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My girlfriend and I just moved down to California a couple of weeks ago. We went to get the Volvo smogged so we could register it here and it failed miserably. It is deemed a "gross polluter" by the State of California. Suffice it to say, we were both quite dismayed when we got the results. The car failed all the emissions tests, but the one that put it as a gross polluter was the 15mph NO. We got 2908 parts per million when the maximum allowable is only 1364 PPM.
At this point in time, I'm thinking the car is simply not worth it to fix. The problem is, we really need the car, and can't really afford a new one at this point in time (I'm just starting graduate school). I don't want to start dumping money into this thing, only to find that it still fails. With numbers this high, I doubt a simple fix will get us into the passable limits.
What to do? I have one last (small) hope that the Volvo gurus will save the day with an easy and cheap solution, although I know it's wishful thinking at this point. Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Sorry to come in late on your question, but I can't see anywhere you mention this is a California car-- or a 49-state car. Makes a difference in the approach to NOx, and the information is on the emissions label, or more obvious in the 79, whether you have EGR or lambda.
You don't have much to go by to set the mixture (3mm hex) if you don't have an oxygen sensor. Mixture too lean will make more NOx than the 3-way can handle, much less the 2-way.
An EGR pipe or valve clogged with carbon soot won't allow much exhaust gas to recirculate. There's also a rather convoluted bunch of plumbing controlling the vacuum to that valve in the 49-state model.
I'm surprised no one asked.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
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I probably SHOULD know this, but I actually have no clue if the car is a California or 49 state car. To tell the truth, I didn't know there was a difference. How would one discover the answer to this question? Does it say right on the emissions label? As far as I know, the car was NOT purchased in California (most likely Oregon, although I can't say for sure). Sounds like this could be a problem.
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Every day, or nearly every day, on the Brickboard I learn something about my car specifically or 240's in general. Art, I would have bet $100 that my car was a California car but I see from the sticker you point out that it's really a 49 states model. I really should have known this. I probably have the info filed away somewhere. But it looks like in '80 US models there was no real difference anyway. I wonder why they continued to make the distinction.
Well, the sticker in my car isn't exactly like that one at VLVworld. The market designation (30) actually appears on the VIN plate. Or at least there's a number 30 on that plate and I'm making the assumption (got to watch out for that) that's what it stands for.
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'80 DL 2 dr
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Thank God for the edit this post feature. Otherwise I think all of my posts would be double posts because I alway hit return after enter the subject. This is a product of the way my email account works.
One day my brain will be able to encorporate it in.
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What email client do you use?
(no I really did read your post carefully)
The resistance readings mean next to nothing.
Cabbie's reply is a good suspect in my mind especially if this new behavior began immediately after you returned from the boneyard! Peel the (probably rotten) boot off of the connector and gently wiggle, cajole and finagle each wire trying to pull it back. If any do, fix the barb that keep it in the connector housing.
Examine each gold plated end for being clean and gapped such that they would squeeze that AMM pin tightly.
Put it back on the AMM, wiggle again, this time making sure you can't push any into the AMM. With the your original AMM connected, turn the ignition switch to position II (do not start the car) and measure the voltages on pins 1 and 2, black and green/yellow-- they should be ground or close to it.
Measure pin 5, orange - must be battery voltage. Measure pin 6, yellow, and write down the value (somewhere from 0-2.7V). Measure pin 3, white/red. A bad AMM might read about 1.1 while a working one may run 1.25-1.4. While reading this, disturb the air near the hot wire; wave your copy of Rolling at it. You will see the AMM respond with more output.
Now, turn off the ignition, swap in your boneyard meter and turn it back on. Don't even bother with the plumbing. Just compare the voltages. Do the Rolling test. If the mixture pot is already accessible, adjust it to match your original using the voltage you wrote down while you are measuring pin 6.
