I just picked up my first Volvo 2 weeks ago...been wanting one for a few years and finally needed to get a cheap car to get to work with. my last name is Carlson which is Swedish, hence the name of the car. from the get-go, it's had issues. I picked it up from Craigslist, drove it home, parked it, went out to start it about 20 minutes later, and no dice!

it had a thermostat problem and I had to put coolant in it. it has a brand new water pump, but it was still over heating when sitting at idle & not moving. it drove fine all afternoon, then when I got it home, I went to start it and it just cranks but won't turn over. I let it sit all day the next day, and it started right up. after some searching here, I found a few people who had replace the CPS and it fixed their issues.

so this weekend I finally got a chance to work on it. we just moved into a house (from living in apartments all our lives) so I've been too busy with that stuff. a mechanic friend of mine (who helped his dad work on his volvo when he was in high school) gave me the number to the best volvo guys in town. so I ordered a new thermostat (160 degree) and a CPS.

the thermostat was easy to put in (except for the coolant that drained out) and the CPS wasn't too bad. I have big hands, so it was a little bit of a squeeze getting it in there. the old one was really gummed up and the wiring was getting exposed. I cleaned it up and held onto it just in case.

refilled the coolant and fired it up. no more temp issues!

next was an oil change. and here's where it got worse...the oil was a nice shade of chocolate milk. so I'm guessing the head gasket is blown. so I'll have to tear it down sometime and take the head in to check it. hopefully it's not warped or cracked. the engine seems to run just fine...so hopefully it's just the gasket. until then, I'll try not to drive it much.

anyways...I didn't get any pics yet, but I'm real pleased with it so far. I have to put some freon in for the AC, and the ODO doesn't work either, but I've researched and think it's probably the contact points on the back needing soldering.

once all the mechanical is done, I'll start on some fun cosmetics touches...wheels, home-made roof rack, suspension possibly...who knows.

J.

 

I wouldn't go overboard with fancy low profile modern wheels, they just don't look right on the classic 240, and going over +2 (16") will significantly harsh up the ride. in fact, I'd suggest sticking with Volvo OEM wheels, you can often find them on CL (locally here, anyways). here's most of the 200 and 700/900 style wheels, Volvo 200/700/900 Alloy Wheels on a 240, I'd prefer Draco or Virgo.

our 87 240GL came with Corona.


edit: oh yeah, do note that Volvo FWD wheels, like those on 850, V70, etc, have the wrong offset for volvo RWD cars. This also includes the facelifted last year 960 and identical S90/V90 which are RWD but have the FWD offset. you could use those FWD wheels, but you would need 20mm spacers, which is generally a pain. RWD cars use +20mm or +25mm offset wheels (with a 5 x 108mm bolt pattern), while the FWD volvos have +40mm offsets.

 

Mine has been one constant tinker session from day one, but I don't regret it.

Just about to order a front end kit and some rear shocks.

 

thanks for the info on the wheels...yeah, I am actually looking for an OEM set of 16s. not into really big rims. just something different.

oh, and I just ordered this:



yeah, I'm a nerd.

J.

 

finally got a pic of her this morning before work...



J.

 

looks good but try and polish up the shine

 

I put in an order for a head gasket kit. I drove it to work and back yesterday and the coolant in the reservoir disappeared. there aren't any coolant leaks, so I'm guessing it's getting past the HG. :/

I also tried to add freon last night, but couldn't figure out which port on the back of the compressor to use...any suggestions? there's a left side that is up a little higher and a lower one on the right.

J.

 

if you lost that much coolant, I'd be pulling the dipstick and looking for 'cappucino' rather than clear oil...

 

Your car is about the same vintage as mine. Underneath those wheel covers are some steel wheels that actually look pretty good.
This is what the steel wheel would look like if cleaned up and you found the hubcaps. I really want to do that with mine--just glass bead them, and then paint 'em and fine some of the hubcaps. Still, If I found a set of virgos at the right price, I would do it in a heartbeat.

As to the freon, be aware that yours is probably the older system (R12 instead of R34a), so the R43a (if that is what you are getting) will probably not cool as well. I had a 740 (that Titan Joe has now) and we refilled the collant wiht r34a several times, but were never satisfied with the results. So... on my thread, we've been talking about the options a little bit. But my first option, seeing as you are in texas, is that I might hop across the border, and see if they would fill up your system with R12. It's banned in America, but I think it is okay in Mexico.
Option two I haven't quite figured out yet. I was thinking if you simply replaced the orifice tubes and the compressor, you could fill it with r34a, and it would work like new. But pierce seems to think that the primary difference is in the evaporator... and he may mean the orifice tubes there, but I haven't clarified yet, as getting working AC is still some-what low on my list. but this option could be more expensive. Orifice tubes are actually terrifically cheap, but a new compressor for r34a is not. But if all that is needed are new orifice tubes, that is not too bad. But these are some things to think about.

