Okay people, I know this isn't the usual type of problem mentioned in this forum, but I can't think of a better place to get help.

For years, I have been telling my wife not to stand on the gas pedal of any of our cars while the engine is still cold. Twenty minutes ago she started up her car, backed out of the driveway, and jammed her foot to the floorboard like she was Shirley Muldowney in a dragster trying for another championship. If this was one of my kids, I would take the car away for 6 months, but that's not going to happen with her unless I want to start living in the car eating peanut butter sandwiches the rest of my life.

Anyone out there care to offer an opinion on this practice. I'm planning on just printing out the responses and letting her see what others say about this.
If that doesn't work, you'll probably see me submitting a request for advice on installing governors on our two Volvos and Ford Expedition.

Thanks!

You are not alone. My wife has a heavy foot, and abuses the car some. I could not get her to back out of the driveway and come to a complete stop before shifting the manual transmission into first. While still going backward at about 5 mph, she would force the transmission into first gear, and then use the clutch to stop and accelerate the car forward. Eventually the M46 couldn't take it anymore and the first gear synchro went away. Now that I have replaced the M46, she has decided to come to a complete stop, when traveling backward, before shifting into first gear.

Why wouldn't she listen before ruining the transmission?

Folks,

Read the manual. My 87 245 owner's manual specifically says to NOT wait for the engine to warm up. Instead, it instructs the driver to start the car and just start driving.

There it is, from the horse's mouth.

kourt

Yes, but it says drive SLOWLY for a couple of minutes to let the engine, trans and drive train warm up at the same time, at no higher than 2500rpm.
:)

--
'89 245 Sportwagon, VX cam,K&N, Bil's, IPD susp & exhaust

This is from a company that makes the majority of its money from maintenance repairs. Don't believe everything you read.

If you start a cold car with an oil lubricated turbo charger, place it in gear and floor it. You will be buying a new turbo soon.

The oil in a cold car is in the oil pan, not in the engine. It is basically sludge before it warms up. There is only a very thin layer of oil coating the engine walls. Use logic here. These are metal parts rubbing against metal parts. Friction means damage. Oil prevents or delays friction damage.

Simply allow the oil pressure and oil temperature to come to normal levels before driving and you won't have problems. Along with frequent regular oil and oil filter changes.

There is not one company that recommends that you start a high tech device before it is properly pressurized and at proper operating temperature, except the auto industry. Porsche and other performance companies do not recommend starting and driving without warming up first.

Look at the long lines at the service departments each morning to discover where their loyalties are.

Be smart, take your time, change your oil and filters and let the car get up to proper pressure and oil operating temperature before driving.

Do what I did when my daughter had similar driving behavior (or shouldn't be driving for some other reason), just slip the fuel pump blade fuse into your shirt pocket. That can be done in about 15 seconds and totally disables the car. Then you can swear her driving did it, and you can even be a "hero" when you fix it, being careful to warn her about the dire consequenses of continuing to "kill" the car like that. Of all Volvo's safety devices, I've got about the most use out of that handy little "car turner-offer" than all the rest!

If your wife doesn't understand that it is really stupid to operate any motor before it is properly warmed up, then you should purchase an engine oil prelubber for the car. The prelubber will not prelubricate the engine before the car is allowed to start. Don't say it is really stupid to your wife. She will interpret this to mean that she is stupid not the act. don't say it. You could say that it is not responsible. Nope, that doesn't work either.

Just buy and install the prelubber.

Lawren.

Well, as with women and cars, warmth makes all the difference in the world. First and formost, you can't make the disasterous mistake of a cold response to your wife where warmth is the only solution.
A block heater for those cold morning start-ups, a seat heater that warms her bum when she gets in, and a heated garage. All this with some thin synthetic oil should do the trick.
After that, she will love you to death and may even be open to suggestion on some of the finer points of auto maintence.

Oh sure they didn't help too much , did they?

Hard running a cold engine.
Not Good!!!
Aluminum and steel parts expand and contract at different rates. Engines are built with tight fits in some spots and specific gaps in others. When the engine is ice cold, all the parts are smaller but close to these dimensions. When the engine is at running temperture, all these parts expanded to the proper dimensions. It's that in between stage that is extremely taxing on and engine, a transmission and a rear axle.

