The great Volvo 300 replacement debate

Post by MJ » 03 Dec 2007 02:12 am

Hmm, I think 300 seats are actually some of the best out there.

Post by **hatch360** » 03 Dec 2007 02:46 am

Yes the seats are better than most cars I just ment the overall experience like the heavy clutch and loose gear shifter which overall make it less comfortable

Post by **SteveP** » 03 Dec 2007 10:37 am

Heavy clutch yes..... loose gear shifter, no. If it's loose you have a linkage problem!

Post by **trabitom99** » 03 Dec 2007 10:45 am

Hmmm, I wouldn't agree with the heavy clutch either. Both mine are fairly light, even compared to modern cars.

Comfort-wise I notice the difference most in the gearchange which is a bit notchy compared to other vehicles, the heavy steering on my non-PAS GLi, and the wind noise from the sunroof in the GLT. Other than that, I'd say comfort is one of the big factors in a 300's favour

New shocks can make a world of difference, maybe that's one route to follow? And maybe some new seats from a low-mileage car?

Tom

Post by **hatch360** » 03 Dec 2007 12:06 pm

How could i forget the lack of power steering possibly the stupidest thing not to add what were they thinking? And another thing thats getting me is the air con which makes the car shake violently and makes no difference at all.

Post by **trabitom99** » 03 Dec 2007 12:13 pm

I would happily exhange my PAS for your air con any time

Maybe it just needs refilling, kitted out with a fresh filter/drier?

Tom

Post by **hatch360** » 03 Dec 2007 12:16 pm

definately needs refilling but with the low revs im not to sure its worth it

Post by **Chris_C** » 03 Dec 2007 01:53 pm

Andys A/C is awesome, really really cold, but then he did just pour pound notes into the top of the filler

Post by **Ronnie** » 03 Dec 2007 04:22 pm

The biggest issue for me re comfort is noise. This has been identified as the single biggest cause of driving fatigue, and the V300 performs way below modern cars in this respect.

Post by **trabitom99** » 03 Dec 2007 04:43 pm

This is purely subjective of course, but my Volvo-engined 360s are a lot quieter than my old 343, at least below 100 mph. The wind noise in the GLT (sunroof) is pretty bad though. No new seals available from Volvo for that anymore

hatch360 wrote:definately needs refilling but with the low revs im not to sure its worth it

Isn't there some kind of manifold solenoid valve to boost the idle revs when the air con is on?

Tom

Post by **Tourinki** » 03 Dec 2007 07:41 pm

trabitom99 wrote:
hatch360 wrote:definately needs refilling but with the low revs im not to sure its worth it
Isn't there some kind of manifold solenoid valve to boost the idle revs when the air con is on?

Tom

Not sure about that, but in my car that problem has been solved with raising idle revs. AC on idle is ~950rpm and ac off idle is about 1100-1200rpm

Post by **Ronnie** » 03 Dec 2007 08:09 pm

trabitom99 wrote:No new seals available from Volvo for that anymore

See here: http://www.volvo300mania.com/forum-uk/v ... 6&start=15

for new seals. They've cut down road noise a lot, but not as much as I'd like!

Post by MJ » 04 Dec 2007 06:44 am

Maybe the clutch is a tad heavy, but I like the weighting. As for non PAS, that's one of the best features of it over new cars. I hate power steering; it feels all light and easy and, and, wrong

Post by **Tourinki** » 04 Dec 2007 07:30 am

If someone says that clutch is heavy and so is the steering. They should try driving a Massey-Ferguson 165 from i'm not sure was it from the 60' or the 70' without powersteering. There is heavy steering and clutch for you...

Post by **trabitom99** » 04 Dec 2007 09:53 am

Tourinki wrote:
trabitom99 wrote:Isn't there some kind of manifold solenoid valve to boost the idle revs when the air con is on?
Not sure about that, but in my car that problem has been solved with raising idle revs. AC on idle is ~950rpm and ac off idle is about 1100-1200rpm

Had a look in my green book last night. Apparently on B200E models, there's a solenoid valve in the throttle body which bypasses the idle speed screw when the air con is turned on, thus raising the revs. It says, the revs should actually be higher when the compressor switches on.

Maybe it doesn't work so well in practice ...

Ronnie wrote: See here: http://www.volvo300mania.com/forum-uk/v ... 6&start=15

for new seals. They've cut down road noise a lot, but not as much as I'd like!

That looks good ... Has anyone tried those seals on a sunroof as well?

Tourinki wrote:They should try driving a Massey-Ferguson 165 from i'm not sure was it from the 60' or the 70' without powersteering. There is heavy steering and clutch for you...

Looks good too

Tom