Just wanted to share some info (1st person experience) about what a Catalytic Converter will do, to help someone solve an emission testing problem.

Car: 1993 B230-L engine, automatic transmission
Test: NJ State Inpection Station running the on-a-dynomometer (at road speed) kind of test.

Past history:
Gas: Max - 2004- 2006- 2008
NOx: 970 - 190 - 964 - 2021
HC : 128 -- 028 - 034 - 085
CO : .71 -- .09 -- .15 -- .44
CO2: ------- 015 - 016 - 014
O2 : --------- 0.2 - 0.0 - 0.6

Clearly, in 2008 (just last week), the car failed for NOx (and had just barely passed the time before, in 2006) -- it had been gradually failing over these years.

I took it to my local Volvo dealer with the instruction to change my Cat (based on my years of experience). They checked it and confirmed that it looked bad, and although they couldn't test and pass the car themselves, lacking a dyno, they said they'll do their best t get it ready for a retest. (Note: I don't like the work of some local indy shops, even though certain ones are authorized and equipped to do emissions repairs because they have, in my experience with them over the past more than a couple of decades, tend to use cheap ("Scantech") parts despite my telling them to use Volvo brand parts -- so I've taken to just going to the dealer and telling them what to do).
Anyway, the dealer changed the Cat and the oxygen sensor which (in these last model 240s) is plugged into the Cat rather than in the exhaust manifold, like in my '84.

Good news is that it worked. I took it back to the inspection station, and here are the new numbers:

Gas: Max - 2008 (with new Cat and O2 sensor)
NOx: 970 - 138
HC : 128 - 022
CO : .71 - .03
CO2: ----- 015
O2 : ----- 0.2

NOx, HC, and CO were all reduced. And hopefully these new parts will give me a few more years before replacement is necessary again -- I'm in the 2004 ballpark again.

Of course, I didn't have to take it to the dealer for this work -- I usually do repairs myself, but since I don't have a lift in my garage, and given my age (about to retire) and bad back, I didn't relish working under the car (albeit with jackstands) -- my wife insisted that I "save my back" and spend the extra money!

Well anyway, if you've failed for high NOx, consider this as a possible solution (assuming the car is running well -- otherwise, you'll have a new Cat "for a day" as Rule 308 likes to put it -- i.e., you'll ruin your new Cat in short order, and have to buy a new one again for the next inspection.)

Interesting.
I've never had a problem passing the emission test (UK) although the car had done 380,000 miles at the last test on its original cat and oxygen sensor.
But a few weeks ago, now at 405,000 miles, the cat suddenly cracked open at the rear joint, apparently from metal fatigue.
I've fitted a new one, and a sensor at the same time.

Nice! Comforting to see a 240 hit the emissions out of the park!

I'm not surprised to see those nice numbers. A genuine Volvo converter is just *loaded* with platinum metal goodness! I sold an old one as scrap for a pretty penny (more than I paid for a new aftermarket cat from FCP).

Is it true that Volvo branded converters have come down a lot in price?

-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

I don't know if they've come down in price, since I usually don't keep my receipts until just a couple of years ago* because I never plan to sell my Volvos -- I just keep them until they're so old (~300K miles) that no one would want to buy them (mainly because of rust, in this part of the country), and then I just junk them.
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* until I got a scanner, that is, and then I just scan in everything and throw the paper away :-).
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Anyway, just FYI, the Cat's costs that's printed on my receipt is $266.19 (my price) and $295.77 (list price), for p/n 8551608-6).

But what threw me was the price of the 02 sensor -- $215.96/$239.95 (p/n 3501753-2)! That I didn't expect, based on the last time I bought a sensor, but for my '84. But that's a single wire type, and my '93 has heater wires also, so maybe that difference may account for the spectacularly higher price.

Sounds like you did well on the genuine cat, but where screwed a little on the O2 sensor. But hey, cars are not free, and not doing the wrenching yourself, ain't free either. Glad she's good to go for many more years of E testing!
Charles

Thanks for the update! 300K miles is nothing on these cars. Our 740 with 300K is still "nicer than a new modern car"! :)

Wow. The $266 on a Volvo cat is money well spent. I hadn't realized they were that inexpensive. At recycling time, you'll very likely recoup the difference in cost... and that's just one cat. The Volvo cat will probably out live a few aftermarket cats. I guess aftermarket doesn't make sense here. That's a revelation to me. Thanks!

As for the O2 sensor, that's a little overpriced. They're about $150 from FCP for a direct fit Bosch sensor for later 240's. "Direct fit" is a bit pricier than the universal fit ones... but as gas is getting pricier here, a proper O2 sensor cable (for signal and reference air) makes more sense.

Thanks!

-Ryan

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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

This is an aside about Volvo parts prices. I'm planning to do a second round of suspension work on another 245. This one is a 1992. The last one I did started in May on an '83. I ordered both times from TascaVolvo. The last price on TAB was half of what I paid in May. When I asked about this, the parts guy says Volvo is lowering prices on most parts on the "older Volvos". He only speculated that it might have to do with the talked about potential split between Ford and Volvo. Perhaps cat prices are included in this trend of falling prices.

Mike
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'83 245 GLT, '90 760 GLT