Hi Mr. Nabisco!

Will Bilstein (B6) HD dampers for the Volvo 240 fit the 1991 strut tubes?

My experience is no without swapping to pre-1987 or 86(?) or so 240 front strut tubes. Bilstein (B6) HD (heavy duty), as I read, do best with full ride height and articulation, lest you use the Bilstein HD meant for lowered or Turbo 240 factory as iPd USA still sells, I guess.

Also, even with well-sealed accordion-style boots protecting the strut cartridge piston, water will find a way inside the Bilstein HD, freeze, and a good pot hole strike can damage the valve body. The blue Bilstein HD boots are frail, so, the 240 Turbo boots and the hanging 'washer' is best.

To OP diazkiefer320:

How many miles?

Avoid Made in Mexico Sachs or Boge, or Boge by Sachs, or Sachs by Boge as iPd USA calls them. Your budget is low, yet all Koni versions available for 240 will fit your 1991 strut tubes. Some are adjustable for compression and rebound front and rear dampers both. Yet that busts you budget, a single set of Konis.

Bilstein (B4) Touring will also fit as drop-in in the 1991 strut tube and do well with lowered or reduced articulation suspension.

However, a nearly 30-year old 240 may require extensive wear items replacement such as front suspension rear (large) control arm bushings (and maybe small front control arm bushes), the strut mounts (Volvo PN 1272455) no longer available of any useful quality from the stealership or aftermarket (some reports indicate Febi-Bilstein may be okay for a few years) or check in to the Kaplehenke site for their less expensive 240 camber plate strut mount.

With solid rubber bushings, you apply final bushing securing torque with the full weight of the 240 on it's haunches on a level surface. Best on an alignment rack or a service trench at oil change stations.

Correspondingly, check the ball joints. (Remove ball joint to control arm hardware or merely inspect the boot. With the ball joint disconnected, how does it feel when moved around?

The power steering rack, inner (under the bellows) and outer tie rods. Does the geared rack slide smoothly through the left and right nylon bushing without play? Apply a quality NLGI 1 or 2 grease to the geared rack, enough to lube the rack yet not so much as to prevent air from moving between the left and right bellows as you steer.

How is the brake fluid? Clear and clean or black? If dark brown to black, Motive or like pressure bleeder and flush in some fresh quality DOT-4.

Motor and transmission mounts? Inspect and replace as necessary.

Fluids including coolant.

Rear suspension bushings. The torque rods bushes fail first and the rest of the rear suspension bushings follow. Check urethane bushing option and pack with a lot of synthetic silicon grease.

As you are in FL-state, rust may not be an issue for you.

Check OBD codes (Bentley manual or the FAQ [click FAQ, above]). While FL-state does not require emissions inspection, the tune and health and fuel economy of your 1991 240 depends on an air induction intake system that is leak free, all emissions controls (sensors and such) work.

In the air filter box of your 1991 Volvo 240 is a thermostat controlled flap valve that failed to hot air all the time pulled by engine vacuum into the air filter box through the silver hose secured between the air filter box bottom and the exhaust manifold heat shroud. In FL-state, remove the flap valve assembly and the silver preheat hose (fan shroud gets in the way so you may need to remove the two top screws to get at it and unscrew the silver hose from the air filter box lower inlet. Air filter box becomes a cold-air intake with slightly better throttle response.

You least expensive solution for treating 'stance' is to cut the factory springs evenly both side at the top. 1/2 to 2 turns, as I read, seems best. You will have to use spring compressors (some are better than others for 240, I dunno what brands). How much of a drop is something you should research and ask on here, the Turbobricks website in the proper forum, the 'Volvo 240 fan club' on facebook.

A cheap stabilizer bar upgrade is the 23mm Turbo 240 factory front bar from the stock 19mm installed on your 1991 240. 19 mm front, 17mm rear factory. CHangeing the 'stance' also means changing the front to rear handling quality from slight understeer to oversteer (back end kicks out, what some like as they 'drift' or rally race so you learn to counter steer [turn into the skid]) on different surfaces. So, do your research.

I guess that does it.

Questions?

courtesy,

Strong Caturday Morning Earl Grey Tea and yester=eve's boring irish trad pop music at John D. McGurk's and another mugging attempt of me in downtown St. Louis before that near Earthbound Brew and their sickly sweet nasty gruit beers.
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