Anti-Corrosive Paste

Found a tube of anti-corrosive paste for electrical connections in my local ACE Hardware store under the brand "Ox-Gard", Anti-Oxidant Compound by Gardner Bender. The stuff sells for $3 - $4 a tube and how it differs from dielectric grease is, in addition to its anti-corrosive properties, the paste is also conductive. Whereas dielectric grease works great for protecting brand new connections from the elements, on old cars where electrical connections have already degraded, anti-corrosive paste works way better in preventing further degradation and improves connectivity via its conductive properties ... from what I read anyways ... I'll let you know in 20 years if it's true. In the meantime, it can't hurt. All I know is, because it is conductive, care must be taken to wipe off any access to avoid current "jumping" to adjacent connections. Here's a list of other anti-corrosive products and their manufacturers from the K1TTT Amateur Radio Station website.

So, armed with a tube of Ox-Gard and some fresh fuses to get my multi-meter working again, I set out to restore all the electrical connections I could find under the hood to ensure corrosion free leads and proper grounding. To pick-up from where I left off with the main fuel injection relay, I was able to determine that input to the relay was indeed 12V, but output from the relay to the coil was still 10V indicating that the voltage drop was happening via the relay. Perhaps this is how its supposed to work by design? Or perhaps, the additional voltage is kicked in at ignition point? Who knows ... I have bigger problems to solve right now ... like the no-start situation. That's why I placed an order for the "Bosch Fuel Injection & Engine Management" book on a tip from blog reader George Downs of Bartlesville, OK (thanks George!). This book may be found in IPD's P1800 book section.

Oh yes, I'm also pretty sure at this point that the cause of the no-start is due to a faulty starter. I applied the following "stupid starter tricks" that I knew off and arrived at the conclusion that it's dead:

• My favorite - Banging on the starter solenoid with a hammer while attempting to start with the key. Sometimes the contacts in the solenoid get stuck and this low-tech approach may sometimes "free" them.
• Check that the starter is getting the full 12V via the lead directly from the battery - it is.
• Placing the transmission in gear and rocking the car back-and-forth before attempting to start. Sometimes the starter pinion gets stuck with the gears in the flywheel casing. This procedure should free it.
• The screwdriver trick - If the solenoid fails, the starter can be "jumped" by engaging the ignition to the "on" position and placing a screwdriver across the 2 leads on the starter. Screwdriver was too cumbersome, so I used 2 cables with aligator terminals instead - Lots of sparks, still no start!

Just for the heck of it, I also ran some tests found in this Volvo Fuel Injection Fault Tracing handbook downloaded from the Volvo 1800 Picture Gallery website, and found that my air temperature sensor was faulty. The resistance reading of a working air temperature sensor should be between 260 to 340 ohms - Mine was 400 ohms. Could this little thing be causing the no-start? If anything it should affect engine performance instead of preventing it from starting ... right? I'm not stating this as a fact as I'm obviously not the person to ask about these things. Merely thinking out loud or talking to myself ... which is not out of the ordinary. I really need to read that book!

Spark Plugs Are Here!

The new NGK spark plugs were finally delivered today. Pictured here is the new vs old and pretty banged-up spark plug. Bad news is - installation of the new spark plugs, coil, and ignition wires didn't make a difference. The car is still a no-start! All I get at the turn of the key is the sound of the fuel pump running, a click ... and nothing. Time to dig further into the ignition system - starter, ignition switch, distributor ... good times!

Coil Not Getting Full 12V

When I installed the Pertronix Flame-Thrower ignition coil last weekend, I discovered that the coil was not receiving the full 12 volts required for optimum performance (I was reading only 10V on my volt-meter). The installation literature suggests that there is a resistor somewhere in the circuit that needs to be removed in order to get the full 12 volts. Well, first of all I don't even know what a resistor looks like, and a close inspection of the wiring schematic didn't reveal any resistors leading to the positive terminal of the coil. Here's a link to a nice wiring diagram in PDF format that you can zoom in on for a 1972 1800E (should be the same for a 1971 1800E ... I think?!!) Of course, me reading an electrical schematic is like a 3 year old reading the Wall Street Journal.

