Varg In Jeep's Clothing
- Thread starter ITLKSEZ
- Start date
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
From waay back on page 2, “I changed the title of this thread. It's a little more creative.
"Varg" is "Wolf" in Swedish. Volvos are (were) built in Sweden...”
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
This looks like a nightmare, and it is, but it’s actually not going to be as bad as I’d feared. The only bad spots in the wiring are where the sheath was torn and allowed oil to attack the insulation. Plus, the wiring for the MAF sensor comes out of the firewall right next to where it needs to be, so I’m able to cut [literally] 10 feet out of it, and most of the damaged wires were in that length.
I might have this running by this weekend.
I might have this running by this weekend.
amboynut
Member
Thx.
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
SHE RUNS!!!
Fired up and purred like a kitten. There’s a dead spot just off idle that I’ll need to figure out, but throttle response feels decent, especially at higher rpms. Lag is about what I expected.
I’ll update more in the next day or two, but I had no oil leaks, a tiny fuel leak at a loose fitting, and a freak water leak back by the firewall where the steel line had a pinhole. Luckily it was in a spot that I could kinda/sorta reach with the mig without completely disassembling the engine compartment again to get to it.
I sanded the surface, then used a pick to try to diagnose if it was a puncture from the transport/install, or if it had rusted through from the inside. I’m guessing it rusted through by how I could open the hole bigger, but the surrounding tubing felt solid beyond the small amount I could open it up.
I went with a colder weld out of fear of blowing through, so hopefully I got a good seal. I’ll know tomorrow when I refill the coolant.
Fired up and purred like a kitten. There’s a dead spot just off idle that I’ll need to figure out, but throttle response feels decent, especially at higher rpms. Lag is about what I expected.
I’ll update more in the next day or two, but I had no oil leaks, a tiny fuel leak at a loose fitting, and a freak water leak back by the firewall where the steel line had a pinhole. Luckily it was in a spot that I could kinda/sorta reach with the mig without completely disassembling the engine compartment again to get to it.
I sanded the surface, then used a pick to try to diagnose if it was a puncture from the transport/install, or if it had rusted through from the inside. I’m guessing it rusted through by how I could open the hole bigger, but the surrounding tubing felt solid beyond the small amount I could open it up.
I went with a colder weld out of fear of blowing through, so hopefully I got a good seal. I’ll know tomorrow when I refill the coolant.
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
The weld held!
I only had about a half hour to mess with this today before my kid’s softball game, but it was long enough to refill the coolant and get it up to operating temperature. No leaks!
The off-idle issue fades away as the temp increases, and it is non-existent when warm. I hear a hiss at idle that sure sounds like a vacuum leak, but I pinched everything off one at a time and it was still present. Everything but the IAC valve. I’ll try that tomorrow. It could just be worn out.
My remaining list is:
-complete the wiring nightmare on the driver’s side (passenger’s side is finished)
-build a heat shield between the turbo and MAF sensor
-figure out what to do with the intake north of the airbox, if anything
-pull the engine bay cage enough to install the rubber bushings and do final install
-modify the air diverter behind the grill to accommodate the oil cooler
-figure out why the oil pressure gauge is pegged
-bleed brakes
-test drive!
-replace all the skins
I only had about a half hour to mess with this today before my kid’s softball game, but it was long enough to refill the coolant and get it up to operating temperature. No leaks!
The off-idle issue fades away as the temp increases, and it is non-existent when warm. I hear a hiss at idle that sure sounds like a vacuum leak, but I pinched everything off one at a time and it was still present. Everything but the IAC valve. I’ll try that tomorrow. It could just be worn out.
My remaining list is:
-complete the wiring nightmare on the driver’s side (passenger’s side is finished)
-build a heat shield between the turbo and MAF sensor
-figure out what to do with the intake north of the airbox, if anything
-pull the engine bay cage enough to install the rubber bushings and do final install
-modify the air diverter behind the grill to accommodate the oil cooler
-figure out why the oil pressure gauge is pegged
-bleed brakes
-test drive!
