Since my '83 245, the yellow rustbucket, was rearended several weeks ago I've been keeping my eyes open for a rust-free 245 with which to replace it. My plan is to migrate my good parts (IPD bars, Nissens radiator, new blower motor, and maybe my M46 if necessary) onto the 'new one' once the weather warms up and then have the '83 carcass hauled away.

Yesterday I looked at a low mileage inexpensive '89 with an autobox. It's got issues which have resulted in its asking price to be quite low, and these issues are things I can manage once the weather warms up. In other words, this car could be a good value purchase.

But...I've got this subconscious sense from noticing the occasional postings over the last several years that 1988 was one of the best 240 years and 1989 was one of the worst. 1989 was the first year of the LH 2.4 fuel system, and the first year of the EZ ignition system -- were there some growing pains suffered by the '89s? Also, I sort of recall that the ECU in the 1989s were problematic.

Are my recollections inaccurate or is the 1989 year something to be wary about?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

Rob Kuhlman

Not especially any growing pains.

The only thing was that the 88 had the venerable LH2.2, and the 90 wagon had SRS, and flush glass tailgate, which made it less likely to rust. Some 90s had ECU problems too though.

So... it depends on you. The 89 was still a good car, but there were small advantages to going with 88 or 90.

My favorite years are 88, and 91-93 (just my personal favorites).

Matt is right and the ECU is the only flaw in the car. Get a spare ECU and an AMM and you are in business. Other than that, in '90 the new improved cruise control was used, but that is minor. Great car, if you get a good price, and that is up to you.

Check and see what ECU is in that car. If it is model number xxxxxx561, then that is a piece of trash and you should get a xxx951 model to replace it. The model number is on a sticker on the front of the ECU. The 951s can be bought on ebay for less than $200. Other than that, the '89 is a fine car. My dad has had 4 and I've had 3 and these are the only '89-specific problems we have had.

I say go for it! What kind of "issues" does the car have?

--
Matt L. -- Cary, NC -- '91 740 wagon

Hi, Matt and Bob!

Thanks for the info on the ECU and the encouraging advice.

Here are the issues as I see them from my first view of the car:

-- inoperative blower motor and temp control. Labor-pricey, and I've done these several times on my various 240s, so that's an attribute, as far as selling price is concerned.

-- driver's door window out of track and bad windup regulator (yes, it's manual windows, which I think is a plus). I've got a spare regulator in my basement.

-- tailgage dent -- ugly, but no paint blemish.

-- left rear door dent -- ugly, but again, no broken paint

-- oil all over the exhaust side of the block, from the valve cover oil cap all the way down to the motor mount. Vapors come out when the oil lid is removed, so I'm assuming clogged flame trap assembly. I can fix that, but I made a big fuss about it with them. The rear gasket on the cylinder head (blocking the distributor drive for the 740 application of the B230)is intact, and has no fresh oil -- just general grunge. An IPD plate will go on right away if I get this car. Oil inside valve cover is clean (no milkshake). And that motor mounts should be replaced.

-- inoperative temp. gauge. I'm thinking bad temp. comp. board as the motor was comfortably hot while it was running. I may just remove the board and bridge the pins to get a direct reading.

-- missing door pockets -- big surprise...

-- unknown history of timing belt, so that's an immediate replacement, considering all the oil, plus the tensioner. And front end seals at the same time.

-- exhaust leak at upstream end of rear muffler. I've got a spare muffler in my basement.

-- car smells like an ashtray. This may be the kiss of death... I don't know if I can deal with the smell for the three or so years for it to dissipate. Any ideas outside of taking it to a professional detailer?

-- an automatic transmission. Gees, I hate autos, and I may just swap my M46 over from my '83 this summer if I get this car. If I'm too lazy, then I'll have to learn to live with the AW, I s'pose.

Attributes:

-- 130,000 miles, seemingly legitimate

-- paint in excellent shape, save for a few dings.

-- no underside rust anywhere. That's a *must* for my next 245.

-- new alternator

-- the door window and heating problems are labor-costly repairs for these folks, and I can do them easily enough when the weather warms up, so I see them as an attribute which will enable me to acquire the car pretty inexpensively.

The car is listed as $1000 or best offer. For a rust-free late 245 with low mileage in our area, that's very good. With the 'issues' I think I could probably get it for $700-$800.

