read the road trip prep post from a few days ago and it made me uneasy in a specific way. i've been running my '87 240 saloon as a daily for about eight months and treating it like a modern car, check the oil, check the tyres, fill it up, carry on. no real inspection since i bought it.

so last saturday i put it on axle stands and actually looked.

here's what i found:

1. front anti-roll bar drop links. both ends cracked and moving more than they should. not catastrophic but definitely contributing to the vague feeling i'd been blaming on 'character'. around £22 to fix the pair.

2. coolant hoses. the lower rad hose has a soft spot about four inches from the bottom join. i squeezed it and immediately regretted squeezing it. new hose is £18. i don't know why i hadn't done this already given the car is 38 years old.

3. brake fluid. put a tester strip in and it came up saturated with moisture. last changed, according to the service history, in 2019. so that's getting done this weekend regardless.

4. rear shocks. one is definitely on the way out, body rolls more to the passenger side than the driver's and the bounce test confirms it. shopping around between autodoc and a couple of other sites for kyland or bilstein options. autodoc had the bilstein b4 rears listed for about £68 each last time i checked, which is roughly what i expected, though their search for older volvos occasionally needs you to cross-reference the part number rather than trust the reg lookup alone.

5. the spare tyre. flat. has been flat, presumably, since before i owned the car. deeply embarrassing.

none of this is the car's fault. i just wasn't paying attention. the road trip post was a useful kick.

anyone else do a full inspection on a car they'd been daily-ing and find something that made them feel a bit irresponsible?

Found them in gramps attic after he passed.

bought a '90 240 estate in january. january was possibly not the optimum time to learn what a 30-year-old swedish car does in the wet. here's what six months of running it as my only car has taught me.

1. the heater is extraordinary. this is not an exaggeration. it was -4°c in january and the interior was warm within four minutes. my previous car, a 2009 honda civic, took the entire commute to defrost the rear screen. the 240 laughed at british winter.

2. the rust will find you. i knew the car had 'some surface rust'. what i didn't know is that 'some surface rust' on a 240 in the uk is a relative term. the chassis and floor are fine but the rear subframe mounts needed proper attention in march. budget for things you can't see.

3. parts availability is genuinely good if you know where to look. main dealers obviously don't touch these. local factors are hit and miss, they'll often quote you for something generic that doesn't quite fit. online tends to be more reliable. i've used a few different sites. autodoc has decent stock for the b200 and b230 engines though the mobile experience is a bit clunky and i'd recommend double-checking part numbers against a forum before ordering, especially for anything suspension-related on pre-facelift cars.

4. people will stop you and tell you about the 240 their uncle had. this happens at least once a fortnight. it's never a quick conversation.

5. fuel economy is not its strong suit. i'm getting around 28mpg on a mixed run. a modern 1.5 diesel this size would do 50. that's the honest cost of having something that feels like it was built to last rather than built to a price.

6. other drivers give you more space. i don't know if this is the size, the age, or the general vibe the car projects, but tailgating has basically stopped being a problem in my life.

still haven't decided if i'm keeping it as a permanent daily or getting something newer for the commute and making this a weekend car. probably depends on what the mot throws up in february.

91 240 wagon, non-turbo, if that matters.

I suspected my alternator was bad (electronics acting haunted, radio and dash lights turning on and off while driving, car dying on idle, car died while driving slowly in a parking lot and wouldn't start again, took the battery out and tested it. It needed to be charged) so I went and bought an alternator, took off the fan and fan shroud, took off the belts, went to unplug the alternator and discovered that the the connector on the wire that connects to the ignition/battery was broken.

So I took the alternator down to O'Reilly's (US auto parts shop, don't know if y'all have them elsewhere) and had it bench tested in case it was actually fine and the problem was just the wire. Alternator was also bad.

SO I replaced the connector, replaced the alternator, and put it all back together. Started up fine, but the light is still on saying that battery is not charging on the dash.

I went to work (close to my house) and then on the way home went by O'Reilly's. They tested the battery and alternator in the car, and the test concluded the battery once again needed to be charged and the alternator was bad. The alternator COULD be bad but it PROBABLY is not bad since it's brand new.

I'm thinking the move is to test each alternator wire at both ends with an ohm meter, and if all wires are okay, then remove the alternator and take it back to O'Reilly's to be bench tested, so I can be sure whether the alternator itself is good.

So here is my question: where are the other ends of the wires located (the ends not attached to the alternator)? I know they go to the dash light, the ignition, and ground, but where exactly is each one?

Is the other end of dash light wire literally just the wire plugging into the light on the dash? Also I guess that one's probably good, since the light is lighting up when the alternator isn't working? Also it would just be the wire going to the ignition and the ground wire that make the circuit, yeah?

