New to me 960, what parts should I get

[capkirk123]

I just bought a well-used 1995 960, and would like some advice on what manufacturers make good aftermarket parts for them.

The most pressing need right now is replacing the heater core, which currently has a serious leak. I figured I'd also replace the evaporator while I'm in there, the A/C doesn't work and has a fluorescent dye tag on the service port so I'm gonna assume it leaks too. The timing belt is also quite overdue for a change.

From what I've read, you wanna go for the all-brass OEM heater core. Scandix seems to be the cheapest option for one of those. They also have a relatively cheap evaporator, but it does not list a manufacturer. Does anyone have experience with it? Can I get away with a UAC unit off rockauto? Or do I need to track down OEM for the evaporator too.

As for the timing belt, I come from the world of Honda V6s, where it's Aisin or nothing. I've seen the FCP Euro kit recommended, but the IPD kit seems to have the same parts and is cheaper. It doesn't come with new oil seals but I don't think those are leaking (but I'll pop the timing cover off to check before I order anything).

Also I intend to replace all the fluids because they are probably overdue. I've heard Volvo antifreeze only, are they picky about anything else?

Thanks for the help.

 

[okoye]

Timing belt kit with the water pump and a new radiator at the same time.

 

[bgpzfm142]

My 960 is RHD, and I know that Foursome Vehicles Heaters UK do LHD and RHD versions. They're very good cores. You just have to be wary of the pipe configuration. I'd also convert the 2-port heater tap to a 4 port type unit, and replace all the hoses between the heater core and engine.

I got a replacement condenser from Rock Auto, they work just fine. Haven't tried one of their evaporators. OE ones are NLA.

Doing a heater core R&R job in a 960 is an ordeal. Dash removal is the easier option, although there's truly no easy option. While you're in there, it might be worth replacing or repairing the twin port vacuum motor which operates the floor and demist flaps, so you don't lose face-level air flow from the vents when accelerating.

It is prudent to change the water pump and the tensioners at the same time you change the timing belt. 'Aisin or nothing' is a wise rule to keep following for these things too. Note there's 3 different sizes of timing belts shown in the book for B6304S, and what you'll need will depend on your engine number.

Generic green glycol coolant mixed with water has worked fine for me.

 

[capkirk123]

My 960 is RHD, and I know that Foursome Vehicles Heaters UK do LHD and RHD versions. They're very good cores. You just have to be wary of the pipe configuration. I'd also convert the 2-port heater tap to a 4 port type unit, and replace all the hoses between the heater core and engine.

I got a replacement condenser from Rock Auto, they work just fine. Haven't tried one of their evaporators. OE ones are NLA.

Doing a heater core R&R job in a 960 is an ordeal. Dash removal is the easier option, although there's truly no easy option. While you're in there, it might be worth replacing or repairing the twin port vacuum motor which operates the floor and demist flaps, so you don't lose face-level air flow from the vents when accelerating.

It is prudent to change the water pump and the tensioners at the same time you change the timing belt. 'Aisin or nothing' is a wise rule to keep following for these things too. Note there's 3 different sizes of timing belts shown in the book for B6304S, and what you'll need will depend on your engine number.

Generic green glycol coolant mixed with water has worked fine for me.

I'll look into Foursome Vehicles, but if I'm paying to ship from Europe anyway, the OEM from Scandix isn't that expensive.

I have looked into the vacuum motors, and they seem to be unobtainable. The OEM is discontinued, and the GM ones that could be adapted into fitting are also discontinued now. However, someone is maybe making new shaft seals so you can repair the actuators? For what it's worth, mine seem to be doing ok for now.

There's no full Aisin timing kit for the 960 that I can see, but the IPD and FCP kits use an Aisin tensioner. The hydraulic tensioner is usually what fails first on cheap aftermarket Honda timing belt kits, so that's reassuring. My only other concern is the water pump is Graf, as a Honda guy I have never heard of them before so I don't know if they make good stuff.

