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Looks like that mount is collapsing, yup: Also, on full lock my CV boots look like they're perishing. Can I replace these just as boots?
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May 1, 2013 21:18
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| # ? Jun 2, 2024 11:30 |
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A Tale of Two Bricks: My 240 Story I have been enamored with RWD Volvos ever since I was a child. I remember jealously lusting after the straight lines of solid Swedish steel as other kids were dropped off at school. Or as I gazed at passersby on the highway, trundling down the black ribbons of asphalt in their moose-proof rides. Oh yes, I was definitely a sick child. Let me preface this post by saying North Dakota really doesn't have a lot of classic Volvos. In fact, I could probably count the number of them currently in the state on one hand. This is just one thing that makes my 240 so special to me. In fact, I remember one day that I spotted this brick-beauty on a chance outing to Wal-Mart of all places. With a sharp glare and muttered threats of divorce, my wife tried to reel me back into reality. You see, people don't always appreciate strangers shoving their nose 3 inches away from the greenhouse of their classic Swede. Finally, she pried my back to the drudgery of our shopping list...I trudged in her footsteps with a whimper and numerous over-the-shoulder glances. Some months later, I found where this car lived. It was always parked under the covered entry way to a local motel where folks often paid for longterm lodging. Many times I asked my wife to pull into the parking lot and let me drink in the image of beauty, but she wouldn't have it. She wasn't cruel of course - she just knew that if I got emotionally attached to it, I'd never stop thinking about it. Unfortunately, she was already too late. Several months too late. Nevertheless, I tried to force this car into the recesses of my mind. Obviously, the owner wasn't selling. In the following months, my Volvo fever flared up, worse than ever, inflamed by this local beauty. I had driven to South Dakota, even Minnesota in hopes of finding a great 240 (though a 700 or 900 series would suffice). All I met was disappointment after disappointment, built up on a seller's exaggerations and compounded by hours upon hours of travel time back home to reflect on the circumstance. Yet there was a glimmer of hope. In the same town I lived in, there was an '87 240, burgundy in color with about 170,000 on the clock. It was in poor shape and the price reflected it somewhat. At only $400, this 240 had an interior that was totally roached, bad motor mounts, a possible head gasket leak, bad air mass meter, tires that make a baby's rear end look as though it's covered by an underwear model's stubble and, oh, did I mention it got hit by a deer? Well, it did. Because the AMM was disconnected, I had to feather the gas pedal just to see if it could shift into second. In the 10° weather, restarting the car every 15 feet as it sputtered out go old really fast. Although I believed I could fix it like some crazy ex-girlfriend, I also knew it'd be a money pit in a similar way. I gritted my teeth, offered the man $200 and walked away when he declined my offer. More months passed and dreams filled with haunting echos of "bork de bork de brick de bork" came and went along with them. Having all but given up, I had recently bought and sold a '93 Olds 98 Regency Elite (hurt my back), a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee (hurt my wallet) and a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage (hurt my pride). A week ago, while messing around on the internet and casually perusing the auto listings on a local ad site, my mouth dropped. That gorgeous 1988 Volvo 240 I had seen, now years ago, was listed for sale. I couldn't believe my eyes, but there it was. I'd know that 240 anywhere. When I saw the price, $2,500 or best offer, I knew that I would buy it. My mind was made up in less than a second. My heart fluttered, nervous at the possibility of missing this fleeting opportunity. The seller was a kind-sounding older man, the owner of the motel I had seen it at before. He patiently detailed the 240's loving history of maintenance and how important the car was to it's owner. You see, the owner had been stricken with stage 4 cancer and his son wasn't interested in the Volvo, so he put it up for sale as he got his estate and affairs in order. It was explained to me numerous times how important it was to this gentleman that his pride and joy be well-taken care of. I eagerly assured him that I would take excellent care of the Volvo and likely be buried in it. He laughed and said he'd hold it for me so I could see it the next day, since it was 9:30PM. I thanked him again and made arrangements to see him tomorrow. Because I'm writing this, you obviously know how the rest of the story goes. I came, test drove it, fell in love and happily paid the man $2,200 (he said he just wanted to sell it to someone as appreciative as me) and drove it home with a bill of sale. The best part? It came with a Rubbermaid tub full of typical failure parts. There were overdrive relays, fuel pump relays, a Jetronic box and a lot more. This guy definitely knew his Volvos.  Long story short, I got it home, cleaned it up meticulously, changed the oil/filter, spark plugs, rotor, cap, air filter, rear diff fluid, ATF and a whole lot more. So, without further ado, here is my gorgeous 240 beauty.Here's some of that wonderful 240 imagery:       Yep, I think I'll make arrangements to be buried in it.
