Bringing the old girl back to life

[Don B.]

I need some help.
My 17 year old son has inherited the family '85 245 turbo.
It has been sitting unused for WAY too long.
Now it seems that besides running a bit rough
the best mileage it gets is about 12 mpg!

I have been a Volvo driver (and back yard mechanic)
for a long time but this is a bit beyond me. I've only
worked on fairly healthy bricks.

Anyone have a clue where I should start?

TIA

d

 

[Gary Heston]

I need some help.
My 17 year old son has inherited the family '85 245 turbo.
It has been sitting unused for WAY too long.
Now it seems that besides running a bit rough
the best mileage it gets is about 12 mpg!

I have been a Volvo driver (and back yard mechanic)
for a long time but this is a bit beyond me. I've only
worked on fairly healthy bricks.

Anyone have a clue where I should start?

I'd start with changing filters (oil, air, and fuel), oil,
drain the old gas (if it hasn't already been used up) and
refill with fresh, clean the injectors, clean the battery
and other electrical connections, and replacing the plugs.
On an '85, also inspect the engine compartment harness; I
believe those were some of the biodegradable ones.

TIA

YW


Gary

 

[Michael Pardee]

I need some help.
My 17 year old son has inherited the family '85 245 turbo.
It has been sitting unused for WAY too long.
Now it seems that besides running a bit rough
the best mileage it gets is about 12 mpg!

I have been a Volvo driver (and back yard mechanic)
for a long time but this is a bit beyond me. I've only
worked on fairly healthy bricks.

Anyone have a clue where I should start?

TIA

d

Start with the gasoline. It is probably seriously stale if the car has been
unused for a few months.

Best is if you can drain it. The gasoline can still be used, but greatly
diluted. Adding a gallon of it to a tank of good gasoline won't hurt. Dunno
if you have enough jerry cans around to store it or enough cars to transfer
it into, though.

Once the tank is suitably low, fill it with fresh gasoline (nothing special)
and add a bottle of Techron to the tank. By the time the tank is half empty
you should see a big improvement. Run that tank pretty low before refilling
to get the most out of the Techron and to move most of the old gas out.

If the old girl is still creaky, cleaning the throttle body and checking the
plugs would be in order. And don't forget to check the flame trap soon!

Mike

 

[don b.]

Start with the gasoline. It is probably seriously stale if the car has been
unused for a few months.

Best is if you can drain it. The gasoline can still be used, but greatly
diluted. Adding a gallon of it to a tank of good gasoline won't hurt. Dunno
if you have enough jerry cans around to store it or enough cars to transfer
it into, though.

Once the tank is suitably low, fill it with fresh gasoline (nothing special)
and add a bottle of Techron to the tank. By the time the tank is half empty
you should see a big improvement. Run that tank pretty low before refilling
to get the most out of the Techron and to move most of the old gas out.

If the old girl is still creaky, cleaning the throttle body and checking the
plugs would be in order. And don't forget to check the flame trap soon!

Mike

Okay, you got me there.
"flame trap"?

 

[Michael Pardee]

Okay, you got me there.
"flame trap"?

Yes, a "gotcha" in that vintage. Check out
http://www.swedishbricks.net/faq/flametrap.html for the details. I
understand access is a bit frustrating in the 240s, but regular maintenance
helps prevent massive quantities of oil from blowing out of the engine.
Without occasional cleaning, that is "when" rather than 'if!"

Mike

 

[Bill Bradley]

Okay, you got me there.

Yes, a "gotcha" in that vintage. Check out
http://www.swedishbricks.net/faq/flametrap.html for the details. I
understand access is a bit frustrating in the 240s, but regular maintenance
helps prevent massive quantities of oil from blowing out of the engine.
Without occasional cleaning, that is "when" rather than 'if!"

Mike

Nope. Turbos don't have a flame trap...or rather the turbo _is_ the
flame trap (the crankcase is vented to the elbow between the flow plate
and the turbo.