-replace all the skins
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
A day of test driving is in the books!
I was on a tear over the last few days trying to get this done. I took my time with the wiring; replacing any wires that were suspect, and removing all of the old crusty loom material while covering everything with new stuff. Removing the old loom uncovered a lot of unnecessary wires that I’d just cut and left inside when I went through this the first time. The harness now is much more lean, clean and efficient.
Another pile of scrap wire. I was having ptsd from the first time I did this.
I bled the brakes this morning and took it for a short drive around the block without the body on. I wasn’t impressed. The power was similar to the old setup.
Since we’ve had a cop hanging around here lately, I came back and put the skins on so I wouldn’t get a ticket. I took it out for a longer drive up into the hills, and it was really disappointing. It fell flat on its face at 3k rpm and got hot fast. I was seriously bummed.
I got thinking about it, and it really was behaving like a timing issue. I’d set the distributor in the middle of the adjustment range (where it was on the old setup), and was under the impression from reading forum posts that the ECU would make necessary adjustments on its own. Well, it must’ve been outside of its range of possible adjustment, because when I advanced it and took it back out, SHE RIPPED! And the temps were staying well within check. Possibly even lower than N/A.
I wouldn’t say it’s race-car fast acceleration-wise, but the torque curve is amazing. It pulls hard from 1800 to 5500+ rpm. There’s a hill near here that I used to have to wind out second, switch to third, drop back to second, etc…, and now I can barely flutter the pedal in third and it wants to accelerate!
I have a few oil leaks and an exhaust leak to iron out, and I really need to build a heat shield between the MAF and turbo, but it’s getting there.
This is an absolute game changer. So glad I did this.
I was on a tear over the last few days trying to get this done. I took my time with the wiring; replacing any wires that were suspect, and removing all of the old crusty loom material while covering everything with new stuff. Removing the old loom uncovered a lot of unnecessary wires that I’d just cut and left inside when I went through this the first time. The harness now is much more lean, clean and efficient.
Another pile of scrap wire. I was having ptsd from the first time I did this.
I bled the brakes this morning and took it for a short drive around the block without the body on. I wasn’t impressed. The power was similar to the old setup.
Since we’ve had a cop hanging around here lately, I came back and put the skins on so I wouldn’t get a ticket. I took it out for a longer drive up into the hills, and it was really disappointing. It fell flat on its face at 3k rpm and got hot fast. I was seriously bummed.
I got thinking about it, and it really was behaving like a timing issue. I’d set the distributor in the middle of the adjustment range (where it was on the old setup), and was under the impression from reading forum posts that the ECU would make necessary adjustments on its own. Well, it must’ve been outside of its range of possible adjustment, because when I advanced it and took it back out, SHE RIPPED! And the temps were staying well within check. Possibly even lower than N/A.
I wouldn’t say it’s race-car fast acceleration-wise, but the torque curve is amazing. It pulls hard from 1800 to 5500+ rpm. There’s a hill near here that I used to have to wind out second, switch to third, drop back to second, etc…, and now I can barely flutter the pedal in third and it wants to accelerate!
I have a few oil leaks and an exhaust leak to iron out, and I really need to build a heat shield between the MAF and turbo, but it’s getting there.
This is an absolute game changer. So glad I did this.
That’s got to make you feel good! You know every nut and bolt on that vehicle. Impressive work.A day of test driving is in the books!
I was on a tear over the last few days trying to get this done. I took my time with the wiring; replacing any wires that were suspect, and removing all of the old crusty loom material while covering everything with new stuff. Removing the old loom uncovered a lot of unnecessary wires that I’d just cut and left inside when I went through this the first time. The harness now is much more lean, clean and efficient.
Another pile of scrap wire. I was having ptsd from the first time I did this.
I bled the brakes this morning and took it for a short drive around the block without the body on. I wasn’t impressed. The power was similar to the old setup.