Could be, like Bob said, you have in your hands the reason someone got rid of a brick; tired of paying hundreds of bucks for AMMs. If you have a sizable vacuum leak behind the AMM, it will truly act like a bad one, because it can't measure all the air being drawn in. Unplugging and sending the ECU into limp home eliminates the need to measure all the air.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
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In regards to the email, I SSH into a unix machine at my work. So, in the Unix environment I end up using Pine. There is other stuff out there to use, like Eudora, but I am pretty happy with the bare bones approach of Pine.
But as far as my car is concerned. I did follow Cabbie's advice. I cleaned off the pins, put some dialectric grease on them, put the plug on, pulled back the boot to make sure everything was seated well, and then did resistance measurements through the back of the plug to make sure the values didn't change. The wiring harness is actually very good since I recently replaced it, so I don't worry about it at all. But the car still didn't start.
The good news is, I went by the PNP and found 2 AMMs. I picked the best one and headed home. It worked. I guess in my carelessness I must have burned out my old working AMM. The new AMM cost me $35, so it wasn't too painful.
I am glad I posted here though because I was thinking I would replace the ECU right off because I thought I knew my old AMM was good. But after reading the resonces and going through the archives here, I was reminded how robust the ECUs are and how gentle you have to be with the AMMs. So, not too much harm done in the end.
Thanks
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- Mike
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Well, that is great news, Mike. Fooled me; I don't know how you could have hurt the AMM.
But now you have the perfect opportunity to do a little post-mortem investigation, with one good and two funky AMMs. You could recheck those voltages, get familiar with the output test, and see for yourself how a good one differs from a bad one in circuit without even having the motor running.
I understand the returns perfectly. Not that I even know what Pine is; on unix I used to know mailx and elm. I've forgotten even those simple readers, so I just vi the mail file (usually /var/mail/root).
So was the AMM the fix to what you originally set out to work on?
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
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Uuhhhh.. You weren't supposed to bring that up. No sadly, the new AMM didn't fix the stumbling problem. My car has had this condition for a year or more. One of these days I will stumble onto the source of the stumbling. Eventually...
At least my car is running again. The stumbling problem isn't bad, it just nags at the shadetree mechanic in me.
What I think happened is the new one that I pulled from the PNP was bad, and then I accidentally blew my old working one by plugging it in while the ignition was in position 2. I am going to find out what exactly died when I did that. I looked at it for a minute and noticed the platinum filament is still good. It must be some of the electronics, the heater, or the temp sensor. I will know more after I disect it.
By the way, thanks for the info regarding the pin voltages and resistances in your previous post. That will come in handy when I am investigating.
Also, I used elm a long time ago. I think it is defunct now. Pine is just like elm. I can't remember what the differences are exactly because it has been so long but them being pretty much the same.
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- Mike
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Before dissection, I hope you will compare the operation. Maybe even compare those resistance readings so often used from the manual. Let us know. Truth is I've never seen an AMM that died because the wire broke.
Once you do get one apart you will immediately think of your friend (in my case a brother) who works with hybrid microcircuits.
Oh, and the stumbling-- not sure of the circumstances but I'll throw out these recent experiences: vacuum check valve for cabin vent actuators, brake booster check valve. Just in case you were just about to test them. Edit - never mind, I see your stumble is at idle, not accel.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
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It really was not my intention to make anyone feel bad about not being born knowing everything about everything. I apologize.
Alex had it in the chart he posted-- there are two standards in 79, as well as most other years I guess: California and the rest of the US, sometimes called 49-state or Federal. I think California is sometimes called "50-state" from which I gather means if it is good enough for CA it is good enough for anyone.
There should be a white label on the left shock tower describing the emissions specs.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
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It's difficult to say without knowing the history or mileage of the car but if it's been well cared for you have a better shot at getting it in compliance.
If I were in your place I would first set the basic idle spec. Sfraser is on the right track (timing, mixture, etc.). I'm always singing this song here but it's something that can go ignored for a long time on older 240's and it will affect the car's emissions. Look at this info: http://www.mvpvolvo.com/content/documents/setting%20base%20idle%20CIS.doc
If you or someone you know can do these things (skip step #6 as it doesn't apply to your car) it would be a first step in the right direction. And it might be all you need.