So, either there really is a resistor, or there's a voltage bleed somewhere somewhere in the circuit leading to the positive terminal of the coil. From what I can tell, the 2 brown wires feeding into the positive terminal of the coil are from the main fuel injection relay and from the horn relay via fuse #6 in the fusebox. In this 1st photo, the twin brown wires are shown connected to the positive (top) terminal of the coil. Red wire from negative terminal of coil goes to the tach. Figuring out the wire colors was a task all by itself since all my wires are black ... they're either spray-painted black by some previous owner or black from years of grease and dirt fusing to the wire jackets! Only with some 1-on-1 time with the rotary tool did I manage to coax the wires to reveal their "true colors".

Fuel Injection Relay - Before:

Fuel Injection Relay - After:

A volt-meter test on the battery showed a full 12 volts, so I decided to trace the source of the voltage drop by removing the main fuel injection relay, cleaning up all connections with the rotary tool and some electronic contact cleaner, reattaching all connections, and ensure proper grounding. The only thing missing is I need to get my hands on some anti-corrosive zinc paste that I read about in this excellent article about electrical connections in our old Volvos. This guy is almost fanatical about the stuff, needless to say, I found new religion. I also extended the session with the rotary tool to include the restoration of the relay housing pictured in the before-and-after photos above. First, a rotary paper sanding bit was used to remove surface impurities, followed by the stainless steel rotary brush to get that brushed steel finish.

Of course, after hooking everything back up and in my haste to test the voltage, I mistakenly set the multi-meter to test resistance and completely fried the unit! I probably just blew the fuse in it. In any case, I wouldn't know the results of my efforts until I have the fuse replaced and my multi-meter working again ... story of my life.

Hood Silencer Pad

The spark plugs are still not here, so I couldn't mess with the engine this weekend. The hood silencer pads finally got some attention instead. Weeks ago, one of the pieces had fallen off after losing its adhesiveness. While reattaching the piece with a fresh application of adhesive seemed like a simple enough task, the challenge was how to effectively "clamp" on the piece with adequate amount of pressure during the curing process. My mind toyed with removing the entire hood, placing it on a flat surface and applying something heavy on the hood pad while it cured - too complicated! Another possible solution was to fabricate some sort of cross-brace with nylon straps while leaving the hood in place - problem is although the staps might hold the hood pad in place, it might not form equal pressure on all areas of the pad. After a 10 minute stare-down with the thing, I said to myself in frustration - "C'mon man! I make a living solving problems in the corporate world, this can't be that complicated! What would McGyver do with the stuff he has at hand in the house?" So here's the McGyver solution: 1 pillow, 1 trash bag, and a spray can of 3M's Super Trim Adhesive. The adhesive has to be rated for high temperatures of course, and the only thing available in all the neighborhood auto supply stores was this expensive massive can of the 3M stuff that I had to fork out 20 clams for!!! Twenty bucks, when all I needed was a couple of squirts! Hey, 3M guys - if you're listening ...put the same stuff in smaller cans and sell them for $5.

Detached Hood Silencer Pad:

3M High Temp Adhesive:

Anyways, here's what I did: Place the pillow in the trash bag to protect it from engine dirt and grease. Place the pillow in the engine bay on top of everything (engine, radiator, hoses, etc.). Apply the adhesive onto the hood pad and hold it in place for a minute or two until it forms a temporary bond. And for the last step ... just close the hood. The pillow will wrap around the hood pad, and that along with the weight of the hood will form enough pressure to "clamp" it in place during the curing process. Beats standing around for an hour holding it in place by hand ... wife didn't even notice her pillow was missing!

Pillow in Trash Bag:

Reattached Hood Silencer Pad:

Center Console Reinstalled ...

... after 3 months of being out of the car and waiting for the heater to be restored! This chapter can now be closed ... for the moment.

Before:	After:

PerTronix Flame-Thrower & MSD Wires Installed!