I hate to tell you this, but having owned 'em, the 240 Turbos are pigs
on gas. If it's an auto, 12mpg around town, well, might not be that far
off. Both my 245T wagon and 242Ti with 4sp/OD never cracked 25mpg
highway in their lives. 7.5:!CR and mechanical fuel injection is not
the height of fuel efficiency.
That having been said....leaking hoses are your #1 enemy. Replace them
all (I'm willing to bet that the one that goes to the dizzy has blown
off giving you both a vacuum leak and throwing off the timing). Also,
check the rubber turbo hose/hoses (only one on non-intercooled from the
compressor to the cross over, two on the intercooled ones: one each to
and from the intercooler)...you may well have a crack that's only
opening under positive pressure and is causing the mix to run seriously
rich, which will quickly lead to a clogged catalytic converter.

Bill

 

[don b.]

Yes, a "gotcha" in that vintage. Check out
http://www.swedishbricks.net/faq/flametrap.html for the details. I
understand access is a bit frustrating in the 240s, but regular maintenance
helps prevent massive quantities of oil from blowing out of the engine.
Without occasional cleaning, that is "when" rather than 'if!"

Mike

Thanks Mike and all others.
Looks like a greasy weekend for me.
With some good places to start!

d

 

[Richard Polhill]

I need some help.
My 17 year old son has inherited the family '85 245 turbo.
It has been sitting unused for WAY too long.
Now it seems that besides running a bit rough
the best mileage it gets is about 12 mpg!

I have been a Volvo driver (and back yard mechanic)
for a long time but this is a bit beyond me. I've only
worked on fairly healthy bricks.

Anyone have a clue where I should start?

d

I'm assuming that the fuel has been topped up as otherwise tyou'd have no way
of knowing that the consumption was so poor.

Apart from a full service: air and oil filters, plugs, fuel filter and oil,
get the carburettor tuned and possibly consider getting it rejetted. You can
usually buy carburettor renovating kits comprising jets and diaphragms etc.
for a small sum.

 

[z]

Yes, a "gotcha" in that vintage. Check outhttp://www.swedishbricks.net/faq/flametrap.htmlfor the details. I
understand access is a bit frustrating in the 240s, but regular maintenance
helps prevent massive quantities of oil from blowing out of the engine.
Without occasional cleaning, that is "when" rather than 'if!"

Mike- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yeah, not cleaning the flame trap for a couple of years, despite
regular oil changes, will lead to replacing all the oil seals and
gaskets on the engine, for $1000. guess how I know.

 

[z]

I need some help.
My 17 year old son has inherited the family '85 245 turbo.
It has been sitting unused for WAY too long.
Now it seems that besides running a bit rough
the best mileage it gets is about 12 mpg!

I have been a Volvo driver (and back yard mechanic)
for a long time but this is a bit beyond me. I've only
worked on fairly healthy bricks.

Anyone have a clue where I should start?

TIA

d

one possibility is a stuck/leaky injector, from sitting unused for so
long.

 

[James Sweet]

I need some help.
My 17 year old son has inherited the family '85 245 turbo.
It has been sitting unused for WAY too long.
Now it seems that besides running a bit rough
the best mileage it gets is about 12 mpg!

I have been a Volvo driver (and back yard mechanic)
for a long time but this is a bit beyond me. I've only
worked on fairly healthy bricks.

Anyone have a clue where I should start?

TIA

d

K-jet fuel injection is very sensitive to contamination. I would start by
removing the fuel filter and checking it for rust, I've seen one fuel
distributor ruined by rust contamination in the filter clogging everything
up. You'll also want to check all the vacuum lines and the usual tuneup
stuff, and pull the injectors to look at the spray pattern, one or more may
be just pissing out into the cylinders.

 

[James Sweet]

Nope. Turbos don't have a flame trap...or rather the turbo _is_ the flame
trap (the crankcase is vented to the elbow between the flow plate and the
turbo.

