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DET17's "Project cheap thrills" - '92 944T

Well a quick update.....15 PSI is more fun! :oogle:

I've got to assemble an induction leak test kit from some PVC 2" caps, and find my Schrader valve assembly that I used BITD to bleed SAAB clutches, so I can pressurize the system from AMM to TPS and identify/correct boost leaks. I can occasionally hear a high pitched sound coming from under the hood during WOT blasts, and suspect that is the squealing leak.

Still have the WOT too rich AFR issue to resolve, as the first 15 psi blast at my local "proving grounds" still hit 10.3, then 10.0 as the RPM's climbed to 6K shifts. I need to UNtorque my knock sensor and re-torque at 12 lb.ft. and see if that improves the AFRs.:x: Next step will be to bolt on a spare KS and see if that takes care of it (I really don' want to tear our the driver feet plastic again to get to that damn EZK, but I will if that is necessary). Clearly the Browntops have plenty of fuel for this type of engine and boost level. If neither knock sensor nor leaks resolve this issue, I'll try a spare 016 AMM as was suggested by Mike (TLAO), but based on what I've read about how they function, I don't believe an issue exists only at high flow, as the signal is fairly flat. Per the BB, the AMM output voltages are very sensitive at LOW flows, idle and transition, but they output a flat signal at high flows. I've got an 012 AMM, but was planning to hold for the first 16V engine ;-)

Looking ahead, once I have this RICH issue resolved, the car will be headed for the body shop for some paint, a rear spoiler, and I'll finish my Gil Racing wheel spacer setup so I can mount the 17" PROPUS BBS wheels and my new Nitto rubber. Hopefully it all comes together before the SE Meet....when is that anyway?
 
Well a quick update.....15 PSI is more fun! :oogle:

I've got to assemble an induction leak test kit from some PVC 2" caps, and find my Schrader valve assembly that I used BITD to bleed SAAB clutches, so I can pressurize the system from AMM to TPS and identify/correct boost leaks. I can occasionally hear a high pitched sound coming from under the hood during WOT blasts, and suspect that is the squealing leak.

Still have the WOT too rich AFR issue to resolve, as the first 15 psi blast at my local "proving grounds" still hit 10.3, then 10.0 as the RPM's climbed to 6K shifts. I need to UNtorque my knock sensor and re-torque at 12 lb.ft. and see if that improves the AFRs.:x: Next step will be to bolt on a spare KS and see if that takes care of it (I really don' want to tear our the driver feet plastic again to get to that damn EZK, but I will if that is necessary). Clearly the Browntops have plenty of fuel for this type of engine and boost level. If neither knock sensor nor leaks resolve this issue, I'll try a spare 016 AMM as was suggested by Mike (TLAO), but based on what I've read about how they function, I don't believe an issue exists only at high flow, as the signal is fairly flat. Per the BB, the AMM output voltages are very sensitive at LOW flows, idle and transition, but they output a flat signal at high flows. I've got an 012 AMM, but was planning to hold for the first 16V engine ;-)

Looking ahead, once I have this RICH issue resolved, the car will be headed for the body shop for some paint, a rear spoiler, and I'll finish my Gil Racing wheel spacer setup so I can mount the 17" PROPUS BBS wheels and my new Nitto rubber. Hopefully it all comes together before the SE Meet....when is that anyway?

Don't wait to install it, you'l be very happy with the 012 and your setup! ;-)
 
Debugging the beast....1100 miles of seat time

Every project car with as extensive of rebuilding as "cheap thrills" will have bugs. One can NOT make that many modifications, replacements, and not have start-up issues. Well my project 940 is no exception to those hard rules. I will say, the issues have been minimal, but there certainly are a few which have reared their ugly heads. More analysis, more wrenching, better (or just plain more) parts are needed for this beast to meet my DD expectations.

