CATransplant
Admiral
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2005
- Messages
- 6,319
Well, I had to replace the radiator on the '99 Jimmy last week, which made me think about what I'd do if I couldn't use it to tow my little 12' tinny. Total weight of the rig, including trailer and all gear is under 500 lb., so I took a fresh look at my 1991 Volvo 740 station wagon. Hmm....
Checked the owner's manual and it said that it could tow up to 2500 lb. That's a lot for a little 2.3 liter 4-banger engine, so I doubt it could actually handle that, but...500 lb? No problem.
So, I posted a Craig's List ad looking for a hitch receiver, since I didn't want to pay $169 for a new one. Sure enough...within an hour, some guy emailed me and said he had an OEM one for $50, complete with ball mount with a 1 7/8" ball on it. Cool! I drove over and bought it.
So...next, I looked to see if there was a wiring harness for that model. Nope. You have to buy a powered module for Volvos, since their lights are run off the car's computer. Too much draw, and you get a nasty dash message. Plus, it's a three-wire system, so you need to convert for the 4-wire plug.
No problem. $28 gets you one at the local parts shop. Easy to wire in, since the Volvo has neat removable panels in the cargo bay that give you access to all the wiring, etc. I also discovered that I have the rear third seat in the wagon. I did not know that.
Even better, the sockets for the tail lights, etc. are removable for you to change bulbs, and you can solder directly to the connector. None of those clamp on dealies for me. The only difficulty is the need for 12V to power the module. But...luck was with me. The car once had a VHF radio mounted in the cargo area, and there's a nice big, fused #12 hot wire there. Yowza!
So, it's all wired up, the hitch bolted right up to the existing threaded holes in the Volvo's frame (blue loctite on the threads). So, I'll hook up tomorrow and go fishing. Mrs. CATransplant can drive the SUV, even though she prefers the Volvo.
Checked the owner's manual and it said that it could tow up to 2500 lb. That's a lot for a little 2.3 liter 4-banger engine, so I doubt it could actually handle that, but...500 lb? No problem.
So, I posted a Craig's List ad looking for a hitch receiver, since I didn't want to pay $169 for a new one. Sure enough...within an hour, some guy emailed me and said he had an OEM one for $50, complete with ball mount with a 1 7/8" ball on it. Cool! I drove over and bought it.
So...next, I looked to see if there was a wiring harness for that model. Nope. You have to buy a powered module for Volvos, since their lights are run off the car's computer. Too much draw, and you get a nasty dash message. Plus, it's a three-wire system, so you need to convert for the 4-wire plug.
No problem. $28 gets you one at the local parts shop. Easy to wire in, since the Volvo has neat removable panels in the cargo bay that give you access to all the wiring, etc. I also discovered that I have the rear third seat in the wagon. I did not know that.
Even better, the sockets for the tail lights, etc. are removable for you to change bulbs, and you can solder directly to the connector. None of those clamp on dealies for me. The only difficulty is the need for 12V to power the module. But...luck was with me. The car once had a VHF radio mounted in the cargo area, and there's a nice big, fused #12 hot wire there. Yowza!
So, it's all wired up, the hitch bolted right up to the existing threaded holes in the Volvo's frame (blue loctite on the threads). So, I'll hook up tomorrow and go fishing. Mrs. CATransplant can drive the SUV, even though she prefers the Volvo.
