JTbo's vario issues (vacuum test results)

[jtbo]

So my latest saving from all the horrors of modern world, like scrapping, kids destroying things for fun, will be 1981 343 3dr vario, fresh MOT and pretty much original condition, 82k miles on clock, very low price, but there is reason for it.

Fuel gauge does not work, also vario system is on low speed mode, it is not switching to high speed, seller suspect some seal being reason for that, but I think someone here has some experience from such.

Little rust fixed from the door, also it did look like from photos that rear arch has been worked with, I have not much other info currently, but I think there is time to examine what kind of car it is, when I get it here, finding original 1981 300 series is really rare these days.

Plan it to put it into garage and restore it with time, also to use for few mile shop trips as my french crap crapped itself today, radiator bursted, perhaps caused headgasket failure too.

I hope it is not very rusty car, but if it is, then just need to weld it.

Yeah it took a while to get 2nd one, but it is only law of nature, if you get one of these, you have to get more...

[Chris_C]

Great news Jani You must have at least 4 weeks before the drive freezes over?

[jtbo]

Great news Jani You must have at least 4 weeks before the drive freezes over?

Leaves on trees are turning to yellow and already falling from trees, yesterday here was only +13C max temp of day, freeze is not far by now, next month we might get quite lot of freezing temps during night time, might get few at this month too, but real freeze is often coming in october, so still bit of time.

French crap starter motor is busted too, I needed to tap it with hammer to get it going, hammering might be realted to radiator burst

[volvosneverdie]

awesome news dude, theyre great fun.

[Speedy88]

Yeah! Get some pics up man

[macplaxton]

^^^ WHS. We need PICS!

[jtbo]

Essential requirement to have pics is to have car at first, naturally will post pics asap when thing is mine

[jtbo]

Here is linky to ad, there are two pics, note the snowcap :
http://www.nettiauto.com/volvo/343/4171463

Little paint here and there of course is needed, it is not a new car, it is older than many of board members actually.

Also those headlight reflectors looks to be just like new, no that dull grey shade we often see in them. It might have some bad points too, I mainly suspect rust at common places, oh and for most people that vario issue is deal stopper, so price is quite low because of that, seller did suspect some oil seal, but there is no such that can cause high ratio not to be enganged, fuse or low ratio switch at wrong position are probably easiest, no rpm signal to rpm relay thing, vacuum hoses wrongly setup or failed, at least those possibilites, have to dig my vacuum gauge, it should tell something if it is not simple things.

With yank tank OD was not working, one switch on brake pedal was adjusted wrong, fixing that made it to work.

[volvosneverdie]

Sexy mk2.
Nice colour too dude.

Looks quite clean.

[Speedy88]

Nice! One to save fo sho

[jtbo]

Sexy mk2.
Nice colour too dude.

Looks quite clean.

I have not seen many of that colour, so it is a bonus from collecting point of view, I think. Don't really know which colours are rare and which not, would be interesting to see list of production amounts from different colours in different models, then we could know which colour to hunt because there is no many of them, just to save them from disappearing.

Porn red interior just is perhaps not quite my thing, but condition of that interior is more of interest to me really, there were no any pics from inside, so don't really know what to except from that.

Oooh it is a long day to wait new toy, me feels like little boy at christmas eve

If french crap would not been out of service, I would of course already have done deal from the car, but as it currently stands I'm without any kind of transportation.

[SteveP]

Looks great!! I'm guessing it has the early dash and red coloured interior too?

[macplaxton]

Cor! That's some towbar! (sticks out quite a bit and good for tailgaters )

Also see it has a rear mount aerial, rather than the roof mount.

[jtbo]

I got the car, it has some rust that might require tad large amount of work, infamous right side windshield corner, I have no idea what is underneath. Front strut top mounts are goner too, however it is not as bad as it could be as steering is still light and springs are not rotating in cups, actually steering feel is incredible good, it is great to drive, also suspension feels like it would be new.

Door seals are gone, especially from left side, it has quite bit of rust spots at 'kickplate' area, section that is visible when you open the door, door step or such.

Arches have been worked, not very well, also one fender has some visible marks, has damaged in accident or such, bonnet has few tiny bumps too and windshield is cracked. Interior is indeed red, it is not perfect, but it is very good, even steering wheel is not smooth, it has original pattern at sufrace.

It goes 50, but engine indeed runs very high revs, switch that puts vario to low range does lit light to instrument cluster, but it has no any other effect. Quick look to vacuum lines and they look to be fine and not tampered with, fuse 8 is intact and has contact, I suspect that rpm sensing relay and I suspect it is that diode thing tha need to be done, but I'm not yet sure about diagnose process, I think that I try to read bit more, put car into dry garage now, tomorrow I take pics as I did run out of good light, camera needed battery recharged and memory card seemed to be full too, so need to sort those out first.

I think it had smith instruments, white prints red and green colours, it is not that very early where everything was orange, also not that first dashboard where some instruments sit at middle, but early MkII dasboard I guess.

Seats are incredible, very nice condition, has heated driver's seat at least.

More rust was at boot lid, also around license plate, front valance seemed surprisingly solid, it has been tampered with by looks of it.

Throttle response and behaviour of motor is just perfect, carb is working perfectly, also motor is not making much of extra noises, no much rattling which I often have heard from these 1.4 motors.

There is nothing missing from the car, imo. all parts are there, well antenna but that does not count, also got some 20+ years old winter tires with it, they seem to be legal still, might be quite experience to drive with those

Fan is also working only at number 1 speed.

Also I like very much from MkII heater controls, much better than later type.

Petrol gauge works partially, I think it is sender unit, I have repaired one in 360, don't know if 343 has same kind, yes it is indeed 343, not 340.

I think we got often rear mounted aerials, don't remember seeing roof mounted so often, some got it to a-pillar.

Getting vario to switch to OD is priority 1 now, I think it runs around 4500(ish) at 50mph.

How engine braking should be? It keeps revs quite up until clutch enganges, if I give throttle a bit it is not changing ratio very agressively, so keeps quite high revs, really can't drive much more than 35 now as rpm gets so high.

I try and read again from how vario works and try to look green books a bit if there is diagnosing instructions, I really think it is small thing to fix it, but you never know before fixing it.

Seller was actually Volvo nut himself too, he had taken vario apart to examine how it does work at spare part car, but I don't think he really knew how it operates on electrical side.

[MCHUDD]

Hi Jani.
If you find that it is the sender unit in the tank, i have a perfectly good spare
if you are stuck.
If you find it is the gauge, i also have a spare iof you are stuck.
Love to see the pics.
Cheers Mark.