Hum... here is a thread I may look at in greater detail: https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...-1990-a-54280/

But here, swiftjustice shows where to refill the freon.

 

Oh, I need to make a correction to my comments: 240s don't have orifice tubes. I was reading the link I posted and discovered that. Sorry--I worked on a 740 for years, so i'm still sorting out what knowledge there is still relevant in the 200 series.

 

Pierce, yes, when I changed the oil this past weekend (first time since I bought it) it was lovely chocolate milk shake colored. and just last night, I opened the oil cap and looked at the bottom...just a little bit of milky on there too. :/

however, no smoke from the engine at all, so the gasket is not completely destroyed, I don't think.

as for the AC, the drier thing up by the passenger headlight has a sticker that says it can take r12 or 134a...so I bought a can of 134 since that's the new stuff. just have to get it in there and see what happens, I guess.

J.

 

the standard conversion from R12 to R134a was to replace the DRYER/reciever and the orifice, replace ALL o-rings in the A/C system, and completely flush it out with solvent to remove the original lubricant, then vacuum pump it down to a hard vac, check for leaks, then insert the right amount of R134a compatible oil and R134a. the new dryer supplies the new style quick release fill connectors. The compressor doesn't have to change at all.

the fundamental problem with the conversion, R134a requires a larger evaporator to generate the same amount of cooling, which is in the airboxes under the dashboard and upgrading this is just not feasible (you'd need a bigger airbox... ooops).

another option is so-called HC12, also called FreezCool or whatever. this is a propane/butane based a/c coolant. it works quite well in R12 systems without any modifications, however its totally illegal to use for automotive purposes, probably because the Freon industry lobbied to ban it, since its not patentable and is much cheaper. Propane is, of course, inflammable, even explosive, in the right propane+air ratios, but so is gasoline. in fact, burning freon is highly toxic.

 

well, I found a reputable Volvo mechanic and the car will be going in Monday for head gasket replacement and machining of head. all the other little things along with that will get changed as well. hopefully, she'll be "like new" when I get her back.

J.

 

well, she died for good, I think.

I drove to work, and it was just as it has been. kept my eyes on the temp and it was fine. after work I went out and drove it to meet my wife to work out. we worked out for about 1 1/2 hours, went out to go home and she wouldn't start. it's making a chunking noise when trying to start. I've need heard this before. it doesn't crank normal at all...

here's a video I took of the sound. any ideas? is the head gasket finnally blown? did I ruin the whole thing?

http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/m...t=495be16c.mp4

J.

 

don't try and run the engine with the blown head gasket, and have it towed to the guy who was going to change it. it probably died. mine blew[1]... after 6 months of seeping a little coolant near exhaust port #4, it blew between the cylinders and burped compression into the coolant oil didn't get contaminated. new head gasket fixed it right up (mechanic also did the water pump since the car had 200K miles)




[1] I knew when I bought my car it was going to need a head gasket, was factored into the deal.




(thats actually my son's 940SE Turbo, it overheated, badly, and fried the head gasket, cylinder #3 had cracks in the head and the exhaust manifolds was in bad shape, so I ended up scoring replacement from forum folks).


my own car was in much better shape than these pictures.

 

so you think that's what it sounds like from the video?

J.

 

a blown headgasket makes all kinda horrible sounds... to tell you the truth, I didn't even bother to look at the video as you really can't diagnose an engine that way.

 

well...went back to it yesterday afternoon and it chunked once, then fired right up. white smoke out the tailpipe, but the engine runs smooth and sounds just fine. ???

so we drove it to the shop where I have an appointment to get the HG replaced on monday. I'm really confused...

J.

 

I SOOOO agree! To me, the 244's lines just do not lend themselves to looks of the more modern wheels. My Volvo is bone stock except for the Virgos I found a while back. When Volvo introduced these wheels they scored a big win. They not only look great they look absolutely CORRECT!

Of course, one of the priviledges of car ownership is that you get to do anything you want with YOUR car. lol

 

yeah, I've been browsing TurboBrick and a few other forums and haven't really found anything I like too much as far as wheels go. seen a few but that did a great job complimenting, but dang if they weren't in the $1200 range...I only paid $1500 for the car!

I did find a guy locally on CL that has a set of Virgos for $200 that I may pick up.

also...an update (sort of)...I'm picking the car up from the shop on Friday. head was at the machine shop for almost a week. they fixed a tiny crack that wasn't really causing problems yet, but said that everything else was good to go. so I should be driving her this weekend!

J.