Hi there,

I just wanted to introduce myself having recently acquired a 1986 340 DL 1.4 Auto. Another of my Ebay-related moments of weakness that I may live to regret! It turned out to be a bit less wonderful than the listing implied (surprise!) , but I'm hoping not beyond all hope. The first job is to replace the master cylinder so that the brakes work, not sure how it go through the MOT! Then on to contemplating the dreaded CVT, which is currently making some interesting noises.

Take care all,

Sophie

Welcome

Welcome, there's plenty of CVT stuff tucked down the back of the forum sofa.

Just shoot the tester if a) it's put on the roller brake tester (the old-school Tapley / decelerometer should come out) b) has the engine running above idle in Park (should only really use P for Parking when engine is off, Neutral for everything else. Ignore this and the auto clutch will be toast)

CVT is a house of awesome. Or pain.
Delete as appropriate and continue your journey.


Welcome in man.

Pics demanded.

I guess the brakes are the most important Then get us some more info on those CVT problems, there are plenty of people here who may be able to help ...

Welcome to the forum!

Tom

Big thanks to you all for the friendly welcome.

I have put a little note in the car next to the gear selector to remind people (mainly me) to only start in Neutral and never rev in Park! The CVT seems to be working ok and I was actually quite surprised at how well the car went (once I'd I realised the accelerator pedal went down another inch when the rubber mat was moved back ) - the problems is noise. It's mostly a drone with a background whine and it's worst while accelerating, but gets better when you're up to speed. It'll happily bumble along at 50-60 with a bearable amount of noise and picks up quite well! I did take it in to an auto gearbox specialist last week who thinks it may be the disc bearings (not sure what these are), but he could't give me a definite answer without me spending a fortune for him to have a proper look. So, I'm in denial about the whole thing now. When the brakes are sorted, I thought I'd check that the belt tension and condition is as it should be and maybe replace the oil. It's only got 39k on the clock and I think it has spent quite a bit of time off the road, so I'm hoping that everything is just a bit stiff and crusty and all will be well

Welcome

Stick some pictures up, we all love pictures.

Matt

noo-noo wrote: the problems is noise. It's mostly a drone with a background whine and it's worst while accelerating, but gets better when you're up to speed.

If you're used to more modern cars, that may well be normal How about making a quick video and posting it on youtube?

noo-noo wrote:I think it has spent quite a bit of time off the road, so I'm hoping that everything is just a bit stiff and crusty and all will be well

How long exactly? If it has been outside, or somewhere damp, there could be some rust on the pulleys ...

Tom

trabitom99 wrote:there could be some rust on the pulleys ...

Indeed, which seriously reduces belt life.

Welcome noo-noo!

I seem to remember Farrell muttering something about spraying the belts/pulleys with WD40 on a car which had been stood for a while to help remove the rust without damaging the belts. It would help the rust burn off through driving without ripping the belts to shreds.

Whereabouts are you? You might find there's a helpful forum member close by who could pop over and have a look at the car and give hints and tips as to what to do.

V6 Man wrote:I seem to remember Farrell muttering something about spraying the belts/pulleys with WD40 on a car which had been stood for a while to help remove the rust without damaging the belts. It would help the rust burn off through driving without ripping the belts to shreds.

Hmmm, not something I'd rush out to do under any circumstances. In fact, to me it sounds like a recipe for disaster and defies logic. Best way to remove the said rust is manually.

(However, if Farrell would like to donate a rusty transmission, a set of belts, some petrol and WD40 - I could conduct a long term test.)

I was thinking rusty belts could be casuing the problem, or part of it at least. It looks like it's probably been garaged most of its life, but has gone long periods without use. I'm quite used to noisy old bangers, although this is the oldest since my first car in 1991 (a B reg Astra). I've watched the 'Derrick the Volvo' vid on YouTube and mine is definitely louder than Derrick. I'll try and do a vid when the brakes are fixed so you can have a listen. I'll also try and take some pics at the weekend (if it stops raining), but I do have some taken by the previous owner here (not sure how to do this so hope it works)...



http://s1096.photobucket.com/albums/g32 ... 40%20Auto/

I'll try and have a good look at the belts and pulleys at the weekend too. The master cylinder is off, so just need to find a new one now

I live near Bridgwater in Somerset - is there anyone nearby?

Soph

What a pristine car! Looks like a good buy.

Brake master cylinder is a typical "stood around for a long time" problem.

Cheers

Tom

noo-noo wrote:I've watched the 'Derrick the Volvo' vid on YouTube and mine is definitely louder than Derrick.

Don't know where I got Derrick from - I meant Bjorn the Volvo

noo-noo wrote:

noo-noo wrote:I've watched the 'Derrick the Volvo' vid on YouTube and mine is definitely louder than Derrick.

Don't know where I got Derrick from - I meant Bjorn the Volvo

Derrick the volvo: http://www.volvo300mania.com/forum-uk/v ... 13&t=10807