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May 2, 2013 03:25
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Cloth seats, you sonofabitch 
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May 2, 2013 04:33
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Very nice! And with that typical pouch sag that'll always have a place in my heart...  Beach Bum posted:Cloth seats, you sonofabitch Cloth seats unusual in the states or something?
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May 2, 2013 05:06
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The volvo cloth seats, especially in a GL, are rare and really really sensible. Awesome score, man.
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May 2, 2013 05:25
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Complete with Coronas (the best wheels)!
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May 2, 2013 09:27
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Nidhg00670000 posted:Very nice! And with that typical pouch sag that'll always have a place in my heart... For what it's worth, that can be fixed in about 15 minutes, good as new. Slit the inside (facing the seat) of the elastic's sheath at both ends, cut out the old elastic (leaving a bit at each end), fish the new piece through, and sew it to the old ends. It only needs about 4 stitches on each side, do them in a square pattern.
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May 2, 2013 13:26
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Thanks for the kind words, guys. I knew that it was a beautiful 240 to me, but I didn't know much about the option configuration (I know I like the navy cloth and wheels). I forgot to mention, this puppy only has 113,406 on it, so it's just getting broken in. I'm still waiting on the custom plates from the DMV, but when they come in, I'll post a picture. They'll say "I ROLL" because  Right now, I'm mentally preparing myself to clean out the flame trap and find a replacement driver's side door hinge pin (the ones that feed into the gears to hold the door). Other than that, she's good to go and I've been DD'ing her for about a week. On a side note, I've noticed that the 240 feels a lot like a Swedish W123 or something along those lines. I've had several classic SAABs, but I don't think the build quality or interior materials on those is quite on par with the Volvo. Just my $0.02. Francis Baconator fucked around with this message at 15:22 on May 2, 2013 |
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May 2, 2013 15:19
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I was hoping to get your guys' opinion. I've uploaded a video of my 240 idling in my garage (door open) after driving home from work. It just seems noisier than it ought to for a car with such legendary motor integrity. Since mine has 113K on the clock and no obvious signs of abuse, and seems to have been well-maintained, I'm unsure what the possible culprit is. Piston slap? I thought that is typically on cold start-up. Valve train? Could be - I don't know when it was last adjusted. Bearings? I hope not. Dirty throttle plate/intake? Maybe nothing at all, and I'm just a paranoid jerk. On a side note, I did recently change the oil/filter, spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor for a basic tune up. I'm not sure if I got my phone close enough, so I may have to take an additional video to make sure the audio is accurate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovlOBe2a-EE Francis Baconator fucked around with this message at 15:57 on May 4, 2013 |
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May 4, 2013 15:51
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Redblocks aren't the quietest engines in the world, but there are a few things that can fail that will make them louder. I'd check your valve clearances and make sure that none of your exhaust manifold gaskets are leaking. Piston slap might also be part of it, but there's not much you can do about it. What grade of oil are you using?
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May 4, 2013 17:28
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I have a feeler gauge, so maybe I'll pick up the Bentley and give that a try. The oil I have is Valvoline high mileage semi-synthetic 10w30 and a Napa gold filter. Pretty well regarded combo on Bobistheoilguy.
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May 4, 2013 17:49
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Replacing your valve hushers will help, and you might as well if you do need to adjust clearances. They're rubber caps that go between the valve stems and the buckets, and will disintegrate every 60-80k or so. I like Mobile 1 0w-30 in my Redblock, with a Mann filter if I can get it (the old-style OEM one with the anti-drainback valve).