Since we’ve had a cop hanging around here lately, I came back and put the skins on so I wouldn’t get a ticket. I took it out for a longer drive up into the hills, and it was really disappointing. It fell flat on its face at 3k rpm and got hot fast. I was seriously bummed.
I got thinking about it, and it really was behaving like a timing issue. I’d set the distributor in the middle of the adjustment range (where it was on the old setup), and was under the impression from reading forum posts that the ECU would make necessary adjustments on its own. Well, it must’ve been outside of its range of possible adjustment, because when I advanced it and took it back out, SHE RIPPED! And the temps were staying well within check. Possibly even lower than N/A.
I wouldn’t say it’s race-car fast acceleration-wise, but the torque curve is amazing. It pulls hard from 1800 to 5500+ rpm. There’s a hill near here that I used to have to wind out second, switch to third, drop back to second, etc…, and now I can barely flutter the pedal in third and it wants to accelerate!
I have a few oil leaks and an exhaust leak to iron out, and I really need to build a heat shield between the MAF and turbo, but it’s getting there.
This is an absolute game changer. So glad I did this.
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
Bold of you to assume I remember most of it. The main reason I post stuff is for my own reference because I CRS!!
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
I had bought a VW (new) Beetle for my daughter last year, but she just couldn’t fall in love with the manual transmission, so I sold it. This heat shield was somewhere in the front end, and I never reinstalled it when I had it off. It’s been sitting on my toolbox ever since.
It wraps around and snaps together, and it fit perfectly on the downpipe.
I took the jeep out on the freeway today, and when I pulled up to the stop sign on the off-ramp, there was so much smoke, I thought I was on fire! I guess it wasn’t meant for that kind of heat!
It’s hard to see, but I made a heat shield for the MAF sensor out of the heat shield off my Volvo 850. It clamps to the cage with a muffler clamp.
Center, center/right, above the battery. If you zoom in, you can see it’s stamped with VOLVO
I also pulled the valve cover today to fix an oil leak. As hard as I tried to keep that thing flat when I welded it, it still warped enough to not allow a decent seal with just a paper gasket and copper spray gasket. It got a thin coat of Great Stuff instead.
That seal held, but I still have a leak coming from somewhere. I’m really hoping it’s not the rear main, I just replaced that. I need to empty a can of brake cleaner on the block and see where it’s coming from.
So, about that jaunt on the freeway…
The #1 reason I did this was to be able to hold enough speed over the 4th of July Pass to enable a 4th gear run the whole way. It’s always either been the 3rd/4th dance, or just hold her in 3rd for 4 miles at 4200 rpm, which just felt abusive on the engine and trans.
I got on the freeway today on one of the shorter local on-ramps. Normally I could have only ever merged at 50 (or 55 with a tailwind) at this spot. I glanced down as I was crossing the dotted lines today, and the speedo said 75! I settled down to the speed limit at 70 for a few miles, and where I used to be flat to the floor (or close to it), I was just floating with my foot barely on the pedal. I floored it and hit 80 in 5 seconds. 90 in 5 more, and it was just happily purring at 4000rpm.
I don’t think I’ll have any issues crossing the pass in 4th at any speed.
It wraps around and snaps together, and it fit perfectly on the downpipe.
I took the jeep out on the freeway today, and when I pulled up to the stop sign on the off-ramp, there was so much smoke, I thought I was on fire! I guess it wasn’t meant for that kind of heat!
It’s hard to see, but I made a heat shield for the MAF sensor out of the heat shield off my Volvo 850. It clamps to the cage with a muffler clamp.
Center, center/right, above the battery. If you zoom in, you can see it’s stamped with VOLVO
I also pulled the valve cover today to fix an oil leak. As hard as I tried to keep that thing flat when I welded it, it still warped enough to not allow a decent seal with just a paper gasket and copper spray gasket. It got a thin coat of Great Stuff instead.
That seal held, but I still have a leak coming from somewhere. I’m really hoping it’s not the rear main, I just replaced that. I need to empty a can of brake cleaner on the block and see where it’s coming from.
