After 20 years of 240's, my only true gripe remains with the placement of the oil filter. No matter how carefully you place rags etc, it's very difficult to do a clean filter change. I usually place a remote filter adapter on the right frame rail next to the downpipes. This allows a filter to hang vertically right over the radius in the right a-arm. Easily accessible from below. I plumb this to a remote block adapter with flare fittings and, most recently, teflon hoses covered with braided stainless steel. Nice setup, but any hose is vulnerable. Last year a piece of metal bounced up under my 88 240 and even managed to cut one of the braided lines. What a mess. Also, even though the filter is easy to reach, it still hangs straight down, which means a mess when you unscrew it (unless you take the time to punch it first). At least you can get a drip pan right under it and it doesn't get all over the cross member.

Since the severed hose, I have been looking for another answer. I've scrounged foreign yards. Wow, there is some bizarre stuff out there on lesser known European and Asian cars. And that from someone who has driven Rover sedans and Fiats. What I finally found surprised me. 740 turbos have oil coolers. Wow, I knew that. What I did not know was that there is a remote filter locator with a thermostatic bypass bolted to the block. Tucked under the turbo plumbing as it is, and since I don't look too closely at 700 engine bays, I never noticed it until I happened across a 700 recently that had already donated its turbo and exhaust manifold to a worthy cause. The adapter is held to the block by a large banjo bolt (1 1/4" wrench size) and sealing ring. There is a small support bracket as well, 8mm or 5/16 bolt head on that.

Bolting this item to a B230 block requires removing the 3/4-16 pipe from the filter boss area. Installing the unit leaves the new filter boss pointing right at the exhaust downpipes with no room for a filter. The 700's turbo exhaust plumbing is different and leaves room.

The fix is a neat, right angle filter adaptor from Ford Racing. (Part number M-6880-A50). Same 3/4-16 thread. Before anyone gets worried, all of the passages in the Volvo part and the Ford part are huge. No worries about restriction. Certainly a cooler and lines provide more restriction than this setup. Of course there are plenty of non-Ford fans out there, but let's face it: These days, it's all in the family anyway, right?

If you want to run an oil cooler, this is the time. If you don't, the thermostat and bypass valve are located in a tunnel on the side of the Volvo adapter. Remove the snap ring and take out the spring and the thermostat. The thermo looks like the one in the air box that holds our air filters. Snip off the rod on the end of the thermo. If you are not running a cooler, pull out the fittings for the hoses, tap the holes to 3/8" NPT and plug them with pipe plugs and a good sealant. Next, you need to remove about 1/8" from the Volvo adapter's 3/4-16 nipple that holds the filter. It is too long for the Ford adapter's banjo bolt. Cut it off, smooth the edges and deburr the interior of the nipple. This is not a tapered pipe thread, so no worries there. Just make sure a filter will spin on and you are fine. Clean out all debris, relocate the cut thermostat, put the spring and other hardware back. Bolt the unit to the block loosely.

Now comes the sweet part. From under the car, attach the Ford adapter to the Volvo adaptor with the banjo bolt. The banjo and the adapter have O-rings to seal them. I recommend dropping the Volvo adapter all the way down until it rests on the motor mount. Great support, no brackets, or you can fabricate something if you want. Tighten the Volvo adapter's banjo bolt. With the Ford adapter in place, you'll see you can rotate it to get all sorts of angles for the filter. You can even locate it such that a full size filter can be installed, increasing oil capacity a bit. The standard, Mann, stubby filter fits with lots of room. My preference was to leave the Ford adaptor pointing upwards at a slight angle. In this fashion, loosening the filter can be done from above the car (even for me at a sky-scraping 5'3"). What's more, the angle means that the filter drains itself completely (yes, dear, there's a pan under the car). Then it can be removed skyward or downward without a drip! The filter can be located so there is still plenty of clearance to the headpipes. Certainly as much as there is on the 700 turbo if not more depending on how you set your filter.

Volvo part: $4. Ford right angle adapter: $52 (Summit Racing). Never having to hear my wife complain about oil spilled on the driveway: priceless.

Bon oilpetite. I'd love to hear any feedback or similar ideas!

Dave