So a month ago I bought a 1988 volvo 240 for $3000, I love it, amazing car.

But im not to knowledgeable about cars, and afew things iv noticed about the car are...

1. Is it normal for it to be sluggish around 70-75 MPH and hardly get to 80
2. lots of condensation coming from tail pipe (I read some place could be bad sign???) true false?
3. a few days back it was hot and humid, around 90 degrees; thermostat went up and car overheated, so I pulled over, blasted heater and opened hood, went back to normal within 5 mins. so I drove home...(45 mins home) with heat on and windows down. and it stayed normal temp. Since then its been cooler outside and haven't had and problems, even when driving long distance. So My question is, Whats up with that random overheat?!
4. also doesn't seem to be getting very good MPGs. Causes?
5. and seems to be Idling hard, but has never stalled.

and Input would be great. Thanks!

 

these are not race cars
75 mph is going pretty good
you should only get condensation when the engine is cold
hopefully you do not have a head gasket issue
have you lost coolant ?
you shouldn't get a random overheat
i believe the thermostat should fail in the open position
but it could be the prob.
if the upper and lower hoses are both boiling hot when overheating
it probably means the radiator cannot dissipate the heat anymore
and then it would be time for a new rad
they are heavy cars, so do not get the greatest mileage
but it should still be pretty good
so that may be related to your overheat / condensation issue
as for your hard idling i will be interested to see what the experts recommend
but may also be related to your other issues
Les

 

In case the car turns out to be no good, I have an 89 240 I could probably let go for, say, $3200. Just sayin'...

Seriously, you bought the car a month ago and have discovered some issues. Buy a manual of some sort...Chiltons, Haynes, Gotheburg bible...something.
The advice above re: if both rad hoses are hot, the rad is probably clogged. Very true. The thermostats can fail in any position, I've even seen them in pieces.
Depends on how much and how often you see condensation as to its cause. Combined w/ overheating and idle issues is kinda scary. Take the car to a reputable shop and have the coolant in the radiator tested for combustion by-products; there is a simple compound that will change colors if exhaust has mixed in with your coolant. A blown head gasket can cause: 1. poor performance 2. excessive condensation 3. over heating 4. poor idling 5. crappy gas mileage...see why what you're saying's a wee bit scary? Now, there are other issues combined that will produce th same issues: 1. bad O2 sensor makes the mileage go south 2. clogged rad/bad thermo causes overheating 3. an overlooked throttle body will make a B230 idle like dog doo. The pcv system dumps oil vapor smack into the throttle body and it gets just NASTY! Good luck

 

My reply doesn't cover all aspects, but just doing my part to contribute my experiences for reference:

1.) - I just bought another 240 which myself & previous owner drove over 45 miles back to my place... IMO a good working 240 should hold 70-80 just fine, but it ain't a brand new car or design so figure in a little noise - but the ride should be smooth. A few years back, I drove my previous '92 240 between here in NY and Florida with my friend both back and forth approx. 20 or so hours straight back and forth normally going at 75-85mph. In that particular vehicle, there was a sharp mileage decrease going faster than 70. Honestly, the fastest you're going to get out of a non-modded "stock" 240 is 90, and there's really no reason to push it. Were you expecting anything different?

2. swiftjustice44 pointed to a head gasket problem. I'm not liking his diagnosis, but it makes sense. From what I know, "white smoke" coming out of the tail + cloudy antifreeze solution and (the worst) bubbling at the radiator is a bad sign. As suggested, I'd get a shop or someone qualified to take a look at it and see what's up. You said it just got up to 90 where you're at, so you shouldn't be seeing "condensation" from the tail I guess. Your name lends me to believe you're in NJ though... I know in my part of lower NY it's about 41 right now. That's certainly low enough for steamy talepipes.

5. In my ~amateur~ opinion, this could be a range of things. Throttle body, ignition, fuel delivery issues. (Fuel pump/injection issues have their own world of well documented problems/fixes. But hey, you just got a 22 year old car!) But yes, I myself two days ago got a "new" '88 240 and I kinda just want to do a full tune up so I know everything is up to snuff and long-distance adventure ready.

An additional question though if you don't mind... what made you go for $3000 for the car? Exceptionally clean? Low miles? Haha... both my 240s were $800 & $700 respectively, although both are from "friends of friends" and are requiring a little maintenance to become 100% reliable.

 

hey thanks for all the input! it all makes sense

why $3000? 140,000 miles. spotless interior and the body is in great condition, just afew digs but not to bad. im in southern Ny,
i was thinking maybe id do a tune up anyway, i mean it wouldnt hurt right?

 

also there isnt white smoke or steam. its more like spitting water droplets ( you can see on the ground moister, its spitting about 1 foot from tail pipe?)

i know all cars have some condensation, but im wondering if this is alot?

 

unburnt fuel ?

 

I hear you. I was planning on spending around $1,500 this time around too. Envious of the spotless interior, that's for sure. The people I picked mine up from didn't bother to clean it and the floormats were all in the trunk. Wha???

 

If you' re tuning up your Volvo 244, one of the things to do is to change the air filter, if it's dirty it can be chocking your intake system, affecting the air mass meter's performance.