Beater Volvo 240 and it's quest against the odds to visit all 50 states
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Mine is weak af, but strong enough for what I'm doing. If I find a deal on a 93+ engine near me, I'll scoop it it up though. Mine has the 9mm rods which will have no problem sawing my block in half if I get any detonation with boost.
The 93+ isn't forged, but they have oil squirters for the pistons, and I believe both the NA and T versions have 13mm rods. I would also not be scared to throw h-beams in this one and just call it a day. Red blocks are about as forgiving in terms of oil clearances and balance as an SBC, so you can kind of just slap them together.
I'm just gonna let the cat out of the bag. I love turbos. That's why I have three cars with turbos. However, I'm also a strange human who likes to punish/reward himself with bizarre concoctions. Putting a factory boosty boi on any car would be too mainstream for me, so I'm thinking it'll be quite the fleet of misfits to have a turbo on a 3800 and an M90 on a red block.
As-is, it will fit about as terribly as a big block in an MG. Mounting this mammoth under the uncut hood is going to be a big challenge. I probably should have gotten an M62, but this Gen V was only $60 and 3800 is life even when red block is also life. ?
I refuse to loose the AC in this car, and converting red blocks over to a serpentine set-up is no simple or cheap task. I'm thinking that I'm just going to add a pulley to the end of the stock damper. Will the crank snout appreciate that? I asked this guy. He said it was fiiiine.
While I love this car for its uniqueness, I am not building a drift car. I still want to take road trips. and cruise around. It's just nice to know that somebody managed to make a very mild red-block survive a lot of abuse with all that extra load on the snout.
He made some sort of fancy damper with a ford smog pump pulley. These dampers have an issue with slipping on the rubber so his pulley mounted solid to the crank. I don't think I'll be doing the same, but I'll get a brand new damper to play with just in case. I would get a solid pulley if anybody made one that was stock sized and flat on it's face, but I'm unwilling to sacrifice the performance of my other accessories at low rpm. The alternators and AC compressors are already terrible. They certainly shouldn't be under driven on a street car.
Why do I need a flat face? I have a pulley that I think will work just about perfectly with a little bit of measuring, drilling, and tapping of the stock damper. Spare GN parts to the rescue!
Neat
I haven't actually measured, but the GN pulley is only a slight bit smaller than the L67 balancer, which means that I should be capable of making plenty of boost with a stock or larger SC pulley. Keep in mind that this engine only has a displacement of 2.3L! I don't have a picture, but that lip damn near perfectly centers this pulley on the Volvo damper without V-belt interference.
I'm waaayyyyy TF ahead of myself by even thinking about this stuff, but I need to get some sort of automotive excitement in my life! It's hard to even have goals or be excited about the Camaro when I'm getting continually fucked by big companies. I still plan to fix floors, rockers, seats, and gaskets before I truly pursue any more Volvo performance stuff. Even then, the first steps will be getting the car running as-is on Microsquirt, build another red block with H-beams, and swap the trans over to an AW71L. (beefier Volvo Automatic with lock-up converter) In the process I will be forcing myself to buy a TIG welder and possibly a mini lathe.
In other words, don't get excited. This is all still in the maybe 5-year plan. lol
As-is, it will fit about as terribly as a big block in an MG. Mounting this mammoth under the uncut hood is going to be a big challenge. I probably should have gotten an M62, but this Gen V was only $60 and 3800 is life even when red block is also life. ?
I refuse to loose the AC in this car, and converting red blocks over to a serpentine set-up is no simple or cheap task. I'm thinking that I'm just going to add a pulley to the end of the stock damper. Will the crank snout appreciate that? I asked this guy. He said it was fiiiine.
While I love this car for its uniqueness, I am not building a drift car. I still want to take road trips. and cruise around. It's just nice to know that somebody managed to make a very mild red-block survive a lot of abuse with all that extra load on the snout.
He made some sort of fancy damper with a ford smog pump pulley. These dampers have an issue with slipping on the rubber so his pulley mounted solid to the crank. I don't think I'll be doing the same, but I'll get a brand new damper to play with just in case. I would get a solid pulley if anybody made one that was stock sized and flat on it's face, but I'm unwilling to sacrifice the performance of my other accessories at low rpm. The alternators and AC compressors are already terrible. They certainly shouldn't be under driven on a street car.
Why do I need a flat face? I have a pulley that I think will work just about perfectly with a little bit of measuring, drilling, and tapping of the stock damper. Spare GN parts to the rescue!
