Hi all,

After having a 240 estate 7 years ago I have just bought a '89 240 Saloon. Did a 250 mile round trip and noticed it has a few issues and one making driving it a bit scary.

The steering is very vague, when driving straight there is play in the steering and it will wander. The steering doesn't respond very quickly there is like a split second delay before it responds.. There is also a severe knocking from the passengers side front so as you can imagine not the nicest thing to drive at the moment.

I have jacked the car up today and checked the passenger side. There is play when holding the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock, you can feel knocking in the track rod and not the rack. There is also play when holding the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock. I carn't see any movement in the bottom ball joint and wheel turns freely without any untoward noises. I think there might be multiple issues here... Any ideas?

There is also an intermittent groaning type noise. It's there more often than not, you can feel the frequency of the noise in the hand brake lever. Its quite loud in the car and you can hear it slightly outside but you need to know what your listening for.

Many Thanks,
Dan

 

Sounds to me that you have a few issues to deal with...The intermediate groaning noise sounds to me to be a center carrier bearing or bushing for your drive shaft. When it comes to the front end you may find it best to get a kit and replace the whole assembly. lucky for us 240 owners parts are pretty affordable when compared to other models.

 

Thanks for the reply.

The groaning noise is even there when stationary, I originally thought the blower fan but it's not that. It sounds something electrical like a valve for vacuum or a pump... Have fuel pumps been known to make this noise?

You say there is a kit for the front end, what does the kit include? and where would you get it from? Is the front bearing a taper or sealed type? Just wondering would you need the bearing pressing in if that was the cause

Many Thanks,
Dan

 

I've found out what the groaning noise is.

I pulled the fuel pump relay out while the engine was running. Just before it stalled the noise stopped so it points to a noisy fuel pump

Dan

 

if the in-tank fuel 'booster' pump is dead, the main fuel pump under the back seat can get quite noisy.

re: your steering, I suspect you need inner tierods. these are available from places like Genuine & OEM European Car Parts | BMW Volvo Audi VW Mercedes Saab but you need to figure out which steering rack you have as there are two different styles (innie and outie threads)

 

Thanks for the reply.

So is the noisy pump a sign of the in tank pump has failed? It looks like a inline pump, is the pump used on other makes and models? Is there a certain size, pressure etc?

Thanks for the advice on the tie rod, i'll have a look tomorrow!

Thanks,
Dan

 

The Inline pump will be significantly louder if the in- tank pump has failed. It may or may not have damaged the inline pump by now. I just replaced my in- tank pump and found this to be a good tutorial:

In the Tank - 240 Volvo Tank Pump and Sender

The steering rack can be identified by the label between the grill and radiator on the sheet metal. If it is 2, 4 or 5 it is a CAM rack, if it is a 3 it is a ZF rack. I believe this label is also in the trunk or boot.

**unless the rack has been replaced.

 

a failed tank pump will make the main pump noisy, but a failing main pump with bad bearings also woudl be noisy with a working tank pump.

disconnect the main pump and jumper the fuse panel to force the tank pump to run, see if you can hear a soft thrubthrubthrub kinda of sound in the fuel filler pipe (easiest to hear if you're under 1/3rd tank of gas), if so, your tank pump is probably working. The tank pump is on fuse 4, so if you use a jumper wire (or bent paperclip) to connect fuse 4 to fuse 6 or 7 (fuses 6-7-8-9-10 are /always/ powered, even with the ignition off), that should force the pumps to run.

even better, remove fuse 4 and jumper the left contact of it to fuse 6, thats the main pump, the right side contact for fuse 4 will power the tank pump. I might have left and right swapped here, its been awhile since I've done this.

 

Thanks guy that's a great help.

So take the fuse out #4. Jump left side of #6 with right side of #4?

Finger's crossed the main pump is ok.. It's intermittent, but makes a groaning noise more than not

Thanks again for your help so far
Dan

 

either side of 6 is the same when the 6 fuse is in place, both are hot.

