Subject Clue No Clue Expert Basic rust repair Tuning Weber DCOEs 1800E front end bushings 144 rear end sways Splicing 1800S front body D-Jet diaphragm repair Rear disk brakes conversion Sheared distributor gear Removing brake drums Tach doubles RPM Checking a coil Weber conversion cold starts Supercharging 1800ES Disk brakes for 544 Wider wheels / V6 swap ES tachometer intermittent OD shifter Mushrooming wheels Hardened valve seats Bucking ES 544 12V conversion

Basic rust repair I have purchased a '71 1800E which has rust on the front fenders above the headlights, around the front turn signals, on the bottom of the body below the trunk, and below the front grill. The frame and floors have been restored and are solid. I do not have a clue as to how the metal repair should be approached, or how extensive it must be. How are these restorations approached? Is there custom metal work to duplicate what is lost? Are clips the way to go? Somebody help me here...I'm on Long Island. Peter Scully pescully@suffolk.lib.ny.us Let's differentiate between the "best" method -- replacing rusted metal by welding in new -- and the "practical" method: removing as much rust as possible, sealing the rest so it can't spread, and effecting a cosmetic repair on top of that. In your case, where nothing structural is involved, the "practical" method is our recommendation. We plan to run a detailed article on this subject in our August - September issue. Until then, visit the POR-15 web site and order a sample kit. The accompanying documentation will tell you quite a bit. Back to the Top Tuning Weber DCOEs I'm using a 122 fitted with a 2130cc B20 with ipd Street Performance cam (268/.441"), Weber DCOE 42's and a 2.25" exhaust for daily commuting. I'd like to compare notes with others who run similar configurations and hopefully compile some data that might be of use to each of us. Specifically, I'm interested in what settings have worked (jetting info on DCOE Webers, ignition settings, timing advance, valve lash, etc) and data collected through the "dialing in" process. I'll be happy to share whatever information I can find with anyone interested. Also: a couple years ago I collected tuneup data specific to 2130cc B20's and I'd like to expand this information also. If you drive a modified B20, I'd like to hear from you and compare notes. Cameron Lovre lovre@sns-access.com Back to the Top 1800E front end bushings I own a 1970 P1800E. I face several problems after embarking on a front end rebuild: 1) According to a manual I referred to, the flanges of the lower wishbones are both supposed to face the rear of the car, but when I actually dismantled the wishbones, both the flanges were on the outsides of the wishbones. What is the correct state of affairs? 2) The two washers that go with the bushes are supposed to face which side of the bushes? There are two different sized washers. Your assistance is deeply appreciated. Dr. Nanda Kumar rnanda@tm.net.my 1) The Haynes manual does say this, but on both our cars, the flanges are installed outwards. The new bushings we have are also a different style from those shown in the manual. We think you should install the new bushings the same way as the ones you are removing. 2) The small washer goes on the front; the large on the rear. Be careful to press the new bushings in separately -- trying to press both at once while squeezing the wishbone between them can bend things. Back to the Top 144 rear end sways At low speeds, the back end of my '74 144 sways back and forth. The wheels appear to be on straight and there's no noise associated with this. Are there any relatively common problems that would cause this? It is not noticeable at any speed over 30 km/h. Chad Zentner pacer@telusplanet.net Nothing we know of that wouldn't be obvious with a little inspection. Experts? Back to the Top Splicing 1800S front body Replacing the front end on my P1800S -- what year Volvos can I use for front fenders and nose section? Mine is a '66. Where should I splice it in? Edward Toth bmt216a@atlcom.net You've got us, Ed. Readers? Expert Opinion: Putting used nose and fenders on would be a lot of fitting and welding. A good job could be done, but rarely is. If it's a rustfree car, get new parts and weld them where the originals were. The factory thought these were good places to splice and the new ones come cut to size. If the replacement fenders and nose are for rust repair, it may be best to cut across the floor and the windshield pillars. Why put rustfree fenders onto a rusting substructure? If you clip it, use similar donor [anything '64 - '69 should be very close. --Ed.]