Thanks again for your advice!

Rob Kuhlman

Gave up on the Amazon dream, did ya?

Never mind.


-- oil all over the exhaust side of the block, from the valve cover oil cap all the way down to the motor mount. Vapors come out when the oil lid is removed, so I'm assuming clogged flame trap assembly. I can fix that, but I made a big fuss about it with them. The rear gasket on the cylinder head (blocking the distributor drive for the 740 application of the B230)is intact, and has no fresh oil -- just general grunge. An IPD plate will go on right away if I get this car. Oil inside valve cover is clean (no milkshake). And that motor mounts should be replaced.

Sounds like my '89 740 turbo when I got it. A 99 cent galon of kerosene is a great place to soak the daylights out of that oil box. It'll weigh half a much once the gunk is flushed out. And gasket remover spray is great for melting baked-on oil from the underside of the valve cover. Maybe you'd want to remove the cam and clean it, too.

-- car smells like an ashtray. This may be the kiss of death... I don't know if I can deal with the smell for the three or so years for it to dissipate. Any ideas outside of taking it to a professional detailer?

Rob, with my '84 GL from the junkyard which was left all winter with a window open, I got rid of the mildew smell. first I removed the seats and carpets. Shampooed the carpert on the ground using a rotary shampooer I have. For the seats, I made up a spray bottle solution of liquid Lysol and water then sprayed the cloth with a mist of this. Maybe I had some vinegar in it, too. then I wrapped each seat in a large black garbage bag and let it sit a couple of days.

Did the same with door panels, armrets, etc. Once things were back in, I still had some of the odor, but I kept using an aerosol of "Ozium" (available at Wal-Mart). In time this cleared things.

I did buy a bottle of Fabreeze, but never had to use it. It works by "encapsulating" the offending odor. But I wanted to get the odor out of the car as much as possible first.


-- an automatic transmission. Gees, I hate autos, and I may just swap my M46 over from my '83 this summer if I get this car. If I'm too lazy, then I'll have to learn to live with the AW, I s'pose.

Now, now, Rob. We had this talk before.....
You live in a congested downtown, you have no garage, and your drive two wheels up on the curb just to change the oil.... and you want to swap in a transmission?!!!

Or, were you just figuring on bringing the job up to my house this summer where we would gang up on it, and teach the boy how real car-guys work, and so the wives could lounge out by the pool while we sweat under the car, and the beer chills, the steaks marinate, and no special tools are needed?

(Thank God he doesn't want to change the body color)


--
1989 740Ti 1986 240DL 1984 244GL

Rob, looking at this, it seems like it would be a good candidate. It's broken in places you got fixes. The oil drip and some other points are good price haggling items yet in reality they are just labor type fixes and you sound capable.
The '89 are known for bad ECU's. I have an '89 with the xxx561 and at 217000 miles it's still in there. I did play with E-Bay until I got a spare. But the original one is still doing it's job.
Other then that, I haven't had any issues with my '89 then regular 200 type stuff you know about.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwr and two motorcycles: it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

Febreeze will take care of that cigarette smell.

Please excuse my lack of consumer expertise -- I run into grocery stores and back out as quickly as I can...

Febreeze sounds like a product name designed to appeal to women purchasers in the detergent aisle -- am I right? Or is it something sold at an auto parts store (a place more comfortable to me). Is it an aerosol spray? or a detergent you mix with water and sponge on?

Thanks for your help!

Rob Kuhlman

Yoy're right, Febreeze is found in the detergent isle. At least that is where I found it. It is in one of those hand spray bottles. I had a daughter who smoked and she stayed in our trailer for a few months. The next summer I had to use Febreeze to get rid of the smell, ugh. I sprayed all the curtains and pads and set as much out in the open to air out as I could. It worked pretty well. I just wish febreeze had an odorless variety. The stuff I used left that smell you find in cheap motels. It cleared up in time, better than smoke smell if you are a non-smoker.

Wow, I think that sounds like a pretty good deal, and sounds like a fun project. I bought an '89 740 last spring in similar condition with 170K miles for $750, spent about 3 or 4 weekends on it and about $400 in parts and sold it for $2400. Although for me personally, the blower motor on a 240 would probably scare me away. But sounds like you have the experience for that, so I say definitely go for it!

Best of luck!

--
Matt L. -- Cary, NC -- '91 740 wagon