Hi all,

this is my first post here,as I just started doing some minor repairs on my Volvo 240. I've been experiencing a rough idle, so in repairing it i will surely start by a throttle body cleaning. There is a desciption of the procedure in the 700/900 FAQ. Is it the same for my 86 245DL? The procedure sounds a bit scary at the first sight - is there any chance that I mess up something big time during the process?

Any caveats, encouragement (or even advising me to pay my mechanic 100 bucks to do it) is welcome.

Thanks all,

Harry

Did you go for it? How did you make out?


I was too late to post. The 13mm nut on the side of the sensor can be tough. I ground down a wrench to make it thinner to get more of a turn on the nut.

I hope it worked out OK
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

Hi and welcome The great folks here have made owning Volvos possible for me and my wife...I would have given up long ago...

The other posters have covered the process very well so I'll stick with the encouagement....Go for it...hands down the most impressive performance enhancment I've doen to mine to date....of course mine was REAL nasty and had got to the point that it was stalling at traffic lights...

Do NOT pay a mechanice to do this...it's too easy.
Bret
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rust free in west Texas

I did my 85 tb, man was it filthy! Took it off the car, and cleaned it inside. DO NOT get any cleaner into the Switch, it'll mess it up.

Here's and after shot(yes thats my leg).
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Dan D. '85 245 DL 'Puff the Magic Wagon' , '93 945 .
Delanisdjd*at*msn.com
Parting out 87 240 wagon email me with needs.

I consider it an easy job- it's equivalent to me of say an oil change.

You need a throttle body gasket and spray cleaner. I use either carb cleaner or brake cleaner, whichever I have handy and they both seem to work about the same.

There's one big clamp for the air intake hose (scrwedriver or 5/16" socket).
Two vacuum hoses on top. Pull off.
One electrical connector, back side. Squeeze the wire clip in, then pull connector down off the plug.
Throttle linkage- it's got a plastic ball and socket joint top and bottom on the rod. You can pop open the clip piece at either end, and then pull the socket off the ball. The clip is right on the end, so for the top end you'd pull it up, for the bottom end you'd push it down. Wipe it clean first, and you should be able to see how it works. It's weird but simple, and it's also only plastic so don't force it. They can break but not if you work the clip in the right direction.
3- 13mm nuts, for which you'll need an open end wrench. Two top, one bottom front. You might see another nut below- it's for a different part. A box wrench or socket will NOT get all 3 of these off. A gentle tap or push on it and the gasket will unstick and you've got it free to work on it.

I usually end up scraping the deposits out with a little screwdriver or a very small wire brush. The carbon at the throttle plate closure point is the big problem, and it's the hardest to get. You'll wind up holding the throttle open with one hand and cleaning with the other. Use an old pan, your oil change bucket, or other surface that won't be damaged by lots of black goo and solvent. It's going to be a bit messy before you're done.

Good luck.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 229K, 88 744GLE- 218K, 82 245T-181K Also responsible for the care and feeding of: 88 745GLE, 231K, 87 244DL, 239K, 88 245DL, 246K

Don't worry. Like most automotive maintenance items, it's fairly self-explanatory when you actually do it. It's simpler to do than to read.

The only advice that I will reinforce is that you should clean your flame trap at the same time, and consider cleaning out your air intake valve as well, since these items are all located in the same area (the flame trap won't make a difference in your idle problem but needs to be done once a year or so, and the air intake valve actually could be involved in your idle problems, so clean it in conjunction with the throttle body). None of this is difficult or confusing once you identify where things are and what they look like. All three of these items would probably take me almost an hour because I've done them before a few times on these cars. For you, figure on maybe 2-3 hours of leisurely work. And don't worry! Just have fun with it. You can't really screw anything up here, which makes it one of the more enjoyable minor maintenance jobs. Just follow the FAQ instructions and be careful not to get any of the carb cleaner on the throttle switch.

If you do all three of these items, the only things you will need to buy in addition to your basic tools will be the throttle body gasket (get it from a Volvo dealer), a can of carb or throttle cleaner, some rags, some Q-tips to clean out the air valve, and maybe some pipe cleaners to clean out the small flame trap hoses.

Follow the FAQ. There are no major problems you can cause (short of throwing sand down the intake). Be sure to clean or replace (very inexpensive) your flame trap, since having the trottle body off it will give you good access to it (otherwise you have to be an contortionist with small hands and long thin fingers). Be careful pulling it off, that you do not put force on the small hose fitting (its plastic) and break it (you'll be OK, just don't try to pull it off by this fitting). I'm sure you'll find it clogged with hardened oil deposits in the flame trap. Also check the small hose fittings on it to make sure it is clear.

Go for it! Its not difficult.

Gary

I did this on both my 740 and my 240 (both NA or non-turbo)and the process was exactly the same. It was the biggest job I had done up to that time and it looks a lot more complicated than it really is. Just buy a gasket then take your time removing the hoses so you don't break them. It would be difficult to mismatch the hoses afterwards, but label them and their nipples of you want.

The only slightly tricky part is that little plastic clip that holds the ball and socket together from the throttle, but that isn't bad once you have a look at it. Push the tab down and then use a flat screwdriver to gently pry the socket off the ball.

Once you remove the nuts and have the TB off, use throttle cleaner (not carb and choke cleaner because supposedly it removes factory varnish) and a tooth brush to clean it all up. Use Lots of cleaner and do this outside over some cardboard or something. Just try to keep it oriented so none dribbles into the throttle position sensor (the thing on the back of the TB with a wire you will have to disconnect). Pay particular attention to the line where the butterly closes (there will be a line of thicker crud there) and the little passages for the vacuum hoses. Poke those clean if need be.

Then put on your new gasket and reattach it all. The odds of your mechanic messing it up are probably higher than if you do it yourself. When you are done you will understand you car a lot better.

good luck
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Andy in St. Paul, '91 745 Regina 190K mi, '89 244 137K, '87 245 RIP