 

I have looked today, took a picture. How do you know if it's an innie or outie thread?

tierodSmall-1.jpg?t=1392134686

I also need to replace the Anti roll bar bushes. I've tried measuring them, but I haven't got a vernier caliper so it's not very easy. Do you know what size bar is fitted to a '89 2.3 GLT,

Thanks again,
Dan

 

I don't offhand know the anti-sway bar sizes. it is best to measure stuff like that. I find my cheap digital caliber to be an amazingly useful device, since you can switch from inches to mm, I use it for all kinda stuff I never thought I would.

re innie vs outtie on the tie rods... you're *supposed* to be able to tell from the bellows outer end. if it tapers down to clamp directly on the rod, its one type, and if its got round flat hockey puck end, and the bellows are straight, its the other... I believe FCPeuro or IPDusa's catalog pages on such detail this. But, guess what? Mine were the opposite of what they were supposed to be, hah! we had the flat end type, for which the catalog said this was the part



(eg, an 'innie') and it turned out when I un threaded the old part, we had the outie kind, so had to rush a RMA (which IPD did overnight)

yours looks like the 'innie' type like I showed here.

 

Thanks Pierce for the help very much appreciated

The tie rod is punched into a recess on the rack as arrowed bellow

tierodSmall-2.jpg?t=1392150217

The one pictured below looks different... I know parts can differ slightly but it looks too ridged to punch into the recess if that makes any sense.

I need to get some digital calipers, off to ebay I think

Thanks again for your help!
Dan

 

yeah, mine had a punch too. thats to keep it from unthreading. I was unable to reproduce the punch (it was /right/ in the crevice between the flat end of the tierod end, and the steering rack, there was no shoulder like yours, and my punches were too blunt), so I followed some instructions I saw somewhere, and degreased the threads and used a bit of blue locktite on them.

SOME versions have a washer thats tapped over onto flats for this. there's no torque on this, just vibration, so it doesn't need much.

btw, removing that inner tie rod end is the ONE job on a Volvo where a pipe wrench (aka spanner) is appropriate, ahhahahah.

 

I'm still a little confused on this.

An innie tie rod, the rack is treaded and the rod screws onto the rack? An outie rack, the rod screws into the rack ?

Which is which? CAM or ZF

Thanks for all the help!
Dan

 

one has a threaded hole in the end of the tierod, the other has the threaded hole in the end of the rack.

see Product Search: TIE RODS

don't get the uro or noname ones, they are chinese junk... go for lemforder or TRW. the CAM racks have the tapered boot while the ZF racks have the straight boot with the flat disk on the end.... except our 87 had the tapered boot, but took a ZF tierod, go figger (I switched the boots to match)

note, btw, Volvo *never* sold these as replacement parts, they sold the whole steering rack, which is a **** to replace AND expensive.

 

I think the easiest thing to do is to take it off, least then I can be sure I'm getting the right one!

Your a fountain of knowledge good sir, thank you!
Dan

 

I have followed pierce's advice to check the pump. I've checked the wiring back to the pump and getting 12v's but no noise, nor am I getting any spark when connecting fuse #6 to #4 so there is no draw.

So it looks like the tank pump is dead as mentioned before. I have looked for a pump at they vary from £95 to £67 ($158-$111) On a link as supplied by fochs they used a Airtek E8778 pump but it seems they only sell these in the US available via eBay for around £17 and will not ship to the UK What have other people used?

On the tutorial In the Tank - 240 Volvo Tank Pump and Sender it says to use a two legged puller to undo the sender lock nut I don't have one of these, besides the correct tool what other options is there?

Thanks,
Dan

 

Just to be sure, also clean up the ground back at the pump wiring.

As for a way to get the lock ring off; Before I loosen the hoses, I use 2 large regular screwdrivers with fat blades and cross them in an "x" with the blades on the vertical side of the notches across from one another. To loosen, the left hand screwdriver goes in front of the right hand, to tighten, the right goes in front of the left hand. Just brace them together pull the one in front and push the one behind. Be steady in your work, as fuel is, well, fuel. I have an extinguisher a few steps behind me at all times and never do this in my garage.

Some people use a hammer and drift or a piece of wood.

Be positive to undo the battery and ground yourself before working on the fuel parts.

 

The fuel pump is the same used on '88- '92 6cyl. Jaguars 3.6L and 4.0Land, I understand there are a few of those running around there. Find out what they use, and buy that one I would think.