UNDERBONNET CHECKS

1 CHECK BATTERY

The battery nudges up against the bonnet slam panel. This one didn’t seem like it had seen much attention in a while, so the peepholes were unscrewed to verify the acid level was covering the plates. If topping up is required, use distilled water. The terminals should be greased and tightened, if necessary.

2 CHANGE AIR FILTER

The air filter is on the left-hand front of the engine bay. There are five clips on top to remove the cover, which can be undone by hand. Discard the old element and clean out any debris or old leaves inside, then fit the new element, making sure that it goes in the right way up.

3 CHECK POWER STEERING

The power steering fluid reservoir is mounted alongside the auxiliary drivebelt top pulley. Unscrewing the cap reveals the internal dipstick, with ‘MAX’ and ‘MIN’ marks. These are the levels for both hot and cold temperatures. Make sure the fluid is between the two marks and, if any topping up is needed, use ATF fluid.

4 CHECK DRIVEBELT

There’s an adequate amount of room to check the auxiliary drivebelt. Look for signs of cracking, fraying or wear – as can be seen here, cracks are starting to appear. Try to twist the belt at its mid-points between pulleys. Anything more than a quarter- to half-turn means tensioning is required.

5 CHECK BRAKE FLUID

The reservoir by the bulkhead is transparent, so you can verify that the DOT 4 fluid is between the level marks. However, we advise checking the fluid with an electronic meter to make sure that not too much water has been absorbed, which will affect effectiveness and safety. Renew the fluid every two years.

6 CHECK COOLANT

‘MAX’ and ‘MIN’ marks are clearly indicated on the transparent plastic casing of the coolant expansion tank, through which the fluid can be seen. We also recommend checking the strength of the fluid using a hydrometer, to make sure it’s still offering adequate protection during the winter period.

7 REMOVE COIL PACKS

Turning to the spark plugs, the first step is to remove the black cover that sits on top of the engine; it’s held in place by six T30 Torx screws. Underneath, you’ll find six ignition coil packs, one for each spark plug. They’re held in place by two 10mm bolts each.

8 CHANGE SPARK PLUGS

Use a long socket to remove the six spark plugs – if your plug doesn’t have a rubber stopper inside, it’s best to loosen them, then use a magnetic grab or length of old fuel piping to gently fish each out. Replacements are NGK BK6ETUC (Code 3384) or equivalent, and should be torqued to 25Nm.

9 CHECK GEARBOX FLUID

The automatic transmission fluid dipstick is buried deeper alongside the engine oil dipstick. With the engine on and hot, cycle through the gears, then back to ‘P’, holding the car on the footbrake. Wait two minutes, then confirm the dipstick level. Fluid should not be black or dark brown and shouldn’t smell burnt.

10 REMOVE UNDERTRAY

For easier access underneath, you’ll need to remove the plastic undertray. This is held on by four bolts, but our car had been damaged to the extent that only a couple were still in place and the undertray was hanging off partially. Perhaps wisely, it didn’t go back on after the service.

11 CHECK UNDERBODY

While older Volvos are pretty rugged, 960s didn’t quite have the standard of factory rustproofing as their 940 siblings. Inspect underneath for any corrosion, damage or wear, paying attention to the catalytic converter, exhaust system and its mountings, propshaft and any exposed brake and fuel lines.

12 DRAIN ENGINE OIL

Conveniently, the oil drain plug is situated on the rear of the sump. You’ll need a 25mm socket and you should remove the plug when the oil is warm but not hot, otherwise it could scald. Oil capacity is 5.75 litres, so make sure you have a container capable of holding this amount.

13 REMOVE OIL FILTER

The oil filter is accessible from underneath the car. It’s easy to get at but, on this car, it was so tight that it ruptured during removal, suggesting it had been far too long since this car was last serviced. Use an oil filter strap tool to undo the canister.

14 CHANGE OIL FILTER

Put some oil around the top rubber ring of the new filter to aid sealing. Screw on the new filter – it only needs to be done up by hand, but tight enough to prevent leakage. Replace the washer on the sump plug before you put it back on to help avoid leaks.

15 REFILL ENGINE OIL

The engine should be refilled with 10W-40 semi-synthetic oil. Partly remove the dipstick to help it go in more easily. Although 5.75 litres is the stated capacity, you won’t get all this in due to residual stuff. Put in four litres, start the engine briefly to circulate then top up, making reference to the dipstick.

16 CHECK TYRES

Make sure all four tyres are legal, preferably with 2mm of tread throughout a continuous band in the centre three-quarters of the tyre and around the entire circumference. There should be nothing stuck in them or any cracking or bulging. Also rock the wheel top to bottom; significant play denotes suspension wear.

