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Hi All,
I havent posted an article here for years. I've been constantly using my 1984 240 GL Wagon for so many years with very little maintenance and now at 287k miles I decided to do some work. I consulted my local mechanic if the car can make NYC and he said he would not recommend it. That confirmed my suspicion that he is not a good mechanic. Maybe I'll send him a post card when I drive the car to Alaska one day.
The AC system on my 84 240 has been running on R134 for many years. It works like an afterthought. I suppose if I lived in arctic Sweden I wouldnt mind. In the Mojave its a little different so I decided to fix things a bit.
First it was time to retire the York D210. After 287k it still worked well but the belts always rattled and it was a bear to adjust. I always thought the compressor leaked so bad it was so dark black from all the oil coated all over it. When I got the compressor out, thats when I realized it was actually painted black and didnt leak as bad as I thought! I put in a bracket and a new Dieselkiki rotary for an '85. It was a bolt-on using the same studs on the block that held the York. Since the studs were too long, I just added some extra thick spacers. Next I adjusted the crank pulley to max diameter and '85 belt (13 x 975) can fit but kinda too long for me. Original '84 is 13 x 925 and too short. I had to visit a local store for a 13 x 950 and that was excellent. New steering pump from an '85 fits great too except now the reservoir is on the fender and the hoses block access to the Air mass meter. I notice unlike the '84 steering pump, the '85 pump mounts at a slight positive angle so the pulley is level and doesnt droop down when under belt tension.
The condensers! Man there is so much room out there!! I got universal fit types for R134, fitted two of them together in a sandwich, and still keep the Aux fan in front. Mounting and plumbing was easy, I guess that should be, given the right equipment, materials and working space in the 240. Testing shows that condenser #2 outlet stays at ambient.
Car still had the original R12 evaporator. The Volvo R134 kit has a nice new aluminum evaporator. It seemed getting the old one out would be easier if I removed the dash. After doing the blower some years ago, I could still remember how to do it. All the connectors still had the labels I put on them from before. The dash was out in 30 minutes and I was beginning to pull the old evaporator out within the hour. After 23 years I was surprised to see the evaporator wasnt clogged at all. I suppose it just plain flat didnt work squat on R134. For some reason the Drier - Evaporator hose that came with the Volvo R134 kit doesnt fit on either end. Luckily I had another replacement hose from FCP handy and that fit good with its proper #6 ends.
Next the refrigerant. I'd rather not patronize a monopoly and besides, I've had it with caustic R134. I decided to give HydroCarbons a try. The HC I used was ES12 but they are all basically the same, a blend of propane and butane (R290 and R600). I charged with only 16oz of the stuff according to instructions. Seemed like a fluke the AC would work with such a tiny amount. First thing I notice was that allelujia the sight glass works again! When fully loaded, the sight glass doesnt show bubbles - I like that! The system works fine now. I will have to wait until next summer to check if this is really working good but I see no reason why not. The pump is good and pressures are correct. Dont forget to check with your state laws if HC use is legal.
I also did the suspension, brakes, and steering. Always annoyed by the clunk on my steering wheel and finally located the cause of it to the 2 u-joints in the engine compartment. Also installed IPD braces and did my own camber adjustment using a Dewalt leveler with laser pointed towards the garage ceiling where you can make a few pencil marks. Maybe I'm sick for doing all this work and should have just bought a new car but its really a hobby. Hey arent 240's fun to work on? You can actually do stuff on this car by yourself!
Alex
Los Angeles
1984 240 GL Wagon
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