Black

I wish I was closer, I'd let her quarantine in my RV until she was on the mend and virus free...

3 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Hey Vern, hello from a couple of fellow hermits in Mesa, AZ!   Wouldn't be here except for Dave's medical treatments.  

I will never understand why people will not take this seriously, especially those who are a little long in the tooth.  Even in the midsts of this explosion of cases in this area, I still see people all the time walking around with no masks, partying in large groups, etc.   

Not us.  

I think it's a mixture of several different things but I'm hesitant to say what they are so as not to insult non-mask wearers.

Really though, what does it say about a person that won't wear an unobtrusive $1 nose/mouth covering in the off chance that it might improve, or possibly even save, their fellow man's life?

I liken this experience to watching a disaster movie where an outcome is predicted, the mass population does little to prepare or even outright ignore it, and then seem surprised when it happens and they're affected. In nearly every plot, the folks that do prepare themselves are almost always negatively affected by those that don't, there's usually a figurehead downplaying the risk, there's a capitalist that looks to profit from it, and there's always a religious/political component that rebels against the science. Having seen Contagion a couple times, I feel as if I'm living the movie sometimes!

Apologies Cotreker, I hate when people do that and now I've gone and done it myself.

Anyway, I attempted to open up the EPG but the bolts were pretty rusted and because I had a trip coming up, I decided to wait until I got there and then would look into it further. My plan is to remove the entire housing and get a good look at it. In the meantime, I put a plug in the airline so that it can't be activated whether on purpose or when the truck is warming up. I still get turbo flutter and my mpgs seem dismal (5 mpg at 66k lbs) so I'm looking forward to getting the EPG working again.

I thought about doing away with it but the extra braking feature was definitely missed on this last trip so I'll be inspecting, hopefully fixing, and if too far gone, replacing.

20 hours ago, PEIFamily said:

No problem at all.. I loose a shade amount of engine brake I think but I never noticed much of a difference.

Thanks for the feedback, it's DEFINITELY appreciated!

20 hours ago, Parrformance said:

Have you checked to find a used one and just replace it?

It can bench shacked for proper operation, by applying sir to the inlet port.

I've looked for used ones but haven't had much luck yet. I have the two stage though so I'm fine with just plugging the air line and running it with one stage left until a great deal falls into my lap. At this point, I'm just trying to get all the systems refurbished and get her back on the road and this is a non-essential to-do.

On 9/17/2018 at 10:42 PM, PEIFamily said:

Well, I pulled it off today (lack of room to remove it forced me to take it off in two parts (3 of 4 bolts snapped off in the exhaust housing when removing the can, but will deal with those Thursday)

Soon as I got it off, the shutter pulled right out, Looks like it was snapped off halfway up the rod? (This would account for the problem I had this spring if the shutter moved and got pinned closed temporarily). I have had my epg disabled for the last almost 2 years so the warmup don't concern me too much. I also have been running the egr delete from otr for the last 3 or so years (works great). 

I am somewhat ok with just using the engine brake only and not the epg brake so I may just make a plate up and delete it for now until I get stateside again for a cheaper rebuild kit on it. I will look for the restrictor as well.  I just got it off and had to leave so I never had any time to snoop around it yet. 

 

I also finally pulled off the compressor to replace my rusty inspection plugs (found a machine shop that makes them on an as needed basis for a Volvo dealer here). 

 

While under there, I am replacing most of the exhaust pipe under the cab (leave it to me to do three projects at one time) lol. 

I know this is old but how's your truck running with the deleted EPG brake? I'm thinking of doing the same thing tomorrow and was searching for any been there/done that accounts.

On 9/17/2018 at 10:42 PM, PEIFamily said:

 

 

On 6/8/2020 at 12:56 PM, Nigel said:

I know there is a shutter in there and maybe it could restrict flow if it fails internally.  I don’t know just didn’t happen to me.

Chased it down all this week and figured out it's a bad air filter (I'm finding the previous owner's maintenance records to be.....inaccurate)  and a partially open EPG shutter. Instead of the shutter closing all the way, it's stuck partially open and I can hear the turbo buffeting/chattering as it works against itself. I'm going to open it up tomorrow, clean it, and see if I can clean the piston and get it to close all the way. 

Thanks, that helps me narrow down the problem because I'm way down on power and can't even pull a trailer. I replaced the EGR that was throwing a code with no difference and just changed the boost sensor. Today I'll take it for a test drive and hopefully it's fixed but gathering knowledge just in case... I've sprayed all the boots looking for leaks but may need to check them again if this doesn't work

On 6/17/2018 at 10:02 PM, Nigel said:

Mine went out a few years ago and it turned out to be the air valve exhaust pressure governor (I think that is the right name).  Very pricey the better part of a thousand dollars at the dealer about half that on eBay.  The dealer has the ability to cycle it with their scan tools.  I don’t know if your independent garage can check it as easily but ask anyway.  

 

Nigel

Just curious if you had a decrease in regular driving performance when yours went out?

And....I would share photos of the job but having image hosting difficulties...

And....a little bit of searching for photo how-to's went a long way..

\

Just another short post in case it helps someone plan ahead. I picked up a starter for my '04 780 and using one of the occasional "save $30 for purchases before the end of the day" coupons from Ebay, I only paid $150 for a starter with a 2 year warranty from seller UQquality. Lo and behold, my OEM starter went out a few months later and the advance purchase saved me nearly $400 by buying the Ebay version instead of the dealer version that only came with a 1 year warranty.