Lots and lots of dielectric grease is what you'll need for building custom spark plug wire sets! The boots are almost impossible to thread through unless they're lubricated with a generous amount of dielectric grease. The spark plugs I ordered didn't show up for this weekend's party (they're on backorder), so I still can't tell if any of these replacements will solve the "no start" problem. The plugs that I currently have in the engine have the old school styled terminals which do not fit the plug terminals on the new wires. Besides, the old spark plugs looked pretty fouled, so I hope that's the extent of my problem. Here's the before-and-after photos of the wire upgrade. I'm still not sure how I feel about the new wire set. I like the look of the red wires, but at this point I much prefer the cleaner look of the stock boots on both the spark plug and the distributor end. The grey colored oversized MSD boots might take a while getting used to, however they are built that way to take a pounding from the engine heat and oils. BTW - These wires really do have low resistance! I checked them with a multi-meter and they really do only produce 40 - 50 ohms of resistance per foot, which translates to greater efficiency in the transfer of energy to the spark plugs.

Stock Spark Plug Wires:

MSD 8.5mm Super Conductors:

I also replaced the stock Bosch ignition coil with the PerTronix Flame-Thrower coil which adds another chrome element in the "looks" department of the engine bay. The photo below shows the new coil with new red coil wire that I built using the same MSD 8.5mm wire kit used to build the spark plug wires.

Stock Ignition Coil:

PerTronix Flame-Thrower Coil:

Diode Wire Kit Has Arrived

The Diode Wire Kit from IPD has arrived. Unfortunately, it's not something that I'll need for my application. This kit is used to bypass the original single terminal ignition coil without having to cut into the armored cable for the ignition switch for P1800's up to 1968 (yes, I now know what the "armored cable" is). The PerTronix Flame-Thrower coil that I purchased has the conventional dual terminals, hence no need for this bypass. Here's a picture of the kit anyways before I send it back. It does come with detailed instructions on how to perform the surgery.

"The Saint" Was Here!

Well actually ... a gentleman who calls himself "The Saint" left a nice comment on this blog yesterday, which led me to his website: www.saint.org - a tribute to The Saint and the works of Leslie Charteris. A tremendous amount of work has been done by the publisher of this website to amass such a collection of knowledge on the abovementioned subjects. Seriously, everything you need to know about Simon Templar including the iconic P1800 that Roger Moore drove can be found on this site. I am halfway tempted now to take a stroll down memory lane by renting old copies of The Saint television series on DVD. I say "halfway tempted" because the last time I did this with "Mork & Mindy" - it didn't go so well. In fact, it pretty much ruined everything!

I had fond memories of watching Mork & Mindy on TV as a child. I used to think Robin Williams was hilarious - and he was for me at that time. Somehow, after 3 decades of advancements in TV & movie making (not to mention changes in my own brain chemistry), it just wasn't funny anymore. That's why I avoid reliving my childhood "TV time" with The A-Team, MacGyver, or Knight Rider for fear of tainting that geeky glee in me when I think of those programs. Gilligan's Island is not on that list - in fact, the chinese translation for "Gilligan's Island" is "Lau Tze Sho". I did however watch the entire "V" television series from the 80's recently and it still "did it" for me - I still believe! So perhaps I should give The Saint a try ... or maybe just read the books ... but, I just bought that 50 inch Sony LCD ...

Ignition Components Have Arrived!

The MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor spark plug wire set, PerTronix Ignitor points-to-electronic ignition conversion kit, and PerTronix Flame-Thrower ignition coil I ordered have arrived! The spark plug wire set came with the terminals and the boots already installed on the spark plug end. The distributor end of the wires are left bare so that the wires may be cut to the appropriate length and attached to the included socket or HEI-style boots. To my surprise, the kit also included a coil wire! I wish they would include this juicy fact in their product description ... it would have saved me the trouble of buying that additional coil wire. Also included in the kit is a mini wire stripper/crimper to build the cables. Heads-up: you'll need a vise to complete the installation.

Pictured below right is the sexy looking PerTronix ignition coil that'll spit out 40,000 electronic frying volts! First thing that needs to go is the sticker. I regret ordering a chrome bracket for the coil. Chrome-on-chrome might be overkill. I wonder if they make a coil bracket in black ... or red? All I need now are for the spark plugs to show up before the weekend.