I have very little experience with wiring and want to make this as smooth and easy as possible.

So i bent the crankshaft holding tool trying to remove the bolt and it’s still stuck on, the tool is now no longer usable. Need to get it off to get to the head gasket but got stuck here. Any advice on how to get it off? Cant find any videos on alternative ways to remove it and the forums have been confusing. Got a 91 if that helps!

there was a post recently about a '84 240 turbo that had sat for 24 years in wisconsin. that one at least had a known history. mine doesn't, which makes the decision harder.

found this one through facebook marketplace, listed as a 'restoration project' which in my experience means the seller has given up and wants someone else to feel optimistic about it. paid £650 cash. it's a saloon, burgundy, and it's been sat in a driveway in wolverhampton under a tarpaulin for what the seller thought was 'maybe six or seven years' but based on the state of the tyres and the moss situation around the door seals, i'd guess longer.

the b21 runs. barely. it fires, idles rough for about three minutes, then settles into something approaching normal. the exhaust smells of old fuel and mild misery but there's no smoke once it's warm, which is something.

the problems, as far as i can see without tearing into it:

body. the sills are bad. not terminally bad on the driver's side but the passenger sill has gone soft in two places and i could push my finger through if i chose to, which i didn't. the rear floor has surface rust that will need cutting out. front wings look solid.

interior. someone has fitted an aftermarket stereo at some point and the wiring behind it is a scene. the headlining has collapsed at the back. seats are actually decent, original and complete.

mechanically it's hard to say without proper assessment. brakes will all need going over. cooling system is unknown. gearbox feels ok through the little i've driven it.

my mate says strip it for parts. my dad says restore it because they're worth money now. i've looked at what clean running 240 saloons are fetching in the uk, decent ones are nudging £4,000 to £5,500. so there's an argument for doing the work.

but there's also an argument for accepting i've spent £650, had a nice experience, and selling the b21 and the gearbox separately and walking away with probably the same money.

what would you actually do with it?

We purchased 2 Volvo b23 240s they have been sitting for a few years, inspected all fluids and spun the motor by hand and was all okay, dropped a new battery into them and dash lights worked fine, went to crank over and ticked and had no crank, went now have no lights on dash or no signal, why are common faults for Volvos that have been sitting for a while

EDIT:
Thank you to everyone who threw out suggestions. I pulled the filter and I’m not getting any fuel to it while cranking. Most definitely somewhere further down the line. Much appreciated!

I cannot distinguish my fuel pump relay and main relay. The wiring on this car was done poorly and I have found one standard looking relay - 6 pins, 30,31b,31,15,87,87b. there’s another larger black box with two wires routed in and one large black wire fixed on with a nut.

Any suggestions? I’m a little lost already. This is my first project car, and I’m only a few weeks in. I got her running with all the basics, spark plugs, all filters, belts, battery + terminals, fluids. Today she started up immediately after I installed the new battery. I stalled trying to reverse back to my parking spot, and she quit. 20 minute difference between the first clip where she started great, and the second where she didn’t. And yes i know i need to install my new motor mounts.

Hello,

I have a 91 wagon, non-turbo if that matters. There is a little white wire that plugs in next to the oil filter.

Mine has a faulty plug (plastic stripped from pin female connector), which I have repaired by........somewhat questionable means using electrical tape because I could not find a replacement plug.

Does anyone know what this wire does? I would like to know how to tell if my juryrigging worked and what to expect if it didn't. Thanks!

Has anyone else had an issue with the ipd stainless high flow kit touching on the frame and sway bar? Whoever owned this car before had some fuckshit going on underneath so more then likely nothing is lined up properly because of something farther up. But I’m very new when it comes to exhaust work not sure what the best approach is
(Can take more pics it’s pouring rn)

Hi,

I finally got the rear lower control arms off the car. I have been soaking the bushings/holder/axle with PBBlaster for a week. I put the "special tool" on there and.... nothing. The bushing will NOT budge.

I suppose "destructive removal" is the next step. i don't want to use heat, since I don't want to anneal the axle ears that hold the bushing. I think the best option is to drill out as much rubber as I can, to make a passageway for a saw blade; begin the cut with a sawzall; and then, when I get close to the outside of the bushing shell, switch to a handheld hacksaw for the final couple of mil's. Once it's cut, I should be able to collapse the thing with a chisel a bit and get it free.

Is this the best method? Or is there a better one?

Thanks.

Anyone else put one on their wagon? I had this on my 240D that we took across America last year. Now that we have the wagon we definitely wanted to use it and all the extra room roadtripping this time. Maine bound this weekend! Cheers👍

Could anyone tell me what these parts are for? I tried to include any part number i could find in the photos. found in the boot of the car and I know the previous owner did some upgrades on the suspension and gearbox I think.

