Volvo Maintenance Hints for 7xx/9xx - Bill Garland's Nuclear ...

Fuel Door and Hinge Repair. [Inquiry:] Trying to replace the plastic bracket for the gas tank
door. I removed the old one by popping it off with a screwdriver. Not sure if that was the right
way to do it. I was told by the parts tech that the new one just pops on. The problem is that is
does not attach firmly. Did I do some thing wrong taking the old one off? The four holes are bare
metal. Do I need to use some type of adhesive? [Response: Robert Abel] You don't need glue
- the spring tension of the bracket holds it in. It is a bit tricky - seems like I had to look at my
other Volvo to see how it went in - see if you can see another 940 or 740 somewhere and note
how it's assembled.
Removing/Repairing Gas Filler Door Hinge: [Tip from Bill Peyton] The gas door hinge will
break if pushed forward. This is usually done by moving around the car with the door open, or
by curious children. The repair job can be done
completely from the exterior. The black plastic
hinge is held in place by four plastic rods. When
pushed through the body of the car, they expand
four rubber sleeves located on the interior,
thereby holding the whole thing in place.
Fuel Door Hinge
Replace as follows:
Open the door, and using a small punch, push
the four plastic rods through to the interior of the
car. The door will now come out. Note the
position of the spring and the hinge. Remove
the spring from the old hinge, and either cut or
pry our the old hinge. This is a black plastic piece. The ends of the new hinge are tapered to
make it easier to insert into the gas door. Clip the spring back into place.
Now for the hard part. You will see on the new hinge four plastic rods. These are held onto the
hinge by four small connections, all molded into a single piece. On the other side of the hinge
are four plastic “flowers” split into four pieces. You will need to push the plastic rods through the
“flowers”, once the “flowers” are pushed through to the interior of the car. Since the rods are
not free floating, they tend to break off and fly away unless you hit them squarely. If this
happens, put a little taper in the ends, place them back in the hold, and push them through. A
punch and a hammer will be essential. Alternatively, you can break the rods off while the piece
is off the car, insert them manually, and drive them in again with the punch.
[Inquiry:] Over the winter one of the little pegs on my fuel door hinge broke and now the door is
off. I just sent for, and received, a new hinge... and, just looking at it, I can't really tell how it
goes on. Are those little plastic posts rivots? Do I put this in with a rivot gun or something?
[Response: Rob Abel] it does look confusing at first. If you did not remove your broken hinge,
hold the new one up near the broken one so you can get the orientation right. No, you don't
need a rivet gun. The connectors are akin to the mollies that you use in your house to hang a
picture on wallboard. You position the "pegs" in the holes in the sheet metal, then tap in the
smaller driver nails, which expands the connector to hold the hinge firm against the metal. I had
the luxury of having another Volvo sitting next to the one on which I was replacing the hinge.
Looking at an intact one made the difference for me. Maybe you can find another car and
inspect the installation.
Water Problems. [Inquiry] Water collects inside the filler door, in the gasket recesses.