HOWEVER, I will say proudly, the machine has started and delivered me to/from work, every day, since I took to the streets. Cold AC, working cruise control, damn comfortable (if not stupid heavy) 9 series seats, smooth braking, and a nice power level! The chassis is tight, she holds well in the twisties, and I'm still running the crap leftover rubber which came of this car & the donor wagon :-P.

Now to the bugs:

AEM UEGO wideband

Purchased lightly used from a TBer who was exiting the Brick war; he even had a spare Bosch sensor for the unit, as his MS&S system was not tuned properly (and he guessed wrong). Well I followed the installation recs. to the letter from AEM. Here is a picture of the whole assembly looking from the driveshaft view:

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A nice clean install. AEM says the BOSCH sender must be 36" downstream of the turbo if possible. Well I went as far as I could get; just in front of the DP flange, and right in front of the CAT (you don't install post-CAT). Found a nice weld on bung for $10 to my door on eBay, located the bung to clear everything (CAT flange and crossmember), angled upwards at approx. 10* from horizontal, all by the book. Here it is installed in my stock 9 DP:

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As you can see, it just clears the crossmember, maybe 10mm of daylight between the cable and steel! Should be perfect, I thought:roll:

The AEM has a nice quick disconnect coupler, to join the sensor to the 6 wire input cable which feeds up to your dash & AFR gauge. Running this cable along the frame, and snaking it up to the rubber booties in the LH corner of the dash. Getting the 6 pin cable plug thru the itty-bitty opening which was NOT used, is tough....I used a pull wire taped to the plug, well lubricated with dishwashing liquid soap, and it barely pulls through. I think I've got a couple scars from fishing that cable in :nod: You can see here how I fabbed the simple steel plate to mount the AEM cable connector, safely tucked up behind the AW71 crossmember so flying road debris would not kill it. You also will see I used a protective sleeve to run the cable within, for the same reasons. Here it is:

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I've already posted a picture of the AEM UEGO gauge mounted in my A pillar gauge pod.

WELL, it worked perfect for about 700 miles. Then one day, during a 16 PSI run at the local proving grounds, it stopped working :wtf: All it ever would display since, was a rock steady 14.8.....upon power up, the unit runs thru self check, all display characters, and then....nothing, no variation. From many an increased BOOST run at my test track :oogle: I know well the car is running rich at WOT, with AFR's down in the low 10's under boost. Then suddenly, she's not displaying a thing! Well last weekend I jacked the beast up, pulled out my spare BOSCH sensor which I had as backup, installed that one to see if the sensor was this issue. No joy, exactly the same 14.7~14.8 readings. Well when all else fails, call the manufacturer! Got the AEM tech guys on the phone, explained the situation, and they advised me to "wring out the 6 pin cable". You gotta be kidding me, as much of a bitch as it was to install, it can't possibly be bad, can it? Well that lay ahead, as I'll need to pull the AEM gauge out of the pod, then connect my ohmmeter to each wire one by one and continuity check. Not looking forward to this, especially with the PITA that a cable replacement would require! Further, the cable is well protected, so I'm at a loss right now to explain how a cable could have failed.....there is nothing in the area of the cable routing the would have pinched/melted a cable.... routed on the intake side of the car where everything is nice & cool, no moving parts, WTF could have happened to it? I sure hope the cable checks out AOK, but that will have to wait until I get back from a sorely needed vacation!

RICH AFR's during full boost:

I've documented this earlier in this build thread. I have Mike's Chips (TLAO) in my fuel and spark LH2.4 boxes. Using my previously discussed AEM wideband, I can see that fueling looks to be too heavy during WOT and full boost excursions (low 10's). I have discussed this with Mike, and also drilled a good bit of the feedback thread for his chips.....seems there is a mixed bag there of folks who have their setups dialed in and are happy with full boost AFR's and others who can't stop them from being too rich at full throttle/boost. Mike suggested that I try other AMM's (have not done yet), inspect my system for boost & vacuum leaks (I have built a pair of hose plugs, then pressurized my system to around 14 PSI from compressor exit to the redblock; only minor leaks thus far have been discovered). I have promised to do the "soapy water" testing around all connections to find all the miniscule leaks which legend says will cause the system to run rich. In the mean time, I replaced the 3 pressure hoses with URO replacements (factory Volvo parts were almost $200, and the URO hoses were $30). They were installed last weekend, and have been torqued and are leak free. Since my wideband is currently offline, I don't know what I've got now, so I'm staying OFF the boost and have dropped my Hallman MBC back to 12 PSI, only using boost minimally.