So, about that jaunt on the freeway…
The #1 reason I did this was to be able to hold enough speed over the 4th of July Pass to enable a 4th gear run the whole way. It’s always either been the 3rd/4th dance, or just hold her in 3rd for 4 miles at 4200 rpm, which just felt abusive on the engine and trans.
I got on the freeway today on one of the shorter local on-ramps. Normally I could have only ever merged at 50 (or 55 with a tailwind) at this spot. I glanced down as I was crossing the dotted lines today, and the speedo said 75! I settled down to the speed limit at 70 for a few miles, and where I used to be flat to the floor (or close to it), I was just floating with my foot barely on the pedal. I floored it and hit 80 in 5 seconds. 90 in 5 more, and it was just happily purring at 4000rpm.
I don’t think I’ll have any issues crossing the pass in 4th at any speed.
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
3100’
Not huge.
ITLKSEZ
Watching a toddler play w/a loaded gun
I found a piece of conduit at work that measured 2 7/8” OD. I tried to turn the galvanized coating off with the lathe, but somehow removing the coating caused it to start to warp and whip, so I quit with it only done in spots.
I brought it home and started cutting tasty pie. It was getting turned it into an intake tube that would fit from the airbox, along the firewall, up and over the steering column, and out the 3” hole in the firewall that was previously housing the outlet of the MAF sensor.
Here it is all welded and blended. I didn’t spend nearly the time on this as I could have, because it will never be seen.
Installed.
It is so much more pleasant to drive now. The sweet turbo noises are still audible, just as a whisper rather than a scream.
I brought it home and started cutting tasty pie. It was getting turned it into an intake tube that would fit from the airbox, along the firewall, up and over the steering column, and out the 3” hole in the firewall that was previously housing the outlet of the MAF sensor.
Here it is all welded and blended. I didn’t spend nearly the time on this as I could have, because it will never be seen.
Installed.
It is so much more pleasant to drive now. The sweet turbo noises are still audible, just as a whisper rather than a scream.
Galvanizing (also zinc and cad plating) can be stripped using pool acid. Muriatic acid will make short work of galvanizing just pay attention to the reaction. When the fizzing and bubbling slows check your part. When the galvanizing is gone the acid will attack the steel at a slower rate. I've never tried it, but you might be able to use vinegar. I would expect vinegar to take longer but any acid will remove galvanizing/zinc/cad over time.
Fab work is unreal here. Extremely good!A day of test driving is in the books!
I was on a tear over the last few days trying to get this done. I took my time with the wiring; replacing any wires that were suspect, and removing all of the old crusty loom material while covering everything with new stuff. Removing the old loom uncovered a lot of unnecessary wires that I’d just cut and left inside when I went through this the first time. The harness now is much more lean, clean and efficient.
Another pile of scrap wire. I was having ptsd from the first time I did this.
I bled the brakes this morning and took it for a short drive around the block without the body on. I wasn’t impressed. The power was similar to the old setup.
Since we’ve had a cop hanging around here lately, I came back and put the skins on so I wouldn’t get a ticket. I took it out for a longer drive up into the hills, and it was really disappointing. It fell flat on its face at 3k rpm and got hot fast. I was seriously bummed.
I got thinking about it, and it really was behaving like a timing issue. I’d set the distributor in the middle of the adjustment range (where it was on the old setup), and was under the impression from reading forum posts that the ECU would make necessary adjustments on its own. Well, it must’ve been outside of its range of possible adjustment, because when I advanced it and took it back out, SHE RIPPED! And the temps were staying well within check. Possibly even lower than N/A.
I wouldn’t say it’s race-car fast acceleration-wise, but the torque curve is amazing. It pulls hard from 1800 to 5500+ rpm. There’s a hill near here that I used to have to wind out second, switch to third, drop back to second, etc…, and now I can barely flutter the pedal in third and it wants to accelerate!
I have a few oil leaks and an exhaust leak to iron out, and I really need to build a heat shield between the MAF and turbo, but it’s getting there.
This is an absolute game changer. So glad I did this.