Is 240 clutch worth repairing?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tim Butt
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Tim Butt

I have an '89 240 estate. It was given to me a year ago and is serving
me well - two kids under two mean work and it laughed at the 1700 mile
trip we did in just 10 days over new year.
When I put my foot down to accelerate, sometimes, the engine will rev
before engaging. I'm assuming that the clutch probably needs
replacing. Looking round the web, it seems common for 240's to need a
clutch replacement somewhere between 130-190k miles and mine's done
just under 150k.
Here's the problem - I can find another 2/740 for between £250-£750 in
good condition, with service history and similar mileage. The clutch
replacement is going to cost me between £200-250 (I've phoned round
for some quotes). Would I not just be better off using my money to put
into getting a replacement car rather than spending all that on a
clutch? Surely, if I can find another 2/740 that's already had the
clutch replaced, that's a smarter move.
Please don't just reply by saying 'hey, do it yourself'. I'm sure it's
a very easy job if you have a Haynes manual and feel confident playing
with your car, but I'm not. I'm the guy who managed to get 1st degree
burns trying to deal with a little bit or air that was trapped in a
car's cooling system!

Thanks

Tim
 
Because there's more to the internet than hits alone, Tim Butt wrote:

Surely, if I can find another 2/740 that's already had the
Click to expand...
^^
||------------This maybe the deal breaker.
clutch replaced, that's a smarter move.
Click to expand...

IF you can find a car that you are confident is in as good condition
(even the unseen bits) AND it has had a new clutch within the past
couple of years or so, then it may indeed be a smarter move.

Do the sums - consider everything that is wrong with your car that
NEEDS to be put right. Does the engine have more than 200K miles on it
yet? How many more years out of this car would you settle for before
the clutch job became a bargain? Is rust eating it away?

If, at the moment, only the clutch needs replacing, then get it fixed;
you'l be as sure as you can be that you have a good car that'll never
need the clutch replacing again.

If other stuff needs doing, consider how sure you can be that another
similar car won't need the same stuff doing. Dunno how much an AA or
RAC inspection costs, but you could factor that into your
calculations.

If you end up changing the car, you'll have a 100% unknown quantity.
*Maybe* you'll get a better deal.

I think that the beauty of owning an old Volvo is that they just keep
going. I may need to replacing things from time to time, but the point
is I don't need to keep replacing the whole car.



--

Stewart Hargrave

I run on beans - laser beans


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name
 
Personally I'd be tempted to have the repair done. The car you have is
running well otherwise. It's up to passing the MOT presumably.... Another
car may not be in the same condition despite it's service record.... £250
you have a car with an new clutch; which is a known qualtity. ...buy another
motor and it might have a clutch about to fail too.... the more you know for
certain has been done to a car the more you can rely on it....

A case of better the devil you know!

As for the haynes manual. Well frankly if you're going to motor on that sort
of budget (and it can be done) you really need to get into doing your own
maintenance... £15 on a manual should be a reasonable investment
 
Tim said:
I have an '89 240 estate. It was given to me a year ago and is serving
me well - two kids under two mean work and it laughed at the 1700 mile
trip we did in just 10 days over new year.
When I put my foot down to accelerate, sometimes, the engine will rev
before engaging. I'm assuming that the clutch probably needs
replacing. Looking round the web, it seems common for 240's to need a
clutch replacement somewhere between 130-190k miles and mine's done
just under 150k.
Here's the problem - I can find another 2/740 for between £250-£750 in
good condition, with service history and similar mileage. The clutch
replacement is going to cost me between £200-250 (I've phoned round
for some quotes). Would I not just be better off using my money to put
into getting a replacement car rather than spending all that on a
clutch? Surely, if I can find another 2/740 that's already had the
clutch replaced, that's a smarter move.
Please don't just reply by saying 'hey, do it yourself'. I'm sure it's
a very easy job if you have a Haynes manual and feel confident playing
with your car, but I'm not. I'm the guy who managed to get 1st degree
burns trying to deal with a little bit or air that was trapped in a
car's cooling system!

Thanks

Tim
Click to expand...