. The bulk of the hulk would interchange. The early Jensen cars had the throttle linkage accross firewall in engine compartment; carbureted cars after that did not. Injected cars used cable instead of hydraulic to disengage the clutch. Alias Back to the Top D-Jet diaphragm repair I have a '73 142E with all the trimmings. The fuel injection system is the old electronic type and up until a few years ago worked fine. Then, one day, the car started missing and jerking at a steady cruising speed, especially when I let off the gas. After many disappointing diagnostic dead ends I found an old gentleman who suggested it might be the pressure sensor. Did mine have the front drilled out with an 1/8" hole? Why, yes it did. I bought a pressure sensor at a local wrecking yard and installed it. It ran the same. I pulled the junk yard sensor apart only to find that the diaphragm was cracked. Mine had the same kind of crack in the diaphragm... Can I get a new diaphragm, or do I patch the ones I have? Do I have to get a new rebuilt pressure sensor? Does my magic pumpkin take a back seat to the VW warming up in the wings? GEEATZ@aol.com We know of no way to repair one of these units at home. You might try contacting VolvoWorld.com or the Revolvstore for a sound, used replacement. Expert opinion: I've always managed to keep 'em running with salvaged units -- $10 to $20 around here -- and plentiful, since most D-Jet cars are hated by their owners [more for us, Cameron! --Ed.]. The MAP sensor was one of those things that, whenever I saw one in a salvage yard, would get the "suction test." If it passed, I bought it, then gave it the ohmeter test when it made it home. My experience was that about 1/4th of those that I tried failed one test or the other. At one point, I had 7 of the things and when I sat down to test them, 2 were good. Cameron Lovre lovre@sns-access.com Back to the Top Rear disk brakes conversion I have read many references to converting the rear drum brakes of an 1800S to disk brakes, but cannot seem to find any technical info on same. I have a 1967 1800S that is currently being restored from the ground up and would like to add the rear disk brakes. Can you get me in the right direction? Bob Yapp Rock Island, IL yapperman@email.msn.com We know that this has been done badly numerous times, and done well fewer times. Who can tell us the difference? Back to the Top Sheared distributor gear A simple problem: my 1975 Volvo 242 DL had the distributor lock up when the springs came loose from the movable throwout arms. The arms wore against the inside of the distributor housing. Eventually they wore through. The arms stuck in the housing and froze. Well, of course the distributor is history. I replaced the distributor, but the distributor gear kept on turning even though the distributor stopped -- broke both tabs off the gear. My problem is this: how does the gear come out? Through the top? Should I try to drill, tap and easy-out the gear? Do I need to rotate the shaft? Or do I have to pull the pan and it get out somehow from the inside? Whatever it is doesn't seem easy. It's a really tight squeeze if it comes out the top and a lot of work if it drops out the bottom. Glen Collins gcollins@worldlynxyork.net Not so simple a problem. The gear pulls out the top; you'll have to find some way to grab it. It is case hardened and will wear out your drill bits and break off your easy-out. I would also wonder if the bushing under the gear sustained damage, and where the remains of the tabs went. If you chose to proceed without pulling the motor for further inspection, there is some chance that you will be able to extract the gear without pulling the pan. Make a drawing or otherwise mark the exact orientation of the gear as it sits installed (there's enough left of the tabs to see where they were, I hope). It will twist as it comes up -- note its orientation at the point where is disengages the drive gear on the cam as it comes up. Not only does the gear have to go back in the same way, but its shaft will have to mate with the oil pump as it goes back in. No turning the motor with the gear out! Back to the Top Removing brake drums I have a PV544 B18 from 1960 and I have problems with the rear brakes. To get of the brake drum, do I have to have a special tool or do I have to heat it up for this? With a simple pull-off screw it doesn't work. Guy Krier Guy.Krier@post.rwth-aachen.de The special tool is a regular wheel puller. The three legs bolt on to the lugs on the wheel and the central screw presses against the end of the axle. Simply tightening the screw is not enough -- the trick is to smack it very hard with a heavy hammer, like you were trying to drive the screw into the axle. After a few repeated tightenings and smackings, the drum will pop loose. Expert Opinion: Additionally, replace the castle nut upside down on the axle before hammering -- this will prevent mushrooming the end of the