Looking at a 93 240 wagon this weekend. 2.3L auto with 234,XXX miles on her. Body is good and the owner says it starts, runs and drives pretty well. I'm completely new with these older ones. What should I look for when I go and take it a look at it? Is there common rust issues in certain spots? Certain mechanicals that might be bad without knowing where/how to look?

Any info is appreciated.

PS: The 2.3L was a good engine right? A majority of the responses I get are that it will go for many more more if it's taken care of. True? What about that trans?

Thanks.

 

the automatic tranny on those, an Aisin-Warner 70, is a tank. Change the tranny fluid every few years or 60K miles, and they'll go nearly forever. The B230F 2.3L 4 cyl volvo engines are known as swedish bricks, we have an 1987 with 400,000 miles, the engine is still going strong, albeit its got a new radiator, its on the 3rd alternator, and our A/C hasn't worked for 20 years.

if thre's rust bubbles, they'll be evident... corners of the rocker panels, lower corners of the windshield tend to be the first spots to go. if the engine has good compression, if there's no oil sheen in the coolant reservoir, if it runs well as-is, then with basic maintenance it will probably go nearly forever. take it over a bumpy road, and listen for rattles/clunks, thats an indication that there's suspension bushings that will likely need replacing eventually. the car should track well, steer easily, brake smoothly (pulsing or shuddering on the brakes is a sign of warped front brake rotors), not pull to the side when you brake. most everything is fixable, especially if you are mechanically adept, but older cars can get very expensive if you have to go to a mechanic for every little thing.

 

Pierce, how many miles does the tranny on your '87 have (is it original!?!). Asking because I just had to replace one on my '89 (141k, previous owner neglect), and I was thinking of replacing the on on my '92 (~210k miles) as the Vovo FAQ says the AW-70's are good for 200-250k miles.

 

ours was R&R'd at about 250k. prior to this I think we'd only changed the transmission fluid once, and I do think if we'd done it every 2-3 years or 60k miles, it very well have had lasted longer. also note both my wife (original owner) and I are leadfoot drivers..

I'd not bother to rebuild/replace it until its starting to fail. ours was slipping under heavy throttle and taking longer and longer to shift.

note, you can't just drain the fluid and replace it, you won't get half of it that way. instead, after draining and replenishing the main part of the tranny, you disconnect the cooler hose, and run the engine pumping dirty fluid into a container and continuously replacing it with fresh fluid til it runs clean. takes about 8 quarts. I use Castrol All Import Trans Max or whatever its called, meant for Toyota (A-W is Toyota's transmission company)...

 

Thanks - guess I'll drive it a bit longer (It's still shifting great). Thinking of trying a rebuild on the AW70L our of my '89 (found where I can get the TQ rebuilt for ~$100, kit is ~$250-300) as it's compatible with my '92. I might need bearings though, it was making a whine and other issues, so I was thinking getting another and rebuilding the one from the '92.

I bought the IPD transmission flush hose, that makes fluid changes easy. Next time I'll get the wife to do step on the brakes and put it in drive to clear out the torque converter (yes, I'll step to the side).

BTW, any thoughts on this? https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...mms-o_o-79466/ I'm really wishing both cars were Reginas right about now...

 

<derp>

 

Luverofwagens,

My personal experience with older "redblock" Volvos is that I love them, and I love working on them.

Pros: Not that much less fuel efficient than modern cars. Non-turbo redblock motors are "nigh indestructible", transmissions are better than some modern cars. They ride pretty nice. Most usually have some decent features (power windows, butt warmers, etc.). If you get sway bars, they handle great. Tons of information on the Internet to help you troubleshoot and get your brick back to the boogie.

Cons: Lots of little issues to deal with, e.g. going through ALL the grounds and connections to make sure they are clean and secure, wind noise from side window wear, chasing rust to insure the frame doesn't outlive the drivetrain (my project this summer), finding parts can be somewhat challenging, etc.

In short, if you like maintaining your own cars, go for it. If you are going to take it to a mechanic, find one that likes old Volvos.

On that wagon, I would take a hammer and bang on the frame back by the rear wheels and see if it's solid, and at other suspect areas to see how much rust is in the frame (who knows, it might be fine). If the owner says not to do it, find another one.

 

All good advice. I went and looked at it today. Body is in great shape. NO rust anywhere except the driver's side rear door has rust at the bottom, like it just rotted out. Driveline: idles good, accelerates good (I think, I don't have any experience to compare it to.), brakes good. There is a 'clunk' up front, but not always at the bumps. I got it to do it a few times at slow speed with the wheels turned all the way to the right? It sounds like bad bearings to me(?) Random, but a low thump. And the auto trans squeaks when jumping to overdrive. The rest I thought was small stuff, rear power window doesn't work, stereo doesn't work, cigarette lighter doesn't work. Also, the auto shifter seems to have some 'play' in it? Its hard to find exactly where each position is. There is so much play, that the back-up lights fizzle on and off like there is a short in the wiring, but I'm wondering if it's just some sensor in the trans cause if you get the shifter in the right spot, they stay on. All original glass, engine looked good. New plugs, wires, belt, brakes and tires. Car tracked well, no real pulling at all under braking. Power locks don't work. No history at all, it was bought at an auction a year ago.

