960 Project Pt. 1 - Diving In

So as a I previously mentioned in my first post, the 960 needs a lot of work. Currently it is driving on 5 out of its 6 cylinders and has oil and grime all over the engine bay. One of the first things I did was check the Idle Air Module. This piece regulates the air when the car is idling (as the name suggests) to give the engine a smooth idle at the low RPMs. Unfortunately, their design means that over time they can become filled with oil and grime which causes them to stop working. Checking the full intake system made sense as the parts are easy to access and can usually benefit from a cleanup on any car.

Most of the intake system comes off with a simple screw driver. Most of the system is actually tool-less removal and uses latches to attach everything together. The intake filter seemed to be in decent shape, however the main concern was around the throttle body. Due to the old gasket on the oil cap, oil leaks from the top of the engine down onto a lot of components. I suspect this oil is also the reason for the misfire on cylinder 3. I made sure to clean the throttle body, as well as check the Idle Air Module, as well as inspected the MAF for any buildup.

The gasket of the oil cap can go bad on the 6cyl motor, leading to oil build up around the cap and pooling along areas of the head. The oil from the cap has been leaking significantly, there is buildup around the intake and even the throttle body.

Additionally, while I was in the engine bay I made sure to check the belts. The motor on the 960 series cars use an interference design, meaning that the timing belt is crucial to the operation of the engine. Without the belt, the pistons will rise on the combustion stroke and collide with the stuck open valves since the belt controls when the valves open and close. Unfortunately, the sticker for the last timing belt replacement on this car dates back to 2006 when the car had significantly less miles. I assume that it has been replaced since then since the service interval for the belt is around 40-50k miles.

Not the information you want to see on a car in 2019 with 190k miles on the ODO.

While the timing belt may not look terrible upon my brief inspection, I would HIGHLY recommend that any new 960 owner do the maintenance on it. I plan on using IPDs kit with a new belt, pulleys, and tensioner as any of these components going bad can cause a catastrophic failure of the motor.

The last fix I did in my initial dive into the car was physically checking the connections around the intake system. Upon my inspection the MAF was very clean and the connectors seemed to be in solid shape. However, on the Idle Airflow Module, I found nasty corrosion that could have been causing issues. I used a can of electrical contact cleaning to remove the corrosion as well as a small pick to clean out any stubborn bits. The female end of the plug on the IACM was also cleaned for good measure.

I apologize that this write up was a bit short, I am writing it many days after I have done the work. For much of my writing, I find it easier to explain my work and processes when it is fresh in my mind and I can dive deeper into the repairs. In part 2 I will be covering the diagnosis of the misfire, and my continued work to resolve it.

1997 Volvo 960 Project Pt. 0 - $800 Worth of Headaches

If anyone who reads this follows me on social media, you will know that I recently picked up a 1997 Volvo 960 wagon off of Marketplace. The body is in pretty good condition, but its definitely a little rough around the edges. The car itself has over 190k on the clock, and all of its history up to this point is a mystery to me. Surprisingly I am only the 3rd owner of the car, and I intend, or at least hope to, get the car back into a running / driving condition.

While I was able to drive the car home, it definitely needs a lot of work before I would consider actually driving it anywhere. As it stands it needs (in no particular order):

1. Timing Belt and Serpentine Belt

2. Oil Change and Fluid Flush

3. Oil Cap Gasket

4. New Spark Plugs and Ignition Coil (Misfire on Cylinder 3)

5. New Idle Air Module

6. Headlight Bulbs

7. New Taillight Assembly and Bulbs

8. New Brakes

9. New Front Suspension

10. Fix Seat Rail Motors

11. Interior and Exterior Deep Clean Detail

There is likely other stuff, but these are the items I would consider to be the ‘bare minimum’ of what needs to be done to at least get it running and driving around. There is a good list of cosmetic items that I also have planned like fixing the missing trim and fuel door. Thankfully this car, and its parts, are dirt cheap and will allow me to experience the world of RWD Volvos. I’m hoping to do some videos and a lot of write ups on this car. Much like the P3s, there arent a ton of enthusiasts around the 900 series cars, much less the inline 6 versions. So stay tuned, and if you have any recommendations or tips for me please feel free to send a comment below!

VDASH Pt. 2 - Cloud Based Car Tuning

So I finally got around to getting the laptop and DICE unit out for creating pt. 2 of this series. I have had so many responses to the blog and I am glad it has been a help to so many people!

When we left off, we had just gone through the process of cracking the CEM, no we can go through the features!

For these examples I will be going over the 3 features that I added, however the process is the same for any modification you want to add. The first page you will see after loading is the homescreen, here you will see a basic readout from the car and your information.

From here you will hit Connect, and make sure your car is in Ignition Position 2, if it is and you continue to get an error, just click ignore. The VDASH program can do it for you when it does any CEM changes. Keep in mind, you should have the car still connected to the battery tender for this.

Now we will be on the full detail page, on this page you will get a readout of all the CEMs information and codes. Don’t worry, these are stored codes and may not be active codes in the system. On this page, you will go to Advanced, this is where we can make all the changes we want.

1. Automatic Headlights

The first mod that I did was activate the auto headlights for my car. For the 2012MY, the cars were equipt with light sensors, but only used them for the gauge and interior dimming. With a 2013MY+ headlight switch, we can add auto headlights to the car!

The part I ordered was 30739428, and the installation is as simple as taking off the side panel of the dash and pushing the old one out, and plugging the new one in. Now that the part is in, we need to able the feature in VDASH. This option can be found under Lighting > Dipped Beam.

Once you have selected the configuration you want, click the green Add button. This adds this modification to the cart. Its worth noting that once you purchase a modification, you can select any option within that group at a later time and change it for free.

2. Window Key Controls

The second modification I did was the Global Open / Close, which is the option to open and close the windows with the PCC key. Many Volvos, pre P3, have this option from the factory however it was removed for the US market. This option is found under Mirrors and Doors > Global Open / Close (via Remote). I set mine to only do the windows, without the sunroof, but this can be changed later for free if I wanted.

3. Remote Start

The last option I added was remote start. This allows you to use the PCC key to start the car remotely. After it is activated in VDASH, you must lock the car and then press and hold the Lightbulb button on the key for 10 seconds or once you see the lights start to flash. If the car is too low on gas it will not work!

4. Removing the Speed Limiter

Now this isn’t an option I used since the Polestar tune removes the speed limiter. However I realize that this will be a popular reason that people use VDASH.

The option to change the limiter is located under the main tab of Market Related Settings > Speed Limiter. There are a few options to choose from, with an option to try the beta Unlimited feature.