Neat
I haven't actually measured, but the GN pulley is only a slight bit smaller than the L67 balancer, which means that I should be capable of making plenty of boost with a stock or larger SC pulley. Keep in mind that this engine only has a displacement of 2.3L! I don't have a picture, but that lip damn near perfectly centers this pulley on the Volvo damper without V-belt interference.
I'm waaayyyyy TF ahead of myself by even thinking about this stuff, but I need to get some sort of automotive excitement in my life! It's hard to even have goals or be excited about the Camaro when I'm getting continually fucked by big companies. I still plan to fix floors, rockers, seats, and gaskets before I truly pursue any more Volvo performance stuff. Even then, the first steps will be getting the car running as-is on Microsquirt, build another red block with H-beams, and swap the trans over to an AW71L. (beefier Volvo Automatic with lock-up converter) In the process I will be forcing myself to buy a TIG welder and possibly a mini lathe.
In other words, don't get excited. This is all still in the maybe 5-year plan. lol
I wish. I was actually approached by my fiance as I was typing that all out because she was concerned about the number of ongoing projects I had. ? I have some gorgeous weather today, so I'm planning on at least knocking out some of the smaller ones around the house.
Cars come last right now though. The 240 kinda runs like poo due that assumed vacuum leak, and we're still relying on it as a daily. I don't even want to think about the possibility of having so much cylinder taper that the engine doesn't make vacuum to begin with... Oof.. I'll consider that later. Right now I'm building a 4' UV lamp bracket for an aquarium.
I replaced all the intake seals today. I can't say it went well yet, but we'll get to that. The day started with the observance of a broken distributor cap. It's only a year and half old, but those spring clamps sure are tough to get on.
Gross cold start injector. That sealing o-ring was as hard as a rock too.
That's better. New copper seals were used too.
While I was here, I wanted to replace the gauge temp sender and crimp a new terminal on the wire. I've said "I got it!" like three times already, but I'm pretty sure this will finally do the trick. Grounding the old terminal right to the block would peg the gauge, so I know it's not a gauge issue or anything like that.
I cleaned the flame trap as well.
...and the throttle body.
I thought this was kind of funny. What I'm showing you is WOT. The linkage jam nuts were loose this whole time which allowed the rod to relax. I decided to fix that too. Maybe the car will run better.
There we go.
It's all back together now, but I can't take a celebratory "done" picture. The car doesn't run now.
I was a bit exhausted from all the heat and leaning over, so I took a break. All I know is that I do not have spark on my tester at number one or on the coil wire. I apparently lost my noid light so that's cool. I don't have any fuel leaks, so I guess that's a win assuming that my pumps are even coming on. Sigh. I hear them working with the fuse jumping trick though, and it would be really bad luck for them to stop now. For now, I'm going to guess that it's the crank sensor circuit. The wires have always looked like crap and I probably pinched them with the intake during removal/installation.
It could be the TPS too since I messed with the throttle linkage and had to reset it. I'll check later.
Gross cold start injector. That sealing o-ring was as hard as a rock too.
That's better. New copper seals were used too.
While I was here, I wanted to replace the gauge temp sender and crimp a new terminal on the wire. I've said "I got it!" like three times already, but I'm pretty sure this will finally do the trick. Grounding the old terminal right to the block would peg the gauge, so I know it's not a gauge issue or anything like that.
I cleaned the flame trap as well.
...and the throttle body.
I thought this was kind of funny. What I'm showing you is WOT. The linkage jam nuts were loose this whole time which allowed the rod to relax. I decided to fix that too. Maybe the car will run better.
There we go.
It's all back together now, but I can't take a celebratory "done" picture. The car doesn't run now.
I was a bit exhausted from all the heat and leaning over, so I took a break. All I know is that I do not have spark on my tester at number one or on the coil wire. I apparently lost my noid light so that's cool. I don't have any fuel leaks, so I guess that's a win assuming that my pumps are even coming on. Sigh. I hear them working with the fuse jumping trick though, and it would be really bad luck for them to stop now. For now, I'm going to guess that it's the crank sensor circuit. The wires have always looked like crap and I probably pinched them with the intake during removal/installation.
It could be the TPS too since I messed with the throttle linkage and had to reset it. I'll check later.
Just kidding. I made that last post on turbobricks a couple hours ago. I'm not checking later. I already checked.
As you can see, I had to finally whip out the manual and do some things in the OBD system that I've never had to do before. I don't know about you, but I get tickled by the crude ways of 80s and early 90s EFI diagnostics. I was wierdly excited to try this out.
First, I checked to see if my TPS was reset correctly.
Then the CPS check. There it is!