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May 4, 2013 22:07
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So in an 850 there's a panel at the top of the driver's side footwell, which has three mounting points up near the steering column. The surrounding plastic for all but one of these has snapped loose on my car, and I'm puzzling on how to remove this upper part without having to pull out the whole dash. I can find a ton of instructions for removing the top of the dash, or the whole dash, but nothing for the lower half of it. Is that even possible?
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May 4, 2013 22:50
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If you're talking about the kick panel, just take those three screws out and pull down on it. It should pop right out.
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May 5, 2013 00:39
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zundfolge posted:If you're talking about the kick panel, just take those three screws out and pull down on it. It should pop right out. I'm talking about what those screws thread into. I'd like to remove that so I can glue the brittle plastic back together and add some reinforcement.
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May 5, 2013 01:33
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It's not a separate piece-you'd have to pull the whole dash or do the reinforcement in situ. If you're close to it and it's the right color, there's a guy on Turbobricks that has an NOS dash frame for cheap. If you're pulling the dash anyway it would be a lot less work than trying to fix the old one. SUSE Creamcheese fucked around with this message at 02:39 on May 5, 2013 |
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May 5, 2013 02:35
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zundfolge posted:It's not a separate piece-you'd have to pull the whole dash or do the reinforcement in situ. Yeaaahhhh, that's what I suspected. I'm probably just going to do the repair in place. There's a good chance it's ABS so I can just weld more plastic on top of the broken stuff.
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May 5, 2013 05:15
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Splizwarf posted:Replacing your valve hushers will help, and you might as well if you do need to adjust clearances. They're rubber caps that go between the valve stems and the buckets, and will disintegrate every 60-80k or so. Also, isn't replacing the valve hushers a decent-sized projects involving resetting the timing, etc?
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May 5, 2013 21:55
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It's fairly involved but it's probably not the issue. I'd get a mechanic's stethoscope (or a piece of vacuum hose) and see where the noises are coming from. Upon watching the video again, though, I'm not hearing anything really out of the ordinary compared to the 240s I've owned. 10W30 is fine. The tolerances those motors are built to don't demand anything low-viscosity and you probably won't see any benefit from running it. SUSE Creamcheese fucked around with this message at 22:15 on May 5, 2013 |
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May 5, 2013 22:13
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I'll have to do some closer listening - I sort of hope it is the hushers or I cringe to think what else it could be. I'm hoping it's a loose hanger or something, though the heat shield seems snug. Probably overreacting, but it'd be the shits if my first Volvo had a bad Red block in it 
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May 5, 2013 22:18
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Straight synthetic. I run it because Bobistheoilguy sold me on the idea the cold start viscosity should be as low as possible because that's when the engine's parts are most likely to wear (ie the colder the day, the more thick your cold oil, what would be 15-weight at 70 degrees becomes 20 or 30 etc, and correspondingly less likely to flow through small places). I'm also encouraged by the fact that 0w-30 is accepted warranty-wise for up to 15w-30 by most (all?) automakers. Please put up a longer video. A minute or more would be good. Post a second one from under the car if you can. Hushers aren't a big deal, because timing's not a big deal. 
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May 5, 2013 23:42
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The worst thing you can do as a 240 owner is be super-neurotic about it.  The B230 is an engine with roots in the mid-70's being fueled by a relatively primitive EFI system in a 25-year-old car. It's uncomplicated and somewhat crude and it's going to have some NVH issues. Yours is almost certainly fine, but it might need a couple things replaced. Listen for leaks around each exhaust port and at the joint where the header pipe connects to the exhaust manifold; those are the most common problem spots for exhaust leaks. If you're worried that it's running rough, you can also listen for leaks around each intake manifold runner to see whether the gasket is bad. It wouldn't hurt to check the vacuum lines either. The conventional wisdom about the valve hushers is that they generally fail quickly and there's not much point in replacing them; I can't speak to the veracity of that but they would be way down my list of things to check if I was chasing an engine noise in a B230.
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May 6, 2013 00:56
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Thanks for the information and suggestions,zundfolge. I'll look into those recommendations. Thanks to everyone else who weighed in too - much appreciated! I'm sure I'll be back with questions later on.
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May 6, 2013 01:36
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I'm realizing that one of the things I like more about my 240 than about my 940 Turbo is the fact that the gas pedal on the 240 is much easier to push down, and it's much easier to carefully control the throttle because of it. Is there a way to soften the throttle return spring on the 940 without affecting the cruise control or whatever else works off that spool?
