I have a lack of power or I think I do . Car is slow to take off and feels way under powered ,its the wifes car. Anybody know how to increase the pickup on a b230f engine without a rebuild or expensive add-ons.
Thanks

You cannot make a B230F in a 3000+ lb car fast without spending a fair amount of money unless you are an accomplished DIY and are willing to scrounge a lot of parts and spend a lot of time. A few guys on Turbobricks.com have added a turbo to their B23F and B230F motors, using mostly salvaged Volvo turbo parts and a few small custom fabricated pieces.

Things like a cam and exhaust change will add power in the midrange and top end but not help you get off the line in daily driving.

Things like an underdrive alloy crank pulley and electric primary fan conversion and synthetic oil will help a tiny bit.

Things like converting from an auto to a manual or converting from an old auto to an AW72L with a steeper first gear and higher stall converter will help get off the line.

I would not invest much in a B230F. Sell the car and buy a turbo. They have some potential and the late ones are not bad stock in daily driving. Or swap in a turbo motor or turbo your motor and run low boost.

Philip Bradley

Drop a B230FT in? You could turbo your B230F but I don't know how long it would last.
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1988 760Tic - 156,300 1966 M-B 230 sedan - 98,000 1982 Rx-7 - 201,000 Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. - Bill Watterson

I have a b230ft which has always felt underpowered, but after servicing it recently (resetting the timing, changing sparks and wires, cleaning the throttle, and tensioning the throttle cable) it feels a lot more responsive.

Want to increase the pickup on a B230F? Don't want to spend lots of money? Then just go and get yourself some fairy dust.

Seriously, you have a fair bit of mass that is being propelled by a 2.3L 4cyl motor. Keeping the car in a good state of tune is about the best you can do.

automatic or manual? check your 0-60 time. if you're in the neighborhood of 11-13 seconds, then there's nothing wrong with your car. :)
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'