I fixed the car I AM A REAL MAN!

[unpopular]

And I saved my family hundreds! WOOT.

Ok. It wasn't a major repair, but it was a puzzle, and had stumped my independent mechanic. The brake lights stopped working, and the left blinker was acting erratic. I figured the only thing that passed through both the brake lights and the blinkers was the Lamp Failure Module. I called around, and only the dealer could get me one - in a friggin week and it'd cost me $160. After market units still cost me $60-80, and I wasn't 100% sure that it'd work.

I really didn't want to pay the dealership $80 bucks just to TELL me I needed an $80 part. So off to the junk yard, where they pointed me to the pile-o-volvos for my happy hunting of the obscenely expensive little red canister.

Final cost $5. The blinker still acted eratic, I read something about bulb failures causing this and bought a set of blinker bulbs for another $5.50, for a grand total of $10.50.

The blinker bulb base was cracked and the terminals were burned down. I am thinking the bulb itself was damaged and caused the Lamp Failure Module to fail.

WOOOT! I love it when I can fix things myself.

 

[bhop]

Nice. I try to do my own car repairs when I can. I can't always do it unfortunately, due to living in a los angeles apartment with no driveway.. but it's fun working on your own car.

 

[unpopular]

On this car I've changed the radiator, thermostat, heater intake line and control valve. Next week I will see if there is a turbo bypass valve in good condition at the junk yard, and I will probably replace the air cleaner housing, though they only have one 940 there, and I am unsure if it is turbo. I think though the 800 and 700 series both have the same bypass valve.

Volvos are awesome to work on, everything is easy to access, but OEM parts are ridiculously expensive.

 

[Jaemie]

I found the "Like" button and clicked it, just for you!

 

[Derrel]

Way to go!

 

[matt62485]

always a good feeling. i had to put a whole new cylinder head on my jeep (bought it cheap with cracked head), something ive never tried to tackle alone, nor with help for that matter but i did it alone... and it weighs like 90lbs (dang inline 6 cylinders). i got it all put back together (properly) only to find out that it had a misfire (cylinder 5 intake lifter had collapsed). lesson learned, simple easy stuff like that i shouldve replaced when i had it tore down. its already back apart, gonna rebuild the whole motor now, should be a good learning experience.

 

[pixmedic]

Ive always had mechanic friends that lived close. now they have all moved away and ive had to test what little i have managed to learn from them.
i was so happy when i was able to change the alternator and bypass the heater box on my '96 mustang.

 

[unpopular]

As great as it felt to get that all figured out, I lost my alternator belt at the summit of beartooth pass immediately after. I tried temporarily replacing it with a hair band, but lost power half way back down. No power steering or power brakes on this road:

(Beartooth Highway Information)

Lost power around Lower Streck. My dad almost died.