So, I've got a few issues with my 240 that has me wondering if it is time to put the car to pasture, or go about fixing them.

First, when driving there is a distinct click as the car shifts. It is an automatic, and as it is shifting through gears it appears to lull for a brief moment and then a click is heard in the cabin. To me, it sounds like a relay switching, but I've never been great with noises. I'd place the sound near the firewall by my left foot, but since I only hear it while driving I haven't been able to pinpoint it. Is there a relay that might have decided to become louder in its old age down there? The car still drives fine, so I'm hoping this isn't the beginning of transmission failure.

Next, I've been loosing coolant to the tune of a pint/150mi. Haven't been able to spot a leak, but last weekend I lost the O2 sensor on my exhaust line causing the exhaust to blow on my tranny pan. I noticed coolant there, all but confirming head gasket. The only other thing I can think of would be if the core is gone and it leaks out the A/C drip hole onto the tranny pan (assuming this is possible, I haven't checked where the hole ends up, and I haven't smelled coolant in the cabin). I've noticed a little white smoke out the tailpipe dissipating before it really builds up, but I've been attributing that to the cold. Has that pretty much confirmed head gasket? Also, what are the odds that it has warped? I haven't noticed overheating, but I wasn't driving it much when the leak started.


Then, I've got quite a bit of engine vibration. All three mounts were changed recently, and the shaking went down quite a bit since then, but it still is more than I'd call satisfactory. It doesn't feel to shake much at speed since the mounts were replaced, but I can't visually confirm it shakes less. Could this be related to the coolant leak? How could I determine the source of this vibration/rule things out?

Further back the rear suspension needs attention. While replacing everything with heavy duty stuff would be nice, it probably only needs shocks in the near future.

Finally, the blower fan is squealing.

So, what should I do?



Best case: Change a relay, R&R the head, chainsaw method the fan, and replace shocks? Could be back on the road for a couple hundred dollars and a couple weekends of my time.

If I do head gasket, what are the "while you're in there things to do? Replace water pump/timing belt/thermostat and clean everything on the way up?

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If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?