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8valves or 16 valves 700

Hi
has anyone ever changed the head on there b230 to 16 valves from a b234 I was told by a volvo mech that its possible and I would be better off doing this than to convert to turbo. I have a b230 with regina bendix and i just replaced the crank and knock sensor could I reuse them if I swap heads. would it make a big difference in performance. how would the electronic work would i use the same ECU and ignition
thanks in advance
Matt
1989 740gl wagon 114Hp is not enough
I also want to put a electric fan from the junk yard and remove the mechanical fan how would that be wired ( 850 or any front wheel drive fan)
thanks








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8valves or 16 valves 700

Before I bought my 91 744 (NA 8 valve) I test drove a 16 valve as I had never driven a Volvo before. No difference in performance. The biggest problem is first gear is way too long on the automatic. It is darn near the same as 2nd on the stick. Go with the turbo.
--
D.P. Mulvey in Central VA. 1991 744 NA, 146K Miles








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8valves or 16 valves 700

It would be significantly easier, IMHO, to turbocharge your existing motor than to install a 16V head. I don't think anyone has done this without using B234 or custom pistons (with valve reliefs cut), so right there, you're talking major work.

You can turbocharge your existing motor w/out ever taking the head off. The most difficult part is probably fitting the turbo oil return to either your block or oil pan. Everything else is essentially bolt-on. See the sticky thread on this topic at Turbobricks.
--
Speed Racer, '83 240 R, '74 164 E, '93 940 OL1 (Manchester, CT)








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8valves or 16 valves 700

It would take quite a bit more than just swapping the heads , there area bunch of other things on that engine that are different as well.
Oil pumpis diferent, Extra counter balance belt and idlers ,etc.
Take a good look at: http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/B234Ftimingbelts.htm

To get a rough idea of the differences.
Not to mention the fact that it's an interference head.
There's not enough difference in the power to justify all of that work.
--
-------Robert, '93 940t, '90 240 wagon, '84 240 diesel (she's sick) , '80 245 diesel








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8valves or 16 valves 700

That's very true- the price of just the two timing belts is almost as much as a jukyard charges for a running turbo engine. I love the idea of the 16V engine. Volvos track record with these engines is dismal. 35K timing belt changes or face the wrath of INTERFERENCE. And I know what they cost to fix when that happens...
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 221K, 88 744GLE- 202K, 91 244 181K, 88 244GL 145K








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Almost new 16 valve head available, electric fan info. 700

If you're looking for an almost new 16 valve head, I know where you can find one. I recently purchased a Volvo on eBay from a seller who runs a small chairty car lot in Chicago. Of the 50 or so cars that he had, at least +5 of them were Volvos, and several of them were in good condition. While I was picking up my car, I took a quick look at some of the other Volvos on site (mostly 740s and 760s, turbos, etc). One of the cars was a 740 ('89 I believe) that looked like it had a brand new 16 valve head installed just before it arrived at the lot (aluminum head was VERY shiny and showed almost no dust or dirt on the finish, very recently replaced). At the time, it was not in running condition and I was unable to see if a simple fix or two would get it started. It may need a few relays replaced or major work, I'm not sure. I would suspect that the new 16-valve head is probably ok since the timing belt is typically replaced along with the head. If you are interested in buying a car, or just the head, please feel free to give him a call. Dan's phone number is listed in the auction, he was very helpful and accomodating throughout the entire process of buying the car:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=6458&item=2433325932

For a list of what he's currently selling (Fiat Spider, etc), click here: acs_charity on eBay

If you're interested in converting your stock clutch fan to a GM electric fan, here's a post that covers the wiring, relays, and related info.
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=692614
However, I would strongly advise mounting the GM fan in front of the radiator as a 'pusher' fan and keeping your stock clutch fan in place since it provides unsurpassed reliability and security against overheating. There isn't much of a horsepower increase in removing the clutch fan, and it's good protection against a warped head. (Warped heads are a typical occurance of overheating a Volvo engine since the aluminum head expands at a different rate than the Iron block).

Lastly, I forgot to include some information in the Electric fan post. You will want to install a temperature switch in the Volvo radiator to trigger the relay to activate the fan, but this is a discussion all it's own. Your radiator should have a sensor port on an upper corner pointing backwards towards the engine or out to the side. You can remove the little plug and install a thermal switch here. I think that you can buy one of these from Autozone for less than $20, and the part number is SW1802 (made by WELLS). I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that this is the thermal switch used in the 240s with stock front mounted 'pusher' fans (typically found on 240s from the 1990s). You may want to do some research on this before buying any parts, I'm not sure what temperature the switch closes at. I would assume that it's a 2 conductor switch, and you tie one line to the relay signal wire and the other to ground. -but again, check and make sure.


God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
--
'87 Blue 245, NA 226K








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Horsepower values for B230F, B234F, and B230FT. 700

I forgot to mention in my previous post what the horsepower values are for the 3 engines, the B230F, B234F, and B230FT.

B230F aprox. 114 HP (stock 8-valve non-turbo)
B234F aprox. 154 HP (16-valve interference head)
B230FT aprox. 165 HP (turbo charged B230 block, LH Jetronic 2.2 fuel injection, 8-valves, and exhaust valves are Sodium filled to prevent burning)

The 16-valve engine does offer a decent HP gain over the 8-valve, but the maintenance costs are typically higher than a turbo (which would give you an additional 10 HP more). If you happen to be sitting on huge piles of both money and time, you could combine a B230FT block and the 16-valve head (and with a turbo and intercooler feeding it). Read the following webpage for info on this project:
16-Valve Turbo

Then you'd end up with a beast that looks like this:



God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
--
'87 Blue 245, NA 226K







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