T3 Compressor stall/surge at 16PSI:


I've posted this separately in the Performance section, and the details are here:

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=263667

In short, the T3 is making the dreaded "turkey gobble" which is well known to indicate stall or surge. All of my intake tract piping is bone stock 9 Series parts, so there is neither a CBV nor any BOV. Perhaps my stock Mitsu turbo had the internal CBV, but that is moot as the Garrett T3 is my weapon of choice. Again, due diligence investigation points towards using the CBV to recirculate boost back into the compressor inlet, so I am pursuing a FORGE bypass valve, the 007P type which are typically used on VW's, Audi's, etc. etc. I am currently piecing together the parts and will retrofit a bypass system, so I can return to running the 16PSI.......which is quite addictive. I have yet to decide if I will go ahead and fit the 012 AMM (3 inch 960 version) at the same time, but I might if integration to the stock Volvo airbox lid piping is possible.


LEANING 7/9 series chassis, after upgrade with IPD components:

I've posted this one in the Maint. section, and you can read the details here:

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=259875

In retrospect, it probably should have been in the Performance section; asked the Mods. to move it and they have thus far declined.

In summary, the car is sitting 11/16 inch (17.5mm) higher on the passenger side, than the drivers side. Apparently this issue is endemic for the 7/9 cars; the factory claims that 10mm is acceptable given the weight distribution on the 7/9 cars, what with battery, ABS, and fuel tank on the drivers (LH) side. Even after 1100 miles on the car, this height difference has not moved a bit. I'm at the point where I have no choice but (1) live with it, or (2) tear the front end back apart, root cause/FIX it, or at minimum make some suspension adjustments to get the car back within the 10mm limit from side to side. I won't rehash all the details which are in the referenced thread, but I am suspicious now that perhaps some needed parts were missing from my car courtesy of the previous 18 years of ownership, or else one of my IPD sport springs is defective (wrong spring rate), or possibly one of the Bils HD has an issue and did not install completely into the strut tube......I don't believe the latter, as they both screwed down with the same amount of threads engagement, but I did not check them for extension amount. That will be investigated, very soon.

T3 Oil drain line - oil leak:

I purchased a drain line kit for the T3, nothing fancy, just an aluminum plate and threaded boss. When I assembled the NPT connections prior to the hose, I slathered them up in Permatex #2 I think, expecting it would handle the temps of the turbo oil without leakage. WRONG! Don't know if one of my threaded parts was bad and I did not get complete engagement, but end result is a slight oil leak from this drain line....running out of the fittings under the turbo and then down the hose and onto my redblock, then suspenion. Leaks will not be tolerated!!! I might be removing the drain plate and going directly to a JIC (30 degree) style fitting to get rid of this nuisance leak. In another 1K miles, I plan to drain out the DELO 15W40 oil and convert to Mobil 1 synthetic. Legend has it, this leak will be much larger when the super slick synthetic oil is introduced. Add another task to the punch list....rebuild the oil drain line system to ensure it is leak proof, prior to conversion to Mobil 1.

Those are the biggies that have been identified....again, not too bad considering the scope of this "restification" of Project Cheap Thrills.
 