Yeah all my cars also have generic green and it's never caused any issues but I heard horror stories about the porous blocks being more susceptible to corrosion.

 

[bgpzfm142]

However, someone is maybe making new shaft seals so you can repair the actuators?

Yup, there sure is. Member @V-Jet got some replacement seals made up, and you can order from him if needed.

For the tensioner / timing belt / water pump replacement, you can either go with a kit, or get the components separately. FCP do stock an Aisan water pump, and these were used as OE (AFAIK). YMMV, but I don't go for budget components in this area, since timing belt failure equates to a lot of bent valves with these engines.

Porous B6304S blocks tend to be the early production engines, but I guess all whiteblocks are more susceptible to block corrosion compared to the cast iron redblock engines.

 

[capkirk123]

Well I set it to dashboard vents and buried the throttle for a solid 5 seconds and it stayed there. By some miracle the vacuum actuators are the one thing on this car in perfect shape.

For the tensioner / timing belt / water pump replacement, you can either go with a kit, or get the components separately. FCP do stock an Aisan water pump, and these were used as OE (AFAIK). YMMV, but I don't go for budget components in this area, since timing belt failure equates to a lot of bent valves with these engines.

Yeah, I know you shouldn't cheap out, but it still hurts. I might option out the components myself for the Aisin water pump.

but I guess all whiteblocks are more susceptible to block corrosion compared to the cast iron redblock engines.

I figured a lot of the "fragility" warnings around the whiteblocks was just old Volvo guys used to cast iron non-interference redblocks discovering a modern all-aluminum engine is not as tolerant to abuse.

 

[AnthonyHardy2]

Doing a 960 heater core is definitely the worst job to do on that car so you should definitely get the best heater core you can find if you're keeping it long term.

Aisin is OE for the water pump and hydraulic tensioner and INA is OE for the tensioner and idler bearings. I usually order everything separately so I can choose the brand for individual components instead of hoping a kit comes with good stuff.

I wouldn't use anything other than G48 coolant in these since it's what the Volvo coolant used to be and it doesn't cost much more than the generic green stuff. The headgaskets on these engines are definitely susceptible to corrosion/breakdown and I've had to change 2 headgaskets that were leaking externally.

Preventatively changing the cam seals is also a good idea if you have no record of them being done, especially since you'll already have the timing belt off. I've had the original ones blow out on 3 different engines just from age and these engines leak a lot of oil when those seals fail.

Like mentioned above a new radiator is a good idea along with new hoses and a new heater valve. Whiteblocks aren't tolerant of overheating and driving with 30 year old rubber hoses is a quick way to make that happen.

 

[2manyturbos]

The quality 960 components are getting much harder to find these days. I just ordered timing components for my 960. There is nothing wrong with a Graf water pump. They are high quality pumps made in Germany. Do not buy the kit from IPD. The red flag is the Pro Parts Sweden tensioner lever and roller. Any components that are part of the timing belt assembly need to be of the highest quality. The Pro Parts Sweden part may use a high quality bearing, however, I have never bought any of their parts for a 960. The huge kit from FCP would be a bargain if you were completely resealing a 960 engine. The seals rarely leak. Therefore, most of those parts are not needed. Make sure you check the serpentine belt tensioner roller before ordering parts. If that fails, it is common for the belt to get tangle up in front of the cover and cause the timing belt to snap. The cover is supposed to prevent that, however, I have seen 2 960 engines that were damaged because the serpentine belt broke.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-timing-belt-kit-minor-oem-parts-tbkit270-oem

Volvo Water Pump Kit - Graf 8694628KT

Volvo Water Pump Kit - Graf 8694628KT

www.fcpeuro.com

 

[capkirk123]

Sounds familiar. It's immortal unless you overheat it, watch out for coolant hoses and plastic radiator tanks leaking (I need to get around to replacing the radiator on my V6 Accord...), don't cheap out on the timing belt tensioner and idlers, if the serpentine belt breaks it'll eat the timing belt too, all known issues on Honda V6s.

