I haz ovlov 240 - I'm Losing again.

[hennabm]

More work between the rain today.

 

The turn of the front brakes. Unfortunately the fronts are in a worse state than the rears and the discs are what can only be described as f..... faulty.

 

One of the calipers also refused to play ball and let go of the pad. So new discs and calipers for the front it will be.

 

 

I also removed several field's full of mud and sh** - it must weigh a ton less than it did.

 

 

 

Also took some photos of the underside - a bit crusty but saveable is my verdict.

 

 

 

Roll on next weekend when I can have more ovlov fun

[Shep Shepherd]

I reckon that with a bit of effort and a couple of weekends it will be really lovely

[hennabm]

Wooohoo it's a day off - so leap out of bed and look out of the window only to be greeted by -

 

 

 

 

rain - oh deep joy.

 

 

In between the showers and the mist I did however get the rad out and the cambelt changed.

 

 

I fitted a genuine one as it as only £12. I also replaced the tensioner and spring, just to be on the safe side.

I also purchased new fan and PS belts from Volvo as well.

 

The old belt and cambelt were all Unipart.   As indeed were the plugs.

 

The water pump was from GSF. Looking at the way the pipe slots in the back and the rubber seal to the head - it all looks a little antiquated to me but obviously lasted Volvo for many years.

 

I had just got the timing cover on again when the rain started again     :-(    

 

 

I took the rad out as it will also be changed as it looked as sealed as a sieve.

 

Hopefully it will be a bit dryer tomorrow and I can see some more ovlov action

[hennabm]

More ovlov action today.

 

Wanted to replace the bottom hose but Volvo said no!

 

So I have to wait for one from micksgarage and that should arrive Thursday. I pick up the new rad on Tuesday. The engine will then be done and on to the brakes.

 

Also did the NSF DRL - just a bulb thank f!!!

 

The under bonnet lamp looked like it needed a bit of care and repaid me by falling to bits when I touched it.

 

This b........ Is fighting me all the way but I will win.........

[danthecapriman]

Looking good so far. Can't be much more before an mot, surely?!

Keep it up, it's a lovely old barge!

[hennabm]

Hi dan

 

Nope not long before the MOT - just the brakes and the rear fog lamp warning in the car to go.

 

Oh and four new tyres. Those on it are incapable of holding air longer than a few hours.

 

Once these are done it will then encourage me to fettle the cosmetics.

[sco14]

A long time since I have seen a Volvo 240 estate. Good find and easy to fix! What plans do you have for the cosmetics? If you are anything like me the cosmetics will take double the time you estimate. Hope to see more updates soon.

[hennabm]

Easy to fix..... Pah - the little b........ Is fighting me all the way.

 

Every day is a school day here at the mo and I've just learned about a common estate problem. The tailgate wiring runs under the hinges and tends to break.

 

Having had a quick look at mine, you can guess what I saw.

 

Thankfully the Volvoforum has the answer............

[hennabm]

Well today was my lucky day.

 

I went to remove the front calipers and all 4 brake pipes came undone with no dramas.   That has saved no end of hassle. The old girl is perhaps starting to like me.

 

Pick up the new ones tomorrow.

 

Maybe I should've bought a lottery ticket or indeed entered the ovlov lottery on here.

[danthecapriman]

Good news! When I did calipers on my old 244 I ended up changing most of the flexi's and metal pipes aswell. They had all rotted and seized.

I seem to remember mine was a right bitch to bleed up afterwards too! Don't know why as I did the same to my old 740 and had no such trouble. Hopefully yours will all be ok though.

[Richard]

The four pot calipers on the 244 had three bleed nipples IIRC.

[hennabm]

Hi

 

Yes the fronts have four pots and three bleed nipples per caliper - oh joy.

 

At least they will all be easy to undo.

[hennabm]

As Volvo no longer do the bottom rad hose, I trawled the tinternet and found a company called Micksgarage and ordered one from there.

 

Today it arrived. It was a convoluted one with wire on the inside to maintain its shape. No problem there so far. BUT it is about half a foot too. Long and catches on the chassis etc. Not happy, so back it goes.

 

Now ordered one from Brookhouse Volvo - hopefully that'll be correct.

[hennabm]

I managed to arrange the return of the hose. Thankfully it only has to go to Birmingham and not Dublin.

Done a bit of bodywork on the scuttle and sills.

I couldn't get the proper colour of the grey on the sills but found that Rover Tempest Grey is only a couple of shades out. This is very available through halfrauds.

 

 

[RichL]

Keep up the good work... I like to see an old Volvo live on.

 

I'm sure Volvo dealers will still be able to get Rad hoses for these, I might be wrong, but I have contacts...

[danthecapriman]

I think Volvo are starting to scale back their genuine parts for older models now. I can't remember what part I was after, but I went to Volvo for something for my old 740 and was told the part was now obsolete and no longer stocked/manufactured. That was only a few years ago.

[hennabm]

Hi RichL

 

According to my local dealer then the bottom rad hose is NLA.

 

Brookhouse state theirs is a genuine NOS. Let's see what arrives from them.......

 

Let me know what your contacts tell you please.

[hennabm]

The little b****** is fighting me again.........

 

The rad hose from Brookhouse turned up today and at last I could start the engine. Hoorah. Yes it did need a jump and all appeared well. It started a treat and settled down to a steady tickover.