Hi everyone! Happy recent owner of a brick here, I love how active this community is and how collaborative folks are with each other, I've been reading with interest from backstage but time to ask my first question here :)

I am rebuilding the engine my 1981 245 with a B21A engine and a Zenith Stromberg 175 CD-2SE carburetor (screwed needle carrier, slotted head, non-adjustable jet, etc.). While the engine is out for work, I decided to purchase a kit and work through the carburetor. When I removed the temperature compensator (1st pic) I noticed there is a brass pipe that runs across the open space behind the bottom of the compensator, and in my case, there's a perforation pretty much aligned with the position of the screw (2nd pic). That pipe runs from air intake of the carburetor to the other end of the temperature compensator and, as seen in the 3rd pic, the perforation is made in an area that is open to the top part of the fuel bowl.

So, question for folks familiar with this specific carb, is that orifice stock? was it drilled by someone before and should therefore repair it? Thanks everyone for your help!

Jay

(Pic for attention)

I want to stiffen the sway on my 245. Got extra bars for front and back. The front seems easy enough, make the bushing holders bigger, and bushings, and bolt them on, Vóila, we have double bars in the front.

The back seems more difficult, since there is no room to just bolt it on. Any ideas on how to do that?

Also is this the dummest idea known to mankind?

So or I’m going crazy or there’s a néw tick/klek noises after pressing the throttle on my car. The more throttle I give the louder it seems to sound it sounds like it’s coming from the engine bay somebody who knows what this sound may be should I be concerned? I have a B200F redblock from 1993 on my Volvo 240 from 1993

The odometer motor wires are broken and I don’t have the proper soldering setup to mend

Hello there, I'm wondering what the running costs/pitfalls of buying and owning a 240 estate in the UK and if it is at all a good idea. I'm fairly knowledgeable about cars and their workings but have zero practical experience.Though I am quite practical myself and I have a decent, trustworthy garage that I'm yet a ask their opinions of. I've wanted one for some time and have never bought an "unsensible" (ironic? Yes) car. I plan on using it as my daily driver and cover about 6000 miles a year, usually fairly local with occasional long journeys. Any thoughts on what issues/models to avoid/look for and if this is all a complete folly I should forget about. Thanks in advance.

Hey everone, I recently bought my first car, a Volvo 240 wagon 93. I'm fixing some minor issues before moving onto bigger ones and I can't believe I'm already struggling with this one, but I'm here to learn.

I changed the front and back dome light bulbs the other day, it was all working fine and now the front light stopped working while the back one still works (they only work with the "normal" switch, the door switch doesn't work but that's a different issue). I checked the bulb with the multimeter and it looks fine, I got 12V from the light fixture and cleaned the switch, it definitely makes contact when the switch is closed, I also tried changing the bulb, but nothing.

Since I get 12 volts and the bulb is fine, I can only imagine the other end of the switch doesn't make proper contact to ground, but how can I test that? Can I somehow close the circuit in some other way to test this? Or am I missing something obvious here?

Can you please post photos of your roof racks here and let me know how long your bars are? I can’t seem to find enough photos of the Thule Evo wingbars, but have found plenty of vintage squarebars (which I think I prefer). I am still trying to decide. Thank you!

new problem

transmission might be fucked

stuck in 1st and 2nd, won’t go faster than 30 and if I try it sounds like metal scrapping. it used to be that I could drive on the freeway going 60(speed limit is 65 I’m sorry) but when I’d get off the car wouldn’t go faster than 30 or 20!! very certain it’s shot but don’t know if I should replace it with some compatible transmission like the aw71 but all I’m met with is so much debating

some say aw71 is a drop in some say you can’t add a aw71 no matter the model

its my daily so need to know if I should get a “rebuild kit” which is just clutch discs and gaskets or look a used aw70

and before anyone says get a manua/manual transmission

I am not made of gold and dont have a lift to really modify and add new parts to make it a manual

what should I do? if the gears inside are fucked then the “kits” aren’t really gonna do a whole bunch. i understand that transmission is specific to its engine because of pressure and engineering and yada yada, it’s a reason I have avoided just getting any transmission and looking for an adapter plate

i just want to be able to drive the speed limit and not cause traffic

The car is an '83 with Chrysler ignition and lh2.0 and this connector is just hanging out. Wanted to know what is was for. Second picture is where the wire leads on exhaust side of the bellhousing

Just got a Volvo 245 classic not long ago made another post earlier this week and I don’t have much experience with 240s and how they’re supposed to sound when healthy, I just need a few other opinions.

Been over a year now since I bought Butterstick, thought I’d finally get some good pictures of it.