Leaderboard

Hey all, I’ve been lurking and learning for months now, and have officially started my long-term build and figured I’d take the opportunity to document the progress here! I bought the ‘02 earlier this summer. It’s my first 4x4 I’ve owned so this is all brand new to me, but I decided I needed a second vehicle that could get me places here in Oregon that my daily (2012 Volvo S60) wouldn’t take me. Enter a 1 owner bone-stock Pathy with 108k miles and service records dating all the way back to new. Here she is the day I bought her. I’m open to suggestions on a project name that plays on the old lady gold color combo I’ve landed on lol. Current working titles are: Project Gold Digger Project Goldschläger Project Goldeneye Project Goldilocks Anyway onto the mods in the next post...

The mechanic may not have thought to look for fuse links, or recognized our old-school fuse links when he saw them. If you don't find something obviously/visibly wrong, turn the key on, blower to full, and wiggle wires on the + terminal until you find one that makes the blower kick on. Might show you where the problem is if it's just a weak connection.

It's not the computer. The circuits that are acting up are not computer-controlled. It sounds like an issue with your fuse links, which are the small loops of wire plugged into the harness near the positive battery terminal. Fuse links are basically slow-blow fuses, and shouldn't pop on their own--hopefully if they are bad, it's due to corrosion or mechanical damage. If a link is fried or broken, or its plug is corroded, or the guy didn't reconnect the fuse links properly when he replaced stuff (sounds like he replaced the terminal?), that'll be why it's missing power to places. Could be the guy screwed up; could be something was corroded and didn't give you trouble until he flexed the harness to get the terminal off the battery. But, yeah, check that your fuse links are intact, and if the terminal was replaced, make sure the fuse links are still connected to it. You may also have an in-line blade fuse holder hanging off the + terminal if your truck has/had the factory fog lights. This is unrelated. The wiring diagrams in the EL section of the manual may help you narrow down which fuse link(s) aren't working right if you can't find the problem visually. Not sure about the trans hesitation. Is the fluid level correct? Might not even be the trans. Mine had an engine stumble just off idle for a while, and IIRC it was that damn MAF plug.

I would not do that in these transmissions. They have enough problems with people using GL5 and a thin fluid like that in an older design transmission would lead to higher wear more quickly. Personally I use redline MT90 and it has kept mine alive for the 10 years I have owned it (had auto pathy's before then). This is just my opinion of course.