axle. Alias (an informed source who wishes to remain nameless...) Second Expert Opinion: I had a similar problem removing the rear drums on my 122. The main problem was that I had to apply the brakes so the rear axle wouldn't spin while I was trying to turn the puller. But, of course, with the brakes applied, the drum won't come off easily. What I did then was bolt the wheels back to the drum to give myself something to grab onto. With that done, and the extra leverage it created, the drums slid right off (without using the puller at all)! I'm not sure if this will work for everyone, but it certainly was the trick for me. Andy Earle Philadelphia, PA acestor@bellatlantic.net Andy, thanks for your input, but what you say is actually a bit alarming. Drums that were properly tightened will not pull off without using both a puller and a hammer. Don't feel bad -- we just had one where we were able to undo the castle nut and pull off the drum without using tools at all. We would not want to drive a car in that condition. It should not be necessary to apply any great amount of torque to the puller screw; the hammer provides the impact to break the drum loose. Applying the brakes when tightening the screw is fine, or one can hold the puller from turning by inserting a breaker bar between its legs. Of course, the brakes must not be applied when actually removing the drum; it may even be helpful to back off the adjusting screw or wheel in some cases. It is important to clean the axle stub and mating surface of the drum when reassembling, perhaps applying some light oil as well. This ensures proper seating of the drum on the axle stub, and makes it easier to pull the next time. We use an old adjustable wrench to tighten the castle nut by hand, and then hammer the wrench around to where the cotter pin holes align. Back to the Top Tach doubles RPM I own a P1800S from '65 and my tacho is doubling the RPM. The motor is running around 2000 RPM (checked with an electronic system), but the tacho gives 4000 RPM -- why? I changed all the ignition parts except the condensor. Birger Unell Birger.Unell@petroconsultants.com Change the condensor. Other than that, no sensible clue. Has anyone else had this problem and fixed it? Back to the Top Checking a coil My 1966 1800 has been standing for several months, and now has no spark. It was tuned shortly before storage and everything I can check is OK, except I can't figure out how to check the coil. It has only two electrical contacts I can locate, one on the side coming through the firewall, which must be the hot contact for the primary circuit, and the high voltage line to the rotor. There might be a ground somewhere I haven't found. My questions are: How can I check continuity (or ohms) of each circuit? How many ohms will the secondary show? Will resistance be so high it simply shows up as open? Is there some other way to check a coil? Where can I get another coil if needed? Many thanks for your good advice. Robert Burleson rdb2@mindspring.com As you say, the 12V supply is in the back of the coil in the armored cable, where it is not accessible. The "negative" terminal (a misnomer in common usage) is accessible and connects to the points and condensor, and the high-voltage lead connects to the distributor cap. The coil's case is the ground. Rather than check resistance, first check for voltage at the "negative" terminal with the ignition in "run" position. With the points open, you should read some low positive voltage; with points closed, you should read no voltage -- the terminal grounds through the points. If you get no voltage with the points open, disconnect the terminal and try again. If you still get no voltage, either the coil has gone open or is not being supplied with 12V through the cable (bad ignition switch?). If you do get voltage, there's a problem with the points, condensor or distributor insulator. If the above checks reveal no fault, pull the high-voltage lead out of the distributor cap and hold it with a dry rag or other good insulator (potential exists to get a painful shock -- be careful!) so that the loose end is about 1/8" from a head bolt or other good, unpainted, ground. This should produce a fat spark upon cranking the motor. If it does, the problem is the distributor cap, rotor or plug wires. If not, you can be pretty sure the coil is bad. The stock coil is sold as an assembly with the cable and ignition switch. This may still be available from Volvo (through GCP?), but it will not be inexpensive. There is no aftermarket replacement, and we'd recommend this only if originality is important to you. The usual fix is to mount a conventional coil (Bosch "blue" is good) and wire the 12V supply from the "switched" 12V terminal external to the cable on the ignition switch. Back to