.
I guess Harbor Freight has some retail stores now too, so that should be a good thing. Mail order has it's advantages but the main disadvantage is the time factor. Breaking a wrench or needing a tool on a Sunday, for a car you need to drive to work Monday... that's where Sears is invaluable.
You generally do get what you pay for. At least, better tools are almost always more expensive.
For a basic tool kit, you'll need at least a 2-ton hydraulic jack and a tire wrench. A set of jack stands. A fairly comprehensive set of 3/8 drive metric sockets, and preferably a set of 1/2 inch drive metric sockets, each with appropriate ratchets and at least one or two extensions. A complete metric wrench set from 10mm up to 19mm, and hopefully a couple sizes down to 6mm and maybe up to 24mm. A couple adjustable wrenches. A set of several screwdrivers both regular and phillips, and Torx drivers for doing any interior work on your 90. A pry bar. At least one hammer. A general purpose volt-ohm-meter (multimeter). Allen wrenches. Lots of rags. Some carb cleaner spray. Some brake cleaner spray. A metal or rugged plastic pan to wash things in. Silicone grease (Syl-Glide or equiv). A spray grease, either white lithium or never-seize. A means to safely store and/or dispose of old oil and wastes- NOT your kitchen sink, NOT the storm drain, NOT allowing greasy rags to pile up. Super hand cleaner stuff, and you'll probably want nitrile or latex gloves to cut down on filthy hands.
What I'm pointing out to you is, you need to be prepared for the jobs you choose to take on. I've done all sorts of work on my cars and other people's cars, in my driveway. I've got a lot of tools and the "support equipment" lets call it, some old metal pans and plastic buckets with lids for collecting old oil, and speedy-dry (cat litter) and spray this and spray that for cleaning and lubing things. And rubber gloves, which do take some getting used to for doing work that requires dexterity. And other protective equipment, a lot of which I carry over from work: I no longer use a grinding wheel or bench grinder without my faceshield, and safety glasses too. You have to be able to work safely first and foremost. You will not enjoy working on the car if you hurt yourself, or the car, or get stuck and unable to finish.
So while you can save a lot of money working on your own car, do understand that it's going to take an investment into your tools and work space to make it a reality. Once you get set up, there's almost no limit to what you can take on. Good luck!
--
::: Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 92 244 ::: 90 745GL ::: 90 745T ::: 84 242DL ::: 90 745T Parts ::: Used to have : 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 91 244, 88 244GL, 88 744GLE, 82 245T, 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 88 245DL, 89 244DL!
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Are you mechanically handy in other aspects of life? Electrical, woodworking?
Do you have any tools?
It would absolutely be best if you can stand over someones shoulder as they work on their own car, Or have them spoon feed you as you work on your own car.
If the Brickboard mention car parts, will you know what we are saying or are you totally 'green' when it comes to cars?
The manuals...I have a different opinoun... They are more confusing most of the time. I read a section and it sounds so much more difficult then when I actually do it.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm
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A good list of tools, and an expected up-front cost. Thanks!
What about an air compressor? And if this is a good idea, then what size? Sears has some on sale this week - 3 gallon, 125 PSI max, 15 gallon - 150 PSI max, and 33 gallon, 150 PSI max.
Ditto on other power tools?
My first job *may* be replacing the header pipe and catalytic converter. Nothing like jumping in with both feet :)
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Compressor..I'd hold off on investing in pneumatic tools for now, work with hand tools for a while.
I'm not in love with the Sears Oiless compressors anyway. Over many years I finally got a 60 gallon Vertical Compressor but I also use it to blow out my Sprinkler system and I have some Sanders that use a lot of Air.
I would recommend Craftman tools.
I would look for Socket Sets that are 1/2" drive from 10mm up to 24mm 6 point.
I'd get a 3/8 set of sockets that range from 7mm to 17mm 6 point.
Box wrenches. '6 Point box wrench set would be very good.
This should get you started. Plan on $200
Buy a spray can of B Blaster or Kroil for this job. They are rust inhibitors,YOu need to spray the hardware down before trying to crack them loose.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm
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posted by
someone claiming to be scorron (at work)
on
Wed Apr 18 04:36 CST 2007 [ RELATED]
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I second that. I started with no knowledge of cars, and am now comfortable doing a fair amount of work myself (though I do have my limits). I had a boyfriend who knew cars in general, but I usually read the Bentley and checked the brickboard and other volvo webpages (some members have great pages with step by step photo tutorials) before doing anything, because I wanted to understand what I was doing start to finish before I started, whereas he wanted to just take things apart.
My boyfriend now is a mechanic and while he knows cars, he doesn't know volvos, so I still check bentley and brickboard before we do any work, and delight in telling him when he's wrong about what should be done.
Anyway, moral of the story, scorron's right, get the Bentley, spend time here, you'll do fine.
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Exactly! Get the Bentley manual for your bedside (available on Amazon), and optionally some Volvo "green manuals".
A small set of good tools to get started (Craftsman is inexpensive and plenty good), including 6-point metric sockets and combination wrenches. Get other tools as you need them. I also like to use nitrile or latex gloves which keeps harmful chemicals off your hands and keeps them gack-free for work the next day.
Read the BrickBoard and SwedishBricks regularly to learn what problems other people have and how they solve them, and remember **there are NO stupid questions**... I can not emphasize this enough. Don't be afraid to ask any questions you have. You'll save yourself some frustration, and there are lots of us who may have the same question. Volvo people are a friendly bunch. 100% of us love to help out and 99.9% of us are ego-free.
I've learned everything I know (which isn't saying much) from SwedishBricks and the BrickBoard.
-Ryan
--
--------------------------
Athens, Ohio
1990 245 DL 133k M47, E-codes, bunch of fun accessories
1991 745 GL 290k (Girlfriend-mobile)
Buckeye Volvo Club
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RE: some members have great pages with step by step photo tutorials
Can you point me to some of these web sites? Or tell me how to search brickboard to find them?
thanks!
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"Can you point me to some of these web sites?"
Here's one for starters http://www.homestead.com/volvo2/index.html
Lots of good photos and well-indexed step-by-step procedures.
--
Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.
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Is there a local area Volvo club ? If so, join it. You will meet many more Volvo enthusiasts, a great number of whom work on their cars and enjoy sharing the knowledge. At our Washington, DC area club there are a few weekend workshop sessions each year held at a local dealership where you have the chance to wrench on your car yourself, under the watrchful eye of a mechanic, and with a full parts inventory at hand.
A basic way to get started is to get a copy of teh Robert Bentley Publishers serice manual for the Volvo 240, or even the factory service manuals. The factory manuals are a series of booklets covering differeent systems, and can cost more than the Bentley. The Bentley is very very good. Also, start simple with thngs like oil changes and filter changes, even brake pad changes. These cars are fairly simple and accessible for most reoutine maintenance tasks, and it is quite satisfying and enjoyable.
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Second the book and Internet. I've practically rebuilt a 1987 740 using nothing more than my handbook and the Internet.
Volvo's are quite simple to work on, in general. The hard parts are usually learning the parts and what they do, and diagnosing exactly what or where a problem is.
Doing the actual repairs are usually the easy part.
G'Luck and BE SAFE!
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