|
|
|
Hello evryone, my name is Art. I dont know if this is the right place to post this but I coudln't find an area to introduce myself. About 6 months ago I acquired my first volvo, a 1993 240 with 186k on the odometer.THe vehicle was in drivable condition but me being me, I decided to make a few adjustments. During the past six months many repairs and modifications have been perfomed. I am still performing repairs on it monthly as I find it fun and interesting working on this vehicle. I would like to upload some pictures eventually to show some of the work that is performed on this vehicle. In case I didnt mention I am a mechanic by trade.
Here is a list of whats been perfomed so far:
Volvo 240 Maintenance and Repairs
6/2012 186,600
Replace Air Filter
Clean Battery and posts.
Buff Headlight and reseal housing.
Replace Front control arm bushings.
Flush brake fluid with new DOT 4 fluid.
Remove corrosion from wheel seating surface.
Recharge A/C system and add 1oz of oil. No leaks found.
Cleaned evaporator case drain.
Repaired rust in spare tire area of trunk.
Clean trunk area.
Install rubber plugs at trunk drains.
Replaced tail light bulb.
Install new preheat hose.
Fixed exhaust leak right before catalytic converter.
7-28-2012 187,383
LOF Castrol GTX 10w/30
Trans fluid replace. New atf type F used 2 qts
Rear differential service, remove and replace fluid, clean and reseal cover. Valvoline 80/90
Replaced brake disks front and rear.
Replaced rear e/brake shoes and springs. Adjusted emergency brakes.
Repack left front wheel bearing.
Checked pad wear, 50% life left..front and rear.
Replaced left rear door with used unit.
Headlamp step relay intermittently inoperative. Cleaned relay and connector contacts.
Removed carpet and vacuumed floor.
8/12
Patched rusted passenger floor with sheet metal and fiberglass. Coated with primer and undercoating.
Fixed water leak from bottom right side of cowl area. Sanded rusted area away and applied 3 coats of rust preventative primer. Sealed with silicone. No leaks present.
Replaced air box thermostatic valve.
Crossover line at powersteering rack started to leak, removed power steering belt to prevent wear on pump.
Noticed leak at rusted a/c line.
8/30/12
Installed new sound deadening material onto floor and trunk lid.
Installed freshly cleaned carpet.
December 2012 ~189.500
Replace shift linkage bushings and ball socket at shifter. Cleaned and lubricated shifter linkage.
Cleaned and repainted crossmember for transmission and crossmember for driveshaft.
Installed new bolts at transmission crossmember.
Installed new transmission mount.
Drained transmission fluid. Filled with 2 qts Atf type F.
Replaced rear seal at transmission output shaft.
Repaired broken wires going into transmission.
Replaced both rear mufflers and piping with new Volvo genuine parts.
Applied undercoat to floorpans/crossmembers.
Noticed play at right from wheel, possible loose wheel bearing.
Replaced spark plugs, cap and rotor. 189k miles
Secured battery to tray with bungee cord.
Checked coolant with tester. Seems ok. Reads -32 on tester.
Installed new Pioneer CD player.
Removed front speakers.
Replaced rear speakers with new Alpine units.
Reupholstered rear shelf where speakers mount to.
Reattached third brake light assembly to glass.
Fixed odometer by cleaning contacts inside of unit. Corrosion? Odometer inoperable for about 5 miles.
Cleaned of glue from trim on drivers side door.
Painted trim for driver side door.
Installed new driver side lower door hinge. Discovers that metal is cracked around mounting of hinge at door.
My goal with this vehicle is to make it last as long as I can. Maybe reach 4-500K miles? Maybe one million? Well...I am up for the challenge!
Now I wouldnt like to get some input on a new project I will be starting with this car. My plan is to peform oil changes at 6-7k intervals. It currently has 3k on the current oil. I will be draining this oil out to obtain a sample for analyzing at Blackstone Labs. The oil will then go back into the engine, along with a new oil filter. Once the oil analysis comes back I can determine if it is safe for a 6k oil change interval. Thats the plan, but I would like to hear your input on this.
Thanks,
Art
|
|
|
|
Hello Art,
Well, unlike others I am not drooling over this car. Oh, yes I am. What a great combination, the year, M47, wagon, low miles and LH2.4. You have done a lot of work on the car and there is no reason you can't get 1,000.000 miles on it.
You are the expert but coolant never looses it's antifreeze ability but it will loose it ability to prevent corrosion in the system. Many are using Zerex GO-5.
Post a picture.
