Adding a turbo?

  • Thread starter Thread starter AJS
  • Start date Start date
A

AJS

As for adding a turbo, it's been done, but it's certainly not cheap or
particularly easy. There's enough differences that you pretty much have to
swap in an entire motor from a turbo car, as well as fuel pump, some
plumbing, intercooler, all the air hoses, fuel injection system, wiring
harness, boost guage, and fabricate a custom downpipe for the exhaust. If
you want it to handle like the factory turbo cars it'll still need shocks,
swaybars and 15" alloy rims. If you take this route you're probably better
off with a B230FT from a later 700 or 900 series turbo.
Click to expand...

I've been looking at doing this to my 90 240. On a late model car it really
doesn't seem to be that difficult (Having spent many hours looking into it)
IF you have a reasonable amount of mechanical knowledge or take the time to
know what your doing. The biggest issue I have is that my car is RHD with
the larger steering shaft. Not much clearance for the turbo setup.
Turbobricks has it all.


AJS
 
Looking to buy my first Volvo (see previous post - if you have a 240 or 740
anywhere near Lafayette, IN, please sell it to me!), and I'm curious about
what is involved in adding a turbo. I'm guessing I'll end up with a 240
wagon. I know some of the 240s came with turbos, but not the wagons, it
seems. Are the parts readily available to add a turbo to the wagon? What
is required? Am I better off just buying a parts car and swapping it all
in? Are there significant engine management issues to contend with by
adding a turbo to a non-turbo car?

Aaron
'92 Pathfinder
'70 Beetle project
'88 MR2 NA
 
Aaron and Aimee Ness said:
Looking to buy my first Volvo (see previous post - if you have a 240 or 740
anywhere near Lafayette, IN, please sell it to me!), and I'm curious about
what is involved in adding a turbo. I'm guessing I'll end up with a 240
wagon. I know some of the 240s came with turbos, but not the wagons, it
seems. Are the parts readily available to add a turbo to the wagon? What
is required? Am I better off just buying a parts car and swapping it all
in? Are there significant engine management issues to contend with by
adding a turbo to a non-turbo car?

Aaron
'92 Pathfinder
'70 Beetle project
'88 MR2 NA
Click to expand...


240 Turbos came in wagons, 2 door, and 4 door sedans from '81 up until '85.
After that only the 700 series was available with the turbo, again both in
sedans and wagons. They're not particularly rare, but finding a nice
specimine is becomming increasingly difficult. The newest 240 Turbos are two
decades old, and the majority of those that turn up for sale have been
neglected or abused. When you find one, be prepared to drop a grand or more
into catching up on maintenance and fixing it up. They're wonderful cars
when in top condition and a lot of fun to drive and can take a beating but
they won't put up to neglect the way a N/A engine will.

As for adding a turbo, it's been done, but it's certainly not cheap or
particularly easy. There's enough differences that you pretty much have to
swap in an entire motor from a turbo car, as well as fuel pump, some
plumbing, intercooler, all the air hoses, fuel injection system, wiring
harness, boost guage, and fabricate a custom downpipe for the exhaust. If
you want it to handle like the factory turbo cars it'll still need shocks,
swaybars and 15" alloy rims. If you take this route you're probably better
off with a B230FT from a later 700 or 900 series turbo.
 
AJS said:
I've been looking at doing this to my 90 240. On a late model car it really
doesn't seem to be that difficult (Having spent many hours looking into it)
IF you have a reasonable amount of mechanical knowledge or take the time to
know what your doing. The biggest issue I have is that my car is RHD with
the larger steering shaft. Not much clearance for the turbo setup.
Turbobricks has it all.


AJS
Click to expand...

Being in the UK (I assume since RHD) you have the advantage that a donor car
with a good motor is probably quite a bit cheaper than it would be here, as
is the '90 240 you're putting it into. There's nothing particularly
difficult about the process, it's just quite involved and can get expensive
real quick.
 
i would say it all hinges on your tools/shop and mechanical
abilities...me, being an account and a "shade tree mechanic" would
just buy a "fixer upper" turbo (volvo factory) and go from there...i
think the factory "has it right" and you may pump a lot of $$ before
your conversion started to come close to the factory set ups...i ended
up picking up a 1993 940t and going from there...you can choose from a
lot of enhansements...but, a factory turbo volvo isn't a bad platform
to start a build up from.....it just seems to me there is a lot more
than just adding a turbo to make the brick fly...for one thing, you
will creat a lot of stress on things overall...drive train, chassis,
brakes...etc...also, some of the ecu's and electrical systems are
effected...a few issues to condider...but i like james's advice re
www.turbobricks.com
....that web site and volvo veterans will tell you all you need to know
about volvo turbos...it is an amazing site of volvo info!!

good luck !!
 
I don't think you could just add a turbo to an engine. I think the engine has
to be built to take the extra compression the turbo provides.
 
<grin> compression and a whole lot of other %$#@ that
goes with it...i am pretty sure the turbo drive lines
are beefier...i know the drive line is the weak spot
in the new s60r on the race track...the stresses are
much higher in the turbo systems.....i am on my 3rd
tranny after driving around "over boosted" for a few
thousand miles...(my 1993 940t) ... i have the boost
turned up to 14-16 psi (as needed)....tranny seems smooth
and good (when working) ... but i have blown out two
tranny's so far...just put the 3rd one in...so far,
so good.....
 
~^ beancounter ~^ said:
<grin> compression and a whole lot of other %$#@ that
goes with it...i am pretty sure the turbo drive lines
are beefier...i know the drive line is the weak spot
in the new s60r on the race track...the stresses are
much higher in the turbo systems.....i am on my 3rd
tranny after driving around "over boosted" for a few
thousand miles...(my 1993 940t) ... i have the boost
turned up to 14-16 psi (as needed)....tranny seems smooth
and good (when working) ... but i have blown out two
tranny's so far...just put the 3rd one in...so far,
so good.....
Click to expand...

Perhaps surprisingly, they're not. The turbo cars never had the AW-70, the
ZF, or the M47 5 speed but they used the same M46 and AW-71 as many of the
N/A cars. Drivetrain is identical, brakes are the same except all the turbos
had vented front rotors and some N/A's had plain solid rotors. There's
really not very many differences under there, but there is a lot under the
hood. I would certainly go with a factory turbo Volvo (as I have) but then
again if you're dead set on a late model 240 and you want a turbo, the only
way to get one is to make one.
 
Sandjicpl said:
I don't think you could just add a turbo to an engine. I think the engine has
to be built to take the extra compression the turbo provides.
Click to expand...

It is possible and is routinely done with cars that were never offered with
a turbo, to do it right requires a lot of work though and without doing a
ton of modifications it'll never behave as well as a factory turbo'd engine.
Some engines take it a lot better than others too, I've seen a few Subaru
RS's that had been aftermarket turbocharged, and there's a whole slew of
people doing it to rice rockets though those can be harder to spot because
there's such a glut of all show and no go examples of those out there.

Certainly if a factory turbo'd engine is available, that's the route to
take.
 
how about torque converters?...and some of the cooling parts...don't
the turbo systems require additional coolant lines for oil and coolant
to get routed through the turbo?...
 
~^ beancounter ~^ said:
how about torque converters?...and some of the cooling parts...don't
the turbo systems require additional coolant lines for oil and coolant
to get routed through the turbo?...
Click to expand...


The torque converters *may* have a different stall speed but I don't know
offhand, never cared for the slushboxes anyway.

Forgot about the oil cooler, yes the turbo models do have an engine oil
cooler, it's a fairly simple bolt-on though, uses an adapter plate under the
oil filter.
 
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