1985 240 GL 2.3 camshaft is busted

Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone could relay their experiences
regarding when a camshaft snaps. My friend's 240GL has
310000kms on it, and it died on him. Since he just bought
the car, he wants to fix it.

What would the cost of replacing the camshaft be? (Parts,
I would do the labour). Also, are there any quirky things
to know before attempting this job? What else should be
done at the same time (possibly already worn out).

Any thoughts are appreciated. Post to the group, or email
me at loewen_t at yahoo.ca.

Thanks
Terry

 

Can't help with costs(parts prices where you are, are probably very
different to where I am!), but Volvo is *not* Swedish for cheap!
You ought to lift the Head to check for damage to valves, head, block or
pistons before buying any parts. If you need to replace a few valves, or
find that a broken valve head has been rattling around inside a cylinder
taking chunks out of the piston or cylinder walls, then a secondhand
replacement engine may be a cheaper alternative.
HTH

 

The camshaft is not a part that normally ever shows wear on that engine,
so if it's broken, I'd imagine there was an oiling problem to one (or
more) of the bearings, which seized, casing the breakage. Then, you
need to figure out why. (Is the oil feed to the head
blocked/obstructed?) The cam runs in the head without any bearing
shells etc., so you'll probably need a new/rebuilt head at minimum. If
you're just changing the cam, it's not much more than remove valve cover
and timing belt then remove camshaft. There's a tool to hold the cam
down while removing the bearing caps, but it's not necessary, just
tighten (and loosen for removal) each cap a little at a time.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

NOTE: new address!!
Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

It had a pretty major oil leak about 2 months ago, which
has since been fixed. However, could he have created a
problem in the mean time, by letting the oil get too low?
And perhaps its just taken this long to finally break?

t

 

The B230 or B21 depending on the year, is a non-interference engine which
means you won't have any damage.I'm assuming that you are not the original
owner, but someone has not done preventive maintance on the car like regular
3000 mile oil changes. Decide how much you want to spend, because you have 2
options. The first is to replace the cam shaft.Then Plastigauge the cam to
see how much wear the old cam caused. If it isout of limits, the head will
need replacing. Clean the oil passages. A guitar string works good for that.
The second alternative is to get a junk yard head. In this case, try to find
one that has maintaince records. If it was serviced by a dealership, chances
are good that the head is in good condition. Hope this helps.

 

Anything's possible. It doesn't take very long to look at, and it's
obvious if there's been an oiling problem. Pull the cam out and see.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

NOTE: new address!!
Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)