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I went the other way with oil - switched from Mobil 1 to Delo and haven't looked back. Based on the highly scientific method of "looking at what comes out on the dipstick," Delo seems to be standing up to the demands of a turbo motor better than Mobil does (it's still amber well into my current oil change duration) whereas the Mobil would turn coffee/black within a couple hundred miles or so. The fact that Delo is much cheaper doesn't hurt either.
 
I went the other way with oil - switched from Mobil 1 to Delo and haven't looked back. Based on the highly scientific method of "looking at what comes out on the dipstick," Delo seems to be standing up to the demands of a turbo motor better than Mobil does (it's still amber well into my current oil change duration) whereas the Mobil would turn coffee/black within a couple hundred miles or so. The fact that Delo is much cheaper doesn't hurt either.

How many miles did you use Mobil 1? Could it be that the Mobil ! was cleaning the engine's combustion deposits better? Syn oil is especially good at that.
FWIW, After switching to Castrol Edge my oil got brown in color quicker for a while, but after running it a while longer, now my oil stays it's original color/cleaner longer.
 
I went the other way with oil - switched from Mobil 1 to Delo and haven't looked back. Based on the highly scientific method of "looking at what comes out on the dipstick," Delo seems to be standing up to the demands of a turbo motor better than Mobil does (it's still amber well into my current oil change duration) whereas the Mobil would turn coffee/black within a couple hundred miles or so. The fact that Delo is much cheaper doesn't hurt either.

Not that much cheaper in these parts....the 5 Qt. jug of MOBIL1 Syn. is around $28 at WM, where I think the DELO was around $16 for 5 qts. Given what that T3 will do to oil temps leaving that turbo (500F, possible up to 800F), especially once I resume 16 PSI, I will go synthetic.....and not look back....IF I can keep it from hemorrhaging all over my concrete! All my crank & cam seals are new, whilst the rotating steel is 18 years young. I hope it will be contained. The fact that the additives in the Syn. don't vanish after 3K miles like Dino oil is the other reason for me. I'm not starting an oil debate in this build thread, plenty of these here already :rofl:
 
Well an update on my project is overdue....been slaving away at the kitchen remodel for the better half, and finally a break in that action has allowed me some time to attack a few of the issues I posted previous.

Detroit Leaning.....

First and foremost, the "leaning suspension" problem. Of course, beauty (and ugly) is in the eye of the beholder. Some would just live with it.....but I'm cursed to perfectionism, and it just ain't right, a nice old brick leaning like that. It was time to attack that problem and resolve it! First I pulled both the front strut assemblies, then disassembled to make sure there were no assembly errors (by me)....none found. I've got a detailed thread posted in performance, that I will link to my project build; read it right here for the dinky details:

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=264448

For this project record, the short story.

Decided first to flip the IPD springs L to R, and while I was inside, replace the top spring spacers (rubber blocks which connect the spring to the steel spring seat). Found all these parts available from TASCA parts, and fairly economically priced:

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I bought both top rubber spring mounts (spacers in Volvo parts speak), a spare steel "spring seat"...just in case, and also both rear spring top spacers for possible fine tuning (these are really cheap).

Flipped the IPD sport springs, intalled new rubber, and the assembled top of strut looks like this:

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Well after re-installation, IPD front sway bar loose and all bushings NOT torqued, I rolled the beast around to settle the camber, remeasured, and now the difference was reduced to around 13mm (1/2"), with the PASS. side still sitting high. It was time for the next countermeasure.....the "THICK" spring seat. Here is the finished product:

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After some careful suspension measurements, front LCA in particular, I determined that to gain 1/2" in the fender/tire, this only required 3/8" additional height at the strut/spring due to the design of the LCA. Took my original spring seat along with the new spare to my machinist buddy (to see if he could save my arse, again); he custom built a 3/8" steel spacer which consists of 5/16" steel keystock welded to the lower spacer, machined, then welded to the top spring seat. Net increase, 3/8" from point of contact with the top bearing, to bottom of the original spring seat (where it contacts the rubber). I assembled onto the drivers side strut, after dipping in a gallon of rust preventive "bridge paint" that I've had forever (so the internal welded surfaces won't rust). While the paint is butt ugly, no one will see it either, and it will assume road grime color soon enough.

