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So, I've got a few issues with my 240 that has me wondering if it is time to put the car to pasture, or go about fixing them.
First, when driving there is a distinct click as the car shifts. It is an automatic, and as it is shifting through gears it appears to lull for a brief moment and then a click is heard in the cabin. To me, it sounds like a relay switching, but I've never been great with noises. I'd place the sound near the firewall by my left foot, but since I only hear it while driving I haven't been able to pinpoint it. Is there a relay that might have decided to become louder in its old age down there? The car still drives fine, so I'm hoping this isn't the beginning of transmission failure.
Next, I've been loosing coolant to the tune of a pint/150mi. Haven't been able to spot a leak, but last weekend I lost the O2 sensor on my exhaust line causing the exhaust to blow on my tranny pan. I noticed coolant there, all but confirming head gasket. The only other thing I can think of would be if the core is gone and it leaks out the A/C drip hole onto the tranny pan (assuming this is possible, I haven't checked where the hole ends up, and I haven't smelled coolant in the cabin). I've noticed a little white smoke out the tailpipe dissipating before it really builds up, but I've been attributing that to the cold. Has that pretty much confirmed head gasket? Also, what are the odds that it has warped? I haven't noticed overheating, but I wasn't driving it much when the leak started.
Then, I've got quite a bit of engine vibration. All three mounts were changed recently, and the shaking went down quite a bit since then, but it still is more than I'd call satisfactory. It doesn't feel to shake much at speed since the mounts were replaced, but I can't visually confirm it shakes less. Could this be related to the coolant leak? How could I determine the source of this vibration/rule things out?
Further back the rear suspension needs attention. While replacing everything with heavy duty stuff would be nice, it probably only needs shocks in the near future.
Finally, the blower fan is squealing.
So, what should I do?
Best case: Change a relay, R&R the head, chainsaw method the fan, and replace shocks? Could be back on the road for a couple hundred dollars and a couple weekends of my time.
If I do head gasket, what are the "while you're in there things to do? Replace water pump/timing belt/thermostat and clean everything on the way up?
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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I live in SoCal, south LosAngeles county, about 5 miles from the O.C. border.
I would be glad to do what i can for you, I have an 82,240 with Chrysler ignition in the garage,a couple of 86's an 87 740 and a 92 240
Unless you have had some kind of catastrophic failure, it sounds fixable.
e-mail me at my alternate e-mail darnrightivegottheblues@gmail.com, if no one makes you a better offer.
Oh and there's no labor charge you buy the parts, oh and bring your big bag of patience.
Paul
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Well, some news. I found coolant trickling down the side of the block when I revved the engine, underneath the intake manifold. Likely, this is where it has been the whole time. It gets down onto the tranny pan, which is where I noticed it.
As far as I can tell, the leak isn't coming from the heater hose spraying onto the block, but the block was hot, and I wasn't going to stick my hand in there.
So, my plan is to take off the intake manifold and see what I see. AFAIK, there isn't much down there it can be, just: hose to heater core, temperature sensor, or a leak from the head. Are there other places it could come from?
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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Based on what I've read in this forum, with a little luck, it could very well be the temperature sensor or the heater hose. They do go once in a while on a 240. Since your car is 25 years old it is certainly possible that one of them may have met its demise. Might not be a bad idea to replace both if you end up taking off the intake manifold...
--
95 855 GLT Sportwagon 214k, ex - 90 244 DL 300k
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River - I would have tried the leak stop, but based on my experience, those products fail when it is most inconvienent to do the repair. The weatherman is calling for 60s for the next few days (a nice 20+ degree increase in the recent average) so I figured I'd tear down now and see what happens.
SO, I unbolted the intake manifold (is there an easy way to get it off? Only way I see of doing it is unplugging every electrical thing and trying to pull the wire through the manifold.) and I found out that the heater hose and the temperature sensors were in working order. I even took a couple of pictures of the area, showing the leak. I am really not sure if you noticed in the first picture, but here in the second you can clearly see that the hose clamp is NOT where it is supposed to be . So, uh, I guess I'm glad the hose hasn't been shot off by the pressure. Previous owners can be a real joy...
Anyway, tomorrow (when the sun comes back up) I'll tighten it back where it is supposed to be, put it back together, and see how it works. I've ordered new hoses (the outlet one appears to be a normal hose bent, and has a kink in it, I'd think getting proper hoses would solve that) and new temperature sensors, but they won't be here for a few days. I'll take the manifold off and replace hoses then, as well as give the system a nice flush (and change the thermostat). I might as well check/clean the PCV system while I've got it open.
Is there anything else I should be doing while I've got it off?
