Thanks again for everyone's input. I changed the rear cam seal and gasket, and the oil leak seems to have stopped. I also plugged the exhaust hole with muffler goop, which did the job for the time being.

So, it still runs like crap. It will get to a decent idle, but when I put it in gear, it looses power and won't move unless I give it a lot of gas. Stalls out and backfires. Now that the hole in the exhaust is fixed, I did feel exhaust coming out of the tailpipe.

And now the starter motor won't turn off - even with the key out. The only way to stop it was to disconnect the battery.

I plan to check the spark plugs tomorrow - feels like when it is in gear it is only operating on 3 cylinders. It is a solid car, but ..... my time, abilities, and money are limited.

any thoughts greatly appreciated.

John

thanks to the brilliance and experience of multiple BB's, the wagon lives. Turns out that the previous owner had put in new plug wires in the wrong order - 1,3,2,4. This is how I surmised: I checked the spark plugs and #2 was crudded up and #4 was wet. With the correct order (1,3,4,2) the car started up, no more leak from the cam seal, no more backfire, and it drove (up and down the driveway) well. Only problem I can see is no air conditioning (I've owned four 240's and none have had functioning air conditioning) and the radio doesn't work (it's the original radio with cassette player).

the moral - always go back to the fundamentals first.

Couldn't have done it without this community! Brickboard is the best!

John

Good news.

Hoping you put in a new set of plugs...

I bought a 1976 green Volvo 242 DL (VD24245E1090000) in like 1988 or so. Green like Green Bay Packers green.

So, in tuning up all, including the K-jet, I replaced or gapped teh spark plugs and cleaned the flame trap.

It ran horribly. Like on two cylinders.

I drove it, brought it back, popped the hood,a nd started at it. and drove it, and stared at it.

It was like three dayze before I realzied I got the #2 and #3 spark ply wires reversed. I have dyslexia, also, so, whether or not the dyslexia was a cause, well, I dunno. Works fine after that!!!!

Good luck. Now on to the chase of fixing all other wear items and making that Volvo 240 your own.

Screw the man, Wall Street, and new cars!

cheers,

Buttermilk "Volvo" MacDuffy's Tavern.
337 Main Street, Chico, CA, with Irish Happy Hours every Friday afternoon!
--
GO GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!!!!!!!
--
BOO SLEAZEATTLE Seahawks! (with Apologies to the honorable M. Lynch and R. Sherman and colleagues.)


--
Volvo 164: The Mightiest, most Powerful, most Beautiful Volvo Automobile Forever

Check there are no cracks and leaks in the accordion duct from air mass meter to throttle body. Check VERY thoroughly they can be hard to see.
--
Bob: Son's XC70, my 83 244DL, 89 745 (V8), 98 S90, and XC60. Also '77 MGB and some old motorcycles

Hi,

I assume you moved the vehicle to where it is now by towing.
If not on the ground the rear brakes might be locked up or the parking brake could be rusted.
The IAC may not be working to pick up the loading of the transmission. I also assume it's an automatic.

You might do a compression check when you have the plugs out to help find a miss. The dirtiest plug should be the first cylinder to check.

If all the plugs appear equal, check the timing marks on the engine, in case the belt has jumped a tooth.
It might explain low power and backfiring.

How old was any fuel in the tank?

Phil

More knowledgeable folks will chime in, but my thoughts...

It may be only running on 3 cylinders, but when I've experienced 3 cylinder running I didn't get backfiring.

Maybe an air mass meter problem. Or maybe still an O2 problem. CPS is a suspect also.
Check the OBD codes.
You'll have to spot check through the systems.

Starter running sounds like a locked solenoid. Did you hit the solenoid with a hammer? Or piece of wood reaching down to the solenoid hit with a hammer... I've tricked several cars into running that way until I got a replacement. Otherwise it would be an electrical issue like a failed ignition switch. ???

And just to be sure, did anybody mention checking the oil for signs of coolant to double check that the head gasket isn't blown?