Good luck,
Tom
|
|
|
|
|
Hello Tom,
Thanks for your comment. Sorry to inform you though but this car is not a wagon. It is a 4-door. I do agree with you on the coolant. Personally on any given vehicle I would follow the manufactures recomendations and at least replace the coolant every 100K miles for newer vehicles.
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
Hey Art,
Good name. Just wanted to say hi and mention my enjoyment at reading your list of work, what many seem to call "zero miling." Interesting to see the priorities given by a pro to a task usually performed by an enthusiast. I wish you the best in achieving the longevity these cars are capable of, mostly depending on your government's budget for road salt. You will need a good odometer to prove your effectiveness.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
|
|
|
|
|
Oh and by the way, I have seen your website and I think it is wonderful! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the community. Keep up the good work man!
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Anything that needs a photo or is electrical in nature. Art is the man. If he says something electrical is "x" don't even bother with the rest of the alphabet.
There are others that post regularly that have similar talents/specialties. My specialty is only a dogged following of the board coupled with a pretty good memory...my word is only as good as a back-up search of the archives. Oh, I am also an expert on the alternator ground wire!
Although this is the internet, some folks here have more in-depth knowledge than you will find at any dealer or indy shop. Learn to recognize the difference
|
|
|
|
|
Hello, thanks for saying hi. There is much more to be done, that list might just be a prequel? Anyways I have parts sitting around and more coming from ipd. It always seems like evrytime I repair something I end up finding something else to either modify or repair. Its fun nonetheless. As far as road salt goes, up here in MA we have a substantial bugdet for it. I will keep you guys posted. I'll try to get some pictures also.
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Congrats on the 240! One thing I might add on your odometer fix that might help: the plastic odo gears on the 240's are notorious for degrading over time and all it takes is for one of the little teeth on there to break and no more odometer function. It's a relatively easy fix to replace the gear after yanking the instrument cluster. I found a replacement gear online (I think just odometergear.com or something like that) and replaced both the large and small one after mine quite working a couple years ago. So you might browse around here on the bb as well as there's alot of good info on making the repair.
Hope that helps some and good luck with your new wheels!
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks!
As far as the odometer gears go I had them out and they looked perfectly fine. The only things I did to fix it were: Clean some brown corrosion from two wires that go to the board where the motor is located and then turn the right-most number of the odometer to get the right mileage reading. I also checked for any stray pieces of plastic and gunk...none found.
Thanks for your comment and keep in touch.
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Sounds good. Just be careful not to punch in the trip button while you're rolling down the road. That's mistake I made and it's what did my gear in! To be on safe side I'd say don't even push trip button in at all as that seems to be pretty common way to chip off a gear tooth or two.
Good luck with your other work on the car!
|
|
|
|
|
"..Just be careful not to punch in the trip button while you're rolling down the road."
It may be trivial,but I have my own theory on the trip button;..If you're going to reset the trip,I think it is possibly better if the car is rolling,,but, the main thing is how you push the button.I believe there is a big difference between "punching" the button, and gently pushing it in.I think that most people have a tendency to punch it,which causes the brittle and worn gears to unmesh and scunch.(?)
|
|
|
|
|
Just thought I'd add to this conversation about failing odometers. Mine stopped right when it was about to hit 190,000. So at 189,999 I gues the stress of five numbers all turning back to zero again was to much. Maybe?
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Perhaps the odometer thing has something to do with the difference between mechanical vs electrical.I have 2 1985 240s, both with over 250k on the original speedometers/odometers,and they still work fine.1985 was the last year for mechanical speedos,from 86 on, they had electric senders.Maybe the electric units are more prone to problems?
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for the tip!
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to the BB! Sounds like you have acquired a good car and are bringing it up to near "zero-time". This BB will help you get a lot of miles out of your Volvo at minimal cost.
Once you drain the oil for analysis it seems counterproductive to pour it back into the engine when 4 qts of quality 10W-30 is about, what..$12? You can get a pack of Mann (the OEM to Volvo) W917 oil filters for about $5 each from IPD or FCPGroton and they are top quality.
I have had a UOA done on a new purchase and the useful info was that there were no abnormal amounts of metals or contaminants in the oil. You don't want an engine that is "making metal".
Re: oil changes...my 1983 owners manual calls for changes every 7500 mi for non-turbo cars, whether normal or "severe" service, and oils are much improved since then. I would take Volvo's advice over that of the people who are trying to make money out of oil changes. Your 6-7k mi interval sounds like you are onside. I go 10k mi with Mobil-1 synthetic and that coincides with Volvo's current recommendation when using synthetic in their new cars.
