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I have been trying to replace the air filter in my girlfriend's 1990 240DL and I can't get the air box cover off. There should be 4 clips you unlatch and then the cover will just pull away, right? There are 2 clips I can find right on the top sides, but the cover seems to be attached still at the bottom. Whenever I feel around to try and find the other two, it seems like there is nothing there. What is going on here? Just wondering where the two last clips are located? Maybe some pictures would help?
Thanks a lot!
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I say to check the tac for a reason as it is illegal to remove any emmission control devices here in California. We all know what I was getting at and my post gives you directions how to modify the airbox very quickly.
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Hi. Legalities aside....
Do the examienrs actually bother to open the air box (in light of our earlier discussion about how difficult it is to change a filter) to look inside?
Or is having the pre-heat hose intact enough to satisfy them?
Just wondering.
Thanks.
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The regular smog examiners don't open the box. We do have BAR inspectors that only inspect cars and if they see anything fishy, they might. If you have a cracked hose from the manifold to the air box, they will fail you even if it has tape on it. California has serious emission laws and we use dynomometers to run the test. The HC, CO and Nox emission parameters are strick. Your fuel injection and spark system have to be working just right to pass. Volvo's fail for cracked header pipes all the time. They even test your gas cap.
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re: "...California has serious emission laws and we use dynomometers to run the test. The HC, CO and Nox emission parameters are strick [sic].... They even test your gas cap...."
Same here in N.J., dynomometer (treadmill) testing on 2WD cars (RWD or FWD, but not with 4WD, AWD, or RWD with electronic antislip); and here, too, they test our gas caps for proper sealing gaskets.
My '84 long ago lost (I pulled it out :-) it's preheater hose, and they pass it probably only because the techs don't know enough to realize that it should be there. My two '93 240's have their hoses, in good condition, but they only lead to a blocked connection (as I described previously) in the air filter box.
These are the requirements for passing for a 1984 car (and my '84 240's actual results):
NOx: 1227 (33)
HC: 162 (27)
CO: 0.91 (.02)
CO2: n/a (14.7)
Do you know whether CA's standards are stricter than these? I'd like to know, to compare CA to N.J.
Thanks.
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First, re 1984GL's comments about checking the thermostat, something that I always recommend is to rip out (literally take a hack saw and cut out) that whole flapper mechanism -- just unbolt the airbox (one bolt releases it from the bulkhead beside the radiator) and start sawing. The problem is that you never know when it's going to fail, so checking it when you change the air filter isn't adequate -- too infrequent -- and when it does fail, it will cook (i.e., destroy) your very expensive AMM ($300+). So after removing that entire "flapper" mechanism, I like to cut a little circle out of sheet aluminum (roof "flashing"), glue it (marine 3M5200 is very good) over the hole to the heater hose, and then -- if you want -- spray paint it black. This keeps the appearance (for emissions examiners) of remaining intact, even if they peek inside (which they won't), but it also ensures that the only air coming into the air box is from in front of the radiator rather than behind, which is the coolest source of air. I've started up my cars (thus modified) in countless icy mornings in New England ski country, and have never had any drivability ("icing") problems.
And about Art's comments about Quickie-Lube places, just DON'T!!! I'm also on a few Mercedes owners lists, and I can't tell you how many times folks have sadly reported real disasters from having used them. Examples include:
(1) the boys (I won't dare call the techs) stripped the threads from the drain plug and it dropped out, along with the crankcase of oil, somewhere down the road;
(2) or they took it upon themselves to replace the screw-in original drain plug with a rubber plug (ostensibly to make future oil changes faster), which also falls off down the road
(3) they forgot to do any number of other critical steps, leaving the car to be damaged as it's driven down the road.
They're all about *speed*, and that's apt to result in mistakes. Don't ever consider using them for anything!