I hate to tell you this, but having owned 'em, the 240 Turbos are pigs on
gas. If it's an auto, 12mpg around town, well, might not be that far off.
Both my 245T wagon and 242Ti with 4sp/OD never cracked 25mpg highway in
their lives. 7.5:!CR and mechanical fuel injection is not the height of
fuel efficiency.
That having been said....leaking hoses are your #1 enemy. Replace them all
(I'm willing to bet that the one that goes to the dizzy has blown off
giving you both a vacuum leak and throwing off the timing). Also, check
the rubber turbo hose/hoses (only one on non-intercooled from the
compressor to the cross over, two on the intercooled ones: one each to and
from the intercooler)...you may well have a crack that's only opening
under positive pressure and is causing the mix to run seriously rich,
which will quickly lead to a clogged catalytic converter.

Bill

They're not the most fuel efficient things around, but I've never gotten as
low as 12 mpg. Lowest I ever got was 13, and that was entirely around town,
and thrashing it constantly since I'd just cranked the boost up. Usually it
does more like 18 town and 25 highway.

 

[James Sweet]

I'm assuming that the fuel has been topped up as otherwise tyou'd have no
way of knowing that the consumption was so poor.

Apart from a full service: air and oil filters, plugs, fuel filter and
oil, get the carburettor tuned and possibly consider getting it rejetted.
You can usually buy carburettor renovating kits comprising jets and
diaphragms etc. for a small sum.

Carburetor? We haven't had those cursed contraptions in Volvos since the
early 1970s, and even in slower to adopt countries, Volvo never sold a
carbureted turbo.

 

[don b.]

They're not the most fuel efficient things around, but I've never gotten as
low as 12 mpg. Lowest I ever got was 13, and that was entirely around town,
and thrashing it constantly since I'd just cranked the boost up. Usually it
does more like 18 town and 25 highway.

That has been my experience also.

d

 

[Bill Bradley]

I'm assuming that the fuel has been topped up as otherwise tyou'd have
no way of knowing that the consumption was so poor.

Apart from a full service: air and oil filters, plugs, fuel filter and
oil, get the carburettor tuned and possibly consider getting it
rejetted. You can usually buy carburettor renovating kits comprising
jets and diaphragms etc. for a small sum.

No carbed 240 turbos (well, no factory ones). All had Bosch K-jet.

Bill

 

[Bill Bradley]

one possibility is a stuck/leaky injector, from sitting unused for so
long.

Can't happen, Bosch K-jet is CIS "Continuous Injection System" The
injectors only close when off, so not a possibility.
I would however suggest replacing the seats that the injectors go into,
since that is a common source of vacuum leaks on higher mileage ones.
Bill

 

[James Sweet]

Can't happen, Bosch K-jet is CIS "Continuous Injection System" The
injectors only close when off, so not a possibility.
I would however suggest replacing the seats that the injectors go into,
since that is a common source of vacuum leaks on higher mileage ones.
Bill

Sure it can, yes they're pressure activated valves, but they can still leak
below the desired open pressure and the effect is very similar to an EFI
injector leaking. These injectors are very sensitive to contamination, it's
worth checking the spray pattern.

 

[Michael Pardee]

Nope. Turbos don't have a flame trap...or rather the turbo _is_ the flame
trap (the crankcase is vented to the elbow between the flow plate and the
turbo.

D'oh! I knew that but overlooked the original post part about the turbo.
Thanks for keeping me honest!

Mike

 

[James Sweet]

D'oh! I knew that but overlooked the original post part about the turbo.
Thanks for keeping me honest!

Mike

Well turbos aren't *supposed* to have a flame trap, but that's not to say
somebody hasn't stuck one in the empty housing. I always check and clean out
the housing anyway, it never hurts.

 

[Michael Pardee]

Well turbos aren't *supposed* to have a flame trap, but that's not to say
somebody hasn't stuck one in the empty housing. I always check and clean
out the housing anyway, it never hurts.

Believe it or not, my *hoses* plugged up! It had the same effect as a
plugged flame trap. I was on the freeway when I noticed I was being followed
by a smoke cloud. It was about five miles by the time I got the the next
off-ramp and by then the oil was about three quarts low. The oil/air
separator was also very restricted, but the long hose from the "Y" was
plugged solid.

Mike