[X] My Assistant

Oh man, hope its nothing nasty. Just got a new headgasker done on my daily which was fun.

Check the coolant to see if it's choccy milk.

If you're burning through that much oil it probably means your piston rings are done.

It could also be leaking out once the motor gets warm. So there might not be a puddle under your car.

So yeah, get an oil pressure gauge.

The valve seats may also be the culprit, but the car would be running like hammered shit if it was the problem.

Check for blue/grey smoke from your exhaust under acceleration.

Coolant is a clear green. Like it's supposed to be. First thing I checked.

It's driving great still.

Took about two months and 1.5k miles of driving for the oil to disappear. And even then it didn't sound different than normal, i just saw the idiot light blink on and thought "welp, I'm not going to ignore that."

Maybe I was driving it too hard and the old seals couldn't take it.

Yeah, pressure gauge sounds like a plan. will have to find/get a sender for it though. Or run a hose into my dash so motor oil can leak out inside the car.

Only time I think I might be able tosee blue smoke behind my car would be if I were to redline it for an extended period so the oil turned to water (and thus was not viscous enough to stay out of the combustion chambers), but I would never do that to this car.

The exhaust doesn't really smell like burning oil either... but I'm assuming it's slowly burning through it due to worn piston rings, as you say.

Might be an excuse for me to try taking the head off and replacing some seals... there is an official volvo guide for it for the B21 engines. But that's going to get pretty involved pretty quickly if I do.

Drove it around town today and it seems fine. Sounds and runs normally, oil level hasn't noticeably dropped, but I'm definitely going to be taking it easy and not driving too far in it until I figure this shit out. This car probably has 300,000 miles on it (odo was stopped when I got it), so it would not surprise me if it's in need of some TLC. Or maybe a re-boring to 2.3L, which makes it a B23 and also necessitates new piston rings, etc..

Could always just take a B230F from a 90s volvo and swap THAT in, though. Much newer engines, and not too different under the skin. I'm thinking far in the future now of course... I'd like to keep THIS engine in it as long as I feasibly can.

Gauge comes first.

Thanks for the advice again.



Unrelated question: Do you guys double-clutch (if you have a real car)? I tend to from force of habit.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 3 2022, 00:51

Coolant is a clear green. Like it's supposed to be. First thing I checked.

Good stuff, hopefully you can work it out and its nothing major.

Unrelated question: Do you guys double-clutch (if you have a real car)? I tend to from force of habit.

Never have, although i've never driven manual trucks or heavy equipment where it was necessary. I just shift like a granny, cant afford to replace synchros or a transmission lol.

I just shift like a granny, cant afford to replace synchros or a transmission lol.

Why would double clutching be bad for the synchros?

Unrelated question: Do you guys double-clutch (if you have a real car)? I tend to from force of habit.

Double clutching is for Big trucks or cars made in the 50's or other heavy vehicles.

Gearboxes without Synchro rings require double clutching.

These gearboxes are also known as crash boxes.

We haven't had crash boxes in passenger vehicles in Australia since the early 70's.

Even trucks are mainly automatic nowadays.

If you have Synchro rings in your manual box, double clutching is basically retarded and for people who've watched too many Fast and the Furious movies.



EDDY:

Why would double clutching be bad for the synchros?

It isn't if done correctly.

Even if done correctly it isn't necessary.

This post has been edited by Mags_: Aug 4 2022, 01:41

Double clutching is for Big trucks or cars made in the 50's or other heavy vehicles.

Gearboxes without Synchro rings require double clutching.

These gearboxes are also known as crash boxes.

We haven't had crash boxes in passenger vehicles in Australia since the early 70's.

Even trucks are mainly automatic nowadays.

If you have Synchro rings in your manual box, double clutching is basically retarded and for people who've watched too many Fast and the Furious movies.

EDDY:

It isn't if done correctly.

Even if done correctly it isn't necessary.

I learned to drive manual in a CJ-2A jeep and a horribly banged-up late 70's Toyota truck that was *supposed* to have them, but didn't for every gear because it was a piece of shit truck. That's the reason I have the habit. (Those Jeeps have no synchros... or if they did, I never have driven one that had good ones)
I'm sure I am not always doing it correctly, but I do try to under the theory that maybe I am reducing synchro wear marginally - not that they wear fast at all if you're not driving like an asshole.

Also, it hardly counts for obvious reasons of being stopped when you use it, but my reverse gear is unsyncronized from the factory.

Edit:
I have never watched a fast & furious movie. only real 'car-centric' movie I've watched is probably The Blues Brothers. And when I teach others to drive manual I don't even mention double clutch because I know it's retarded and would just confuse them anyway.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 4 2022, 02:26

Edit:
I have never watched a fast & furious movie. only real 'car-centric' movie I've watched is probably The Blues Brothers. And when I teach others to drive manual I don't even mention double clutch because I know it's retarded and would just confuse them anyway.

Yeah sorry that was a bit harsh.

I hadn't finished my tea when I replied.

