Older Volvo owners (240) - Please come in!

[JHZR2]

Hi,

A friend of mine had a grand marquis that just died. He got a nice 92 volvo 240.

Im going to try to get syn oil in the car (either Mobil 1 0w-40, Mobil 1 5w-40, GC 0w-30, amsoil euro 5w-40 or rotella syn 5w-40), and help him with maintenance, so the car starts on a clean tuned-up slate.

Since I know there are a lot of knowledgable volvo owners on here, Im curious if anyone can give me info on things to look at, common problems, maintenance areas, suggestions of things to replace, etc., etc.

Of course he'll be doing oil/filter, air filter, fuel filter, atf, diff, coolant, spark plugs, wires, distributor, etc.

Any other suggestions? Any reccomendations of things to look out for?

Thanks,

JMH

 

[jthorner]

The first suggestion is to get the Bentley 240 repair manual as it is IMO the best of the aftermarket 240 manuals.

One nasty trouble spot is the interior heat/AC circulation fan. The labor to replace it is a real bear.

Various sensors like the MAF sensor, etc. are candidates for failure at some point given the life of the car.

Brake pads wear fast, and many aftermarket brands are noisy when installed on the 240. Volvo dealer pads are the best bet noise wise.

If it is a wagon, then the wiring which passes through the hinge is a trouble point.

Some of the best parts prices are found at www.fcpgroton.com.

Filter wise I recommend the Mann filter which is the same as the Volvo OE filter. You can get them from any Volvo parts specialist.

John

 

[JHZR2]

ok, great! I suggested a bentley manual, since I know theyre good for help with my BMW. Mann is the only thing that I use on my mercedes', and I use them in my bmw as well.

I asked him how the AC/heat worked, he said it blasted and worked well. So thats a good thing. I suppose MAFs are a trouble spot in most every car, so thats nothing new, IMO.

Do you know what the volvo OE pads are? Id have to guess ATE teeves, but Im curious. There is nothing more annoying than squealing brakes, and Im not sure how the brakes on his car are... We may have to replace them soon if necessary, and Id like to make the best choices/advice possible.

Do the wires that go bad operate the brake lights, or also a wiper/defroster, etc? Is the harness easy to replace?

I assume his car wouldnt have passed inspection if they were bad.

Thanks very much for the help, seems like Im on the right track and gave some good advice!

JMH

 

[2004 F150 4x4]

Of all the cars/trucks we have had if I could only get 1 back it would be the 88' 240DL we bought for my wife new in the spring of 88. That was a great car. It did go thru some brake pads though. I always used a Volvo filter and Gastrol 10w-40 in the cooler months and 20w-50 in the summer. These are great cars and I sure miss the one we had.

 

[ALS]

Sorry I can't help much on the 240 but it has been 18 yrs since I owned one a 1981 242 Turbo.
If you are looking for repair and maintenance info on a 240 Volvo the best site on the net bar-none is Brickboard.
http://brickboard.com/
Brickboard is to Volvo's as Bobistheoilguy is to oil. And the Bentley Manual is the next best manual to a set of Volvo Green books $$$$.

 

[Brikhead]

WoooHooo...finally a thread I can really associate with! My current 240(my 2nd)is a `93 wagon w/196k miles and still goin' strong. My Wife and I have owned it for 6yrs and it has never let us down. 240s are notorious for their spartan simplicity. Like jthorner has mentioned, most maintenance tasks can be made even easier with a trusty Bentley manual.
The 1st thing I would check out is the PVC system. Volvo uses a cleanable "flame trap" thats located inside of a rubber housing(look in-between ports 3-4 of the intake manifold.) Make sure the trap is clean and use a flashlight to look down into the breather box to inspect for crud. Another weak point of the 240 are engine/trans mounts. The mounts are easy to inspect visually. If the rubber seems swollen, deformed, or separated they will need to be replaced.

 

[Sumerduckman]

Let him know that the first thing he should do before driving it anywhere on a regular basis is to purchase a new fuel pump relay, and a pack of 25amp GM type blade fuses that are used in the main fuel injection system fuse holder in the engine compartment, and put them in the glove box. They are show stoppers. Should also buy, and replace, every one of the conical/ceramic fuses that are in the fuse panel by the drivers footwell. They can also be show stoppers, and sources of electrical gremlins.

 

[ron917]

I'll second the rec for www.brickboard.com - it is THE source for Volvo info.

Please note that the 25amp blade fuse under the hood went away in 1991. The OP said it's a 92, so it won't be found on that car.

If you're handy with a soldering iron, save a few bucks and do some preventive maintenance on the on the fuel pump relay. It fails due to poor solder joints. Just open the thing up (small screwdriver to pry open the case) and re-flow the solder joints. If it's an auto, same advice applies to the overdrive relay.

Do the timing belt, unless you have maintenance records. The B230F is non-interference, so a broken belt only means a tow, not a new engine. Do the crank, camshaft and intermediate shaft seals while you're in there, they need to be done every 100K miles or so.

If the rear end clunks and bangs, it needs new trailing arm bushings. Pain to replace, because they're attached to the axle. Do it yourself (see the brickboard) or have a Volvo expert do it.

If it's a wagon, it will eventually need the tailgate wiring harnesses repaired/replaced - they run through the hinges and eventually break. They operate everything in the tailgate (lock, wiper, brake light, defrost, plate lights). The harnesses are inexpensive, not too difficult to replace. They can be spliced, if you want to go that route.

If it's an auto, and it will eventually leak ATF from the transmission cooler pipes. They are clamped by a steel bar to a steel bracket near the bellhousing. Steel pipes + steel clamp + 150K miles of vibration = leaks! (double duh!) Fix by splicing in a short piece of rubber transmission cooler hose.

Those are the major headaches on the 240. I own a '90 and '89, had a '84, and help my brother with his '91. They don't make 'em like that anymore...

 

[Sumerduckman]

Ron 917, thanks for the corection on the blade fuse and

.Somehow or other I thought that this was a 90, it has been a tough,cold week and the brain is worse than ususal. I am glad the gentleman was not hunting in vain foir a MIA fuse! When my son took over the '86 240, going back and forth to college, I gave up trying to fix the relays and just buy new ones now. Two at a time. One to replace, and a spare for the glovebox. I still will drive that one, when it's here, given a choice over all the others ( including the 940) in the driveway. It's a blast, and a tank to boot.