When you first start a car and are very heavy on the throttle, you are having high temperture explosions going on in a cold cylinder which causes the cylinder to heat up at a faster rate then the rest of the engine, causing the proper gaps and fits to go nuts. This will lead to damage and premature experation of parts. As a do it yourselfer, I don't want to spend the time or the money to fix parts that die because of these failures.

My wife and I even chug down the road until we get to a main drag just so the Bearing grease can warm up and move around before spinning up those wheel bearings to 55 MPH.

I think perhaps a mechanic buddy (the Mrs.) by your side when you are working on the cars might give her a little appretiation that it's not all giggles.

I recall dropping a drive shaft and doing a 'U' joint with my wife under the car this winter....She'll remember the sound of clunking 'U' joints and will tell me BEFORE the shaft has totally let go.
Please Mrs Frustrated Hubby, Give the car a brake. Yes, it's (just) machinery but remember that animals heal, Machinary has to be fixed.
I'd rather get bumped with a car then have a car bump my car.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwr and two motorcycles: it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

Not that I'm complaining but I hope someone will agree with me when I point out that this question would really be more appropriate for the opinions forum since it isn't specific to the 240.
Interestingly, a lot of model specific questions are being posted in Opinions. How hard is it to tell the difference?
--
1980 240 DL

QUIT YOUR MOANING!

It's a car, a lump of steel, if you treasure it more than your wife, you don't deserve her!

As for a word for your wife " Drive it like it was stolen!"

Happy Motoring!
Miguel
--
'86 244 and '87 245

Hand her the keys, the title, payment book, put her on a separate insurance policy, and give her the business cards of a couple of shops your trust. Then give her a big hug and a kiss and tell her that car is all hers -- responsibilities and all.

Never nag again. Never touch the car again, either.

You do have separate checking acounts, right?

My wife did that to a '91 245 for 10 years and 125,000 miles.

Starting the engine each morning was accompanied by a manifold backfire (from flooring it while starting it), then a roar, immediately followed by a horrible grinding as she simultaneously pressed the clutch and pulled it into reverse.

The transmission failed about 150,000 miles, and it burns a bit of oil now at 190,000 miles, but otherwise there was no dramatic damage from years of abuse.

Now I am driving the brick, and she is abusing a 328 BMW.

A wise old french gentleman who used to own the best mechanic shop in Guatemala City when I was living there gave me a lot of sage advice through the years. Part of it was "when it came to my wife and her car, just fix it and keep my mouth shut"

He also told me to move as far away from my in-laws as I could get.

Time has taught me that Maurice was almost always correct when it came to matters involving automobiles or women.

I am going to leave all of the battle of the sexes out of this post.

The way that this was discribed to me that made the point was:

1. 0°F outside.
2. You are asleep in your warm bed.
3. You get hit in the face with a picthers worth of ice water.
4. You must then jump up and run 6 blocks outside without any shoes.
5. Then when you get back home you must be hit in the face with a ball bat.

This list is just a fraction of what your engine goes though when it is started and the instantly forced to handle a full throttle load. Not to mention all of the other moving parts (transmission, axles, etc.)

Brian
--
86 240GL, 86 740GLE & others

I'm afraid I can only commiserate... many times the '88 740 leaves in a hurry, and sounds like it's not going to shift out of first gear EVER....

But my wife is technically minded, and understands that if she breaks it, she's gotta pay for it. Unfortunately, she also knows what we paid for the cars.... which wasn't much.... and there's another one waiting in the driveway if that one breaks. So striking a balance between automotive bliss and wedded bliss is necessary. I suppose I'm a little slow to respond to minor complaints too. ("The glovebox squeaks." "My wipers don't work on HIGH." "The whole headliner fell on me today dammit!")

Um, so change the oil regularly, and just remember that this car'll put up with it better than most any other. (Though loosening the throttle cable is a FINE idea.)
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '86 244DL- 215K, 87 244DL- 230K, 88 744GLE- 198K, 91 244 180K

Hehe, yeah. My youngest son drove my 65 283 4bbl Nova all through high school and complained about what a dog it was. I just grinned and said, "Well, it's old. What do you expect?" After he graduated and started driving my wife's truck back and forth to work and college I drove the Nova for a few months before selling it. Of course, when I started driving it the first thing I did was properly readjust the throttle linkage!