I'm happy to know what's wrong, but also pissed that I'll probably need to pull the intake off again to fix it. I also don't know if I'll get parts in time for vacation next week. I'll get to researching.
As you can see, I had to finally whip out the manual and do some things in the OBD system that I've never had to do before. I don't know about you, but I get tickled by the crude ways of 80s and early 90s EFI diagnostics. I was wierdly excited to try this out.
First, I checked to see if my TPS was reset correctly.
Then the CPS check. There it is!
I'm happy to know what's wrong, but also pissed that I'll probably need to pull the intake off again to fix it. I also don't know if I'll get parts in time for vacation next week. I'll get to researching.
It's not looking good. If I need to replace the entire harness with a new one, I'm looking at a 3-4 week lead time. That means no vacation or bachelor party duties. I would also need to car pool to work or borrow a car again. I can get a used harness for less than half the price on ebay, but that sure is a lot of work for something that's going to be ripped out for my 5-year plan. Or I can just get the turbo harness, and plan to run the supercharger on a stock turbo LH ECU. That would be wild and less of a headache, but also far from ideal. lol
I should probably just throw another Hail Mary on a used NA harness. I've said it myself, the supercharger isn't happening any time soon.
I should probably just throw another Hail Mary on a used NA harness. I've said it myself, the supercharger isn't happening any time soon.
lol That was basically my mood as I typed my last post.
Then I took a shot in the dark. I asked the guy I was buying parts from if he by chance had an LH2.4 harness in good shape. He has a parts car in TX. The genius/Samaritan said he would rip his engine harness apart and just send me the crank harness. That would be the perfect solution since I could then get away with taking nothing apart except the ECM connector, clipping the old pigtail, and running a crank harness separate from the engine loom. Let's hope that works out.
Then I took a shot in the dark. I asked the guy I was buying parts from if he by chance had an LH2.4 harness in good shape. He has a parts car in TX. The genius/Samaritan said he would rip his engine harness apart and just send me the crank harness. That would be the perfect solution since I could then get away with taking nothing apart except the ECM connector, clipping the old pigtail, and running a crank harness separate from the engine loom. Let's hope that works out.
I'm an idiot, but a lucky idiot. The damaged wires were on the sensor side, not the harness side.
The wires weren't broken in the car, but the condition/disappearance of the shielding and insulation was the same. Needless to say, the crank sensor got it running again.
Holy hell. The car runs so damn smooth and quiet now that I feel like I just lost all the redblock charm! I've never driven one that was so refined. It's almost too boring now. Should I move the supercharger up the priority list?
Not yet. My seat rebuild with free band aids did not hold up very long, but at least gave me the confidence I needed to try it again with new expensive stuff. PSA: Gluing foam back together with t-shirt welds only lasts about 4 months. I'm pinching the frame n this pic.
Here's the part where I hope to god that these new covers and foam are cut nicely enough to go on easily.
The wires weren't broken in the car, but the condition/disappearance of the shielding and insulation was the same. Needless to say, the crank sensor got it running again.
Holy hell. The car runs so damn smooth and quiet now that I feel like I just lost all the redblock charm! I've never driven one that was so refined. It's almost too boring now.
Should I move the supercharger up the priority list?Not yet. My seat rebuild with free band aids did not hold up very long, but at least gave me the confidence I needed to try it again with new expensive stuff. PSA: Gluing foam back together with t-shirt welds only lasts about 4 months. I'm pinching the frame n this pic.
Here's the part where I hope to god that these new covers and foam are cut nicely enough to go on easily.
Three. +, -, and the bare shielding wire. It's a weak analog signal, so it's probably pretty sensitive to noise.
I got my work out for the day. Fitting fresh and tight seat covers over fresh and loose foam is a fucking chore. The fancy new seat heaters are not super easy to work with either.
There is so much more wiring in there now, but these will be a lot more powerful than the stock ones and have two settings! The nifty little switch drops into place of one of the stock height adjuster holes so you can't see it, but it's rigid and easily accessed.
Driver side done!
I had a casualty though, and boy was I cussing! On my first attempt I cut the holes for the neck savers much too soon thinking that I was not going to easily locate them after installation. Instead of on top of the seat, they ended up on the back. ? Anybody know of a good place that can patch, texture match, and color match the vinyl? I took my GN seats to Riggs Bros a few years back and was super impressed, but I heard that they've gone downhill since then.
There is so much more wiring in there now, but these will be a lot more powerful than the stock ones and have two settings! The nifty little switch drops into place of one of the stock height adjuster holes so you can't see it, but it's rigid and easily accessed.
Driver side done!