Why would double clutching be bad for the synchros?

Nah, its not bad. I just cant be bothered to do it and I just shift carefully (read as not like a spastic) so that im not thrashing my gearbox/synchros.

Nah, its not bad. I just cant be bothered to do it and I just shift carefully (read as not like a spastic) so that im not thrashing my gearbox/synchros.

If anything I think bouncing of the clutch in and out during a shift makes me slow down my shifts, which is a good thing.

Yeah sorry that was a bit harsh.

I hadn't finished my tea when I replied.

Don't worry Mags, I still love you.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 5 2022, 12:54

Think I found the leak, but I've cleaned it off again to make sure it's not just a spot I missed while cleaning the engine last time.

Will report back with my discoveries... and possibly a picture if/when it returns.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 7 2022, 15:46

Saw an old Datsun street racing a WRX....

I doubt the Datsun was stock... it was flying. Maybe an LS swap? People throw an LS engine into everything.

The funny thing about the LS is that it's not even an amazing engine; it's just available in a crate and good enough. It has some power at least.

I kind of get irritated with people who LS swap things, unless their original engines are actually destroyed or the car's a beater.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 7 2022, 16:28

I don't mind engine swaps if you want a drag car.

You can buy an ls motor and a cheap ebay turbo and run 9's.

Street cars are a different story.

What irritates me about people swapping ls motors into old cars is that they don't upgrade the rest of the vehicle.

So you have 500 hp in a car designed for half that.

Brakes, steering and suspension that aren't suitable.

Not to mention stuff like chassis upgrades and safety equipment.

Unless someone does it correctly, it's just an accident waiting to happen.

It's cheaper to buy a 10 year old car and take that hooning instead.

/obligatory.

I don't mind engine swaps if you want a drag car.

You can buy an ls motor and a cheap ebay turbo and run 9's.

Street cars are a different story.

So many people buy a car bolt on Chinese ebay turbo then send the car into at tree in the royal national park. Or the engine explodes or the turbo explodes.

What irritates me about people swapping ls motors into old cars is that they don't upgrade the rest of the vehicle.

So you have 500 hp in a car designed for half that.

Brakes, steering and suspension that aren't suitable.

Not to mention stuff like chassis upgrades and safety equipment.

Unless someone does it correctly, it's just an accident waiting to happen.

Yeah it adds up fucking fast, also drive train, transmission, fuel system. You can only do so much legally as well before it turns into a drag / track only car if you starting install new fuel cells etc.

Its like; I fix the suspension geometry (mostly) but now probably need to change the coil overs eventually.

Need to upgrade the transmission at some stage, as something is slipping, losing 10%ish power.

The $$$$$$$$$ adds up.

It's cheaper to buy a 10 year old car and take that hooning instead.

yeah I don't really get street hooning considering access to tracks and drag strips has improved so much.

This post has been edited by EsotericSatire: Aug 8 2022, 04:57

So many people buy a car bolt on Chinese ebay turbo then send the car into at tree in the royal national park. Or the engine explodes or the turbo explodes.

Feeling called out.... Did this with my R34 GTT, put a 3071 copy on it but havent wrapped it around a tree. Still hasnt blown up and is surprisingly pretty nice. Did all the mods on my car when I was younger and had no money. Will redo the whole car with some nice parts one day.

Off topic but why do I feel like this thread has a disproportionate amount of aussies in it

Off topic but why do I feel like this thread has a disproportionate amount of aussies in it

IDK but I'm okay with it.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 14 2022, 19:29

I think a pressure relief valve for my fuel tank might be busted.

The part is still available, it seems. So that's good. 'specially considering they only used this one for three years and only on fuel injected models.

Part of me is entertaining the thought of drawing out what all I'd need to convert it to a carburetor (so that I hate myself even more, but only to be actually installed if/when the Bosch CIS kills itself). Volvo did make my car in carbureted form for Europe and Canada, probably other places too, and I have a european parts catalog (in swedish/german only unfortunately, but it'll do).

Probably totally not worth the cost given what all would need replacing.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 14 2022, 19:30

I have a friend that has like five cars... all of them in different states of 'almost working'.

I have a friend that has like five cars... all of them in different states of 'almost working'.

I'm up to 8 now.

I have a friend that has like five cars... all of them in different states of 'almost working'.

All of mine are ostensibly drivable and haven't left me stranded (besides the one with the failed auto transmission... but I was still able to limp that one home after I let it cool down, and it's fixed (replaced) now). Only one of them is for all intents and purposes 'totally good.'

One has a rusty fuel tank that I can smell petrol out of when it's full. So I've not been driving that one even though it technically 'runs and drives.'

One has this pressure relief valve problem so petrol occasionally seeps out of the filler cap. Yes, I have replaced the cap, so it's not that.

The 'pretty much working' one has power seat adjustments that don't work on the passenger side but is otherwise good.
And that's the one I hate driving, despite being far and away the most powerful of the lot... and possibly the best handling.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: Aug 15 2022, 16:50