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Remove the whole box and blow it out with air. If you have air tools it comes out very quickly and its much smarter to do it this way so you can check your tac, (thermostatically controlled air cleaner). It should be open to cold air only so you don't kill your AMM, (air mass meter). They get stuck in the hot air or exhaust position and that kills the AMM. You can remove the sensor and take the silver push rod out. Replace it with a longer nail so it won't move and will only keep the flap open to cold air. This is something that every new Volvo owner should check when they get a new 240 or if they get a new girl friend that owns one. Some people like to just replace the sensor if they live in very cold weather to prevent throttle plate icing.
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Same car, same problem when I tried. With the air filter in place, the air box does not want to slide up once the top two clips are unfastened. Ended up having to remove the small plastic intake elbow right before the AMM. Simple to do with a standard screwdriver, takes about an extra 5 minutes, but easier than wrestling with the air box.
Matt
1990 240 Sedan
Unknown miles (don't care, it runs)
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I've had 240's for 25 years. When they went to the new F.I. systems that included an AMM (in contrast to, e.g., the '80 245), it got harder to access the air filter box.
There are only two clips, not four as you expected. The two top clips are accompanied by two "pegs" that fit into slots at the bottom of the box (where you can't see them). Always be sure those pegs are properly inserted in the slots when you close the air filter box, or you will leave a gaping hole that will render your filter useless.
The best way, as Matt first suggested, is to loosen the bolt on the AMM, then loosen the rings on the air duct elbow, and slip the elbow off both of its ends and put it aside. Then you have easy access to the filter box, and can be sure you're installing the filter and closing the cover properly. Then reverse the process. Although this takes a little longer, I like being able to see that the whole air filter box cover is properly in place -- it's worth the extra few minutes.
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Hi Ken,
When not milking the job, that's pretty much how I do it. I would just like to add an observation I've made:
The exact position of the clamp over the elbow on the input end of the AMM has an influence on the AMM's position. Not much, but enough to possibly change the way the corrugated flex tube (AMM accordion hose) is carefully positioned so it doesn't rub on the fender wall, battery cable or canister hoses.
Sometimes I think the quickie-lube folks should avoid the 240 air filter altogether.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
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No big deal, just unclip the two you see and the bottom is held by peg/feet. Pull the top out a bit then pull up on the box lid and it will come off/up.
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If you remove the fan cowl (the big semi-circular plastic cover above the fan) - it's held by screws at the top - all should be revealed.
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Wow, I love hearing how people address the 200 air filter. This is how most of the guys I know do them:
Take the one screw out of the MAF that anchors it to the fender.
Pop the two clips and lean the cover back towards the firewall
Grab the old filter and yank it out.
Take the new filter and put a little something slippery, like grease, on the lower edge of it where it has to pop in at the bottom.
With the cover pushed as far back as it will go, stuff the new filter all the way in.
It will not go in at the bottom so take either a long screwdriver or your arm and reach down there and push it into the little groove that it goes into the lid.
Put it back together, 5 minutes tops, 2 minutes if you've done it once before.
The trick is not to take the lid out of the groove that it goes into at the bottom, if you do you might as well take the whole darn lid out, install the filter in the lid and then install the lid/filter assembly back onto the front of the box.
Mark
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Hi Mark,
Nice trick with the grease.
I see the little elbow pipe cracked up so often, I have to believe this is the result of quick-lube air filter replacements.
My problem, is I can't stop with the air filter. Seems like I change the thermostat twice as often as the filter anyway. Once that comes out, there's the clean up under and around the box, which isn't all that difficult to pull loose from any yet-connected pre-heat pipe and lift clean out with its upper clamp removed.
That provides a good look at the battery tray, inviting some more clean-up and puttering. Might as well attend to the lighting grounds and that headlight connector. Hmmm. I wouldn't last a day in your business.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
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That is true too. There are your kind of guys in my business but they are usually old timers at the dealerships that have been there since day one and are hobby shopping it hard. But hey, there's a place for everyone and the old timers usually have a pretty steady clientele.
Mark
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