Hi, Tim!
If it was me, I'd repair your 240. But, then again, I'd do it myself.
Look at it this way. You know your car. You know what's been done to it (and
not done to it!). You know where you are up to with your car. You know what
needs doing to your car.With a replacement, you may well find yourself
starting again with a cycle of repairs.The youngest 240s are 11 years old
now. you may find yourself with a car whose clutch has been replaced, but
has a host of other faults.
It's all part of the fun of running an older car-just when do you cut your
losses and replace it?
If it has no other major faults, go ahead, you know you want to!
Let us know what you decide to do, we're all interested in other people's
Volvos!
Regards,
MadNurseGaz

The camshaft timing belt is an abomination spawned by Satan!

Reply address is munged. Remove the obvious to reply!
 
Tim said:
I have an '89 240 estate. It was given to me a year ago and is serving
me well - two kids under two mean work and it laughed at the 1700 mile
trip we did in just 10 days over new year.
When I put my foot down to accelerate, sometimes, the engine will rev
before engaging. I'm assuming that the clutch probably needs
replacing. Looking round the web, it seems common for 240's to need a
clutch replacement somewhere between 130-190k miles and mine's done
just under 150k.
Here's the problem - I can find another 2/740 for between £250-£750 in
good condition, with service history and similar mileage. The clutch
replacement is going to cost me between £200-250 (I've phoned round
for some quotes). Would I not just be better off using my money to put
into getting a replacement car rather than spending all that on a
clutch? Surely, if I can find another 2/740 that's already had the
clutch replaced, that's a smarter move.
Click to expand...

It's always better to fix something that you know its history than
to inheret somone else's problems. There is a reason they decided
to get rid of their Volvo - and it usually isn't cheap.
 
Tim Butt said:
I have an '89 240 estate. It was given to me a year ago and is serving
me well - two kids under two mean work and it laughed at the 1700 mile
trip we did in just 10 days over new year.
When I put my foot down to accelerate, sometimes, the engine will rev
before engaging. I'm assuming that the clutch probably needs
replacing. Looking round the web, it seems common for 240's to need a
clutch replacement somewhere between 130-190k miles and mine's done
just under 150k.
Here's the problem - I can find another 2/740 for between £250-£750 in
good condition, with service history and similar mileage. The clutch
replacement is going to cost me between £200-250 (I've phoned round
for some quotes). Would I not just be better off using my money to put
into getting a replacement car rather than spending all that on a
clutch? Surely, if I can find another 2/740 that's already had the
clutch replaced, that's a smarter move.
Please don't just reply by saying 'hey, do it yourself'. I'm sure it's
a very easy job if you have a Haynes manual and feel confident playing
with your car, but I'm not. I'm the guy who managed to get 1st degree
burns trying to deal with a little bit or air that was trapped in a
car's cooling system!

Thanks

Tim\
Click to expand...


Just have it fixed, yeah so maybe you can find 240's that ridiculously cheap
over there, but you might get one only to have the clutch fail in that too.
If it's all it needs, take it to a garage and have it done.
 
the car was free!!!! and if you don't have anything invested in it and it only
has 150,000 miles why wouldn't it be worth spending 250.00 on?
 
Islandguy77554 said:
the car was free!!!! and if you don't have anything invested in it and it only
has 150,000 miles why wouldn't it be worth spending 250.00 on?
Click to expand...

And look at it this way - if you replace the clutch with the real thing, ie.
not a cheapo pattern copy, you are going to get another 150,000 out of the
clutch. That is way ahead of some cars I know. I had a maestro once (before
I knew better) and its clutch went at a regular 30,000 to 40,000 miles. If
the rest of the car is OK, which should be on a young '89, it's well worth
the investment. I had a clutch on my old 740 replaced at 210,000 miles, its
first replacement from new. I used a guy who used to work for Volvo but then
went private. All he does is service old Volvos. He put in a new clutch for
£210 and I had the same car up to 320,000 before I retired it due to rust.
It was a C reg with the M46 box with overdrive.
Again, if the rest of the car is fine, do it, cos you wont have to do it
again for a long time.......
 
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