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'80 DL 2 dr
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Thanks for the advice bulletproof. Sorry that I forgot the mileage, that is one thing that is pretty important. It has about 270,000 miles, actually a little more because the odometer is funky and will sometimes not work. As far as prior maintanence, I've only had the car about 2.5 years, which is not much of its 25 year lifetime! Since I've had it I've replaced the plug wires, the plugs, the air filter and the distributer cap (along with new brake pads and rotors, a new alternator and a new Interstate battery). I also change the oil every 3000 miles with whatever is cheap!
As far as the previous owner(s), I can only infer from the condition of the car when I got it (which is not the best way to determine maintenence, I know). When I got the car it had all new belts, all new hoses, and a new exhaust from the cat back. The fluids were all okay but nothing spectacular. It had been in a front end wreck about a year before I got it, and the repair wasn't as great as it could be, but as far as I can tell, all the problems were cosmetic (hood a slightly different color, etc). The previous owner didn't keep any records or receipts, which is not the best sign, but the car was 400 bucks so I said "what the heck".
So basically, in conclusion, I would say the car's history is so-so. Doesn't look like it was totally abused, but I don't think it was babied either.
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When you said your car had a cat I made the assumption that it must be a California car and therefore has an O2 sensor ('cause that's the delusion that I have labored under until now) but I see on Alex' chart that it's not neccessarily the case. My earlier advice may not be completely applicable to your car. But I still think the rich condition probably lies with the base idle mixture. At any rate, that needs to be correct before diagnosing other problems.
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'80 DL 2 dr
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Yeah, I wish my 79 had an 02 sensor or just the hole for one. I've got it in my mind to pull the headpipe and weld on a bung.
On the back of the manifold, probably where yours is, I have an EGR pipe with a fitting that looks like the M18 1.5(?) needed for an O2, but now you know how far I went to try it. The two manifolds are different.
Last emissions go-round I had with the car was OK on NOx, but too rich, so I backed the 3mm screw about one flat to get it passed. I hate trying to go by ear, when retests cost money. I think my 79 is the same as California's newest Volvo owner's.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
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I would do the stuff on that list and see what happens. You'll need a DVOM that also measures duty cycle and a long 3mm allen wrench as well as a new throttle body gasket. The Bentley manual also has good directions on the actual CO adjustment procedure even though it's for turbo engine cars. But it still applies to the earlier K-jet cars. If your oxygen sensor is bad they cost around $20 if you want to splice the wire or maybe $30 for one with the complete wire already attached.
Putting the rubber intake bellows back on is a pain. For an easier installation see Foster's method in this previous post.
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'80 DL 2 dr
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California has a program that will pay you $500 dollars toward the repair of your vehicle to make it pass smog. This happened to me a few years ago. They send you a form you take it to a authorized station. They replaced my CAT and the O2 sensor and my vehicle is now clean. The charges came to $520. So $20 ut of my pocket.
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Simon 80 240 300k 17 years. 'White Lightning'
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Thanks for the help sfraser, but unfortunatly that program does not apply to cars being registered for the first time from out-of-state. You must currently have a car that is registered in California, which mine is not (Oregon). It sounds like a great program though, and might come in handy a couple of years down the road!
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If I can get my '77 244 to pass Oregon emissions, with out a Cat. Converter, you can get your '79 to pass, once you make the proper adjustments.
I personally don't have a remedy for you, but I'm just posting to say that you shouldn't worry so much about it. The solution will be posted.
What would you say your mechanical abilities are? You can probably fix it your self. The 240 is a very easy car to work on.
I would suggest you post the entire report. That's usually helpful.
Good luck.
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If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as "Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!"