MSD Super Conductor Spark Plug Wires:

PerTronix Ignitor & Flame-Thrower Coil:

Oh Oh, Trouble!!!

The engine fired up again on the first try. Idle is still rough and erratic. I didn't drive it this time - just left it idling in the garage to see what happens. Once things started to warm up, I gave it some gas to rev it up and as usual, once my foot was off the gas pedal, the engine idled low and eventually stalled. This time it's completely dead! Each subsequent try resulted in a weaker crank until there was no play at all (after about 3 attempted starts). Where's the love? I don't think it's the thermostat anymore although I'm not ruling that out yet. This sounds like a whole new problem and I'm not going to try cranking up the engine again at the risk of frying my starter. This new developments has forced me to expedite the ignition system upgrade that I had planned anyways. There are so many things that could cause a "no start" scenario, I think I'll start by ruling out the ignition system by performing the following upgrades:

• Upgrade spark plugs
• Upgrade spark plug wires & coil wire
• Upgrade ignition coil
• Perform a points-to-electronic ignition conversion

A quick check on the battery with a multi-meter quickly ruled out lack of power as the culprit as the battery has a full 12 volts. Fouled plugs can easily contribute to idling or "no start" problems. A quick check on my plugs I discovered, was neither quick nor easy! None of my standard spark plug sockets would fit, nor would any of my long reach sockets for the matter! It turns out, the plugs on the Volvo P1800 are 13/16 hex - that's bloody big! Why so large? Me thinks it's because the B20 engine (and it's predeccesor, the B18) was developed by taking Volvo's V8 truck engine and slicing it in half to produce a straight-4 to fit in a car. No wonder the engine is bullet proof - that and it was made for the freezing cold Swedish climate. In any case, it turned out to be an exercise to track down the appropriately sized plug socket and the replacement spark plugs as none of the neighborhood auto stores carried them.

I ended up ordering all the upgrades online from various sources and am now waiting for the parts to arrive, hopefully in time for the weekend. I got the NGK standard spark plugs (Part No. BP7HS) and a chrome ignition coil bracket from JEGS. I decided on wires by MSD Ignition: I'll be building my own custom spark plug wires using the MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor Spark Plug Wire Set (part no. 31159) and coil wire is MSD's 8.5mm Replacement Coil Wire (part no. 84049). I decided on these as they're red, and have the lowest resistance without electronic interference. They do cost twice as much though, but I'd rather do it once right and never deal with it again.

I also bought the PerTronix Ignitor electronic ignition system and the PerTronix Flame-Thrower Coil because they're a popular upgrade from points-type ignition systems amongst classic Volvo enthusiasts, therefore there's lots of support available if things go wrong ... and they have the ignition coil in chrome! The Flame-Thrower Coil has a 40,000V rating which is a substantially higher output potential than an OEM coil - sounds like it'll light a pretty big fire ... must be good, right?!! As for the PerTronix Ignitor, their sales literature states "never adjust or change points again". I don't even know what points are, but the fact that I don't have to mess with them got me sold - hey, one less thing to worry about right?!! Here's a Volvo specific application chart from Retro Rockets, a distributor of PerTronix Ignition Systems. All these components can be purchased directly from the manufacturer's websites, but I got mine from a much cheaper source at Summit Racing Equipment.

The PerTronix Ignitor points-to-electronic conversion seems like a simple enough install that even I can't screw-up, but it does involve resetting the timing and adjusting the idle which is way over my head, so this is one upgrade that I'll have my mechanic perform for me as part of the much needed tune-up. Now, all I have to do is find a mechanic ... and get the Volvo working so that I can drive it to the shop without stalling out and leaving me stranded. To make life easier for the mechanic, I also forked out $10 for a custom Diode Wire Kit from IPD that is used to "bypass the original armored coil without having to cut into the armored cable". Once again, I don't know what an "armored coil" is, but the "no cutting into" sounds like a darn good idea.

