posted by
someone claiming to be John McPhail
on
Thu Jan 3 23:16 CST 2013 [ RELATED]
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Electronic ignitions are great and rarely give trouble but, man, the fuel injection on old cars (particularly old Euro cars) is about as reliable as mud. Sure, the cars run cleaner and (in theory) get better mileage - when everything is working properly!
I used to have a '67 Amazon that I converted to a Weber carb. I bought the car in 1983 with 80,000 original miles, and by 1995 I had turned over 500,000. Drove the crap out of it. About every 75,000-100,000 miles it would start running weird (lean/rich, crappy idle) and I would just pull the carb and rebuild it in my garage. Rebuild kits were cheap and I could do it in a couple of hours.
Now I've got an oxygen sensor, an air mass meter, a fuel pressure regulator, a coolant temperature sensor, a hall effect sensor, an ECU and the wiring to hold it all together. A couple thousand dollars worth of parts - on a good day. All of which can cause any manner of driveability problems, the symptoms of which mimic each other in many cases.
(Rant mode off...)
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You've all made good points about fuel injection but you know that if it isn't you driving the car then it's most likely a $tow$, or you have to go to the rescue.
With a carb, there's unlikely to be a breakdown on the road involving the fuel system. Just learn to use the choke.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb, M46 trans, 3:31 dif, in Brampton, Ont.
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I usually wish my lawn mover had FI, especially when I have to clean the carb!
Dan
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I used to feel the same way. I can tell you, in one word, why I changed my tune. Winter. It sure is nice to hit the key on my '79 245 and have it start immediately without fussing with a choke, starting fluid, etc. Even better is that I can go inside while letting it warm up for 10-15 minutes and expect it to be running when I return.
I do appreciate the simplicity of my cars with carbs, the '66 122s and the '66 Volkswagen camper, but I don't drive them in the winter. There's that word again.
Get to know the FI system in your car intimately. It'll take time, but you will soon realize that, while they are more complicated than a carb, on Volvo 240's, it is still pretty straight-forward by today's standards.
--
1966 122s, 1968 142s, 1969 144s, 1979 245dl, 1989 244gl
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If your posting is more than just venting off frustrations, be aware that you can actually convert your engine to carb without too much hassle. The easy route would be getting the fuel and ignition specific parts from a European B23A/B230A. This will involve a Stromberg/Pierburg carb and the appropriate intake.
I'd advice you to stay away from the latest generation carbs (1987-89; attached to the B230K (got one!). Only Mr. Solex in his heaven(?) knows what all those colored vacuum lines do, my dealer certainly doesn't.
Erling, Norway.
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You can keep your carbs! I worked on them for years on motorcycles and occasionally on cars. They can run poorly longer that just about anything and they cause premature wear/failure of other components when they are running badly.
K-jet is about the most reliable fuel injection system I have ever encountered as long as some ham-fisted moron does not get involved with it and the car does not sit for extended periods. Keeps the rubber parts intact and it just runs. I had a 1979 245 that still ran great at an estimated 330K miles with no signs that any fuel system component had been replaced save the bellows and some vac lines. Would start in 2 seconds in 6F weather.
LH 2.4 is an nice system as 95% of the issues throw a code...and the team here has done a darned good job deciphering what those codes REALLY mean. Again, the system is sensitive to vac leaks (just like K-jet and carbs) and poor electrical connections.
I had a 760 turbo that I bought with 220K miles at an auction. Drove it (badly) into the parking lot, replaced about 3 vac lines, the air filter and then drove it to a quick lube place for an oil change before starting a 300 mile drive home. Only issue was a flaky fuel system relay.
That car sat for two years while I was in Iraq with no prep. New battery and it started in about 5 seconds on a 30F day.
My current 240 beater had less than 10K miles on it over a 9 year period. I have changed the plugs on it, cleaned the TB and IAC. It starts in temps down to 10F without starter fluid.
Please, keep your carbs and if I can find more to send you just let me know what you are looking for. If I lived in some place more temperate I might be less adamant about my FI love but as long as there are days below freezing and changes in elevation I will keep singing the praises.
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I agree with your position on k-jet, Uncle. Wonderful system when maintained.
--
1966 122s, 1968 142s, 1969 144s, 1979 245dl, 1989 244gl
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posted by
someone claiming to be John McPhail
on
Sun Jan 6 10:37 CST 2013 [ RELATED]
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Most of my qualms are with LH 2.0 which, as you know, was only used for two years (83 & 84) on our beloved Volvos. The ECU is dead nuts reliable but other components seem to fail on a regular basis (regular as in every few years).
Now that I have thought about it more, I think that the real issue is the quality of remanufactured parts. I have gone through three Bosch reman air mass meters since 2005 - in ONE car! The airbox thermostat flapper gizmo was removed many moons ago and I don't have evidence of blowby in the airbox, so I can only conclude that the replacement parts are just not up to the original specifications. My guess is cheap reman jobs where they replaced only the one component that failed, so you end up buying someone's 10 year old air mass meter with one new part inside. On a couple, I could actually see some kind of glue between the black plastic top cover (I assume that the electronics live under there) and the body of the AMM.
Ah, well....
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what year is your 240? There are a few issues depending on years. But if you get those replaced, know how to diagnose those issues, prevent failures and have spares on hand then it becomes a pretty reliable system.
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