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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You are right about that has probably been the leak all along. Before you do anything too radical, try a big bottle of Barr's Stop Leak. It works best poured directly into the radiator when the thermostat is open, i.e. not easy on a Volvo. It keeps my Chevy delivery van going when it starts using antifreeze.
Drive it and see what you get. If the leak stops, so far so good. If it doesn't, you need a head gasket. Actually, if it does stop, you need a head gasket, but not RIGHT NOW. I would start squirting PB Blaster on the exhaust manifold nuts.
Greg
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I'd say that if you like the car and the body is in good shape, fix it.
Head gasket is straight forward. Automatic transmissions are pretty relaible, so (worst case), a good used one should be easy to find. They built the car around the blower motor so it is kind of a pain, but not that difficult. Rear bushings and shocks are maintenence items.
Remove the spark plugs and look at the insulator around the center electrode. A green tint will indicate coolant in that cylinder. With the car warmed up and running, look in the coolant reservoir (a word that needs an english spelling) and see if there are bubbles coming from the engine. The next step is a compression test.
Greg
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Here's an image of the spark plugs, they're in order, from firewall side on the left to alternator side on the right (I think that is cylinders 4-3-2-1, but, I'm not certain).
I don't see green on any of them, though they do smell a little like fuel.
No white streaks by the firewall either. Guess it is time for a compression test.
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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It may be my computer/monitor, but #4 and #1 ( #1 is at the front of the motor)look a little green to me.
Actually, they look very clean, too white unless they are new. I would suspect that if you had a carburator that your mixture was off, or you have water getting into your cylinders. Compression test...
Greg
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None are new, all are older ones. Some green on 1 and 4. Any idea how 1 and 4 could be bad if 2 and 3 aren't? Head warped?
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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Nope, no idea.
How long have you had the car ? If not long, it could be that the previous owner put a head gasket in and sold it. It is possible the head was/is warped, it was not torqued correctly or retorqued, or the head gasket just reached the end of it's service life.
Chevy V6s have a cast iron block and aluminium intake manifolds. They go through gaskets pretty regularly (4-5 years) once the OEM gasket goes bad.
Greg
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Haven't had it long, but doubt the PO would have tried to do the head gasket. The records indicate he was not mechanically inclined, going in for many repairs that he should have done himself. No head gasket repair or parts was done in the last six years (records only go that far back).
Assuming compression/pressure tests confirm it, time for a head gasket job.
Would it be best to pull a head from a junkyard, get it fixed up before I pull the one on it so I can minimize down time, or is it likely significant enough damage that I might need to pull an engine?
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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If the compression test shows a weak cylinder, and you want to minimize your down time, finding another head would be the way to go. That head should be at least checked for flatness and to see that the valves are sealing.
You can check for flatness with a good straight edge and a set of feeler gauges. The sealing of the valves can be tested by pouring a tiny amount of paint thinner or kerosene on each closed valve. It shouldn't leak through into the port.
Beyond the minimum, you could have the head rebuilt. Traditionally doing a valve job without replacing the rings has been frowned upon. The better seaing valves causes more blowby to go past the rings. I have replaced head gaskets and lapped the valves without any dire consequences (Chevys...), but the motor was already well worn (~200,000+ miles) so it would be hard to tell, but it still runs fine.
I doubt that the block is damaged, but you can check that too.
Greg
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Ready for a mystery?
Did a compression test while cold:
(numbers from front to back) 190, 205, 185, 200. Cranked the engine 12x with injectors unplugged (and fuse six pulled), no spark plugs were in at the time.
Put the plugs back in, started it up and it idled the best I've heard it. Almost no vibration from the engine, turning the throttle from the engine bay, revs up still sounds good. Letting it go it shakes some, but recovers within two seconds.
I did not replace the plugs, put them all back into their respective holes. I did not clean them either, just had them out of the car for two days. Car hasn't ran more than a couple of minutes at a time (basically hasn't warmed up) since the 17th though. Perhaps the coolant needs the engine to warm up to flow through where it isn't supposed to go. Guess next step is to drive it and test again after, correct?
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?
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This is what I would do:
Address the problems in order of most serious to least.
Head Gasket/engine fitness: Rent (requires a deposit but no charge) a compression tester. Disconnect the ground/+12v from your coil or remove fuse 1, pull each spark plug sequentially, screw in the compression tester, and check each cylinder's compression value. Remove all spark plugs before checking any cylinders (to avoid missing a leak between cylinders).
Check that all values are close to each other, and maybe post them in this thread. As the engine turns over, the gauge will increase up to a maximum value.
I think that turbos should read around 140-150 psi and that NA engines read around 160-180 psi. (This value should be around 16 times your rated compression).
