I hear a driveline vibration as I take off from a stationary position that goes away as I pickup speed. The U-joints seem ok but the rubber "Donut" looks like crap & has excessive movement. I suspect strongly this is the problem.Any other possibilities ?

If the donut looks bad and has excess movement it certainly should be replaced. While in there, do the whole thing using a kit to replace the bearing, donut, etc. Note that there are two different sized driveshafts used on 240s and you have to know which one you have to get the correct parts.

Are those original u-joints still on the car? If so, you might want to replace them while you are at it as well. Name brand new ones are not very expensive. Do make sure to mark the relationship between the drive shaft and the flanges as you want to put it back on in the same relationship as it came off. Use a good repair manual to guide your efforts.

If you have an automatic transmission this is also the time to check for leaking rear seals. Then of course check the pinion seal on the rear diff. Before you know it you will be doing a complete restoration :).

John

Sounds like your in for a center carrier bearing replacement. Pick up a replacement kit from any of the Volvo suppliers found here. The kit has the bearing, rubber "donut", and spring (fits in a hole in the "donut", and is positioned to rest on the suppport bracket. Mark the drive shaft, and connection points so you replace it as it came off. Gently tap the old bearing off, and the new bearing on. As usual, make sure your Brick is securely on jack stands before crawling under.

One of the operations I have to do this weekend on the 93, 245.

Enjoy !
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84, 242GLTi, 167K, 4+OD, not on the road yet; 89, 245 DL, 339K, M 47, daily driver; 93, 245, auto, 167K; daughters 84, 242 Ti, 193K ; and other toys.

Tapping the new bearing on should be done with a sleeve of the correct diameter to make contact with the inner race only. Tapping on the seals or the outer race will ruin it.

Remove the old one any way you can without damaging the driveshaft.

It is important to keep the yokes and the halves of the driveshaft in the correct alignment to ensure it remains in balance. One way to do this is to paint a thin well defined line down its entire length, or use pairs of dots.