In summary, phase 1 is to get the engine firing. Phase 2 is to get it to purr like a kitten. At the rate that everything is shutting down, hopefully I'll be able to fix the problem before it causes a chain reaction leading to a complete catastrophic failure. On second thought - the car is already stalled-out in the garage, so it can't get any worse that that. Yay - good times! Somebody quick ... scissor kick me in the back of the head!

Cooling System Update

The specifications for the 1800E states that the cooling system has a capacity of about 2.2 gallons. My car took about 1.5 gallons of coolant after the heater and radiator install, which can only mean there's still some air in the system that needs to be expelled. My car's manual did mention that it may take a long while of normal driving to completely bleed the system. I took the car out for a spin around the neighborhood this evening to get coolant circulating and to test the heater. Idle is still rough and erratic, presumably from condensation in the fuel system - so I dumped a bottle of iso-HEET water remover into the fuel tank, and hopefully that problem will go away after awhile. Oh, and I also bought a bottle of Chevron Techron to clean the fuel system and fuel injectors. The boys on the 1800List forum seem to go ape-shit on the stuff, so I thought "what the heck" - can't hurt right?

The good news is the heater works great, the blower is strong, and it's now pleasant to drive in the winter. The bad news - I discovered that once the engine reaches normal operating temperatures, it'll stall once my foot is off the gas pedal! Everything is fine when I'm driving except for when I take my foot of the gas pedal to slow down or stop at an intersection, the engine idles low and eventually stalls. This happened twice when I was driving around this evening. On the second time, the engine refused to start. Luckily, I was only 50 yards away from my driveway, so I pushed it the rest of the way home.

About a couple of hours later, the car started again on the first try. I suspect a bad thermostat - the one thing I didn't change when I overhauled the entire cooling system. The engine however, didn't show any signs of overheating - temmperature gauge normal, oil pressure normal, no steam or smoke from the engine. Who knows? I'll try replicating the problem another day.

Heater Reinstalled

It's ALIVE!!! The rebuilt heater is back in the Volvo. I filled the cooling system with the first gallon of antifreeze and water, fired the engine up, and everything worked! The heater blower works ... on both speeds, high and low. The little green light in the heater control housing works! The car started up - which I'm extremely happy about ... although it's been idling rough. I might have let the fuel sit for a little too long without any fuel preservatives. It's either that or perhaps its idling rough because of a partially filled cooling system? I'm not sure if there is a "correct" method of replenishing coolant - I did what seemed logical to me. First, I set the heater temperature control to high (lever all the way down) to ensure that coolant gets into the heater core. Next, the initial fill was done via the radiator. Once the radiator was full, I then filled the coolant overflow bottle to the "Max" line, removed it from the mount and held it above the radiator to fill the hose connecting it to the radiator with coolant. The coolant overflow bottle was then reattached to its mount and recapped along with the radiator. Finally, the engine was started and the water pump did the rest. As the engine takes up coolant from the radiator, by some miracle of fluid dynamics and pressure, the radiator just sucks what it needs from the coolant overflow bottle. Subsequent refills are then done via the coolant overflow bottle as the the entire system gradually fills up on coolant.

Before:

After:

So far, I've completed 2 rounds of filling coolant, setting the heater temperature to high, and running the engine to normal operating temperature to flood the cooling system (radiator, engine, heater core) with coolant. By days end, I've used up 1.5 gallons of premixed antifreeze and water, but I'll give it another go tomorrow to see if it'll take more. The following are some before-and-after photos of the bottom half of the heater box from the interior of the car:

Before:	After:
Before:	After:

Here's a photo of the heater controls with the lights on. This light comes on when the parking or headlamps are on. They were not working before - in fact I didn't even know they existed! All I did was clean up the bulb housing and ensured that it was properly grounded. This bulb does not have a separate "ground wire". It only has a single "hot" lead. Grounding is done by ensuring proper contact with the heater control housing. From the research I've done, this green light only existed in the 1972 onwards ES models, which leads me to believe that some previous owner must have swapped out the heater control housing - bonus for me!

Heater Controls With Light:

All Pieces Back In Order: