Well that's good news!
All these 240s with miles way past
300K unopened. I'm replacing the headgasket soon and was thinking that maybe I should do some more work while I'm at it. But it's getting chilly up here and before I've even get started on the headgasket its going to be a foot of snow (no garage to work in). I'll save myself some trouble and stick to just the HG and check the valves, make sure my vacuum is good along with the cooling system.

Take care people!

I just rolled over 445K last week without a rebuild and am looking towards the 500K mark. I change the oil every 2500 miles without fail and do my major services every 25K instead of 30K. I just anal like that. This has been the best used car I've ever owned and with the help of everyone here on the Brickboard, its been kept alive. The only thing I have never replaced on the car is the starter. I have a spare one sitting on the shelf just in case.
--
'86 sedan with 445,000 miles on the original engine and automatic transmission

I would say the single most important part not mentioned by the others is maintaining the cooling system. The water pumps are not the longest lived items, many of the older cars with the piston compressor AC had marginal radiators unless outfitted with the tropical kit and since the cars last so darned long, parts no one else has to think about start to fail.

In short, if you want it to last forever, start treating everything essential to the engine's operation as a wear item. On my '78 245 I spent weeks hunting down the source of a impending overheat situation (had use the heater to cool it down) when all the car needed was...every wear part in the cooling system from the radiator (badly blocked) to the water pump (impeller heavily worn) to the radiator hoses (internal leakage through the cores). With 330K miles, none of this should have surprised me but any one of the failures chould have led to a very big repair bill.

I agree with everyone else about the red block being an excellent engine block for longevity and about the absolute necessity of religious oil changes. It helps if the Volvo is either original to you, or you are the second owner - after that, a whole lot of the car's repair history gets lost. One of the biggest factors, in my opinion, is that most Volvo owners of the "boxy but good" vintage tend toward the obsessive side about their Volvo - I know I do. As a result of that "obsessive" impulse concerning my 1982 245GL B21F-9 MPG, I continued with the scrupulous maintainence that the first owner (a Navy Submarine Captain) started. The longevity of my car started with the first scheduled dealer inspection service. For Volvos of the 1982 vintage, it was between 600 and 1200 miles. My car had it's first scheduled inspection service at 1142.6 miles on June 3rd 1982. The original owner showed up at the Volvo dealer for every single scheduled service required in his Volvo issued maintainence booklet.

I was considerably more fortunate than many other BB members, because the original owner also maintained absolute records of every single time it went to the shop for anything - including new tires and all oil changes - from the day he bought it until the day I bought it. There are many aspects of Volvo engine longevity that I don't have any experience with because of the completeness of records I received when I bought the car. All I had to do was continue on the excellent maintainence program that the original owner started...all he did was follow the Volvo recommended maintainence schedule. As a result, I had eleven years of trouble free driving. Every time I turned the key, it started - except three or four times - when the batteries died of old age, or a part wore out. I didn't have much incentive to learn how to do serious maintainence on my car because...well...it always worked - until recently - but that is another story.

Many of you have Volvos that have way more miles than mine - my odo currently reads: 296,832.9 - I'm close to the much coveted 300,000 miles(engine unopened), but many of you, with way less care by previous owners, have way more miles than I do on an unopened engine. What that tells me is that love, persistence, knowledge, obsessive oil changes, and a lot of money - can make almost any forlorn 200 series Volvo run strong for a really long time....much to Volvo's irritation, I'm sure.

Mine is at 307,000 miles and the engine has not been rebuilt. It seems to have good power considering its age and the only odd noises I hear are (I think) pulleys complaining.

I baby my engine by not revving it above 3K RPM. I'm hoping that will lengthen its life along with oil changes.

--
Mike F - 1984 244 DL - 307,000 miles
Original engine, transmission, drive train, starter
Undergoing reconstructive surgery with POR-15

I bought an '81 back in 1986 with 90k. It did not have the best maintenance record but I drove it till 200k when the AW55 suddenly quit completely. I had the space and means to rebuild and I planned to keep the car forever as a daily commuter. So I decided to do a rebuild as well as replace the trans with an AW70 from the pick and pull. I took the easy but expensive route of buying a 2.3L rebuild kit from IPD. I now have over 300k and have loved every mile. The red block is a great running reliable motor when in good shape. Rebuilding also gives you and opportunity to do many other small things. Some for my model was an engine wiring harness and a lot of rubber parts, flame trap relocation, fix any oil leaks and have a shiny engine compartment.

Most RWD Volvo's should get to 300K miles without even a valve adjustment... actually, all of these motors clatter like a diesel. Perhaps you have a bad exhaust manifold gasket(s), or need a valve adjustment?

-Ryan

Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 324k, Dog-hauler
1990 245 DL 142k M47, E-codes, GT Sways/Braces, Dracos, A-cam
1990 744GLE 189K 16-valve
1991 745 GL 304k

There are hundreds of 200/700/940's with more than 300k miles and never had the engine rebuilt, much less than even a head gasket, engines were never opened.
The last 3 240's I have had, have near or over 300k miles, never opened, never needed a valve job, no piston slap, no loss of compression, no leaks, etc, including my current dd which is a '91 245 with 310k miles. All of these cars were purchased from the original owners and between 150k and 200k miles when I got them. Each one got a complete Stage 0 maintenance of every system or wear part on the car, then drove it another 100k mi plus.
If you simply change the oil every 5000 miles and stick to the 30k tune-up and fluid change schedule they will last nearly forever. I have used synthetic oil but a good diesel or synthetic blend oil is just as good if you change it regurlarly. I am currently using Cheveron Delo, and Valvoline Durablend was my choice for years until they stopped making it.
One other thing which may seem to be a no-brainer to some, and ignored by others, is keeping a close eye on the intake, hoses, flame trap, throttle body, etc and maintain good engine vacuum. When these are let go, and blow-by is present in an older car, the engine suffers to maintain power output, and struggles to keep the car up to it's usual standards, runs hotter, and engine wear can occur, so maintenance there is the key.

My 79 has 424k on it now, and it's never been rebuilt. Granted, it's been in our family for 15 years and been driven easy that whole time, but still...424k is pretty good. I have a smidge of piston slap when it's cold, but that goes away in a minute or two.