The removal itself wasn't too bad, it's 3 bolts; 2 of which are best accessed from under the truck with a ratcheting wrench (I believe 18mm) and the third which comes from using an extension from the top side since it's on the 'back side' of the starter which you can't get to from the bottom. Helpful hint; Remove the electrical wires before you remove the 3 mounting bolts, including the little teeny tiny wire (5/16 bolt) running to the solenoid. After removing all the bolts, I pulled the starter from the top of the engine and put it back in the same way. Beware, that sucker is a tad heavy but not unbearably so.

I ended up buying 2 replacement bolts from Lowes because one of the factory ones had buggered up threads and whoever the previous mechanic was just left the third one out (the one on the backside). I'll have to find the package but they were Grade 8 and relatively cheap at $1.40 each.

All in all, it took me about 90 minutes but I could do the next one (which'll be hopefully never) in less than an hour. This is also a good time to check your battery cables for corrosion, I found a couple that were suspect that I plan on replacing on soon. For making your own cables, a hydraulic crimper works wonders but I've been using a $17 hammer crimper for awhile without many issues. That said, I saw a $25 squeeze type crimper on Amazon the other day and I just might have to give it a go. 

Next purchase is to keep my eyes open for an online sale on a box of relays since when you buy online, you can usually get something like 4 for the price of 1 from a physical store.

I had tiny thumbnails but just figured out how to add full size pics so...here you go.

Thankfully it was a quick and relatively painless install and I didn't need the extensions or universal joint after all. There wasn't much ratchet swing, but a socket/ratchet combo will allow you enough movement to remove/install the sensor and once it's broken loose, you can use your fingers to loosen it the rest of the way. It's a tight fit though, so you might have to put the socket on the sensor, then attach the ratchet to the socket, loosen it up, and then remove the ratchet from the socket, and then remove the socket. All in all, it took about 15 minutes from start to finish and the next time it'll take about 5-10 (hopefully there isn't a next time though).

Anyway, got it installed, fixed a suspect looking small alternator wire, fired it up, and.........everything is all good now. The oil pressure is reading 60 psi at idle, all warning lights have disappeared, and it's good to go. I took photos to help the next person but need to load them from my phone. 

6 hours ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

The Volvo OEM part DOES has some special properties. It is designed to separate unsuspecting owners from their money. And from what I have seen, Volvo does a VERY good job of doing just that.

That's a GREAT answer! Love it

The starter is another money saver...I paid $130 for an Ebay starter that came from an independent shop with a warranty. So far so good w/no problems or hang ups.

The sensor will wait until tomorrow morning, I had an unexpected visit from aunts and uncles and I'm enjoying their company instead of the Volvo's for now.

Quote

Where is this sensor located on the D12?

The sensor is located on the drivers side of the block, near the top and in the middle. It's right behind the two big horizontal plugs and is the top most of two identical looking sensors. That probably reads like gibberish but once you open the hood, you'll see what I mean. If it weren't for all the wires in the way, it'd be about a 10 minute fix. As it sits, it looks like it'll take a universal joint, a couple extensions, and holding my mouth just right to get it out of there.

Hi all,

There's not a whole lot of meat to this post other than to say that today my dash alerted me to an electrical fault with my oil pressure sender (2004 Volvo 780 w/D12). I verified the fluids were good, kept driving, and then the sensor gave me a low oil pressure warning which shut off the truck. To keep going, I unplugged the sensor and continued on my way. When I called the dealer to buy a sensor, it came in at $326.95 (Part # 1077574). The non-OEM sensor with the corresponding part number sells on Amazon for $18 and ships next day with Prime. At that price, some of us might think about buying one to keep in a safe place on the truck "just in case".

I'll install it tomorrow and let y'all know if it solves the problem (it should but perhaps in addition to being partly made of Gold, the Volvo OEM part has some special properties).

I don't see what you're getting at or where the parallels are...

I agree with everything you said and yes, air bags are much more versatile than leafs. My thought with leafs was that it's an easy way (relatively) to achieve side to side articulation with a bit of up/down travel....if the springs were mounted front/back anyway. 

It's interesting you gave the air bag example for pickups, I was thinking for a 20K tongue weight (thinking along the lines of my gooseneck), two 8k leafs with backup air springs would give a decent loaded ride and still allow some side/side when off camber and the trailer's empty. This is based off a WAG and nothing factual, just spitballing.

1 hour ago, Moresmoke said:

Food for your thought...

Thanks, I was able to look your picture which led me find out that Silver Eagle tow dollys are pretty common and was even able to find a parts diagram online. My thought was to mount the leaf springs parallel with the frame rails but they went perpendicular....now the search is on to see if anyone’s already done that. Thanks a ton for this, I might end up messing around and building one just to play with and see what happens.

This is somewhat of a random question but has anyone seen a gooseneck/5th trailer hitch build that uses leaf springs instead of airbags? I found myself daydreaming at breakfast this morning and after thinking about it on the drive and during lunch, it seems like it would work with a few strength modifications.

I'l likely never build it but since I dissect project ideas as my form of mental gymnastics and trying to stay sharp, has anyone seen such a thing or can point out why it wouldn't work? It wouldn't give you any front/back articulation but the side to side/compression articulation should be plenty. Actually, if you used 4 leaf springs you'd have some front/back articulation also...

FWIW, I occasionally run on waste motor oil and have a couple 330gal totes full to the top and never had a problem with flexing, leaking, dripping, etc.

Good call, I forgot about the pin. Other than a vertical pin, it sounds like below the bumper it is...