Hello all,
I replaced my thermostat, flushed the radiator and replaced my radiator fluid on my 244 a couple of weeks ago because the thermostat would spontaneously go to "H". However, the thermostat still goes to "H" sporatically, and my car now makes that distinct "squealing" sound that sounds like a bad compressor. However, the car squeals only when it's raining out, and what's even more bizzare is that it squeals when the heat is off too....Is my car posessed? haha

Replace you alt. belt,it's worn out

Squealing is likely an alt belt.
Could be any of the belts.

Eyeball the belts from above to see if all are parallel to the pulley grooves. If not, there's a worn rubber bushing (or several) in there somewhere. Worn bushings let the belt-driven accessories sit crooked, so the belt(s) will squeal and wear prematurely. The bushings are located: (2) on each main mount bolt for the accessories, and (1) on each threaded belt tension adjuster mechanism. They frequently go unchanged for many years due to mechanics not knowing or caring about them. I suspect the ones on the tension adjusters cause most of the problems, but I'd replace all three bushings for any belt that's misaligned.

Re. "overheating":
240's from '86 and later are prone to "temperature compensator board failure". Most common symptom is temp gauge going high shortly after startup (like about a half-mile or a mile down the road), but this failure can give a high read, low read, changing read, just about any kind of whacky temp gauge reading you can think of.

If yours is from '86 or later - - -
Do a search on "bypass comp wire" and/or "bypass temp comp board" or similar to find how to bypass the board once and for all. Don't bother replacing it! Only after doing the bypass would I go chasing after any other "overheating" problems, as there is likely no problem at all other than an uncontrolled temp gauge. Just make sure you have coolant up to the right level.
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Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

I was thinking two things (if I try for three, my brainpan overheats).

The behavior of the temp guage with the compensator in place an working is that it will seem to be fine until it's just about to overheat, then the needle will "spontaneously" and "sporadically" rocket up to the top. It will seem like the car suddenly overheats with no warning. Really, it has been happening gradually, bt Volvo didn't want you to stress out over it until it was definitely a problem. By the way, it will be sporadic due to changes in ambient temp and driving circumstances: the faster you drive, the more airflow through the radiator, the cooler the coolant. And you said they were forecasting days of rain, so I'm going to assume you're somewhere in the area of New England, where the ambient temps have been all over the road.

Now the first thing that actually sprung to mind was that the water pump was seized, and the squeal was the belt rubbing on the immobile pully. It occurs to me, though, that that would be less describable as a "squeal" than as a "banshee-like screech," rendering the car undrivable, and the car would overheat quite dependably, rather than sporadically, anyway. So, I'm going to dispense with this idea now.

So, basically, other than my hypothesis that the temp compensator board is okay (for what it's worth), you can all just ignore me now. I'm going to bed.

-EdM.
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'90 240DL Wagon 'Lola' -- '72 1800ES 'Galadriel'

Figure it is pre-81 by description of "H" on temp gage. Guessing it really says "244" on the badge so no split damper or temp comp board.. See if you can get more clues just be reading.

It's a 1991 244. It has SRS...B230F engine...
UNFORTUNATELY it's going to take me a while to look at all of the hoses since it's forcasted that it's going to rain for the next two days, and I don't have a garage to look at them. How serious is this problem on a scale to 1-10?

Hey there,

How serious depends on what's up.

For belt squeal (assuming it's caused by belts), I suggest you pop the hood at a gas station (engine not running) and look at how the belts are going over the pulleys. Should be parallel over the pulleys, not crooked. Also look at the condition of the belts for any obvious deterioration.

If a belt is obviously damaged or twisted in its path, you'll need to deal with it pretty soon. Otherwise, it's likely just an annoyance.

As I wrote, squealing is often caused by bad bushings on the things the belts are powering. They get out of line, and the belt squeals over its twisted path. (A/C, power steering and alternator). Water pump is also belt-driven but has no rubber bushings.

Water pump or alternator not working will shut you down. Both are driven by the passenger-side pair of parallel belts. The driver-side belts run the A/C and power steering. Not fun if you lose them, but you can still drive.

Also:
The largest pulley, at center bottom of front of engine, drives the 3 belts that run around it. That main drive pulley potentially could be loose on its mount, sliding rearward (or maybe forward??). You could compare it to another 240 to see how it's doing. Or, if all 3 belts are crooked in the same way, then likely the main pulley has moved. If only 1 belt is crooked and the others aren't, then likely it's just that one accessory that's gotten out of position.

IF the main drive pulley has slid forward or backward, you'll need to get that fixed up, and keep an eye on it - like twice a day - until you get it into the shop. It wasn't made to move forward or backward, so you'll have real trouble if it does!

Main drive pulley construction:
It's not a solid pulley wheel mounted on a shaft. More like Saturn's rings. There are three here. Center ring is metal, is slides onto the shaft. Next ring out is a rubber vibration damper. It's pretty hard rubber. Next ring is the pulley wheel. The idea is that the rubber ring provides some damping of the motor vibration. Eventually the bond of the rubber to the metal breaks down, and the pulley goes where it wants to. My 240 had about 250 or 300 K miles when that happened.


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Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

OK. If our guy (or "person") is following this thread, maybe they will confirm your educated deduction.

Anyway, someone is going to have to LOOK in the engine compartment, and not just "Replace you alt. belt". That instruction is incorrect and assumptive, as there are two alt belts, at least on the ones I've been working on. Maybe pre-'81 has only one alt. belt?

Lastly, squeal could also be causesd by the main pulley damper loosening. My pulley worked its way backward, causing major squeal, and finally it went through the timing belt cover. Not a good thing, especially since we'd just had the timing belt changed.
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Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

Hello Sven,

Your answer picked my interest. I had my Timing Belt and Accessory belts changed in May. Before the change no particular engine noices other than the loud clicking of the injectors and I think the tapping of the valves.

Since I hear something like a squeal, more like whining, very faint, like an old lady with breathing difficulty.

Could you tell me more about this rubber separating ? How can I tell whether I have this condition ?

Thanks.
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'89 244DL M47 169K miles

I'm no expert on this. It just happened to me that one time.

First, a shop reported the timing marks were not true to the engine status. That is, they could see that piston # 1 was at top dead center, but the timing mark said something else. The timing marks are on the same pulley we've been talking about. Marks were now wrong because the pulley had rotated on the rubber insert.

This stayed as it was for a few years. Many miles, at least 50 K or even 100K. Got timing adjusted somehow, I don't remember. Maybe trial and error.

Finally, I had major belt squeal. Found one alternator belt twisted. That is, the wide part was on the inside and the narrow part on the outside! Pulley had slipped towards the engine so belts were running very crooked, not parallel to the pulleys. Soon after this the main drive pulley moved back into the plastic timing belt cover and cut a hole in it. Car still drove, it was that way when my repair shop got to it. They had to replace the plastic cover and all belts and clean up the mess where the timing belts are.


Below is the first answer I wrote. I had to save it for later because I didn't want to be so mean to my new friend. The first part about the radiator is pure fiction...
You know the harmonic damper has separated when it flies off the shaft and goes throught the radiator, or works backward into the timing belt cover.

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Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

I am with you, but isn't it fun anyway trying to provide for yourself the information left out by the inquiring brick owner? More fun than constructing careful answers giving every scenario possible over 19 years of model production. Well, I should speak for myself in that regard.