Service in Texas

[Trevino08]

So I popped my alternator/water pump belt Monday night. I thought I would stretch my mechanical abilities and replace them. Picked up the belts and decided to give the water pump a spin. It is making a faint squeaking noise which leads me to believe that it is on the way out. After reading, I've determined that the water pump replacement is definitely outside of my skillset. I talked to DeLorean Houston today and they said they are a YEAR OUT for service. I've called around to couple local shops in San Antonio and they all shudder when I say DeLorean. Checking to see if you all know anyone in or around San Antonio that you trust with service. Thanks in advance!

[bueller]

Try checking with local Volvo mechanics. They should be able to do this type of job pretty easily if they are familiar with PRVs at all (and any older Volvo guy should be).

[r00b]

What part of it makes you not want to do the job yourself?

[MrChocky]

So I popped my alternator/water pump belt Monday night. I thought I would stretch my mechanical abilities and replace them. Picked up the belts and decided to give the water pump a spin. It is making a faint squeaking noise which leads me to believe that it is on the way out. After reading, I've determined that the water pump replacement is definitely outside of my skillset. I talked to DeLorean Houston today and they said they are a YEAR OUT for service. I've called around to couple local shops in San Antonio and they all shudder when I say DeLorean. Checking to see if you all know anyone in or around San Antonio that you trust with service. Thanks in advance!

The single issue I have of DeLorean World 1995 shows exactly how to do this!

But yes, I can see it would be overwhelming to a novice mechanic. It's not particularly difficult per se (unless you have to deal with stuck bolts), but there's a whole bunch of stuff you'd need to pull off to get
to it, and in the valley there might end up being other things to address.

My recommendation is to find someone local to help you out - should only take a couple of hours if there are no issues.

[Trevino08]

Try checking with local Volvo mechanics. They should be able to do this type of job pretty easily if they are familiar with PRVs at all (and any older Volvo guy should be).

This was extremely helpful. I found a shop that was willing to take a look. Thanks!


What part of it makes you not want to do the job yourself?

The whole pulling the top half of the engine off.


The single issue I have of DeLorean World 1995 shows exactly how to do this!

But yes, I can see it would be overwhelming to a novice mechanic. It's not particularly difficult per se (unless you have to deal with stuck bolts), but there's a whole bunch of stuff you'd need to pull off to get
to it, and in the valley there might end up being other things to address.

My recommendation is to find someone local to help you out - should only take a couple of hours if there are no issues.

I am little nervous that there are certain tolerances or precise positions on the parts that are on the manifold that I may not put back exactly right. Of course the likelihood of breaking bolts gives me some anxiety as well. I am certain that I could get things apart but worse case scenario if I had to get it to a mechanic, they would not have the benefit of the disassembly to give them insight for the reassembly.

In my searches I haven't come across a comprehensive enough tutorial of the waterpump replacement either. I have done some minor wrenching but nothing where tolerances were important. If you all think it is something that a novice could handle without potential for damage, I'd welcome any instructions. I just ordered the parts today so I have a few days to decide.

[MrChocky]

In my searches I haven't come across a comprehensive enough tutorial of the waterpump replacement either. I have done some minor wrenching but nothing where tolerances were important. If you all think it is something that a novice could handle without potential for damage, I'd welcome any instructions. I just ordered the parts today so I have a few days to decide.

I honestly don't think there's much critical in terms of tolerances. Everything fits together pretty well and there's room for play in some pieces. Yes, some bolts ought to be torqued properly
(and you should be replacing various bolts anyway), but that's easy once you know how.

I don't know exactly what you might be looking at in terms of guides, but I'm happy to comment on those. Probably you will be replacing the
hose from the pump to the heater pipe. If you have the replace the heater pipe too (which often corrodes), then it's a bigger deal. You'll be wanting to
replace the 6 manifold O-rings too, which should come in a service kit with new bolts from a vendor, as well as W-Pipe gaskets.

Reassembly can be frustrating with the pipe of agony though; just take your time. There's not much you can really screw up.

[Trevino08]

I honestly don't think there's much critical in terms of tolerances. Everything fits together pretty well and there's room for play in some pieces. Yes, some bolts ought to be torqued properly
(and you should be replacing various bolts anyway), but that's easy once you know how.