Here is the assembly, ready to go into the car:

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Full of anticipation, I reinstalled the drivers side strut, same conditions as before, and VIOLA, she is now level between front fenders/tires within 1//16" (1.5mm) from side to side! That is good enough for my 20 year old Hot Rod Volvo. Once I get the car to and from the painter for touch-up to some minor skin damage, I'll post some pics of the stance.... and now I'm happy with how she sits empty, "good enough" for my DD. :cool:


AEM Wideband malfunction


As I mentioned before, my UEGO wideband just stopped functioning....locked on 14.8 AFR no matter what. When I spoke to the factory technician, he told me to "ohm out the cable" between the O2 sensor and the gauge. I couldn't imagine how the cable could have been damaged, as I took great care to protect it. Well, you gotta know, so I disconnected from my sensor below, and then pullled the UEGO gauge from my A-pillar mount so I could ohm out the wires. I had to call on the better half again, and she happily held the meter up top while I crawled under the car :rofl:

Well the AEM tech was almost right. While all the wires were fine, and ohmed out fine (even when wiggling the cable down below), one of the readings was erratic. Due to the tiny flat cable connector at the gauge, I had to straighten a paper clip to fish into the plug end so we could read the ohms....and then she noticed that one of the positions of the 6 wires, when inserting the paperclip wire, it pushed right thru without resistance! :wtf: Sure enough, one of the mini pins inside the system gauge wire plug was bent, and not making good contact! Thanks baby! :nod: I used the paper clip as a tool, fed thru the back of the gauge plug and pushed he mounting pin into the same shape as the others, so it was an interference fit when plugged onto the gauge. Reassembled, fired that mother up.....first nothing, and suddenly the AEM gauge came back to life! SUCCESS #2 !!!!!

With those 2 victories under the belt, I set the car back on the front suspension, torqued my rubber bushings to spec, then adjusted the 25mm IPD bar with the Kaplehenke heim end links (zero preload on the links), and then drove the 940T to work for the first time in a good month. There is JOY in Mudville.....Project "Cheap Thrills" is back on the road. :oogle:
 
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Taking care of the nuisance oil leak in my T3 drain line

Being the anal retentive type, I hate it when automotive "things" leak. Especially engines that I have labored to make leak free. Well, my B230FT has had a slight oil leak on the turbo side since mid July when I put the beast on the road. Not an oil slick, just a nuisance leak with a couple quarter sized spots on the floor overnight. From an earlier investigation, I knew the turbo oil drain system I fabricated was the culprit :grrr:

The history: I bought a complete DIY drain kit off the web, generic for the T3. Of course I made my own hose fitting to tap into the engine block, but that side was good. The source of the leak was right below the T3, at the threaded connection. I know NPT threads aren't the best....you can't index them, you tighten to the angular position you need and "hope" it's right. Don't go far enough, and the leaks pour out......try and go too far and you strip or gaul threads. But my generic kit came with a female NPT flange, so I did my best to make it work.

Here is the actual oil leak, pic taken flat off my back under the car (safely on ramps, not jack stands). Looking close, you see the oil trail running down the hose:

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Following the oil trail up, I see it originates right in my NPT threads, which I torqued (into an aluminum T3 flange), and sealed with Permatex #2 I think it was. Obviously it wasn't working. You can see the leak coming right down my 45* adapter from the flange:

DSCN2248.jpg
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So here's the heart of the problem. Don't do what I did....which was to use NPT threads and kid yourself it will be leak free. Here is my original leaking T3 flange along with the special 45* NPT fitting (cost me almost $15 from McMaster Carr :grrr:), which I needed to clear my wastegate rod:

