More newbie questions for my '93 240 Wagon

[briankeys]

Sorry about the double post, that old thread is quite old, and I dont think
this would of gotten read in it
And thanks for all the answers, you all are helping me a lot

The other day, my muffler rusted off. haha My father is somewhat good
with cars, he fixes his, but doesnt know his way around a Volvo. He's all
for american built cars, and I'm the other way around.

Upon looking at the whole exhaust system, there are three main components?
Well, the pipe rusted off right before the last component. So, I picked up
two clamps today and patched it back together by wrapping some copper around
the break, and clamping down. This is just a temporary fix until I can get
some money together and replace the whole kit and kaboodle. How much am I
looking to spend if we do it ourself? Where would you reccomend getting the
parts?


I havent gotten a chance to check the contacts on the headlights yet, I'll
do this tomorrow.


Thanks to you all, I figured out the heat I've never seen a car with
heating like this! But then also, I noticed, that my heated seats are not
working, while the passenger side seats are indeed working. The first thing
that I thought of, was to switch switches near the parking break, and see if
that's the problem, as mine does not light up. How do you pop these buggers
out? They arent coming out like the switches in the center console did...


I'm really interested in getting a tach for the car. What am I looking at to
buy one salvage? Can I find compatible ones in auto parts stores? Does it
require any custom wiring, or any hack jobs of that sort? I'm also assuming
the lights for the dashboard diagnostics are using LED's, right? Depending
on how hard it is to get access to them, I'd like to replace them with
different color LED's, if they dont use bulbs, and the plastic isnt dye'd to
the color. I have all these LED's lying around, with no use


How audible is a "knock" or ping in the engine from the wrong gas? I've been
putting medium grade in since I got it, and recently am trying the low
grade, 87 since your posts here. I'm not sure if my car idled somewhat
erraticaly before the low octane gas, or if its a result of it. The car
still idles, but it's not a very pure idle. I'm not sure if its fuel related



And pardon posting under the name "k," I didnt ever plan on actually posting
to usenet

 

[Mike Lenker]

hoo, boy, that's a mouthful. Lemme see what I can do fer ya...

Tha following is based on what I have experienced in the 5 years I've had my
'91 245 and what I've learend from the group here. I am not a mechanic, I
just like to tinker and avoid hefty repair/service bills. Follow at your
own discretion.

First, get the 240 repair/service manual from Bentley. Everything you'll
want to do is in there. Anything beyond what's covered in the manual,
you'll probably want a shop to do. Forget Chilton and Haynes manuals, use
them to catch oil spills.

Exhaust you can get from a local parts store, I have one close by that
specializes in Euro parts, so that's easy. There are plenty of online
sites, too, try www.ipdusa.com , www.newandusedvolvoparts.com or any of the
other parts sources people in the group mention. IPD is not the cheapest
but I like the quality of their service. Anyone who can put together pipes
and clamp them together can do a 240 exhaust, country of origin doesn't
matter. The only cars I ever worked on were my '86 Mercury Capri 5.0, a '72
Mercury Montego and my dad's '65 Mustang. Same basic principles apply. All
sticks together the same way. Put pipes together, clamp them down. Maybe
weld it if you can. Full cat-back system from IPD will run about $150 plus
ship. If you want to keep the car for a long time and don't relish the
thought of doing all this again, get a custom stainless exhaust from a local
installer, but be prepared to pay $300 or more.

For the seat heaters, try looking under the seat and making sure the wires
are connected first. To check the switches, pull up the parking brake
handle and reach inside to pop them out. As a last resort, you may have to
replace the elements, you have to take the seat apart for that. It's a pain
in the butt, but doable. Try checking continuity along the circuits with an
ohmmeter.

Tach installs are easy. Basically plugs right into the instrument pod, all
the wiring is there. Search the group for install instructions, or e-mail
me, I saved them from when I put mine in. You have a big clock in the dash
now, right? Take it out, put tach in, hook up an additional existing wire,
done. Resist the temptation to put a small Volvo clock in next to the
radio; they are notoriously spotty in performance. Check e-bay or the ipd
classifieds, you can usually scare a tach up there. Expect to pay $30 or
more. Older tachs will fit (back to '82 I think) but have a glossy as
opposed to matte ('86-up) finish. You could do a small tach in one of the
extra gauge spots next to the radio, or put one on top of the dash, but that
would involve more wiring work.

All dash lights are filament bulbs of one type or another, not LEDs. Some
you can get at a well-stocked auto parts store, others you'll have to get
from a dealer. IPD has most of them I think. Not sure if you'd be able to
substitute LEDs. I suppose if you matched voltages and loads it could be
done, but probably lots of hassle (for me at least).

Never heard my car knock, so I can't help there. Idle problems could be
from a dirty air or fuel filter, dirty throttle body, worn plugs, etc. Use
the underhood diagnostic pod (driver's side, between shock tower and
firewall on inner fender well). Follow instructions in the Bentley manual
and pull out any stored codes. That'll help narrow down any problems. I
use 89 or higher octane, regular tune-ups and clean the throttle body and
lines connecting to it thoroughly at least once a year. That in itself can
make a big difference in smoothness and performance.

hope this helps,
MKL
'91 245 5-spd
130,000 mi

 

[briankeys]

Thank you for the help I'll let you know how things turn out

-briankeys

 

[andrewunix]

Tue, 07 Oct 2003 12:17:49 GMT, [email protected] suggested:
:
: Thanks to you all, I figured out the heat I've never seen a car with
: heating like this! But then also, I noticed, that my heated seats are not
: working, while the passenger side seats are indeed working. The first thing
: that I thought of, was to switch switches near the parking break, and see if
: that's the problem, as mine does not light up. How do you pop these buggers
: out? They arent coming out like the switches in the center console did...

It's probably not the switches themselves. Check to see if the wires are
connected under the seat, but in my experiences it's rare to find a car
that age with original working heated seats. The elements become brittle
over time and break from the repeated flexing. This can be fixed, but
would probably require the seat to be removed and the upholstery to be
taken off and put back on.

 

[briankeys]

Tue, 07 Oct 2003 12:17:49 GMT, [email protected] suggested:
:
: Thanks to you all, I figured out the heat I've never seen a car with
: heating like this! But then also, I noticed, that my heated seats are not
: working, while the passenger side seats are indeed working. The first thing
: that I thought of, was to switch switches near the parking break, and see if
: that's the problem, as mine does not light up. How do you pop these buggers
: out? They arent coming out like the switches in the center console did...

It's probably not the switches themselves. Check to see if the wires are
connected under the seat, but in my experiences it's rare to find a car
that age with original working heated seats. The elements become brittle
over time and break from the repeated flexing. This can be fixed, but
would probably require the seat to be removed and the upholstery to be
taken off and put back on.

.... all of which, in my eyes, is too much work for a simple luxury item
that's not really worth it. THanks, though.

-bk

 

[James Sweet]

greenburg

... all of which, in my eyes, is too much work for a simple luxury item
that's not really worth it. THanks, though.

-bk

The break is usually just at the thermostat, it only takes about an hour to
fix, including removing the seat, the heated seats are really nice, well
worth the effort IMO, at least in this climate. If you live in Florida or
Texas or something then there's probably not much point though.