I don't know exactly what you might be looking at in terms of guides, but I'm happy to comment on those. Probably you will be replacing the
hose from the pump to the heater pipe. If you have the replace the heater pipe too (which often corrodes), then it's a bigger deal. You'll be wanting to
replace the 6 manifold O-rings too, which should come in a service kit with new bolts from a vendor, as well as W-Pipe gaskets.

Reassembly can be frustrating with the pipe of agony though; just take your time. There's not much you can really screw up.

Question - are any special tools needed? I have wide variety and not opposed to buying some just didn't want to need to a lot of specialty tools.

[David T]

If you do not have at least *some* experience doing automotive work and have some hand tools, it is probably best to not start with this job. Too many things can go wrong, especially breaking bolts. You have to be careful taking things apart and even an experienced mechanic will break bolts. Removing a broken bolt is not easy, especially for a novice. There are a lot of parts to remove and if you make a mistake you have to undo a lot to get back in to fix it. If you have a buddy that can help you then maybe you could consider doing it if your buddy has some experience. Or maybe a fellow Delorean owner if there is one nearby with some experience. Otherwise a Volvo dealer or an independent Volvo mechanic is the way to go. There are a lot of "while you are in there" things to do too that can turn this into a big job.

[MrChocky]

Question - are any special tools needed? I have wide variety and not opposed to buying some just didn't want to need to a lot of specialty tools.

Maybe, but you might have everything. A lot of my DeLorean work has ended up in running out to get tools. You'll need metric sockets, wrenches, wobble extensions and a torque
wrench. That might be it.

I don't know why David T thinks it's a good idea to scare you off this; but he's not really offering any specific advice here.

[MrChocky]

If you do not have at least *some* experience doing automotive work and have some hand tools, it is probably best to not start with this job. Too many things can go wrong, especially breaking bolts. You have to be careful taking things apart and even an experienced mechanic will break bolts. Removing a broken bolt is not easy, especially for a novice. There are a lot of parts to remove and if you make a mistake you have to undo a lot to get back in to fix it. If you have a buddy that can help you then maybe you could consider doing it if your buddy has some experience. Or maybe a fellow Delorean owner if there is one nearby with some experience. Otherwise a Volvo dealer or an independent Volvo mechanic is the way to go. There are a lot of "while you are in there" things to do too that can turn this into a big job.

Also, you could have a heart attack. I mean, a lot of things can go wrong.

[82DMC12]

Biggest thing that will slow you down is the possibility of breaking bolts. One nice thing about doing the work yourself is you have the time to go at your own pace and you can replace every single bolt and washer as you go. There are intake gasket kits available from the vendors. You'll probably find more things to do while you go inside. Probably want to remove the Y-pipe and get the under side of it milled flat. Replace all the water and heater hoses in the Vee and along the back of the engine. New hot water valve. Replace all vacuum lines. Maybe cap and rotor, plug wires, etc.

If all you want to do is ask a shop to strictly replace the water pump and nothing else "while you're in there", then one thing that can go wrong is if they replace the o-ring under the fuel distributor while rebuilding the intake system. That o-ring has a role in setting the vertical height of the fuel distributor in relation to the roller on the air meter see-saw. It will be necessary to set the CO again if that o-ring is replaced. That might throw the tech for a loop if he can't get the car started when he's done.

Note that it's not necessary to remove the FD since you can take it out along with the entire air meter system as a unit.

68655

[MrChocky]

Note that it's not necessary to remove the FD since you can take it out along with the entire air meter system as a unit.

68655

Or even at all! With some careful placement, it can be put to the side still hooked up. That's master-level of course. I think the trickiest physical step is getting the manifold out, especially
if you have the factory routed engine bay harness, which runs over the top.

[David T]

It is not that I am trying to scare anyone from doing this, I just want to make sure the OP understands that this is not going to be a quick and easy repair, especially if any bolts break. IMHO this is not a beginner's level job. That is not to say it can't be done by a beginner, it is just that it is a big job and I think a beginner should start with smaller, easier to accomplish jobs to build up confidence and skill. If the OP decides to tackle this, the entire forum will be at his disposal to guide him through it. That in itself is a gamechanger over the way it used to be done. See one, do one, teach one. Simple hand tools can get it done but if bolts break all bets are off. Removing broken bolts will require a whole arsenal of tools and a lot of skill to avoid ruining things. As for removing the F/D, one way is to just undo one side and flop the whole mess over, out of the way. I prefer to remove it so it is out of the way and I can clean things up easier but if time is scarce, the less you remove the less you have to put back.