I had a casualty though, and boy was I cussing! On my first attempt I cut the holes for the neck savers much too soon thinking that I was not going to easily locate them after installation. Instead of on top of the seat, they ended up on the back. ? Anybody know of a good place that can patch, texture match, and color match the vinyl? I took my GN seats to Riggs Bros a few years back and was super impressed, but I heard that they've gone downhill since then.
Damn, that seat's lookin good. Minus the oops of course...
Glad to hear got the wiring figured out and didn't need to go scorched earth w/ the harness!
Glad to hear got the wiring figured out and didn't need to go scorched earth w/ the harness!
Thanks! Yeah, it sucks that I have a worthless cover and a seat that doesn't match now. I don't think I was going to get to the passenger seat any time soon anyway, but that's kind of a done deal now. Lol
I've been neglecting the hell out of this thread. Unfortunately, I have much good to report.
The car went to and from Michigan twice in the last couple weeks. It did it, but very poorly. Gas mileage was still awful, and cruise control simply doesn't work on the interstate anymore.
We are at 233,5xx miles right now, but we won't be clocking more for some time. I just got done changing the oil, so I started the engine. For some reason this came with a decent pop and a fire ball. It burned for a solid 20 seconds while I failed to get to the extinguisher. ?
I'm guessing that something in the distributor arced which ignited some brake cleaner. This caused the cap to pop off the dizzy and start a fire along the top of the intake manifold.
While the damage is honestly not bad at all, I'm so done with this thing. My first 240 was the most rewarding car I ever had, and this one is by far the least. So strange.
Anyway, I don't trust this car one bit. I'm going to try cancelling my outstanding orders and look for a new daily. I still don't think I'm giving up completely, but my old plans for boosting the B230 are probably over. ☹
The car went to and from Michigan twice in the last couple weeks. It did it, but very poorly. Gas mileage was still awful, and cruise control simply doesn't work on the interstate anymore.
We are at 233,5xx miles right now, but we won't be clocking more for some time. I just got done changing the oil, so I started the engine. For some reason this came with a decent pop and a fire ball. It burned for a solid 20 seconds while I failed to get to the extinguisher. ?
I'm guessing that something in the distributor arced which ignited some brake cleaner. This caused the cap to pop off the dizzy and start a fire along the top of the intake manifold.
While the damage is honestly not bad at all, I'm so done with this thing. My first 240 was the most rewarding car I ever had, and this one is by far the least. So strange.
Anyway, I don't trust this car one bit. I'm going to try cancelling my outstanding orders and look for a new daily. I still don't think I'm giving up completely, but my old plans for boosting the B230 are probably over. ☹
Thanks. I'm extremely happy that I was prepared because that easily could have taken out my garage within a few minutes. The fire extinguisher was handy enough that the fire didn't cause any serious damage to the car either, but it was a certainly a big heavy wrench thrown at my ego.
We are going to do some serious Rav4 Hybrid shopping while I thrash to get the Camaro roadworthy again. I haven't asked the lady yet (too fresh) about keeping the 240 yet. Once the Camaro is done, I'd like to put the GN away early and get started on an engine swap. I'm honestly considering a 3800. I have a bunch of parts to do it already, and NA 3.8s are cheap AF. We'll see. In a couple weeks, we might decide that this car has already consumed way too much of my time.
Things got a little crazy/spontaneous/expensive last night. We ended up buying a brand new car to relieve the 240 of it's duties.
Frankly, I'm relieved as hell. It's funny what growing up does. The college version of myself would call me a quitter, but the 240 won this battle. After a lot of thought, the car just isn't worth what I'm putting forth anymore. We got a 245 thinking it would be a very simple car to repair, daily, and take on road trips. While it IS simple, it needs a lot just like anything else this old with this many miles on it. With the other needy non-daily cars in my fleet, I just don't quite see how a 240 fits into the mix anymore.
I hate saying this, but I think I'm going to get this thing running again and list it. I won't be cutting anybody a deal, but I will be looking forward to spending more time/money on the Camaro.
Frankly, I'm relieved as hell. It's funny what growing up does. The college version of myself would call me a quitter, but the 240 won this battle. After a lot of thought, the car just isn't worth what I'm putting forth anymore. We got a 245 thinking it would be a very simple car to repair, daily, and take on road trips. While it IS simple, it needs a lot just like anything else this old with this many miles on it. With the other needy non-daily cars in my fleet, I just don't quite see how a 240 fits into the mix anymore.
I hate saying this, but I think I'm going to get this thing running again and list it. I won't be cutting anybody a deal, but I will be looking forward to spending more time/money on the Camaro.
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