DSCN2267.jpg
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So I rethought this....what is needed is a connection which can be tightened leak-free, but yet indexed to any angular position (for drain hose routing). I needed another T3 flange with a funnel type connection (gravity, a good thing), mated with the 45* fitting to clear the engine mounts/WG rod, and have a -10 hose barb for my Parker drain hose to connect to. Drilling eBay, I found the solution from Kinugawa Turbo (Authentic Boosting) and an Aeroquip fitting:

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Exactly! A male -10AN (JIC) swivel connection, then attach the -10 female all aluminum Aeroquip 45* with barbed end for the -10 (5/8") hose connection. Viola! The pair of parts probably cost me $50 delivered to my front door. Yes, you can go cheaper, but I want this damn leaking STOPPED as I am planning to pour Mobil 1 Synthetic into the redblock in about 500 more miles....and we all know how that stuff can find ways to leak out ;-)

So, with everything removed (not easy laying on your back and contorting around the WG rod, engine mount, etc. etc), flange cleaned off with lacquer thinner and threads in the CHRA drain holes tapped clean for red Loctite, I installed the new pieces. They required indexing (rotation) and fit checking to make sure the Parker drain hose would not kink. I installed with one bolt, snugged the Aeroquip hex finger tight, then removed to the bench so I could put a good grunt on it. Once that was done, I put a light coat of anerobic sealant on both sides of the Kinugawa supplied gasket, then with High Temp red Loctite on the new bolts, I installed the drain flange and torqued using nearly all my 3/8 extensions, swivel and an M12 socket. Here is the drain fitting with 45* hose barb installed:

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With that complete, time to "measure twice & cut once" on the hose....you can't make them longer. Used a little kitchen sink "soap foam" to lube the outside of the triple hose barb fittings. From the first fitting, I know the hose is damn tight and it will take a herculean grunt to get it over all 3 hose barbs. Like a good Scout, I did my best and got it over the 3rd barb, barely. Then I reinstalled my good ABA blue clamp, and torqued it with my little 1/4 inch drive ratchet and 7mm socket. "Gutentight" as my old German buddies used to say :-P.

Here are a couple shots of the finished install. The hose is clear of all rubbing except it does touch the bottom of my Mann oil filter; not worried about that as they move together. You must have your turbo drain hose "falling downhill" so the oil doesn't build up and potentially coke in the hose. I've read that in a worst case event that drain oil can go well above 500*F, some even reported 800~900*F! Damn, that is hot!

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I'll be back on the road tomorrow, and I expect this will be the end of my drain side oil leak! I won't be happy if anything leaks from this setup, even running the Mobil 1 synthetic juice.
 
It's time for the synthetic juice.....

Yes indeed! My drain line upgrade is LEAK FREE :spin: after several weeks of DD duty, so all is well there. My re-sealed 94 redblock is holding it's oil nice and tightly, so time for the next improvement.

I've decided to run Mobil 1 synthetic in this beast for the overall goodness, for the sake of the T3 Garrett, and maybe even for longevity of the engine with the planned abuse I will be giving it :oogle:

Mr. Stealth himself suggested to put 2K miles on the rebuild prior to this transition, and I have just passed it this week. Will it leak? Probably a pretty good chance, even with all the new seals (Volvo grey used everywhere, I think). I even moved the seals inboard slightly per the Volvo Greenbook recommendations to get fresh crank/cam/intermediate shaft surfaces for the seals to run on. I'll live with small leakage in order to reap the benefits of the synthetic lube.

Here it is:

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I went 10W40 due to my location down here in the SE States......we rarely see the teens in winter temps, and did hit 100F+ for multiple days last summer. A new Mann 917 Filter and a target of around 6K miles on this first batch......not worried about going further than that, for now. I will investigate what users of Mobil 1 (in Turbo applications) are recommending for change intervals.

