Volvo RWD 200 Forum

Yesterday, driving along in my 87 244, my mechanical cooling fan simply fell out of my car going about 40 mph...

I was convinced that something in the road had jumped up and chopped it off (maybe a little dwarf gladiator???), but when I returned to pick it up, I couldn't see anything.

This was after I had realized that I was driving pretty recklessly on some gravel roads, and that I had left my timing belt cover off. I was thinking how terrible it would be to have a small rock lodge itself right in there with my crankshaft sprocket, then this happened.

The 87 is new to me, and I had left all kinds of plastic covers off after the initial inspection, and had not yet installed my splash pan, thinking that I was going to get to do a lot of work done(engine seals, crankshaft pulley, timing belt, etc.) a lot sooner.

I'm thinking now that the nuts holding the fan onto the water pump may have simply gotten loose over the last month or two of driving, but still, is driving without the fan shroud, splash pan, and timing belt generally unacceptable?

It's good that I had saved an extra fan, clutch, and water pump pulley from my parted '85, otherwise I'd be up poop creek, if you know what I mean. My wife thinks all the stuff in the garage is just junk laying around...

Well, I put the car back together after taking this opportunity to do the timing belt and front engine seals. I replaced the belt cover and fan shroud. I ran out of time before I could reinstall the splash pan, but that'll go back on ASAP.

I feel uneasy now about tightening the stock nuts on the fan/water pump studs, but they're on until I can go and get some locking nuts.

Thanks for the input.

Josh in IL

The fan itself fell out, or the cowl?

I don't have a cowl since I converted to an electric fan in front of the radiator.

You are taking a chance running without a timing belt cover, but less so if you refitted the splash guard.

Your wife might have a point .... most of that junk belongs on the car ... not in the garage :]
could'nt resist

I take the splash pan off my cars for work access. I have run without a timing-belt cover - for many miles - but I think that's foolish.
--
240s: 2 drivers and some parts cars

I think I was on my third 240 before I realized they even came with splash pans.

Here's another good item 240's were made with:

There's an air flow guide panel that sits behind the center cutouts in the air dam, directing the air flow up to the radiator. It attaches to a metal strip at the radiator's lower edge. The panel helps compensate for the fact that the bumper would otherwise block much of the airflow through the radiator.

We were on our fourth Volvo when I discovered this part, on one that was not ours. Searching at a "recycling facility", I had to check three 240s before I found one with the panel still there.
--
Sven: '89 245 NA, 951 ECU, expanded air dam, forward belly pan reaches oem belly pan, airbox heater upgraded, E-fan, 205/65-15 at 50 psi, IPD sways, no a/c-p/s belt, E-Codes, amber front corner reflectors, aero front face, quad horns, tach, small clock.

Keep in mind, Volvo built the 240 for longevity. By not having the fan shroud in place, you are compromising roughly 20% of the airflow through the radiator, sure the car can handle it except possibly on a real hot day, but things are now running hotter and taking on more wear.

The timing belt cover is primarily there to keep dust, grit, and fingers out of the rotating assemblies. Dust is key here as it can get caught up in the shaft seals. This will cause erosion of the metal shafts and seals. This can cause irreparable harm to the crank, cam, and counter balance shaft over time. Think of the dust/grit as sand paper.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the belly pan as it helps keep most (not all) road crap out of the engine bay. For example, excess road salt getting into the engine compartment will corrode metal and electrical connections, not to mention the electrical heart of the charging system (alternator). The belly pan might even help out a bit with aerodynamics.

Don't forget, Volvo put those parts in for a purpose.

jorrell



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92 245 250K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!

i would go so far as to say its damn foolish to remove the timing belt cover, fan shroud and belly pan.

imo the belly pan for the little it costs does more to protect your engine and its parts than any other piece of material on the entire car except the hood.

whenever i have looked at 240's or 940's with an eye to buy if the belly pan is missing right away this sends me a message about the seller and the likelihood of what i can expect in the way of care and upkeep on the car i am inspecting.

it is one of those markers whose absence tells you right away the car has been indifferently care for.

Plus, I find the splash pan helps catch nuts/bolts that I drop (butterfingers!) when working on the car. Handy when I work on the gravel driveway. :)

-Ryan
--

Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

BTDT, real PITA in you have to jack up the car. I keep a scrap piece of 5/8 plywood around to put under the car before working on it. That way if a nut or bolt falls I can find it readily. Plus If I work with auto liquids the plywood keeps the oil/anti-freeze etc. from contaminating the ground. you also can jack the car up w/ out worrying if the jack will sink because of the weight on the soft ground.

I have a gravel driveway and avoid it for fear the thing may fall on me. You've never had a problem with this, and if not, what's your method to get it onto four jack stands? You jack up one side with the hydraulic jack, and then the other?

Thanks
Cuddy

Cuddy,

I've gotten our bricks up on four jack stands countless time... on a flat concrete surface, I wouldn't even consider it on a gravel driveway.

When on flat concrete, I jack up the front of the car first with a floor jack placed at the center of the front cross member (between the wheels), followed by a jack stand on each side on the factory jacking points under the front doors. Lower the jack and make sure the jack points are resting on top of the jack stands.

Now move to the back of the car and place the floor jack under the center of the rear axle "pumpkin"/differential. Jack it up while watching the jack stands at the front to make sure the car isn't moving forward or backward, if it is adjust by pushing forward or pulling backwards on the rolling floor jack. Once the rear end is at the desired height, place jack stands (following the above warnings) at the rear factory jack points and let the jack down.

Once again, don't even consider the above approach on a gravel or sloped driveway.

Here is a crude pic of the results:


jorrell
--
92 245 250K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!

Well, I don't know if leaving the timing belt cover off will cuase problems or not. I guess a rock could get inbetween the belt and one of the gears and cause the belt to slip off but I couldn't say for sure. As far as the fan shroud goes, the only ill effect that I can think of would be that it's not drawing as much cooling air in because the shroud directs the cooling air into the fan. That's it's job. So the engine could run a little warmer. Other than that i don't know. I use all of my covers and shroud for protection if for no other reason. As far as the fan hardware goes, I'd take a look at the studs that the fan mounts to and if they look okay, I'd get 4 new locknuts and put it back together. Good Luck! Charles

It may not be the smartest thing, but I have owned my '87 245 for almost 9 years. Car came without a splash pan and I never put one on. I've put about 130,000 miles on it in that time. I have run for about 2 years without the upper timing cover on. Did the A/C bypass so that I could have power steering (required to get the car inspected) and other than collecting dirt on the camshaft sprocket have suffered no ill effects. Just didn't want to have to grind the cover down so that the belt would clear.

Charles
Houston, TX