the Top Weber conversion cold starts I am needing a little tech help wth a Weber carb conversion on a 544. The conversion went well as far as installation, but each cold start requires several strong fluid ounces of gas down to carb to get the old thing started. Once started and allowed to warm up, all remaining starts occur without offering any gas from the pedal. Starts first time every time other than first cold start. I have considered weak spark and have changed coil, condenser, points, plug wires. Lots of fuel at carb with right amount of pressure. The choke is manual and working. Plugs seem wet even before throwing gas down the carb. I am looking for any suggestions that will me back on the road. Duane Fleming Canada flemingd@siast.sk.ca Duane, it's baffling that pouring gas down the carb gets you started when your description of wet plugs would indicate an over-rich condition. Assuming your compression and ignition timing are good, I would first have a close look at the carb's float level and follow with jetting and tuning as described in the article in our Archive. Update: Having paid more attention to how we start our DGV-converted car, we find that it is not unusual to have to pump the gas a few times while cranking with full choke, particularly if the car has not been run for a few days. We now suspect that you are not getting flooding at all; rather, your carb is set on the lean side and/or your choke is not coming on fully. Back to the Top Supercharging 1800ES I noticed that in your response to someone wanting info on a V8 conversion you mentioned using a Paxton supercharger to get streetable HP without chopping up a classic Volvo. Now having learned a little about the D-Jet, it seems that this system would be a likely candidate for supercharging. In the D-Jet, as absolute manifold pressure decreases, more fuel is injected. If the MAP senses vacuum accurately, then why not a mild boost? The MAP is essentially a barometer that sends an electronic signal. Supercharging might be accomplished without complex air mass meters and fuel pressure regulators. My ES has A/C, which is not a necessity in Seattle, so I already have a bracket for a supercharger and, more importantly on an 1800, room for something else under the hood when the A/C is removed. Pressurized air could be routed out in front of the radiator from the driver's side, through the old A/C radiator (modified to allow air to pass through the system ala an intercooler), into the stock air filter, and right back into the stock system. I've been reading some of the Mazda Miata sites, as they seem to be the only ones now heavily into supercharging (aside from muscle cars). Would it be possible to request info from your readers about supercharging Volvos? If there is an experienced group out there, I'd like to hear what they have to say. Turbos are fine for the newer Volvos, but the older technology might suit me better. Flemingml@aol.com After having given this a lot of thought and discussion, the short answer is "no, it won't work." The major problem is that the pressure sensor will only work on vacuum, not positive pressure, and we can think of no way to adapt it so it will work on pressure. The D-jet system is not adaptable to super- or turbocharging. We still think supercharging has possibilities for a carbureted motor or possible for a K-jet, which matches fuel delivery to airflow, not manifold vacuum. Sorry! Back to the Top Disk brakes for 544 I understand it is possible to put 122 disc brakes on the front of my 544. Is it also possible to convert the brakes to a dual circuit model, possibly with a later model master cylinder? James Orcutt jcorcutt@worldnet.att.net I think both modifications would be fairly simple to do, but we do not have any hands-on experience with it. Can someone provide the details (that would make a good article, too)? Expert opinion: I've converted my 544 to disk brakes; a pretty good explanation can be found at http://www.frontiernet.net/~pvpickup/fram.html, but it's not for the amateur! I've also installed dual circuit brakes, finally settling on a Mazda 626 M/C. A complete new mounting bracket is required, as is a bit of machining, some brake plumbing, and a proportioning valve. No volvo M/C is an obvious choice. I wouldn't recommend either modification to anyone without a machine shop and expert help. Jim McDonald mcduck@leland.stanford.edu Back to the Top Wider wheels / V6 swap I have a '61 544 and a '66 a 122. Will any later model wider Volvo wheels fit? Also, I would love to here from someone who has done a Buick 60-degree V6 swap in a 544. Thank You! DEN544 DEN544@aol.com Later model Volvo wheels use a different bolt circle size and will not fit. More information is found in the Tech Tips part of our Archives on this