Hello all. I just bought my first car and dream car (1989 240 dl wagon) with only 50k original miles. Even though the service records (which range from 1990-2014) show the wagon was well maintained, I believe it may need some general work since it is technically an older car.

Basically I would like a list of what this wagon needs to have replaced/redone.
The only thing I have done to it is replace the odometer gear which broke around a year ago according to the previous (and also original) owner. The odometer has not started to function yet but I am still hopeful that it will suddenly start counting like many volvo owners have reported.

So far this wagon has had no major problems. It does take a while to start but after driving other 240s this seems to be normal. It also loves to blow the heater fan fuse for some reason. If the fan stays on the 1 or 2 setting it works fine but the AC needs a good charge. The original owner charged it in 1995 and 2005. Also the radio was having problems but 2 hours of soldering fixed that

Keep in mind that I am learning about the mechanical functions of vehicles in general so I am not very experienced. Many suggestions might be kinda confusing...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Good score on the records, sounds like you got a fine deal.

I would start with a basic "Stage Zero", check your plugs, air filter, oil, transmission fluid, fuses, see if all thats in good shape.

How is the interior? Are the plastic door pockets in good shape?

Also inspect the car under the engine, is there a huge plastic tray underneath?

Hows the right and suspension? Might need bushings after all these years.

 

with an older car, you should go through those records, see if/when the timing belt was changed (normally its changed at 60k miles, but if its 25 years old, you should change it now unless its been done in the last 5-10 years), radiator and heater hoses (heater hoses often get neglected as they are hidden behin dthe engine)... has the transmission fluid and brake fluid been flushed in the last 2-3 years? motor oil should be changed annually even if no miles were put on the engine.

how old are the tires? even if they have tread, if they are 10 eyars old, you run a risk of sidewall cracking and rupturing.

 

Plugs, oil , air filter, tranny fluid and fuses are all good. Somehow the fuses had absolutely no corrosion which is pretty odd for an old 240.

Overall the interior is in great shape. The seats have absolutely no wear but a few pieces of trim around the interior door releases are cracked . Other than that the interior is good.

Plastic tray? I didn't notice a plastic tray under there but I will check again. I was only under there looking for leaks, broken hoses, and rust.

Suspension seems fine. The bushings have been replaced recently but there is no mention in the service records of any replacements but they are very new.

Thanks for your reply!

 

The lady I got this wagon from had the timing belt replaced 3 times according to the records. Not sure why she had the belt replaced so many times but it was last replaced in 2012 according to the records . Hoses seem to all be newer but the records are kinda vague about what hoses were replaced. The transmission fluid was replaced almost 3 years ago and it mentions a mount was replaced as well. Oil was also changed annually from 1999-2014 according to the records. Before that it was replaced ever 2000 miles.

Tires are from 2013. The previous owner had a small accident in a store parking lot which caused the front passenger fender to get smashed and caused a tire to blow. Instead of replacing 1 tire she replaced all 4 . The tires have around 600 miles on them.

Thanks for your reply!

 

Good good, maybe one of the previous owners kept an eye on the fuses.

Most 240s end up loosing that tray, cracks easy and wears out over time, a bit of a hassle to get on and off every oil change.

A good method of checking for leaks is to stick some paper underneath your car overnight, old phone book pages or newspaper.

Thats good if the bushings have been worked with.

Anytime!

 

Blowing heater fan fuses makes me thing your resistor is bad, or your motor is pulling too much current. Probably both are about dead. Leaning mostly towards resistor. time to buy a VDO blower and new resistor. get from IPD Have fun with the 6 hour job to do it right. USE VOLVO RESISTOR!



You are a very BAD resistor!!!!:

 

Does they tray need to be replaced or is the car fine without it?

Actually I did try just watching for fluids on my garage floor and came up with nothing. Paper will be the next step though. Hopefully nothing will leak.

In the engine compartment there is black sludge all over the walls and top of the hood. What is this? I cleaned most of it off and it has not returned . This might be normal but the engine itself is really clean.

After looking through the car it does seem like the lady who had it loved it dearly. She bought it new in 89 and kept it until she was unable to drive.


Now heres an odd question. I have been told by a few individuals that volvo did not make a 240 wagon in 1989. What in the world are they talking about? The son of the owner said that any parts that the engine needed had to be 1990 model parts and not 1989. He though the wagon was maybe a 1989.5 year model.

 

Thanks! I will get on that later and research everything about the resistor and its location.

 

I personally prefer having a tray, but your car will be perfectly fine without it. Pierce has run his 240 with no tray nor spoiler. Just make sure snow doesnt get up in there.