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May 6, 2013 09:38
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We got a second 740 for a while for my wife, and she always said she liked the pedal feel more in mine. Her 740 was stiffer (and a turbo, and 3 years newer with much lower miles). I always assumed it was the extra 100k miles, but now I wonder if they changed throttle return springs for the 940, hers was from the final 740 run (1992) and had some odd transitional 940 parts. I too would like to know more about adjustment, but I'd be surprised if there was much you could do; it's not like there's a selection of springs to choose from.
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May 6, 2013 12:09
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Maybe the turbo models came with stiffer springs to make sure folks wouldn't accidentally go fast in their Volvos.
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May 6, 2013 12:20
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I think it shouldn't affect cruise control because you're not just changing the pedal, you'd be changing the whole throttle's movement. Also, the cruise unit isn't smart enough to care, it just tugs the throttle more and more until actual speed matches stored speed.
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May 6, 2013 12:30
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My V70R has a pretty stiff pedal spring as well, you just get used to it. Oddly enough I have the opposite problem now, whenever I drive other people's cars I have a hard time not flooring the thing immediately because the pedals are so soft. Think of it as working out in your car...
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May 6, 2013 13:48
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Sounds like you guys need new throttle cables
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May 6, 2013 19:59
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Well, I got the '88 244 warmed up and the engine itself seems to be idling smoothly (added some MMO). what I was hearing before has been isolated to an intermittent, light clunking. To me, it sounds like something somewhere is loose. I will have to do more investigation, possibly with a stethoscope, to find out. I'm not sure if it would be one of the pulleys or harmonic balancer or something else.
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May 6, 2013 21:57
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Seafoam it - if it's a blown out gasket like my 240 had, you'll see that smoke pouring out from where the exhaust connects to the manifold.
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May 6, 2013 22:24
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Sorry, it's been a long day for me - I assume you mean the exhaust manifold gasket? Also, what's the best way to Seafoam a 240? I understand the concept, but I've never done it and don't know which hose to use. Also, I just replaced the spark plugs. Will this foul them?
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May 6, 2013 22:52
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At the collector end of the manifold - there's a two-port gasket that goes between the downpipe and the manifold itself. Looks like this: I can't find my own picture of it but mine was burnt pretty good. Also, I used to think that it would foul the plugs, but...why would it? If it's cleaning the combustion chamber why would it not also clean the plugs?
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May 6, 2013 23:02
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That's a very good point. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have a look at that gasket and see if I can seafoam the old beast. Edit: Didn't find any videos on YouTube specifically about seafoaming a Volvo 240. I'll have to look harder.
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May 6, 2013 23:06
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1/3rd in the tank (day before) 1/3rd in the oil (day before) 1/3rd down the intake while it's idling after the intake sucks it down, let it sit for 15-30 mins then fire it up and take it for a short drive. Change the oil afterwards. (should be gunky black if it got a bunch of buildup out)
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May 6, 2013 23:53
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My (relatively new) 18t is pooping coolant. Yummy. Also; nice 240. That thing is cleeeeeean!
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May 7, 2013 00:07
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Oxphocker posted:1/3rd down the intake while it's idling
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May 7, 2013 01:05
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Double post, sorry. Nothing to see here.
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May 7, 2013 01:05
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The small vac hose going into the intake...be careful though...too much at once will stall the engine.
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May 7, 2013 02:37
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| # ? Jun 2, 2024 11:30 |
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I ran a few cups of distilled water and a can of Seafoam through a vacuum port on my 940 Turbo (following these instructions on Turbobricks), and it seems to run and idle better than it did before. The instructions say that turbo cars tend to leak some smoke around the manifold/turbo, and mine did leak some. I suppose that's probably because of the manifold pressurization caused by the turbo. Note: if you do it to a turbocharged car, AIM THE CAN OF SEAFOAM AWAY FROM YOURSELF if you've got someone else revving the engine. When it goes into boost, what was formerly a vacuum hose will blow Seafoam out of the can and try to get it all over your arms/face/eyes.
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May 7, 2013 04:00
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