IBMobile

In 1973 I had a Volvo blow an engine in Greenwood, Delaware. I got it over to my grandfathers processing plant's work shop where I was able to install a used engine that I acquired in Seekonk, Massachusetts. When I was done I put the junk engine into the trunk with my tools and headed back that night north to Cumberland, Rhode Island. That morning I watched the sun rise over Scarsdale, New York and headed on to the Connecticut Turnpike. Now it's just after 6 AM and everything had been going fine, 55MPH (the max speed limit) and putting down miles when there's a bang and blue smoke out the back. "Dam" I'm thinking "not another engine". I roll the car on to the brake down lane and get out to take a look. Lift the hood and look around, you could see the engines back then, and heck nothing looks bad. I pull the dip stick and no oil: look under the car and find that someone forgot to tighten the oil drain plug. It's not there. About the time I make this discovery I hear a car pull up be hind me. Looking around the hood I see that it's a Connecticut State Trooper. He gets out and I meet him at the back of my Volvo. The Trooper asks "What's the problem?" I tell him "The drain plug fell out of the oil pan". The Trooper asks "where are you going to find an oil plug for that car this time of day?" With out thinking I said "Oh, don't worry. I've got a spare engine in the trunk". The Trooper says "Now I've heard everything. I've heard of people carrying spare tires, spare belts, spare hoses, but I've never seen anyone carry a spare engine". I ask him where the next gas station was since I only had 2 qts. of oil with me and would need 2 more. He tells me there's one at the next exit about a mile up the road and he left. I rolled the old engine on to it's side, got the drain plug out and installed it in the good engine, put in the 2 qts, drove to the gas station added the rest of the oil and made it home.

Four gauges on the A-post

This might help.

I'm waiting for it to be cold enough here for the final tests on it.

I thought they stuffed chicken in a casket.

That's one way to just test the heaters themselves or one probe on the + side of the heater (firewall side) and the other probe on the - post of the left battery. This will test resistance through the heater and ground up to the battery.

The best way to test a U-joint is to unbolt the drive shaft from the differential's companion flange and move it about on it's two axis. It should move freely in all directions with no binding or play between the bearing cross journal and bearing cup. Unbolting the flanges should only take a few minutes. This inspection will either confirm or rule out a problem with the U-joints. Be sure to set the park brake, if it works, and chock the wheels.

Can we get some ohm readings posted to see if the resistance of the grid heaters increases with just age, mileage or on/off cycles. This would be a good indicator to whether a given ohm reading is pass/fail. Just tested mine and both came in at .1 ohm with 109,000 miles, used mostly in warm So Cal.

There or on eBay from a little store in Quebec for our Canadian friends, eh.

Yes, for a trouble free 4 wheel drive winter experience change out the original vacuum hoses. Be sure to install only Mopar factory winter hoses.

Both my 1/2" and 3/8" pneumatic impact guns are Ingersoll Rand.

Back from 10 days of fishing in the Sierra Nevada mountains and this is what was in the campgrounds, the twins. This is at 7100' and night time lows of 26°-33°F.

I use a vacuum bleeder and stopped the air sucking by taking the bleed nipple out and wrap the threads with Teflon® tape.

I used one from a Volvo thermostat the other day when I was flushing my cooling system. I bought a bag of them from one of my suppliers for about $1 each. If you want to try one I'll mail it to you.

My trans doesn't have this problem. It could be that your transmission vent is plugged up. When the transmission heats up the air expands and pushes the dip stick out.

I did a trans service last month. I let it sit over night then sucked the trans fluid up through the dip stick tube then dropped the stock pan, more fluid came out. I then did the band adjustments, replaced the filter and refiled it with 7.5 qt.

Go outside and look around. They're out there. I was at the Volvo dealer yesterday complaining about the cost of a battery cable: 2/0 about 14" long with a fusible link at one end, $124. If the front turn signal led blubs in a new Volvo go bad the complete headlight assembly has to be replaced at over $800.

Is that a competent potty trained 2 year old? I made a glue/filler out of broken pieces from an old trailer AC cover that was melted in a jar of acetone. I used this to fix a small crack in the front cover of the 5th wheel. It worked good.

With the cover off this would be a good time to take care of the KDP, Killer Dowel Pin.

If my turbo whistles I wouldn't hear it. I turn my hearing aids off when I drive: this makes my truck nice and quiet.

I've reset my monitors by driving on the freeway at 65mph for 5mi one way and then back home, stop and let engine cool. Do this three times and by the end of the third time the monitors are reset.

Don't put any money into it. You never get it back out.

I can poor oil like that....all over the outside of the engine and none going in.

@Dieselfuture could you please do a wright up about the Ford and top hat seals and put it in the 24valve engine section. The next time some one needs help with seal it will be readily available.