You can also do other tests that are more subjective like sniffing the coolant gases for exhaust (or testing for them, but it's less definite) or seeing how quickly pressure builds in your coolant system (if pressure builds from something besides temperature change, like exhaust being forced into the coolant).
You might also have a head gasket leak to the outside of the engine that doesn't affect compression.
If you have a blown head gasket, rough running can result from an imbalance of power production between cylinders - like a partial miss.
Transmission:
Most people have a shifter labeled PRND21 with a Overdrive lockout button on the shift knob. These are Aisin-Warner transmissions. There was a ZF transmission used, and they were not reliable. Their shifters read PRND321 and have no OD lockout.
Basically, the AW-7x transmissions are bulletproof, UNLESS they're exposed to coolant. The only other things that semi-routinely fail are the valve bodies, and rarely the torque converters. I'd recommend checking the fluid for fine particles, and I recommend that everyone change their fluid every 2 years.
You can find a how-to in the FAQ or past posts. I think the phrase "white tux" is involved. I'd bet it's the valve body you're hearing. As far as I know, no relays should be involved in the AW auto transmissions - it's all hydraulic, except the overdrive, which really shouldn't be able to operate in any gear.
You can check to see if the behaviour changes with 1) the overdrive "locked out" or 2) with the gear selector in 2 vs. D.
As for the blower motor, if it's still turning, maybe you can lubricate it and save it.
As for shocks, they're cheap ($40-60 for nice shocks) and easy to change, so long as no nuts are rusted together.
My take on a head gasket job is: do it if you know the engine is intact and not warped, or if you have a lot of time to spend on a gamble. Head gaskets do supposedly blow over time from the different expansion coefficients of the aluminum head and the iron block, but I don't know if that's normal.
I replaced my engine with a used engine with good compression because I knew the block had cracked and repaired in the past and I suspected it had cracked again when I overheated it. Your choice might be a little less easy. I had a good used engine from a 94 940 turbo delivered to my workspace for about $650 a few years ago, including freight shipping from 300 miles away.
There are also some head-gasket "sealers" out there that may work (another gamble) but have dubious reputations. My old mechanic recommended one called the blue devil or something like that, which takes like 2 hours to use, but supposedly works well.
In short, I'd say you need to gather information first about how the engine is, how the transmission is, how the rear suspension is, and if the blower motor can be saved.
If someone wanted to sell you a car with a leaky head gasket, a sketchy transmission, a bad rear suspension, and a blower motor, how excited would you be to buy it?
Cheers, good luck, and sorry if that got rambly. I spent all day driving home from visiting family.
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"So, I've got a few issues with my 240 that has me wondering if it is time to put the car to pasture, or go about fixing them. "
Dont feel bad,you are not alone.I have 2 85 240s,both with 250k+ miles. It was probably time to put them out "to pasture" a long time ago.I look at it like this; the car is almost 30 years old,and it's going to continue to need parts and attention.I have learned to realize that the regretful truth is that my cars are going to always need attention,and continue to nibble cash from my wallet.... The brutal reality is that I know the day will come when I have to give up and send Dr Bombay and Whitey to the junkyard..The older they get,the more of a drain they are on time and money.It eventually becomes a labor of love.
Best wishes
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Hi,
Not sure about the clicking trans. problem.
As for your coolant loss-
Ttake a quick look at the firewall right by the trans. dipstick. Is there any leakage back there? Dried white film in that area? If so check your heater hoses in that area for rupture.
Also take the cap off the coolant overflow tank-how is the coolant level? Make sure you do not have transmission fluid in there.
If you overheated the car or lost all of your coolant (or just want a new tool for the collection :) get yourself a compression tester to zero in on a failed head gasket.
There is several videos on Youtube laying out the process of head gasket replacement for a 240. Just search: Volvo 240 head gasket
As for your three mounts if they were changed to aftermarket mounts, I have experienced a bit of vibration with some brands-they're a bit more harsh than OEM ones.
The blower motor- check the archives on how to oil it with 3 in 1 oil to keep it going and stop it's screeching. I haven't tried it myself but I think it's worth a try if it doesn't sound too bad.
Finally-would you be doing all the work yourself?
Travis
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I second this about heater hoses. 3 of my cars have needed them in the last year and a half (92 240, 90 745T and 89 240T). I believe my friend's 90 245 is up for a set as well.
Almost impossible to see and diagnose without pulling intake manifold and digging in back there- tough to see ANYTHING where they attach to the head. But the orig hoses are this spiral wrapped rubber and will split - a little- and leak when moving or accelerating or just randomly. It can certainly be confusing but it's a likely culprit and very cheap to fix- just takes time and aggravation to pull intake manifold and get back in there.
Good luck!
--Rob
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