Hello all,

I just recently acquired an '84 244. (B23F engine, standard.) I'm used to kind of tinkering around a 2000 VW Jetta so this car is all new territory.

A few things I have concerns about:

There is a smell of fuel in the cabin while driving. I haven't driven it much because I have a brake light out and can't access the brake light because a dent in the trunk has made the lock useless. (That's my other problem, is there anyway to access the lock through the cabin? I think I'm just going to go to a body shop and see what they say.)

What I mean is, I'm not sure when the fuel smell arises but it seems like after I have driven it for ten or so minutes. I've searched the forum here and googled around but haven't found anything conclusive.

Also, what kind of maintenance should I be looking at performing? How hard is it to change a timing belt? I changed the timing belt on my Jetta and that was only a day of hell. Anything else to change while I'm down there?

Would you guys recommend running Seafoam through the oil/gas?

I plan on cleaning the throttle body and changing the oil (which looks clean but I just want to be sure) and the air/oil filters first and foremost.

The brakes have been a little iffy. The pedal sometimes gets tough and suddenly sinks, all loose-like. Is this a brake fluid issue? I know at least one side of the car has better braking than the other as it will drag to one side if slammed.

I'm used to both the jerkiness of the VWVortex as well as the mass of information on that site. I know you guys are helpful from all the threads I've read through this weekend but a lot of this stuff goes over my head. As much as I hate to admit it, I know almost nothing about cars.

Thank you for reading/sorry for the wall of text!

Ashlee

 

For the fuel smell - the gas fill pipe is covered by a piece of plastic in the trunk, remove the plastic and inspect the rubber "boot" that connects to the tank to see if it's split.

 

Timing belt is NOT bad on the 240. Take your time and be careful and everything should turn out fine. There are a lot of good write ups out there for the 240 timing belt. You could change all the belts and the front oil seals while doing the timing belt if you want to get carried away. I changed my seals when I did the timing belt. Personally wouldn't change the seals aagin unless they show signs that they are leaking.

I can't really comment on the other stuff, but I would get the brakes checked out pronto. Worst case scenario means something is failing and you could lose pressure suddenly making your 240 a brake-less TANK.

 

Thanks for the quick responses!

I'll look at the trunk when I can manage to get it open. :l

Brakes are being looked at today.

Another maybe issue from this morning: the engine turned over but didn't catch for a long minute.

Nothing better than getting a new old car and encountering something else every time it turns (or doesn't turn) on!

 

Figure on 6 months of chasing down gremlins and then you'll have a tank for years! Too many folks buy these cars for the reputation and never give thought to the fact regular maintenance has probably been ignored for years. It takes patience and the ability to learn to do yourself that which you are capable. Once the car is back to square one, or stage zero, you will have an extremely durable and reliable car. Good luck...and don't be a stranger if you have questions!

 

Oh, yes, I figured it'd be this way. I love it, everything is going to be a learning experience from here on out!

Did some more research on the brakes this morning. I think I'm just going to go ahead and try to replace the master cylinder today and then bleed the brakes. I don't have a Hayne's manual yet which is part of the reason I feel so in the dark with this car. It will be here tomorrow. (Rent is due this weekend//don't have money for a Bentley.)

But, I found the bleed sequence on turbobricks, I think. And it seems the master cylinder is fairly easy to replace if you swap them quick enough?

Autozone (online) has two different new MCs for sale. One is $90 and the other is like $50. I haven't been in store yet so maybe I just entered some information wrong but what gives with that?

I don't think the fuel smell is in the cabin after all. I've been riding with my windows up and down, depending on the rain. Just to air it out. Yesterday, with the window down, I smelled the fumes and I rolled the window up. No more smell! Most likely rust somewhere in the exhaust?

Once more, haven't been able to check anything that goes on in the trunk in regards to that.

Thanks again!

 

Master cylinders can vary whether the ports face the engine or the fender; important to know which you have. I'm not a big fan of Autozone; the quality of their parts is hit and miss in my opinion. And...a lifetime warranty doesn't do me much good if the brakes fail at the wrong time. Check out rockauto.com Rock Auto has great prices on many Volvo parts. If you replace the master cylinder, be sure to bench bleed it before you install it. Just a matter of inserting two tubes in the outlet ports and looping them into the filled reservoir. Put into a vice and push the plunger in with a screwdriver until all the air is out. That will save a lot of time when bleeding the system.