The plastic belly pan on my 240 came off today, fractured and dragging on the ground. This is the second time and today had no option but to yank it off to drive home. The bolt holes had broken off. Does this thing serve an essential purpose- as in "do I need to replace it immediately" versus waiting for better weather?
Thanks!
The first thing is to determine why this is happening. If the bolts are still there and are tight then you need to figure out what you are hitting to damage it. It might be that the front springs are sagged or the strut cartridges need replacing.
They do protect the bottom of the motor, steering parts, and related hoses and other parts from damage as well as keeping snow, slush and mud from building up. It also directs air and helps keep the motor cool I think.
__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"
Lots of Volvos driving around without them. Good news is they are available aftermarket and reasonably cheap (as volvo parts go). IPD and Groton offer them. If part of the bolt holes still remain you can repair by epoxying appropriate sized metal washers in place and then rebolting the pan to the car. This has worked a a fix for over two years on my 940.
Howard
i always upgraded my 240's w/the metal ipd ones.....they are bullet proof...you do want one for air flow, cooling, and keeping debris from gettin' up in the engine compartment....
Thanks! I figured it was there for a purpose, but with no garage and the ice/snow I didn't feel like laying on the ground to install a new one. The old one is pretty much shot- banged up when I bought the car and repaired once already by me.
a local volvo or tyre shop can install one in aprox 5 min...much easier w/a lift...
Oh heavens yes. When I patched it up last time I put the car up on ramps, but that's really not very convenient. And it was warm and sunny that day, not icy and below freezing like today. Having the proper tools makes things so much easier!
There isn't really anything to determine. The belly pan is really cheap plastic that is designed to fail irrespective of the condition of the "springs". The cheap, plastic belly pan was Volvo's first attempt at keeping the owner going back to the dealer. IPD used to sell a thick aluminum belly pan that would probably outlast the vehicle but they no longer offer it.
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