A little Volvo 240 help?

Hi,

I have a 1978 240. The windshield wipers aren't working because the small
grooved cylinders that the wiper mechanism attaches to are stripped. Every
other part of the wiper system seems to work fine, and I'm not really sure
how much I'll have to replace or where to go to get the necessary parts.
Secondly, this car doesn't have OD and I was wondering if it's very
expensive to have installed. Will I need an entirely new transmission?
Lastly, are there reupholstery kits available for this car? If so, where can
I find them? Thanks so much for your help.

-Jonah

 

Same on the driver's side of my '85 765T. I'm not sure how it got started,
but certainly using the wipers to try to move too much snow in the morning
had a lot to do with it <8-(

I got the wipers working again by cleaning the surfaces with brake cleaner
and putting blue loctite on the post. I don't know what the access in the
240 is like, but in the 740 series it isn't bad: remove the wipers, remove
the grate there (lift the hood for access to the screws) and remove screws
until the unit comes out. A replacement from a wrecking yard is the obvious
solution... sometime when I'm not so lazy.

If the loctite doesn't do it for you, you may want to try an even more
down-home solution adapted from something I saw in a bicycling magazine. I
believe your wipers are like mine, and have caps that lift up to expose the
nuts that hold the wipers on the posts. Remove the nut and washer on the
offending side and carefully drill a small hole downward into the joint
between the post and the wiper, so part of the hole is in each. Tap a roll
pin (also called a tension pin) into the hole so the two can't slip. To
clarify; the pin is pinched lengthwise between the wiper and the post. This
modification leaves the wiper suitable for use after the post is changed (if
you are that ambitious) because most of the mating surface is stock.

Mike

 

Fairly common problem, just go to a U-pull junkyard and get the wiper arms
off of any 240.

Yes you'll need a whole transmission, driveshaft, and the associated wiring.
I've gotten this stuff for as little as $75, but prices at wreckers vary
wildly on this sort of stuff.

Not that I know of, but you can do it yourself if you have the skills, or
have the seats reupholstered at a shop specializing in such things. I
recommend checking the condition of the foam and rebuilding the seats
mechanically before you do this though.

 

heres a little help

drive it to the nearest dump, reverse it onto a large pile of landfill,
liberally splash the car with accelerant, throw a match in, and catch a taxi
home

 

Everything that you need can be found at a wrecking yard. IPD has great
seat cover sets but I found a complete set of charcoal front and rear seats
from a '91 244 at a wrecking yard for $100. I took those and matching door
panels from a '92 245 and dropped it all in my '74 144. Presto! An almost
new interior for $150 and a little labor.