I don't hear any unhappy bearing noises but I'll make sure everything spins nicely. Might buy cam seals anyway, they're fairly cheap and nice to have if I need them, but this car isn't leaving oil puddles yet so I'm hoping everything is fine on that front.

 

[Oldnfast71]

Stay far away from Pro Parts Sweden for any car. Their stuff is garbage
I recommend FCP particularly because they offer a lifetime warranty on their parts. I’ve used them for 10 years now and they only made one mistake in all that time with many many purchases. I’ve had bad experiences with IPD and wouldn’t use them again for everyday parts
Full disclosure I’m also a big fan of FCP since they are only 15 minutes from my house and are open 7 days a week for parts pickup
I forget to mention I’ve been using Graf pumps ever since the OEM Volvo pumps quality went down the tubes. The one on my 740 is like 10 years old at this point

 

[capkirk123]

Finally got around to digging into the engine. The valve cover under the plastic cover was just full of oil, but the spark plugs themselves were clean (those seals are good). The front of the engine was bone dry, the cam seals and front main seal is good, and the valve cover doesn't seem to be leaking either, all the oil is on top of it, not seeping down under it. Is that just from years of people spilling oil while filling the engine, or is there something that can actually leak up there (filler cap, whatever that pipe is in the center, the valve cover bolts?)

As for the timing belt, it's a little worn, but no cracking and all the teeth are there. The tensioner is good too, it's not leaking. I don't think it's 100k miles old like the sticker suggests, but I know enough to know to replace it anyway. I'll think about doing the cam seals, depending on how painful the rear ones are.

Also the coil connectors have all disintegrated and I think I lost a cylinder from fiddling them them. But built a custom engine harness for my miata, I can handle replacing some pigtails.

 

[bgpzfm142]

Is that just from years of people spilling oil while filling the engine, or is there something that can actually leak up there (filler cap, whatever that pipe is in the center, the valve cover bolts?)

The idiot shop who did the head gasket on my 965 (and didn't use the correct sealant for the cam cover, and also didn't tighten the head bolts to spec!) made sure there were a lot of oil leaks, from their failure to tighten the cam cover bolts to spec. If you've cleaned out the valleys under the plastic cover - of which new replacements are NLA, by the way - and you're still seeing oil pool there again, it's a safe bet that the cam cover bolts have worked loose.

IMO, you've got your money's worth out of that cam belt....

Also JFTR, Dave Barton sells a brilliant replacement coil-over-plug harness with full instructions, which should save a lot of time and effort.

 

[capkirk123]

The idiot shop who did the head gasket on my 965 (and didn't use the correct sealant for the cam cover, and also didn't tighten the head bolts to spec!) made sure there were a lot of oil leaks, from their failure to tighten the cam cover bolts to spec. If you've cleaned out the valleys under the plastic cover - of which new replacements are NLA, by the way - and you're still seeing oil pool there again, it's a safe bet that the cam cover bolts have worked loose.

IMO, you've got your money's worth out of that cam belt....

Also JFTR, Dave Barton sells a brilliant replacement coil-over-plug harness with full instructions, which should save a lot of time and effort.

Huh, yeah I'll check the bolts are torqued. The plastic cover had a crack starting to form down the middle but I have a lot of experience plastic welding from putting my miata interior back together so I melted it back together at the seams and ran a bead of Harbor Freight plastic filler rod into it for good measure.

I'll look into the harness. I don't like using generic patch wire, I spent far too much money on my miata wiring harness because I  had to hhave appropriately color-coded and striped wire to match the OEM wiring. A nicely wired kit would make me much happier than the red and black generic repair pigtails (or spending another fortune custom-ordering more colored striped wires)

 

[capkirk123]

I, uh, decided to check the carfax report. The gauge cluster that says 330k miles I found in the back was originally from this car. Based on the sudden change in mileage in the service reports, the  actual mileage on the chassis is ~430k miles. All on what appears to be the original engine and transmission.

On the plus side, I can say I'm probably in the top 10 highest mileage Volvo 960 owners in North America?