17 CHECK WHEELS

Spin the wheel and listen carefully for the drone of a worn wheel bearing. If you hear anything, the bearing will need changing. You’ll find a sticker with tyre pressures on the driver’s door slam panel. Here, it’s 29psi front and 32psi rear for a light load. Wheel nuts should be torqued to 85Nm.

18 REMOVE FRONT WHEELS

There were no locking wheelnuts on this car. With the wheels off, examine the brake and suspension components, looking for anything amiss. This includes things such as leaking brake pipes – most likely around the unions – and suspension rubber bushes that are perished or damaged. Also inspect for broken road springs and leaking shock absorbers.

19 CLEAN FRONT BRAKES

With the wheels off, clean the brakes thoroughly before you start to dismantle them. Use a wire brush to remove rust and dust over the exterior of the caliper assembly. A proprietary brake cleaner spray will help get rid of accumulated grime that will have built up since the last service – a lot in this case.

20 CHECK FRONT BRAKES

Use a 12mm spanner or socket to undo the two bolts at the rear of the caliper, then pull it away, after which you can remove the pads. Carry on with further cleaning, such as turning the rim of the disc against a screwdriver blade to remove any loose corrosion on its edge.

21 CLEAN BRAKE PADS

Assuming the pads can be reused, with at least 3mm of friction material left, clean the fronts by rubbing them on abrasive paper. Also apply some copper grease on their rears and the mounting lugs, plus the slider bolts and the area where the pads mount on the caliper.

22 FUEL FILTER BRACKET

You’ll find the fuel filter on the nearside underneath. Three 13mm bolts hold its securing bracket in place; they need to come off before it can be shifted. This filter obviously hadn’t been off in a very long time, so much penetrating spray was needed.

23 UNDO FUEL FILTER

A 10mm bolt holds the fuel filter to its bracket. Undo this and remove the cradle. Disconnect the inlet and outlet pipes, using a 22mm spanner on the inner nut and a 17mm socket on the end. Some petrol will spill out, so have something underneath to catch it.

24 CHANGE FUEL FILTER

Three washers should come with the new fuel filter. One fits on the ‘in’ pipe union, the other two on the ‘out’ pipe. Make sure the arrow on the filter body points in the direction of fuel flow. Run the engine to verify there are no leaks – it may take a few attempts to fire up.

25 CHECK REAR SUSPENSION

With the rear wheels off, you should perform the same suspension checks as up front, on brakes, rubber bushes, etc. However, because these Volvo estates often get a lot of heavyduty abuse, checking the road springs is vitally important. They’re concealed by a lot of surrounding metal, unfortunately.

26 DISMANTLE REAR BRAKES

The rear brakes are also discs, but they differ slightly to the front ones. After cleaning them, you’ll need to use a 13mm spanner on the outer rear caliper bolt and a 15mm spanner to hold the inner slider bolt, as shown. Undo and then pull the caliper off to get access to the pads.

27 CLEAN REAR BRAKES

As at the front, the pads here were so worn they needed to be replaced. If yours are OK to reuse, clean the brake assembly using a wire brush and/or spray cleaner. Carry out the same treatment as on the front pads, cleaning the front friction surfaces on abrasive paper and putting copper grease on the backs.

28 CHECK HANDBRAKE

Handbrake lever travel should be three to five clicks. To adjust it, if necessary, you’ll see a small cover inside the armrest cubby. Prise this off with a screwdriver and you’ll find two T25 Torx screws underneath. Undo them and pull up the rear section of the centre console, underneath which is the handbrake adjustment.

29 ADJUST HANDBRAKE

For more space, pull out the rear ashtray and remove its surround panel by levering up the two bottom retaining tabs, taking care not to damage the wood. Release the locking sleeve from the front of the adjuster, then turn the nut until the handbrake tightens. Make sure the brake isn’t binding when the lever is released.

30 CHECK ALL INSTRUMENTS

Run through all the electrical systems, instruments, controls and lights to check that everything is working as it should. A handy nearby wall will allow you to see if the brake lights are illuminating. Also make sure that the seatbelts grab properly when tugged hard; if they don’t, it’s a safety issue and an MOT failure point.

31 CHECK SPARE WHEEL

The spare wheel is located in a well beneath the boot floor, underneath the second floor. Some 960s will have the spacesaver type, which should be pumped up to 60psi. Otherwise, it will be a conventional type (as here) of the same size as the road wheels; check it’s safe, fit for purpose and pressurised to 32psi.

32 LUBRICATE ALL LOCKS

Lubricate all the locks, catches and hinges with either spray grease or an oil can. If the former has an extension nozzle, you can really get inside things like locks, etc. This important task is often forgotten during services but, if left, things can seize. Don’t forget the tailgate and its struts.

33 CHECK WIPERS

Check all the wiper blades for splitting or perishing that will hinder their ability to do the job. This includes the headlamp wipers if they’re functional, although most tend to have stopped working years ago. Perished rubber could allow the metal wiper arm body to mark the glass.