[Timeless]

If you do not have at least *some* experience doing automotive work and have some hand tools, it is probably best to not start with this job.
Ok captain obvious. :8ball:

[Trevino08]

It is not that I am trying to scare anyone from doing this, I just want to make sure the OP understands that this is not going to be a quick and easy repair, especially if any bolts break. IMHO this is not a beginner's level job. That is not to say it can't be done by a beginner, it is just that it is a big job and I think a beginner should start with smaller, easier to accomplish jobs to build up confidence and skill. If the OP decides to tackle this, the entire forum will be at his disposal to guide him through it. That in itself is a gamechanger over the way it used to be done. See one, do one, teach one. Simple hand tools can get it done but if bolts break all bets are off. Removing broken bolts will require a whole arsenal of tools and a lot of skill to avoid ruining things. As for removing the F/D, one way is to just undo one side and flop the whole mess over, out of the way. I prefer to remove it so it is out of the way and I can clean things up easier but if time is scarce, the less you remove the less you have to put back.

I appreciate the healthy dose of fear. Genuinely concerned with getting in over my head with the lack of skill and time. We will see what kind of mood I am in when the parts arrive! I appreciate all the insight. Please know that I reserve the right to come back and ask dumb questions if I get stuck!

[Rich]

I appreciate the healthy dose of fear. Genuinely concerned with getting in over my head with the lack of skill and time. We will see what kind of mood I am in when the parts arrive! I appreciate all the insight. Please know that I reserve the right to come back and ask dumb questions if I get stuck!

At the start of this thread you said you'd read about how to do the job.

a. In case you didn't see one of the How-To threads in this forum about removing the intake manifold check this one out (https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?429). Open the linked How-To document in the first post there. Take lots of detail photos during the teardown.
b. Since you'll replace your water pump you'll be working on coolant hoses in there. In that case rent or buy an automotive cooling system pressure test kit so you know the system is solid before the manifold goes back on.

[82DMC12]

At the start of this thread you said you'd read about how to do the job.

a. In case you didn't see one of the How-To threads in this forum about removing the intake manifold check this one out (https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?429). Open the linked How-To document in the first post there. Take lots of detail photos during the teardown.
b. Since you'll replace your water pump you'll be working on coolant hoses in there. In that case rent or buy an automotive cooling system pressure test kit so you know the system is solid before the manifold goes back on.

I gave up on renting these and bought my own. I rented two at different auto parts stores, both were defective and giving false negatives. Who knows how they have been abused.

First I bought this one at Harbor Freight but believe it or not, it doesn't come with the right ends to test both the cap and the header bottle. I returned it 30 minutes later. https://www.harborfreight.com/radiator-pressure-tester-kit-63862.html

I ended up getting the one linked below but the NAPA branded version because I could pick it up same day. Works perfectly and finally have a gauge I can trust. You should probably be testing your cooling system for leaks annually anyway since we have so many damn hoses up and down the car. If you have your own, you're more likely to do it!

https://www.toolsource.com/coolant-testers-c-1321_92_94/cooling-system-radiator-pressure-cap-tester-p-54513.html

[MrChocky]

I gave up on renting these and bought my own. I rented two at different auto parts stores, both were defective and giving false negatives.

Yes, and in particular the rental I got from Autozone starts losing pressure around its neck at 10 PSI. So, I only tested up to that. It's been fine, nevertheless.

[Ethan Rode]

Of all the repairs a novice mechanic can successfully complete on the DeLorean, Water pump and valley hoses isn't one of them. The three bolts holding the pump in, along with the four bolts for the Y-pipe are, in my experience, the most corrosion prone fasteners on the car. At this point, after doing over 10 valley jobs, I count on the bolts breaking, and build the labor to extract and repair threads into my estimate.

My advice to OP, connect with local owners and ask for help.

Also, very few shops will take the time or have the skill necessary to complete this job, and do it right. The newest Volvo with a PRV is 32 years old at this point, so be wary.

[MrChocky]

Of all the repairs a novice mechanic can successfully complete on the DeLorean, Water pump and valley hoses isn't one of them.

I did it, as a novice mechanic. My problem with David T's post is that it contained no specifics whatsoever nor any encouragement to even learn anything. Really, it was somewhat
elitist.

Anyway, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves with bolts. Sure, maybe there's a problem he deems too hard and has to stop, but I don't think we should be discouraging anybody from
learning anything.