site. Has anyone out there done an engine swap using the GM narrow V6? Expert opinion: The lug diameter (4 1/2") and maximum offset (4") are the same as the early Ford Mustang -- I currently am running 14x7" Mustang wheels and am having custom 15x7s made by welding the Volvo hubs into stock 15x7" rims by a local specialist (that way I can fit the stock hubcaps). American Racing are a common US alloy fitment, and Cragar SS or Drag Lites will also fit. Tony Sweeney sweeney@informix.com Second Expert Opinion: As you probably know, Ford rims have +1/2" positive offset (the seating suface of the wheel is 1/2" toward the outside from the center of the wheel), whereas Volvo 4 1/2" bolt circle wheels have about +1". I'm not sure what the 4" figure quoted refers to, but I assume it's "back spacing," the distance from the back of the rim to the seating surface, not a terribly useful number with changes in rim width. Stock PV, 1800S and 122S rims are 4.5" with 3.5" backspacing. I have American Racing 6X15 (Ford), 3 1/2" backspacing, 1/2" + offset rims on my 544, which do work, but I've had to raise the car 1" to clear the tires, which are 195-65-15 (same diameter as 165-15).The width won't matter when the front wheels are turned under braking, either (especially with 2 200lb.+ people in the front seats), though the narrower rears would be OK. If I use 195-60-15 tires, I could lower the car 2" (!!), but I'd need overdrive (under consideration) to make up for the decreased tire diameter; the car's buzzy enough already. Maybe 185-70s would be OK if you could still get them. Having wider wheels made up with the proper offset seems to be the only (decent) solution. I also worry some about the wimpy rear axles with the extra tire hanging out. On the other subject, I got a call a few years ago from a guy in Bakersfield who had a Buick V-6 in his 445 but wanted to buy a stock transmission tunnel to convert back to stock; I haven't heard from him since. Jim McDonald mcduck@leland.stanford.edu Back to the Top ES tachometer intermittent I have a '72 ES, and the tach has been in repair at least three times since I've owned it. It sometimes decides it's not going to work for a day, maybe two, then I start the car and it works fine. The tach fails while driving, or sometimes come back to life while driving. All of the other guages seem to work fine. It sometimes sputters, which leads me to think it may be a bad wiring connection or poor ground, but I have not found any wiring problem. The points, rotor, coil and condenser are all new. I'm wondering if it may be the distributor. Ric Schroeder editorrs@email.msn.com Whichever model of tach your ES has, it senses current changes in the primary winding of the coil. Your problem would indicate a breakdown in the coil, condensor or distributor insulation if it's not the tach itself. You seem to have covered all this. Could your ignition switch have a resistive internal contact (does the switch get warm after prolonged running)? Readers, who's had a similar experience? Back to the Top OD shifter I'm thinking of putting an overdrive in my '65 122. It has a stock tranny in it right now and, well, I want another gear. I'm getting sick of my screaming engine that's asking for another gear. I've heard that you have to remodel the tranny tunnel to put in the short shifter overdrive. Is that true and is it easier to find an overdrive with the electric shifter on the steering column? kpotter@cln.etc.bc.ca Yes, you would have to remodel the tunnel to fit the 1800-style remote shifter. However, you could also use your present top cover and shifter on the OD transmission, in which case no mods to the tunnel are necessary in an Amazon (not so the 444/544). All M41 transmissions used an electrically actuated OD, so you'll need a switch -- the "electric shifter" on the steering column is the most graceful solution if you can find one, but a toggle on the dash works too. Make sure you understand how the OD relay works before hooking this up. This is a common and most worthwhile mod -- good luck! Expert opinion: The shift plate for an OD tranny is different on the 122. There is a relay in the OD top (123GT or OD equipped) that is not on the M40 top. This is to prevent engaging OD in any gear other than 4th. With the column mounted OD switches becoming scarce, I suggest using the shift plate out of the '75 240 series that has the switch in the knob. This of course if you do the floor as I did on my 122. Jerry Sira dnjsira@erols.com Second expert opinion The transmission cover for an M41 from 140 models with the long shifter has provision for the lockout switch (as well as a backup light switch; choose the right hole). Many are found with a plug in the hole for the OD switch. Using this cover, you won't need to modify