hey guys!
first post here
i'm from australia and drive a 1983 240 sedan with a B23E engine. it had one previous owner before me and is just about to click over to 300k km (186k miles)
just a few questions;

the lumbar support in my drivers seat is screwed. on the back of seat i can see and feel something pointy which i imagine is the lumbar adjuster off its rails or whatever, how can I fix this without getting a new seat? the upholstery in the seat is amazing which is the only reason why i haven't gone to a wrecker to get a new one!

also, how do I replace the dash bulbs?
the AC lights recently went dead, and the cluster lights have probably been brighter once upon a time. in my previous car, a E220 it was a bit of a hassle (I never completed it), so am hoping it may be a bit easier in the sweet old Volvo :P

also out of curiousity, whats your fuel economy like? i'm averaging about 12l/100 (19mpg) in the city, sometimes 21mpg on long country drives. is this correct? i'm using australian premium fuel (98 octane), when the engine was designed for 96 (apparently).

any help with my queries would be absolutely great!
thanks

 

1. You have to take seat apart so you can check lumbar under foam most likely you'll have to rebuild seat or get wrecked seat that lumbar works and swap your foam and cover over to it...

2. You have to remove the center console...screw on either side...plastic holder clip on wither side..and 2 screws in front on bottom...then you can replace bulbs...for the instrument cluster you must remove the 4 screws that are hidden by the plastic covers...then you mighgt be able to pull it out far enough and replace the 2 bulbs(one on each side) one side at a time..but you might had to disconnect spedo cable...

3. That's right in par...very good...wow 98 octane!! that's awesome we only get 92 highest here in Seattle,WA...

Have a good one Mate and enjoy your Volvo!!

 

thanks for your reply!

unfortunately for me there are literally NO wreckers in Adelaide. I could call up some of them and see if they have any 240s but.. they're not the nicest bunch :P

really, 92 is your premium?! 91 is our "cheap" fuel!! whats your base fuel number then?

one more thing... in my Haynes manual, it has two ways of removing the radio. it states early and later model. i have a 83 model so which method do I use?! I have the stock radio, and just upgraded the stock speakers and now they sound horrible, and I take it it sbeacuse the radio cant handle them?i reallly hope i dont have to deal with an amp. ugh.

(well actually they sound GREAT but i cant put them up more than half way before they start distoring )

 

unbelievable, finally someone with a question posts a picture of their ride...thanks and it looks very nice....

 

heh, thanks man
i do like my new ride
it took me a while to get accustomed (having driven an E class for over a year) but i do love him/her now
ive had it for about four months now and i havent looked back !

you may also like this picture
me and my dad changed my car stereo today
2 hours getting it out
then half an hour wiring it all up
THEN finding out the car doesnt like that stereo

it was quite a fun day
i think im half way ready for the dreaded blower fan issue :P
and now my centre console lights dont work... oh volvo

 

When you guys changed that stereo, looks like you put the steering wheel on the wrong side! You gotta watch for that!

 

Our gas is about the same, America measures octane differently than Australia. In most countries the "headline" octane rating shown on the pump is the RON, but in the United States and some other countries, the headline number is the average of the RON and the MON, called the Anti-Knock Index. The octane rating shown in the United States is 4 to 5 points lower than the rating shown elsewhere in the world for the same fuel.

For example here in Florida we can buy 96 octane at the pump (108 in some gas stations) in Australia that would be 100 octane. The base fuel number here is 87 equivalent to 91 there.
So