--
Son's XC70, daughter's 940, my 81 and 83 240's, 89 745 (V8) and S90. Also '77 MGB and some old motorcycles
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you for the warm welcome! What a coincidence, I have ordered a 10 pack of those Mann filters from IPD. The reason I want to have the analysis done is because I would like to know if the engine is wearing properly, just as extra assurance before i go for 6k oil changes. The engine has 190k currently so to me being the new owner of the vehicle it seems like a good idea to have that analysis done. Now do you think I should change the filter at the halfway point of the oil change interval? I know filters have a finite capacity for particles, keeping it on there for extended period might not be a good idea? Whats your take?
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
I don't recall seeing anything in owners manuals about changing the filter partway through those (fairly extended) oil change intervals. The Mann filter has a lot of filter media area, so I doubt that clogging would be an issue.
--
Son's XC70, daughter's 940, my 81 and 83 240's, 89 745 (V8) and S90. Also '77 MGB and some old motorcycles
|
|
|
|
|
Good luck with your car!
As always i suggest a good ol fashioned throttle body cleaning. A good intake cleaning and inspection for leaks. Even remove the intake manifold if you're not sure of the gasket. Take a look at the heater hoses while you are in there. Treat the fuses and coil connections. And don't forget the crankcase ventilation sysytem
--
89 240 wagon, 94 940, 200K, 94 940, 135K
|
|
|
|
|
Will add that to my list. Maybe after I replace the motor mounts perhaps.
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Stick or auto...I ask because..."New atf type F used 2 qts" is a very bad idea for an AW7X tranny.
|
|
|
|
|
Very good question sir. It is indeed a manual, an M47 at that.
|
|
|
|
|
Rare combo in the US.
My main comment whenever someone has a '91-'93 stick shift 240 is, find out for sure that you have LH 3.1...then start collecting the model-specific spares.
M47 of your vintage are most durable when overfilled. I forget what ou have to jack up to accomplish this, but it is great preventative.
I envy you on this acquisition. I am search for a '93 240 wagon or '93+ 940 wagon. It will likely be a long search but I have time. My beater 1990 240 DL sedan...I can keep it going forever but it will never get any prettier.
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you! I am unsure of what type of engine management it has. Hopefully not the 3.1, as far as I know parts are more expensive for that type. As far as gear lubricant, I have changed the fluid twice in the past 4k miles. The first time I drained it was so dirty. I had a heck of a time trying to remove the metal fillings from the magnetic drain plug. I did ponder the idea of switching over to manual gear lubricant but I do not know the affects of it on the transmission.
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
The PN# for the OEM fluid is 1161645. Best place to buy OEM parts is TascaParts.com - have to search by part number, or you will get lost and frustrated haha.
The OEM fluid is considered to be "lifetime fluid". I have read that Volvo dealers were told to drain it, filter it, and put it back in the trans... Its solid stuff. Lots of people use Redline MTL also, but you have to change it every 50,000 miles or so (from what I have heard)
Look here:
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=248662
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you for your input.
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
If it is a US car, I would bet a case of my favorite beer it is 3.1. That being said, does not mean it is bad. You have time...collect the parts before you need them.
|
|
|
|
|
How would I go about determining whether its a 3.1 or not? Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!
-Art
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Nevermind I found out how. heres a good link http://www.ipdusa.com/techtips/10087/how-can-i-tell-which-version-of-bosch-lh-fuel-injection-is-on-my-volvo-240
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
You beat me to it...I was going to say post the #'s off the AMM and ECU.
|
|
|
|
|
Hey onkel, I took a look under the hood today to check the MAF sensor. It is indeed the 2.4..phew!! what a relief.
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Remember to post that when every you ask for help. 2.4 on a '93 M47 is rare.
Still, check your ECU. If it does not have a white label, collect one at your leisure. Remaining spares:
AMM...drive with for a couple weeks in the hotest part of summer, then pack it in the hole.
Ignition Power Stage...same story.
If you are uninterested in re-soldering relays, get an OD and Fuel System relay.
Change you CPS at your convenience with a new one.
If yours has the fuse block on the battery post, keep in mid that those fuse are not in every chain store.
Finally, I owe you a case of beer the next time you are in Chicago area!
|
|
|
|
|
What do you mean by ''AMM...drive with for a couple weeks in the hotest part of summer, then pack it in the hole''...?
--
Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Teach a man to rob a bank, he will never go fishing again.
|
|
|
|
|
Get a used spare, try it at the most trying waether period to make sure it has no intermittent failure, then store it in the car (in the third seat well or the second spare tire well).
AMM and power stage used known good items are actually better in some ways than rebuilt or new, off the shelf units.
|
|
|
|
|
outside view
rear speaker deck
radio view
engine
