240 smoke under hood - not oil leak

Discussion in 'Volvo 240' started by ingastewart, Mar 5, 2006.

  1. ingastewart

    ingastewart Guest

    My 1985 240 has high miles, so maybe this is a belt problem, but I don't
    know. Smoke comes from where the crank shaft (I don't even know if I'm
    using the right terminology here) goes forward to meet the belts - toward
    the front center under the hood. It's most noticeable when first running
    after car has been sitting for a while.

    Belts look okay to me, but I really don't have a clue. There's no
    screaching sound, but I do hear a fluttering sound which is also
    noticeable when first starting up, then goes away. Both symptoms seem to
    have started around the same time. Wonder if these are related.

    Any ideas, anyone? Thanks so much for imput.
     
    ingastewart, Mar 5, 2006
    #1
  2. ingastewart

    User Guest

    The crankshaft damper pulley is defective. The outer sheave set is a
    press fit over a rubber sleev to the hub. When they get older the rubber
    shrinks and the sheaves spin reluctantly over the rubber causing smoke.
    Once the rubber heats up the whole mess sticks together for a while and
    then repeats the process over again each time the car sits long enough
    for the parts to cool. Eventually the sheave section will just fall off
    and all the lights on the dash will come on. You will lose operation of
    the water pump, alternator, power steering and air conditioning if
    equipped. Usually the pulley just falls off toward the motor as the car
    is moving, however if it falls off during braking it can damage the
    radiator. I'd get it fixed fairly soon.

    Bob



    -- The goal when driving is to miss the maximum number of objects.
     
    User, Mar 5, 2006
    #2
  3. It happened to our 765T when my wife was tooling around town. Imagine her
    surprise to see a big chunk of her car rolling into the ditch behind her
    after the lights came on and the steering got heavy!

    Mike
     
    Michael Pardee, Mar 5, 2006
    #3
  4. ingastewart

    ingastewart Guest

    Thanks very much to the two good people who replied. I just looked under my
    hood again this morning, and I see that coolant is collecting (in a little
    pool) on top of the case, just behind the fan and below the housing for
    what I assume is a concealed belt. (Is that the timing belt? Again, I
    really don't know a thing about car parts.)

    So, it's just coolant that blows off the first few minutes of operation. I
    wonder where the leak source is. I don't think it's a hose. All the hoses
    to and from the reservoir and radiator are below the coolant "pool." Can I
    assume the metal engine case above the spot is leaking around some seal of
    another?? Does this make sense? The car has 260K miles, so nothing would
    surprise me at this age. If so, can I assume this would be a very
    expensive repair, as everything must be taken apart.

    Thanks again, Volvo people.
     
    ingastewart, Mar 5, 2006
    #4
  5. ingastewart

    Tim McNamara Guest

    Water pump is probably shot. But have the other issue checked out as
    well since it has the potential to be dangerous.
     
    Tim McNamara, Mar 5, 2006
    #5
  6. ingastewart

    ingastewart Guest

    Aha. The water pump is housed in the same compartment as the timing belt,
    right? If so, that's just above where the coolant is collecting, I think.
    Assuming the water pump needs to be replaced, I'm wondering about the
    labor and parts costs. Does the timing belt need to be removed, or is this
    a quick and inexpensive procedure (assuming an experienced Volvo mechanic
    performs the work)?
     
    ingastewart, Mar 5, 2006
    #6
  7. ingastewart

    Tim McNamara Guest

    Since the timing belt should be replaced every 50,000 miles or so, you
    might as well have it all done at once. The water pump can be replaced
    without removing the timing belt, but not vice versa. This is pretty
    standard stuff, any competent mechanic can do it. But the water pump
    won't be the cause of the smoke that is being seen.
     
    Tim McNamara, Mar 6, 2006
    #7
  8. think a jammed or binding bearing on one of the pulleys or the main
    crankshaft pulley might have lost its rubber damper allowing the pulley to
    move in and out on the crank shaft .
     
    Jon Robertson, Mar 9, 2006
    #8
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