If theres nothing on the ground thats good

I'm fairly certain the sludge is just engine filth, every gas-driven car does this over the years, perfectly normal.

I'm pretty sure they made wagons in '89, I have a friend with a white '89 wagon (assembled in '88, sold in '89), mine was assembled in '89, sold in '90.

 

Mine looked even worse. You can see how the insulation melts and the wires short and that is what is causing you to blow fuses.

Blower switch position:
Position 1 has most resistance
Position 2 goes thru a second wire there. even less resistance
Position 3 goes thru wire three at resistor. even LESS resistance
Postion 4 bypasses resistor

Now that I have typed that all out and reminded myself how it works, I say your fan pulls too much juice and blows fuses. Looks like its time for BOTH. You do BOTH anyways when you do the job unless you are too cheap. The aftermarket resistors are known to be sub par.

When you install resistor you have to "de-pin" the plug to get it to fit thru a grommet, and like many others, I had problems getting the wiring to release and then stay in the plug later. You have to be very careful and use a VERY fine pick to get the wires to release from the plug without damage. If you have ever tried to release a Volvo wire from the plug you will know what I am talking about!



POST PICTURES!

I suggest anything that is rubber should be replaced/inspected. My 1990 245 has 400k it is and endless task keeping up on the failing and broken parts. My poor rear bushings!

I would start from the ground up. SAFETY FIRST! Tires----yours are good. Brakes-----pads, inspect EVERYTHING, bleed system. SUSPENSION-----inspect all front ball joints for suspension and steering. Driveshaft----grab your shaft and check for play in balljoints. Inspect center support bearing. REAR END----inspect brake hoses from body to axle. Inspect all bushings.

Once you know you are SAFE on the road. Then you worry about the engine.



My car has the tray OFF right now and engine is getting much dirtier. I suggest installing it. There are also airguide/s I have missing from spoiler to radiator. I need to replace that too.

 

actually, the 240 has a tray, but no spoiler. it did run without a tray for a few years. tray keeps the engine cleaner, and improves cooling as long as you're moving.

my new BENZ is missing its tray. I need to get one.


1993 Mercedes 300CE Cabriolet, which has a 3.2L twin cam inline 6 thats 217 HP and 229 ft-lbs.

 

I had a really nice 240 sedan that was missing its tray for a long time, ended up getting some rust under the battery, the tray really keeps things cleaner.

That little air guide is a truly rare piece, most of the 240s I see have spoilers, some trays, almost none of them ever have that air guide. Usually there will be one or two on ebay.

The only guide I did fine I immediately brought, was off an '84 turbo that fit onto my '90 so years not a big issue, just scarcity.

Nice find with that 300E, back when Benz's looked as luxurious as they were!

 

If you live in the rust belt, the tray does keep the salt off of the lower components in the engine compartment. My daughter's 240 was missing the tray when we bought it and the rust had eaten through the pressure lines on the steering rack. One of the reasons I got the car cheap.

 

This is a set of air guides as they should look on a 240, mine kinda stick out since they were intended for an older model.

 

If I were you I would check out all the motor mounts. Look for whether or not they are sagging in place. If any of the mounts are bad, it can cause some pretty serious side effects. Another sign of potentially worn motor mounts, is if the motor shakes quite a bit when firing up.

How's the fuel system on it? Filter, pump, lifter, tank, lines, injectors?

 

The Fuel system is in great shape but the condition of the injectors is unknown. I just learning how to repair cars so I'm not sure how to check their condition.

Motor mounts look good but it would be best to get a second opinion on them. Without a lift it is difficult to see the mounts but after crawling under the wagon they seem alright. If they do need to be replaced I will probably have to find someone else to do it since I am lacking in experience and tools so hopefully they are okay.

 

Top 10 Common Issues with Volvo 240 Models

 

So I cleaned the plugs and man does she run smooth. I was kinda surprised by the improvement of the vehicle and the unusual ease of starting.

The odo is still annoying. The gear I purchased from ebay was actually a 26 tooth gear instead of a 25. The add did advertise it for "1984-1993" but those are supposed to use a 25 tooth gear aren't they?

Here is the link: Odometer Gear Volvo 240 1984 93 Audi 5000 1982 1991 3515295 | eBay

 

For odo problems see Dave Barton's web page--lots of good info there.
Also, do you have good history of this thing re the 50,000 miles? 240 with their odo problems, one can't really depend on the current reading. Sorry to be a wet blanket but whenever I see a very low mileage car, I suspect... Carfax may be useful, as well as records of maintenance. Absent that, well... It can still be a fine car, condition is more important to me than a number especially on a 25 year old car but it makes a difference when it comes to deciding on what to do to it.