What do you guys think? Anything in there sound like a deal breaker? As far as being mechanically inclined, I'd say I am more than my neighbor, but probably not that much. Batteries, brakes, alternators and bearings don't scare me. I just nervous with electronics and major components like drivetrain stuff. Whats your guy's thoughts? Worth the commitment? Is it something you'd like at? Or does it sound like there are monsters there that might not be worth fighting?

 

fore-rear play in the shifter lever is probably the plastic bushings on the pushrod off the lever, pretty easy to fix.

the electrics/electronics on these cars are really simple, and quite robust, most issues are wiring related and corrosion of old connectors. 1993 is the last year for 240, and all the problems were pretty well sorted. avoid 81-87 Volvos, they are prone to wiring harness insulation failures.

front end clunks at full turn are typically bushings or tierod ends. you can live with that for quite a long long time and they only gradually get worse.

not sure what 'squeaks when shifting to overdrive' might be.

a rear power window could be a switch or the window motor/regulator assembly. or wiring, all the window power goes through the driver door en route to the other doors.

the rusty door, you can replace with a similar color door from a JY 240 of most any year after about 1985, just swap your interior panel to match.

 

pierce: you make it all sound so easy. (perhaps it is). The overdrive noise sounds a lot like a power steering pump going out when you turn the wheels. That awful screech noise, but it only lasts for half a second, then shifts, (kinda hard), then off we go.
PS: what is the button on the left side of the shift ****? When I click it, a arrow pointing up comes on, on the dash. And there is an "auto-shiftlock" button as well? WTH?
The window motors are good because they went down. Some are just slower than others. The right rear just went down, and afar about 20 toggles on the driver's door switch, went back up.
I think I'm just nervous that I'll buy the car and it'll break right in half two weeks after I get it. I bought a 91 BMW 318is from the original owner with 131,000 on it and was nervous. But it turned out alright. Still regret selling it. I think I'm just having those same feelings of 'buying someone's problems'.
And it coming from an auction, I get nervous that it was used and/or abused. Or the previous owner put just enough money into it to make it last for another 200 miles.
But thats half the risk/fun of this I guess........

 

ok, the button on the side of the shifter is the OD lockout. if the light is lit, then it won't shift into OD and will stay in 3rd. push the button again so the light goes out, and the engine shifts into OD if its already in 3rd and at high enough speed (35-40 MPH if you're just coasting along, higher if you're on the throttle).

squealing OD shifts sounds like a transmission internal problem. But, I'd check the ATF, when the car is fully warmed up from a 10-15 minute drive, leave it idling in Park, pull out the red transmission dipstick (wipe the top of the tube off first so no dirt falls into the tranny!) and examine and sniff the fluid on the end of it. ideally its clear red, or no more than light brown, and ideally it does NOT smell 'burnt'. wipe the stick, put it back in, wait 3-5 seconds, pull it out again, and check the fluid level on the 'hot' side, it should be between the markers. it CERTAINLY should be above the cold marker on the other side. if the fluid is burnt and dark, the tranny has been neglected. if its too low, its possible topping off the ATF will improve things significantly.

the worst case scenario here is having to find a junkyard AW70 transmission (most any 240, 740, 940 from 1989+ or AW71 (turbo from 1990+) and swap it. ideally the donor car is a reasonably well maintained car that was recently wrecked.

 

Here is the video I shot of the car today. I think it's in pretty good shape. If I attached it correctly, the estimate from my (very expensive) Volvo dealer is attached too.

 

Wow everything looks and sounds great. The bearings and tie rods are a common issue for these cars of this age. It's just to be expected. Personally I wouldn't pass it up. But, I did notice that your temp gauge is running a bit high. Is that accurate?

 

yeah, temp gauge is way high, shoudl be near dead center unless the car is on the verge of overheating. now, it could jsut be the gauge itself (or the stupid regulator circuit) is fubar.

I saw a yellow idiot light flickering but I couldn't tell which one. might just have been the 'bulb out' idiocy.

 

I'd not buy because of the rust! Rust is like an iceberg, you only see 10%. The rest, it's a neglected, unloved, worn out car with a lot of deferred maintenance. Body is rusty, interior is ripped, engine overheats, suspension needs a ton of work. If you spend all the money to make it NICE, it'd be way more that it would be worth... It's worth $600 to me...