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Thanks for the advice, hear to tempt you. Strangely enough, I just moved from Oregon. I would say my mechanical abilities are moderate. I can do basic tune-up stuff, minor mechanical fixes, and am usually pretty good at diagnosing problems, but I don't have much experience with major mechanical problems. (I've been putting off fixing the blower motor for 2.5 years because I didn't want to pay anyone to do it, but the process seemed a little daunting for me to try on my own!)
Here is the entire test result, for anyone who might want to take a gander at it.
HC(PPM) CO(%) NO(PPM)
15MPH. MAX ALLOWED 214 MEASURED 242 MAX 1.36 MEASURED .64 MAX 1364 MEASURED 2908
25MPH. MAX ALLOWED 181 MEASURED 230 MAX 1.16 MEASURED .73 MAX 1224 MEASURED 2327
As you can see, I failed pretty miserably, especially with the NO, which is more than double the limit! I knew I was running a little rich, but had no idea it was this bad. The car runs just fine, with no major problems at all. On the plus side, at least the CO numbers are great!
Still hoping there's an easy solution. Thanks everyone.
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The blower motor job isn't impossible, just a lot of work.
I'm sure you could do it, but like I said, it's just a lot of work.
Hell, I did it on my wagon before I even had a license to drive! (At the time, it wasn't my wagon...) At the time, I knew just about nothing when it came to these cars.
After our record breaking low temps in January of this year, I sure am glad that the motor did get switched out. I don't know how I would have survived in those temps during the 40 minute daily drive I had at the time.
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If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as "Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!"
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the manual says that the possible causes for high NO are
1) Lean mixture
2) Timing is too advanced
3) Bad Cat
The blower motor change is a good one. My heater core also sprung a leak so I had no choice. The hardest thing was that I did not mark the wires carefully while I was tearing stuff apart like a mad man. I did it without taking off the dash though I hear that it is easier with the dash off.
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Simon 80 240 300k 17 years. 'White Lightning'
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Does the '79 have a Cat?
Reason I ask is because my '77 does not. I don't know what year they became standard...
At least I know for sure that O2 sensors didn't become standard until 1980 (except for cars from California which had them earlier.)
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If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as "Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!"
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I don't know if it was standard equipment in '79 (I'm assuming it was--don't know who would add one on!), but I know that it has one currently. I climbed under the car to take a look at it, and from a visual inspection it looks good, but I'm guessing a visual inspection tells you close to nothing about what the inside looks like.
Another note: the car seemed to be getting pretty bad gas mileage (in the mid teens, with three speed autobox), which I always just attributed to old age/heavy car/automatic, etc..., but I now realize must be abnormal. Could this point to timing that is too far advanced, and causing both the bad mileage and the really high NO?
Finally, can someone reccommend a good Volvo indy in the central Orange County area? (I live in southern Santa Ana) Thanks again everyone!
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I've posted a nicer looking HTML table to the board before, but here's a scanned in image of what kind of smog equipment to expect on a 240:
http://blarf.homeip.net/gallery/Volvo200/200smoggear
The mileage you get from your car depends on the type of driving you do. With a three speed auto, and lots of high speed driving, I wouldn't be surprised at 15mpg.
Anyways.. has the car had a new catalytic converter put on recently? If so, I bet they put a two way (not one that reduces the oxides of nitrogen). A new three way cat will almost surely clean up the exhaust enough to pass a smog test, but it's likely that a cat alone will not solve the problem.
Aside from all the tune-up stuff (new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, run some injector cleaner through the engine, oxygen sensor, etc), you'll want to check the fuel mixture and the timing. Once everything looks good, then you should put a new cat and proceed to a smog test station.
Also, replace any rubber vacuum hoses you can see. K-Jet is really fiddly and sensitive to unmetered air entering the engine. Vacuum hose is cheap, and usually easy to replace.
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alex
'89 765T, 177,8xx mi
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The last place I took mine to is called Ital Mechanica in Huntington Beach. One of the mechanics had his own 300k mile 240 so he knows 240s. 714 893 5096
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Simon 80 240 300k 17 years. 'White Lightning'
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