Tips in tuning...

[scooters]

The automotive expression of gifferdom that is the '82 244DL could do with a tune and I'm after some tips.

 

Now, the challenge is that being a volvo of the later carburettor variety the carb is of the 'Zenith don't you dare bugger about with it you pesky customer' type. Idle control is separate and has a solenoid. It has a tamper proof mixture adjuster and needs a special tool to tweak. On top of this we have a hot air mixer which is thermostatically controlled and a closed circuit crankcase rebreather. Now all this nonsense was volvo catering to its beard sporting lentil munching university professor customer of the 70s who was starting to beat the environment drum.

 

With all this cutting edge technology one would think we would have an auto choke but no...its a manual one.

 

Now all this malarkey makes the car a challenge to tune for the half arsed mechanic. My carb experience is mostly SU, dellorto and weber based and the technical advances on the zenith confuse me hopelessly.

 

Now the car runs sweetly when warm but with thd occasional misfire. The vendor told me that he's mechanic leaned thd mixture to get it through the mot but he never readjusted it. It clearly needs doing. When cold the running is very poor and over detailed attention to the choke is required. I'm keen to resolve these issues before the cold weather sets in.

 

I'm also going to replace the points and condenser with an accuspark conversion. Whilst buggering around is fun the 244 does have to fulfil support tool car criteria and it really doesn't like the wet. This is especially important now given the Picasso is out of action and the XM sunroof is letting in the rain so it's garaged in thd wet.

 

Has anyone any tips on set up? everything is working ok and gaps etc are adjusted ok. I have a colour tune and a gas analyser but given the amount of 'green' systems the boffins bolted on the car I'm not far from being baffled. I do know that some volvoistas convert the carb yo a weber but I'd rather not.

[Junkman]

What exact symptoms/issues would you like to address?

[Bren]

I remember getting hometune (remember them?) out to my royale in the summer of 1990.

 

The mechanic took the air filter off and his face was a picture when he looked at the carb (solex 4A1).

 

You would have thought it was the large hadron collider.

 

Suffice to say car never got tuned because

 

1) carb was fooked

and

2) mechanic did'nt have a scooby where to start

 

Sometimes you can do more damage by messing - nobody near to you do tuning or have a rolling road?

[scooters]

What exact symptoms/issues would you like to address?

Lean running mostly. lurching acceleration when cold and requires excessive choke to start/ run.

[Junkman]

The ZS tool is critical for adjusting the mixture.

You can use an allen key, but you'd have to remove the vacuum bell to make the adjustment.

 

Also, this carb should have an auto choke, complete with heating pipes.

Apparently someone has binned it and fitted a manual choke. This is usually done by people,

who don't understand how auto-chokes work, that it is a critical component for the

emission control to work properly, and to avoid carburetter icing even on warm engines.

[scooters]

The carb is a Zenith 174CD as far as I know these were fitted to face lift 240s in 1981 and 1982 with manual chokes. Trawling volvo literature and user manuals seems to corroborate this. I certainly recall my dad's 245 he got in 1981 having the same carb and a manual choke.

 

I've had a good butchers at the carb this morning and gone over it with a fine tooth comb. I've also dug through the service history on the car and there is no record of the car having had a new carb, choke or the carb being serviced. The vehicle was serviced by volvo and an independent until Feb 2014.

 

However the carb does show signs of age and has obviously been worked on in thd past. The can linkages are quite gunked up and the screws holding it together show tell tale signs of having been mullered.

 

I think before I start buggering about with screws that ghetto condition of the diaphragm needle and piston needs checked. Back to basics and ignore all the other ancillary stuff at the moment.

I'm going to source another carb.you can pick em up for 50 quid and order a rebuild kit. Once rebuilt ill fit it, give the whole car a service, new dizzy cap, plugs, leads, fit accuspark, check air system for leaks and replace inlet and exhaust manifold gaskets. I'll also clean out the flame trap and nipple ..fnarrr.

 

I'll take the current carb and rebuild it as well as a spare.

 

I think this will ensure a base starting point rather than a bodge it tune. Everything I've read to date seems to highlight how important it us to ensure alles ist gut before you start making adjustments or you'll get chasing your tail.

 

I've ordered up a ZS tool anyway.

[scooters]

Sorry about the auto text gobbldigook

[scooters]

Aha! ELC line was blocked up...now running better. Would explain leaness. ..chuffing soap dodging environmental hippy bloody rubbish

[Asimo]

Get the sparks sorted before you do carb fiddling.

 

If sparks are marginal it will run better when richer. Proper economical state of tune is much easier to achieve and maintain with massive lightning-bolts at the spark plugs.