Next step......repairing some minor body damage, getting my spoiler painted at the same time, and getting it installed and the 3rd brake light up and running. Oh yeah, I've got most of the parts inhand to retrofit by FORGE compressor recirc. system to avoid the dreaded stall/surge I was experiencing at 16 PSI....just have to purchase 1 more coupling hose and get my aluminum welding taken care of, and then......:cool:
 
fwiw - after doing some investigative work on oil flow vs. pressure, viscosity and temperature -- I made the switch in mine to 0w-20. Oil temps are a bit lower - which helps viscosity; pressure has been unaffected at least as much as I can see it on the gauge.

Nice work on the car as usual! Kitchen probably looks good too. ;)
 
fwiw - after doing some investigative work on oil flow vs. pressure, viscosity and temperature -- I made the switch in mine to 0w-20. Oil temps are a bit lower - which helps viscosity; pressure has been unaffected at least as much as I can see it on the gauge.

Nice work on the car as usual! Kitchen probably looks good too. ;)

I need to do more syn. oil reconn. but the next round may well be 5W30. My car see's DD duty and I've got that T3 to protect....I doubt that Ford 5.0 has those same needs. The tech. papers I have read on the benefits of syn. vs. dino oil sold me.
 
I switched mine to syn when I pulled it and went through the top end -- refreshed all the gaskets. It's pretty much an oil change once a year - rarely put more than 3000 miles a year on it. On my turbo Subies - while in warranty I stuck with recommended interval (3750) and went syn. Once out of warranty, I moved to a 7500 mile interval with a filter change at 3750. Syn handles heat and cold much better than dino no doubt - and extended intervals are possible with proper filtering. Back in the day, my SCCA racer ran syn everywhere - oil, tranny, rearend and wheel bearings. Bearing grease made a big difference due to brake heat...
 
Body & paint!

OK, so the "cheap thrills" went out the window long ago...:lol:

As I plan to be driving this box for quite a while, I decided to spruce up the bodywork a bit using a local bodyshop that has done some excellent collision work for me in the past.

When I purchased the 9, the pass. side had narrowly escaped some nasty damage courtesy of the sellers daughter (let me guess, she was texting?). The pass. front fender has a very slight crease up top, but I've decided to just live with that one until such a day a paint code 189 "polar white" fender reveals itself. However, the pass. rear door took a hit from that event, and the front lip of the rear wheel well looked even worse, having taken a pretty good smack. Here it is "as bought" back in 2010:

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Somewhere down the line of this reconstruction, I decided to buy a 940 spoiler, if I could find one for little coin. Amazingly I did just that....seller thought it was an 850 spoiler. It pays to find out the proper part #s people! :nod: I know, some hate 'em, but being a semi-old opinionated guy....I didn't care. It needed something, so on goes the spoiler. I had previously removed the rear window 3rd brake light....butt ugly IMO, so an evening with the dremel and it disappeared (and I pulled the wires free to power the spoiler 3rd brake light). The 9 series spoiler I bought had the paint fried off of it from the years, but I reasoned that my paint shop could quickly prep. the spoiler and while they had the paint mixed (and again, for little coin), spray my spoiler to match the Polar White. It always pays dividends to coordinate your tasks, especially for something like paint work.

Here are the pics of the finished repairs:

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This shop does nice work...they had previously done a couple collision repairs for me, and their finished product is excellent. Other than the slight shade variation of the Polar White, you can't tell it was ever repaired:

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and a sneak peak at the next installment...S90 spoiler installation:

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Rear Spoiler installation

The rear end of the 9 series car needs something to give it some "sex appeal" as we used to say :) In stock form, they are just awfully plain looking, even when dressed up with the 960 tails. Well I decided to source an original 9 series spoiler, and get it painted with my quarter panel repairs so the paint would be of the same lot and match appropriately. I searched thru the showroom pages and see this spoiler is not favored by many of the young-ins here, but I didn't see anything IMO that looked any better, so I went with the stock piece.

As part of this upgrade, I replaced the original 940Turbo deck lid with one from a 97 S90....same paint code 189 Polar White, so the paint would match. More importantly, this S90 lid was dent free, and that was also needed.