He was riding with me one day after that and after a brisk takeoff, and a tire squawk when it hit second, he just kinda looked at me and said, "I didn't realize this thing was that quick!" I told him that it'd run like a scalded dawg, as long as the throttle linkage was adjusted properly!" It then sank in on him, he grinned and shook his head, and I laughed my arse off!!

Justin B.

If you don't quit drivin' that
Hot
Rod
Lincoln!

If she's going to be so stubborn, allot the same amount of money to each of you per month for car expenses (payments, repairs, tires,etc.). Let her buy her own car and drive it and maintain it any way she likes, and you do the same. Whatever amount she gets, you get. This is fair, and you might find yourself with all kinds of extra money for tools, etc. as her expenses add up needlessly.
--
Thanks to everyone for the help, Doug C. 81 242 Brick Off Blocks, stock, M46; 86 240, 131k

Is your wife a techical person? Would she twig on to you slackening off the accelerator cable a bit or installing a constrictor ring inside the air intake duct, especially if done while she isn't around?

Bram

Try a comparison that she may understand.
Ask her how she would feel if she were abruptly awakened in the middle of the night and pushed into an immidiate ..ur.. um... activity, before being ready,
and explain that machines are no different.

Really? Dang...I knew I had a problem somewhere....:)
--
Paul's Amsoil and other lubricants

Different formulas will cover just about any cold start situation.

They make cars every day, but a good wife is a treasure to be nurtured for all your natural days. Go with synthetic oil and try not to wince. Synthetic oil in the cars, I mean.

I hear Olive Oil (the real stuff) work well, in a pinch.
--
Warren Bain - '99 V70GLT G-Valve > 70K mi, '96 965 >110Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

You're right, of course!

What was I thinking? I had just come in for a break after planting some tomato plants, that must have been it, blood still rushing to skeletal muscles, and not to brain. Yes.

-Punxsutawney Phil

'98 V70 T5M 118k mi.

http://www.groundhog.org

Is your wife a "technical person" at all? Would she understand if you explained how it is detrimental to apply a large throttle opening to a cold engine? Does she understand that the internal clearances have not yet reached a "warm fuzzy" point? Or does she view it as you TELLING her how to do something?

"Or does she view it as you TELLING her how to do something?" Hmmm, you must be single if you need to ask this question!! ;-)

Justin

You are correct Sir. Fourteen years single, after a seventeen year relationship which ended partially due to the fact that I did not realise that she perceived it as me TELLING her how (or what) to do.. ;-)

Hehe... It's funny how the female psyche interprets constructive criticism, heart-felt suggestions, and recommendations (based on experience and trial and error) on stuff that will make their life easier/more comfortable as a mean-spirited attack. After 26 years I've just learned to keep my pie-hole shut and try not to laugh when things go wrong... ;-)

Hope wife doesn't take to reading the BrickBoard or the dawg will most likely have a room mate!

Justin

.....and the amusing thing is, I could tell your wife the exact message that you gave me to say, and you could tell my wife the exact message that I gave you to say, and they both would prolly be very receptive...for a while. :*} (and for our female Bricksters, I realise that it is a two way street.)

My wife looks at me with a blank stare when I try to explain anything technical to her. On the other hand, I give my wife blank stares when she tells me not to put the chrome plated ice cream scoop in the dishwasher.
--
Warren Bain - '99 V70GLT G-Valve > 70K mi, '96 965 >110Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

Well, what I did on the kid's cars (65 Nova V8 and 57 Chevy V8) was to adjust the throttle linkage so that when the pedal was to the floor they were only getting between 1/2 and 2/3 throttle. Of course they complained about how gutless the things were but both engines survived...

Good luck,

Justin B.

Call the police, make a series of complaints about "the teenagers in their Honda Civics" hotrodding it through your neighborhood, emphasize that you're concerned about "all the kids", mention the same thing to your neighbors and ask them to call the police, too. When the traffic patrol attention dies down, begin the process again. After your wife collects a couple of 55-in-a-25 tickets, she'll drive like the road was made out of eggs.

Didn't work? OK - Unfortunately your choice of cars and truck makes her almost invisible to the police. Maybe add a "Nader for President" bumper sticker to her car? "Animals are People, too"? How about buying her a red Porsche?

-Punxsutawney Phil