I've got a 1990 240 wagon. We call it the Sherpa Mobile since it can handle such enormous loads. When we lived on the Seattle side of the Cascades we had a great mechanic who specialized in this vintage vehicle. A few years ago we packed up and moved to the east side of the mountains. No mechanic for a hundred miles who has much experience or enjoys working on any Volvo so I've been doing a lot of the work myself.

Struts and shocks need to be replaced. Car is currently unsafe to take out on the highway. I have neither the tools or experience to take on the struts myself. Are there any tricks to replacing these that could lead to an unsuccessful outcome if I take it to the guy who works on our trucks?

I might take a run at the shocks however, hopefully there is a YouTube video to help me through the procedure.

Thanks for your help.

Lonely Volvo owner in north central WA,

Bill

I want to thank those of you have provided such useful information. My head is spinning from everything provided.

I'll take what you've given me, compile it into something that hopefully won't make my local mechanic throw me out of his shop and see if I can't get things sorted out on the Golden Goddess.

Grew up in a rural environment, lived in Seattle for 25 years and now I'm back where I belong. Really love where I live but there are some drawbacks, like not having someone around who knows these cars. You guys have been a great help and I appreciate it.

The shocks are easy to replace. Shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes per side.

The struts are pretty typical McPherson style struts. I think any decent mechanic could replace them without too much trouble.

I would add -- if you like your truck repair people there's no reason they can't do the strut job -- with this one caveat -- do the job on the floor with jack stands and leave the strut tube attached to the car (the ball joint) by swinging the tube out from under the wheel well. Doing it this way eliminates the need to disconnect the sometimes troublesome brake lines (do remove the bolt through the bracket to the frame) and subsequent bleeding process. Disconnecting the tie rod and sway bar and loosening the front control arm pivot bolt will allow the entire strut tube to be angled out of the wheel well (place a jack stand under the rotor "hat") where spring compression and insert replacement can take place. -- Dave

one thing to add here---or two things

1- You choose and buy the strut inserts to match the rear shocks. Considering that you say you Load-up your Wagon.

2- consider replacing the rear springs with Overload springs --- if you plan to continue to load-er-up.

3 - the front-end: rear control arm bushings shud be inspected. You can do this yourself. Also confirm the ball joints are OK ---since you say you have used the wagon fully loaded for quite some time. If you need any of these replaced collect the part and supply them when the job gets done.

yeh that was 3 things

The Bilstein (B4) Touring are the best bang for your buck.

Avoid Bilstein (B6) HD as they won't fit in the 1990 240 strut tubes. Also, with new bellow / boots to keep moisture out, Bilstein (B6) HD have a nasty habit of collecting water at the bottom of the outer, lower capsule. At freezing temps, hit a pit hole, and you'll brake sometime inside the massively overrated struts this board advocated with furiousness in 2001. I got suckered.

Don't choose lowering springs. Normal ride height heavier wire, such as already mentioned HD rear springs will help. Bilstein (B4) Shocks are available.

You do not indicate mileage. Yet at 100-150k miles, as mentioned already, the large, rear control arm bushes usually have deteriorated and separated.

I would mention a close inspection of the strut mounts, the bushing / bearing assemblies the top of the front strut damper piton rod secures two. At nearly thirty years, the rubber material or the open to the top roller bearing assembly may have excess wear, fractures though the bushing material (concentric rings or rip in the material). Correspondingly, the ball joints at the bottom of the strut assembly that secured to the control (or A) arm may be in question. In short, it may be best to consider a complete inspection and wear item replacement of the front suspension.

Yet there no longer exist a quality Volvo strut mount (PN 1272455). The longest lived current available may last up to three years. The Volvo brand strut mount is awful. Here is a thread at Turboricks you may want to review.

https://forums.tbforums.com/showthread.php?t=315522

The Kaplehenke camber strut plate mounts may be a solution that last for longer than three years.

The 240 ball joints made by Dayna or Moog include Zirk fitting so you can regularly press new grease in. The brands like Lemforder I guess are still okay. Avoid the made in chinesium parts.

Your steering rack has two tie rod ball joints each side. Always replace in pairs, both inner and outer tie rod, if the geared rack slides through the nylon bushing at with side without play. Apply some grease to the rack and work it in before inner tie rod replacement. Enough grease to lube the rack yet no more so air passes through the rack as the bellows compression and expand lock to lock.

Inspect the steering column U-joints. These do wear in timer and are no longer available from the dealership. I've read some Land Rover series OEM steering column U-Joints may fit 240. Some have reported the after market is okay. I'm unsure.

While you are at it, flush black or dark brake fluid. Motive or like power bleeder. Consider front and rear wheel bearing inspection, cleanse if old-stiff-or dark grease pack. As well as other hub work bits for inspection like the rear e-brake pads and such. You probably have no rust issues where you are.

The rear suspension busings also fail. The worst of it is the large rear trailing arm bushing (replace front and rear). The 240 rear suspension fails in a cascade starting with the torque rod end bushings failing causing movement deleterious to the trailing arm bushings. You have quality (I guess) solid bushings sold from the stealership. Yet Tasca Volvo parts may be cheapest for OEM. Another route is urethane bushing. Several brands are lauded wish as Whiteline from Australia and two other brand I forget. All well lubed with silicon grease.

Heavier (HD) springs preserve the left right independent action. Heavier stabilizer bars may limit left right independence if you need to drive it on uneven or unpaved surfaces.

Avoid the Sachs by Boge or Boge by Sachs, whatever iPd mislabels these. A step up from KYB, Gabriel, Monroe. Too bad we do not import the quality after market stuff from Europa such as Gabriel and Monroe. Boge was OEM on 240 during the production run and was of excellent quality, then. Avoid Meyle.

There is another 240 owner in Central WA-state. I'm unsure where and I forget hi name. He has an account here. He had a set of the revered Tokico dampers damper for 240 sitting on the shelf that he installed or had installed I guess some three years or so ago. I was up for a tech writer job at the Grand Coulee Dam around then, yet was turned down. Oh well.

Questions?

Hope that helps.

cheers,

MacDuffy's Buttermilk Tavern
(As St Louis, the toilet, craft beer makes me sick, unlike that out west, so no more, here.)
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