Well I've polished a couple cars now with the old school "solid color paint", but never clearcoat as is on this 9 series. I did some web reading at Meguiars online forum, and decided to have a go at polishing the lid prior to the spoiler install, so to get the best final appearance for the old DD. Rather than dive right in on the S90 lid, I practiced on my old (soon to be scrap metal) 940 lid. Here we go, just washed and getting ready for clay:

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All of this is new to me....never "clayed paint" before, but I just followed the Meguiars play-by-play instructions. Once clayed out, I applied the M86 SOLO product to a 7 inch foam waffle pad, working at the lower speeds (1000~1400 RPM). It worked, and didn't burn thru the clear, which was my concern. Onward to the real S90 lid. Here we go:

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Just like Meguiars said, you can "feel it smooth out" and look at your clay to see the foreign matter which it pulls from the paint. Once the entire top of the deck was finished, I picked up my trusty Dewalt DW849 buffer, and worked the deck in 2x2 foot sections as recommend. The clearcoat buffed out nicely, although some fine scratches remain, but I'm not sweating that for a 20+ year old DD. Here is the finished top surface of the S90 lid:

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With the decklid polished & ready to mount the spoiler, it was time to complete the old 9 spoiler which had been completely stripped in preparation for paint. I had some thin rubber/foam padding with an appropriate adhesive on one side, so I commenced with the fitting process:

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I basically applied the rectangular strip, rounded the ends to match the spoiler pad, then kept trimming to get it close to matching. For the sake of 9 series guys, here is the proper spoiler part# for the factory unit:

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A closeup of cutting the insulation pad on the drivers side, typical for pass. as well:

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Next was the center pad, kind of a large triangular area, which required some "pie cutting" sections from the insulation to get it to match the profile:

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When installing the spoiler, you must establish the proper fore-to-aft location. By carefully sliding the spoiler back and forth, and then test tightening the forward clamps, I found what I believe is the designed location where the clamps are fully seated and there is no L-R wiggle room left. The S90 / 9 series decklid is tapered and widens as you go forward. The spoiler did not end up 100% at the back of the lid, but I felt it was more important to have good clamp fitment to keep her attached at speed. For the record, using a cloth sewing measuring tape the rear of each end pad "boss" measured exactly 5 inches when pulling the tape from the spoiler boss back to the bottom corner of the lid. YMMV.

I think the installed spoiler gives a little more sportscar look to the G-pa series. Here are some shots to show the final installation:

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Of course you must have that 3rd eye, center brake light for the install to look OEM. Lucky for me the spoiler I purchased had the complete wiring pig tail with enough length to reach the original 3rd light in the rear window. Volvo put a pre-drilled hole with rubber plug just inches from the point it exits the spoiler, to the routing hole in the rear corner of the decklid. You pull the grey cover on the inside of the decklid and route the cable to the LH hinge corner where the main wiring harness feeds down into the chassis. Tie it off appropriately so opening the decklid won't pinch/pull cables, and then make your connection to the original 2 wire spades for the rear window light (which is a real PITA to get fished down into the trunk, barely long enough). Plugged in and tested courtesy of the spousal unit, and SHAZZAM we got the spoiler brake light!

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Note: I also installed the HD versions of the decklid gas struts (OEM# 3529925) which are specific to cars with spoilers. Failure to due so will result in the lid dropping onto your head and you might be seeing stars or worse. :doh: You can avoid this embarrassment and pain by buying the correct ones...cheap....I found them on fleaBay direct from Magneti-Marelli, made in Latvia (probably making them for OEM as well) for under $40 shipped to the door. Installation is fairly obvious, just take care to release the spring clips with a small straight screwdriver tip and slather some white grease on the pivot balls, then you are good to go. Now the lid with spoiler installed opens and self lifts right up....awesomely cool :cool:
 
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