|
I love my '84 240 diesel ( but then again , nobody's ever accused me of having any sense).
I rescued mine from a junkyard and it runs great after extensive TLC.
Heres the problems: some moron at Volvo came out with a 7500 mile oil change interval on these things, which is about 6000 more than you shoild run on regular oil without extra bypass filters , and on lousy US fuel.
When these things get around 120,000 or so the rings all start gumming up and eventually they loose compression and wont start anymore.
I have found something that will unstick the rings :Ol Schlamm Spulung, by Liqui Moly will clean them up and restore much of the compression ( Mine blew a Qt oil every 30 miles when I got it, Now I can go about 800 on a qt and running better every day)running on synthetic also helps continual cleaning( Yes I sel Amsoil , but the stuff really works)
In Europe where diesel mechanics grow on trees , it's not a problem, but in the US getting one fixed is almost impossible( there are only 3 runnindg diesels in my state , and the dealer can get no parts , and knows nothing about them , and the VW specialty shop is scarred of them and won't touch)
When I bought mine I soon discovered that I had been elected the statewide Volvo diesel expert...by default.
Diesels are best left to us nutcases that just like to tinker with things, but If you just have to have one first make sure you have a nearby liberal minded VW diesel mechanic who will work on it.
And even if you don't work on it , if you ever leave town you need to own all the specialty tools ( about $550.00 worth )and keep them in the trunk in cas you have a simple breakdown on the road, because US mechanics don't have the proper tools , and won't get them to fix the thing properly( the PO of mine basically junked the car after a simple pump belt replacement in a hick town where it didnt get timed properly.
All that said, mine now purrs like a kitten, has 226,000 Mi. gets 36-38 mgp, and starts on glow plugs at 12 deg.f with no block heater without any problems( with Amsoil fuel additive)
Maintnence is not overly difficult but impossible without the proper tools( available from www.baumtools.com and www.etoolcart.com )do you own a torque wrench that goes up to 350 ft lbs?
Also keep in mind that I had years of experience with heavy diesel trucks.
|