the tunnel. Jim McDonald mcduck@leland.stanford.edu Back to the Top Mushrooming wheels I have a set of the non-slotted rims but the lug holes are starting to "mushroom out." Can my drums/rotors be redrilled for bigger lugs, larger lugs inserted, and then the rims redrilled to match/receive the larger lugs? Is there another way of getting around this problem (of course, I could buy other/new rims but most of them from this vintage seem to have this problem to a larger or smaller degree)? On a similar note, have you heard/ do you know of anyone who can do cross drilling on my stock 122S front rotors? Tom Swartz Tom.Swartz@bubbs.biola.edu Tom, I can think of a number of reasons for not redrilling wheels, drums or hubs, but I don't have a good answer for your problem, nor do I know of where to have your rotors drilled. Tom is in the L.A. region. Readers? Expert opinion: If your wheels were worth a fortune, they could be repaired. They are not! Buy a torque wrench. Your problem has been caused by over/under torque, not by how many times the tires have been changed. Replace your wheels, be good to them, torque the lug nuts properly and don't let Bozos do it for you. Alias Back to the Top Hardened valve seats Hi, I have a 1966 122S. I have 105,000 miles and think its time for a valve job. What is entailed in this, and should I use hardened valve seats? Sean Bernsohn amorphou@ix.netcom.com Yes, by all means have hardened seats installed when doing a valve job -- it will remove the old surfaces that were hardened by the leaded gas. See the Fuel Types article and the engine rebuilding articles for details. Here's an additional hint: do not use bronze valve guides in a street engine. These are superior for racing applications in cars that run only a few thousand miles between rebuilds, but they cause rapid valve stem wear. The softer bronze material sheds microscopic particles that embed themselves in the hard valve stems. This eventally erases them much more quickly than in the usual "hard metal rubbing hard metal" scenario. Expert opinion: Your info about "not to use bronze guides for street engines" is totally wrong! Modern bronze guides, since '80s, are far superior and there's no wear. Bronze guides can take much more side load, too. This is important with hi-lift cams. Stock Volvo iron guides are prone to crack with stock lift. Also, it's wrong that bronze is softer material. Try it, take a file and file cast iron and then the bronze; bronze is twice as hard! That's why machine shops can't rebuild bronze guides, tools can't "thread" them. Bronze guides were "whatever" in '60s and '70s. They didn't have right materials then. Not so for 20 years or so. I've overhauled engines, built by me, after 150 000 hard miles and bronze guides were like new! Topi Hynynen/TRS USA topi@pacbell.net We came upon that info recently from a supposedly knowlegeable source, but we believe Topi is correct. We defer to his undoubted expertise. Back to the Top Bucking ES Cameron's complete transfer of a D-Jet to an Amazon makes me hope he has the answer to a common D-Jet symptom. I have talked to several others on the web about the vehicle "bucking" when held at a constant speed with little or no load (which usually is 2000 to 2500 rpm). Like myself, most have tried the less expensive fixes first: checking vacuum hoses, points and plugs. Then its on to replacing temperature sensors. At a certain point, the price of tinkering goes way up, and I need to know which item is most likely to be the culprit. Is there a common fix, or at least a common series of steps towards fixing this problem? The plugs on my ES always indicate a rich mixture and the mileage is poor (15 town and 19 highway), so I don't think its starving for fuel. Flemingml@aol.com In spite of your rich-looking plugs, your symptoms still indicate (to me, anyway) a vacuum leak. This will cause a rich idle and rich running under some circumstances. Sounds backwards, but it's not -- let's just say the ECU gets confused. In the "little or no load" scenario you describe, the ECU cannot compensate for the leak at all (this is your highest manifold vacuum situation), and you get the "bucking" associated with an overly lean mixture, just as with a carburetted engine. Two sources of such a leak are easily overlooked: 1) intake manifold not tight or leaking gasket, 2) PCV valve does not close at idle. Please don't just start replacing sensors -- it's not that hard to diagnose them accurately with a decent manual and a multimeter (but just about impossible to do from here!). I'll forward your question to Cameron. Expert opinion: Greetings from the Pacific Northwest! Everything Phil mentions is on the mark. False air, or vacuum leaks can be tough to locate. I have a couple other thoughts; the trouble