 

The bottom hose eventually got warm and the cab heater was lovely.

 

However................

 

I stopped it and checked the levels and then restarted it. I was greeted by the alternator warning lamp, park brake lamp, brake circuit failure lamp and bulb failure lamp all glowing at me after I had started it. To me they don't look to be at full glow, ie they are half glowing.

 

So what is my problem now? Is it an earth fault and if so where or has my alternator goosed itself?

[danthecapriman]

That's a bit of a bummer!

 

Probably the alternator screwing around, but if the battery's not holding charge and needs jumping that won't be helping. Get a multimeter on it and see what volts you have when running.

 

If it's been sat out of use for a while things like this have to be expected. I keep having the same trouble with my yank!

[hennabm]

_{Hi Dan}

 

_{I'll start it up tomorrow and check the voltage output. Might be lucky and it may be just the regulator pack on the back of the alternator.}

[hennabm]

Checked it out tonight and you know what I'm going to say, don't you....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes -  there was no fault today. Checked the voltage across the battery with the engine running - 14.2; as it should be.

Turned on all the lights and rechecked - now just 14.1v so perfectly OK.

 

The f**** little b***** is having a Swedish laugh at me I think.

 

Anyway I shall let sleeping dogs lie and carry on with the next jobs, weather permitting. Then some tyres and an MOT coming up shortly.

But first the MOT on the 320 due next Friday.......

[danthecapriman]

For gods sake don't turn it off again now it's working!

 

Maybe just things playing up a bit after sitting unused, or maybe a bit of damp?

My old 244 used to suffer a bit with it's fuse box getting damp, it got pretty corroded in there but once cleaned up a lot of the little electrical niggles disappeared. I cleaned it all up with one of those green scotch pads then a thin smear of electrical contact grease. Seemed to do it some good.

[Richard]

Does it have those godawful continental type fuses? I've had bother with them on every car I've owned with them.

[hennabm]

Hi dan

 

I did also take every fuse out and use electrical contact cleaner and a scotch pad across each of the terminals.

So with that and a night's rest, the electrics have settled down (crossing fingers).

 

Now the Pulsair system has a small blow and looking at the manifold nuts, it could be one b***** of a job. I think a tin of good ole exhaust grunge will do the job and some paint to finish it off.

Over on the ovlov forum the system is not liked much and some have removed it totally with little after affect.

Mine isn't that bad ......... yet.

 

Still a precaution I have started tonight putting plus gas on the manifold nuts.

[hennabm]

Hi Richard

 

It has the old torpedo type as found in 70s cars. They are situated on the NS A pillar on the inside of the car but can end up getting damp, apparently.

[danthecapriman]

It's worth keeping an eye on the fuse box. It turned out on mine the damp was coming from a water leak!

 

Also if your exhaust paste doesn't work try a tube of that chemical metal putty stuff. You kneed it together between your fingers until it's an even colour then push it into cracks or holes. Once it's gone off it's extremely strong and long lasting. We use it at work on huge power transformers and similar stuff and it's great for cars aswell! I've sealed a cracked manifold with it before!

[hennabm]

Oh yeah I remember some stuf like that. Don't suppose you can recall the name of it?

[danthecapriman]

This is the stuff I have at home. At work it's more or less the same but a different make and in bigger tubes.

It's got like putty in the middle surrounded by a coloured hardener, just rip or cut a lump off the stick, kneed it together and push it on.

 

http://www.tooled-up.com/product/evostik-hard-and-fast-metal-epoxy-putty-50g/177701/

 

This stuff's good too, but it's a lot more runny, almost like a paste.

 

http://www.tooled-up.com/product/unibond-repair-metal/145290/

[hennabm]

Hi dan

 

Cheers - I will search out a local supplier on Saturday when I can get some spare time again.

[Spiny Norman]

I stopped it and checked the levels and then restarted it. I was greeted by the alternator warning lamp, park brake lamp, brake circuit failure lamp and bulb failure lamp all glowing at me after I had started it. To me they don't look to be at full glow, ie they are half glowing.

 

So what is my problem now? Is it an earth fault and if so where or has my alternator goosed itself?

 

My old Saab 900 (which I believe uses the same Bosch alternator) did that on and off for a few weeks until I went and bought a new voltage regulator/brush set for it and it never did it again after that.

Didn't get round to fitting it, just having it in the glovebox was enough.

 

What I did discover was that while all the warning lights were glowing, the voltage was about 10.5 until I thwacked the voltage regulator (The one in the alternator, not the one in the glovebox...) with the end of a big rubber screwdriver then it would come back to the 14.3 it usually sat at.

 

Volvo 240s are ace cars, I really regret selling the one I had last year and am actively on the hunt for another but the electrics are a bit fragile after 25 years. Within  a month of buying mine I had the headlamps and brake lamps fail, plus the central locking, the heater fan, the stereo and the horn all go every case it was the cruddy fuses to blame. An afternoon spent with a new set of fuses (easy enough to get on Ebay) and a wee bottle of alcohol to clean all the terminals is an afternoon well spent. 

 

Look forward to seeing this properly when it's all shiney again, remember, Scotoshite meets are the last Wednesday of every month in sunny* Cumbernauld.