Hey everyone,

thanks for the help in advance. I am in an interesting dilemma. My ex drives a 1986 240 wagon in nearly pristine condition aesthetically. It's only got 140,000 miles, and I've done a fair amount of work on it in the past 2 years - new shocks/springs, new wiring harness, water pump, timing belt, etc. However, the AC no longer works, the blower motor is due for replacement, and the power steering rack just went out for the 3rd time in 6 years. The shop (that I trust) told her the power steering rack replacement would run about $700, and I know the AC repair will be expensive. She doesn't have the time, money, or knowledge to continue keeping it on the road, and wants something more reliable for herself. The shop told her it was worth about $1200 as is, and I can't stomach losing this beautiful car for $1,200, so I've offered to buy it from her.

I am currently driving a 1993 240 wagon. It is in dire need of a new coat of paint but the engine seems to be in pretty good shape, 150K, I just replaced AMM, plugs, fuel filter, all the routine maintenance. It's got a bit of a hunting idle on cold start and the tranny really takes its time to shift but the AC blows cold and everything sounds pretty good.

So, I'm trying to figure out what I should do here - begin hitting the salvage yard for a steering rack and get both vehicles (with a lot of time investment, some $$, and a decent amount of cursing) into good shape, or take the best of each and create a super car. What is the parts compatibility here: is the power steering rack from the 93 compatible with the 86? Can the auto trans from the 86 (AW70 I believe) be swapped in for the auto trans on the 93? Can I swap the 7-years newer engine from my 93 with working A/C into the 86?

I know this info is available on various threads, and I've done some reading, but I'm hoping someone (or several of you) with a lot of knowledge can just get all this info down for me in one place.

What would you do? I'm a single dad with decent mechanical skills but limited time and money. At the minimum I'm planning to swap the new shocks/springs and the turbo wheels from the 86 into the 93 and then sell it.

Thanks!

 

1989+ 240's use LH2.4 injection, while a 1986 uses LH 2.2. the major difference is, 2.4 uses a 'crank position sensor' while 2.2 uses a hall sensor in the distributor. what that means to you is, the LH 2.4 engine requires a transmission with a 'notch' in the bell housing, which the LH 2.2 car doesn't have. I think you /can/ swap the bell housings, or use a grinder to make that notch in the older bell housing if you want to swap the tranny into the newer car.

I think the steering racks are compatible enough, but I've never swapped one.

What would I do? I dunno. I'm driving a 1993 Mercedes 300CE now, and my wagon needs are met by a 2008 Tacoma 4x4 :-p

 

Fooddude, here's my take on this. The a/c is part of the car itself; the only part that is connected to the motor is the compressor. And that is just mounted to the motor and driven by the belts. You can remove and replace an engine without even opening up the A/C system; to transplant the system to another car would require opening the system to get all the pieces out and re-positioned into the recipient car. And I believe the systems are different here- the round **** on the dash of the '86 240 is a direct control to the expansion valve- the "snowflake" button on the '93 is an on/off switch.
Like Pierce said, the 93 lh2.4 and the 86 2.2 lh are substantially different; the wiring harness, ECU and some controls are different. A lot of time and trouble to get things to match.
I would keep the pretty wheels and suspension components on the 86, they wont add appreciably to the resale value of the 93 in my opinion; pick up a used steering rack(there are 2 different kinds used- Camgear or ZF.) figure out which one you have and buy a used or rebuilt one and put it in yourself- not difficult if you have done all that other stuff. The working a/c in the 93 will add substantially to it's sale.

 

If you're leaning toward keeping the 86 Volvo, I've got a new (not oe Volvo) ac compressor I picked up off of eBay that I can sell you (it's on eBay again to be sold right now). I thought I needed to replace the compressor on my 90 sedan when getting it retrofitted to r143a from r12, but turned out the compressor was ok. Cost me $170 six hours later for the job, good enough for me. Not sure about the compatibility though...

 

Thanks for the replies everyone, much appreciated.

I am going to hunt for a used steering rack and put it on the 86.

Now I'm just trying to decide if I want to keep the 86, which is in excellent condition aesthetically, has the tinted windows, low mileage, and already has the suspension mods and engine preventative maintenance I've done, but needs the blower motor replaced, AC repaired, has the ****ty older style windshield, and has a decent engine knock...

or keep the 93, which has working A/C and blower motor, similar mileage (20K more), and no piston knock, but could use some attention to the transmission, definitely could use a new paint job, and is lacking the tinted windows. If I kept the '93, I'd swap the suspension upgrades and 15" wheels over.

A question - is it feasible to swap the entire transmission/rear axle on the two vehicles? Noting Pierce's comment about the modification that would need to happen. As I mentioned, the trans on the 93' really draws out the shifts sometimes, and takes a couple seconds to kick into reverse (angrily) from time to time - and I also have what I believe to be a busted pinion bearing, so it whines like hell when I'm at high speeds. Meanwhile, the 86' trans and axle is in tip top shape.

Appreciate the input, again!

 

re that windshield, you can put the newer 240 windshield on an older car, and toss the old style trim strip. if you find a good auto glass place, they'll completely clean out the window track, hog out any rust, and fill/seal it... you might need to pay them a bit extra for this, but its worth it if you're going to keep the car, as the two lower corners tend to rust through, then rain gets into the dashboard electrics.

 

If I were you and needed a good reliable car I would sell one to fix the other. Or retire one till I could get one fixed, then fix the other.

 

Fooddude, I have to comment on the "piston knock" that you mentioned re: the '86 245. The LH2.2 has a unique system developed with Chrysler and built with Bosch that provides a "lean burn" system in an attempt to increase fuel economy. One of it's systems in a separate ignition control unit that is mounted on the pass. side of the engine compartment between the coolant overflow tank and the radiator. There is a vacuum diaphragm towards the front and bottom with a hard, plastic line with rubber fittings on each end. This line provides vacuum to the diaphragm and in turn advances the spark to unusually advanced conditions depending on engine load to get that lean burn effect. As these cars are now over 30 yrs old the vacuum diaphragm and it's spring have gotten weak and apply too much advance and cause the knock even if the base timing is correct.
So here is something to try to fix this. Plug that vacuum line with something about the size of a BB or .177 cal. pellet. I did the bottom end and the top end where it comes off the port on the intake manifold. Make sure that your base timing is within spec's ( 12 +/- 2). Doing this fixed my high NOx and allowed the car to pass smog; and corrected an annoying slight hesitation/ surging at partial throttle openings when it was cold.
With the line plugged, the ICU has default fuel maps that it uses that are much like any other car. Fuel mileage has not changed on my car. Note that this is only applicable to the '86-88 models with the LH2.2 system. Also be aware that this is considered illegal tampering to the emissions system and a commercial shop will not do it or suggest it to you.