is that there are a few different things that can cause bucking in general. Assuming the ignition system has been safely ruled out (ignition points in good shape?), I would check the following, in this order: The throttle position switch. This is the small square black box mounted on the outboard side of the forward end of the intake manifold. The cover is removable (early ones were secured with screws and later ones simply snap in place). Remove with care: the insides are delicate. (Also, don't unscrew the adjustment screws (upper and lower, there are only 2) at this point.) What can happen here is that as the contacts slide over the printed "circuit," carbon deposits can interrupt the signal to the ECU and result in bucking. Look for black arcs that follow the path of the 3 moving contacts. A pencil eraser can clean these off, but if the tracking is deep enough you'll need a new one. This switch goes for about $35. Easiest way to determine if this is the cause is to simply unplug the wiring harness from it and drive the car. It won't accelerate as well and you'll be running in "limp home" mode but if the bucking goes away, you will have immediately isolated the cause. The base points. These are the points that are in the bottom of the distributor, held in place by two screws. These generally last for decades. Again, look for carbon between the contacts which open and close. Use a business card and slide it back and forth between the points to clean them. If they're pitted too much, they may not be salvageable. These run about $65. Wiring to the injectors. I've had almost all of these fail over the last 4 years. Gently pull the rubber boots away from the connectors that plug into the tops of the injectors and look down into the white plastic housing that contains the wires and their terminals. There's a lot of temperature change in this location and the wires can give out. In my case, I had 2 or 3 strands of wire remaining: this was enough to signal the injectors at idle or at high revs but the vibration of the engine was just right between 3000 and 3500 rpms that I experienced SEVERE bucking. Ground wires for the injectors. These are the wires attached to the rear of the intake manifold by a single screw. A poor connection or corrosion here can lead to symptoms described in (3) above. My best advice would be to try these four things. Each can be accomplished without an ohmeter (an excellent investment, by the way) or a service manual. Please let me know what each of these inspections reveals. Good luck on this one-- Cameron Lovre lovre@sns-access.com Update: problem resolved -- it was the throttle switch. Thanks, Cameron! Back to the Top 544 12V conversion Help! I would like to convert my 544 to a 12 volt electrical system. Does anyone have advice on the best way to do this? Also looking for a recommendation on a modern set of chrome or mag wheels. Gabe gabe@fcs-net.com You will have to replace all the light bulbs, the battery and voltage regulator, for a start. I think the original starter and generator will be OK. As for the wiper and heater motors, their life is likely to be short, but merry -- see if you can get replacements soon! Anyone have a better idea out there? Expert opinion: I'm not quite an expert on this, since I've only done it to 445S and a 444, but nearly everything is the same. Besides the lights, don't forget the turn signal flasher. You'll need to change to a 12V ignition coil/switch assy., or replace the whole thing with an aftermarket switch and 12V coil; after breaking off one too many keys, I'll recommend the latter. The starter will be OK, but the generator must be replaced along with the regulator, or an alternator conversion can be fitted. You'll be stunned at how well the starter works on 12V. Speaking of stunning, wait'll you hear the horns on 12V!!! The good news is that the rear wiper motor from a 145 or 245 will replace the 6V wiper motor with no alteration. I've used a GM blower motor in one 445 and the 444, but it required quite a bit of fitting; try to find a 12V 544 motor. Here's the part I haven't done: the fuel gage. In my 12V 544, the fuel gage power terminal is the tie point for all switched power; I assume the same is true of the 6V 544, but it's not the case in the 444/445. I those cars, I put a 6V/10W zener diode between the 12V power and the + terminal of the gage; it works just fine. If the 6V 544 is the same as the 12V, you'll need to take all the leads off the + terminal and connect them together somewhere else (be careful!) and run the zener (in the reverse direction) from there to the gage terminal. At least you won't have to worry about the sunroof motor or the power locks! Jim McDonald http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~mcduck/ Back to the Top