Most reliable 80's Volvo 240's

Hi,

What are the most reliable Volvo 240's from the 80's? I'm looking for
an automatic, so transmission reliability is quite important.
Regards,

Han.

 

After 1988 when they improved the wiring.

Howard

 

Hi Howard,

What problems were there pre-1988 with the wiring?

Han.

 

One that has been fitted with a Chev V8.

 

All 80's 240's had the same automatic transmission all the way up until the
last ones in '93 so you won't find much difference there. Pre-'88 cars will
probably need a new engine wiring harness if they haven't had one already,
other than that the changes were minimal after the facelift in '86. Just
small incremental stuff, power windows and seat heaters are more common,
later ones have headrests in the rear, some of the very newest cars had ABS
and driver's airbag but the basic car didn't change much at all. Shop by
condition and maintenance, year and mileage is secondary but often related.

 

Post '87. Also, '88 used a different injection system, which was
changed again in '89. Biggest enemy of Volvo transmission is heat so
radiator maintenance important--especially in hot climates. Might want
to avoid anything with original rad or low quality replacement.

 

That depends upon where in the world you are.
--

Stewart Hargrave


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

The wiring in the earlier-80s models (I don't know just when it started, but
my '85 was sure affected) had terrible insulation. I've heard it was of
French manufacture, and heard it was biodegradable, but all I really know is
that the insulation crumbles away from the smaller wires at the slightest
touch. It only appears to affect the exposed portions and I'm sure it didn't
happen when the car was new. Internal wiring also does not seem to be
affected, but under the hood and under the chassis re-insulating exposed
wires is an ongoing job. I replaced the engine harness maybe 8 years ago,
but I still have dozens of wires I've repaired and some I've just patched
up.

Mike

 

Insulation breaks down on wires exposed to heat. Replacement of engine
wiring harness expensive. Prob $3-400 parts and 6-8 hours labor.

May be hard to diagnose with lots of intermittant electrical/computer
glitchs.

Howard

 

There's a few tricks, at one point I found a nearly brand new harness on a
car in a junkyard for 8 bucks, I've also bought a good one from Dave Barton,
a lot more than the junkyard price but much less than the $350 or so new
cost. Installation time on the last one I did was about 2 hours with no
special tools so if a shop quotes you 6-8 hours they're ripping you off in a
big way.

 

Are the 740's from that era any less reliable than the 240's?

 

Have seen one caught fire from....so bit dangerous....

have fun....sno

 

Generally no, the engine, transmission and much of the electronics are
virtually identical, they tend to have a bit more bells & whistles to break
but otherwise they're just as solid. One catch though is that some of the
non-turbo models have the less robust ZF automatic gearbox.

 

The 740s are pretty decent, but the 760s - especially before the '88 model
year, have some troublesome accessories. (Ours is an '85, so I guess I am an
authority!) The A/C will drive you cRaZY on the pre-88s.

Mike

 

Get an 81 240 with the B 21F engine with Bosch K Jet injection system. This
fuel injection system is very basic, no real FI computer (just a closed loop
system using voltage from the O2 sensor to modulate fuel/air ratio).. but it is
ultra reliable. A three row radiator is a good idea for improving reliability
and keeping things cool. If the alternator has an external regulator retrofit
the internal regulator brush assembly (really easy). Put in new bushings on the
power steering pump mounts. Put in new injector seals (easy). Put in the later
model flame trap that doesnt clog. I know the wiring harnesses are often big
trouble in this vintage, but I have had no serious problems with mine. The 81
240 is the best Volvo I have owned and I have had six, ranging from a 68 144 to
a 92 240. The IPD sway bars are a good upgrade if you want less body roll in
turns. The 90s 240s are nice, and they are cheap now, but they are more
complex, a bit harder to fix and have the air mass meters that always seem to
fail at the wrong time. Power windows and mirrors are nice, but they break. I
love 240s and for me the 81 is a great vintage.

 

My advice gained by personal experience is opposite of that, I deal with a
number of K-jet 240's on a regular basis (including two '81 B21F 240's) and
while a couple of them run pretty well, I've spent more time screwing around
with some others than I care to admit. As simple as it may be, when it's not
working right it can be very difficult to diagnose without some specialized
tools. The warmup regulators fail often and are as expensive as air mass
meters when you can find new ones. An '81 is a 25 year old car so unless
very well maintained it will likely need all new hoses, some wiring, and
possibly some other stuff. Also in a couple instances when I've been too
busy to take on a project, the owners have found just how hard it can be to
find a mechanic with K-Jet experience, most of them seem to look under the
hood and go "huh?" The cars always seem to run, so in that sense yes it's
"reliable" however they rarely run "well."

On the other hand I've had nothing but great experience with the more modern
LH-Jet injection. I've had two air mass meters fail out of about a dozen
cars I've worked on and both were very easy to determine the problem and
inexpensive to find a good used AMM. The LH injected engines run smoother
and get better fuel economy, as well as there's less funky vacuum stuff and
no "black box" hydraulics. Just simple, solid computerized electronics. Only
problems I've ever experienced with them other than the AMM is rotted wiring
(a problem with the K-Jet cars share), and an injector that had the plastic
cap over the pintel crack and fall off into the stream. Most problems can be
diagnosed with a basic multimeter and a quick visual inspection, no need for
any special pressure guages, fittings, or any other special tools.

 

What is the *more robust* slushbox, and how can I identify which one is on a
vehicle?
I like this thread so much I am looking for a 240 or 740!

What kind of MPG's can one expect, real world? I get about 24-26 on the non
turbo 850--my wife drives it day to day, and she gets about 17-18 but she is
of the push the gas down
let it up, push it down, let it up school of driving.

 

The alternative is the AW-71 transmission. The types can be identified by
the shifter; AWs have an overdrive button on the side and three speeds on
the shifter, while ZFs have 4 speeds on the shifter and no separate
overdrive button.

My understanding is that the ZF is fine except for one dreadful catch - if
the engine is revved in neutral (or park?) above 2000 rpm (IIRC) for more
than 30 seconds (IIRC again) the transmission will be seriously damaged.
Others can supply the exact details, I'm sure, but a number of transmissions
have gone into emission testing working fine and had to be towed out. I
understand there are alternative emission test procedures that are okay with
the ZF.

My '85 760 turbo wagon gets right at 20 mpg all the time - short trips or
long, hot or cold weather.

Mike

 

The ZF gear selector will have 1-2-3-D while the stronger AW-70/71 has 1-2-D
and a button on the side to lockout overdrive (4th gear). When my mom's 240
was automatic it got about 26 mpg. Later converted it to manual and it's
been doing 29-31 mpg but then at 235k miles or so it's probably loosened up
a bit.

240's and 740's have different personalities, drive both and see what you
like. One thing about the 740 though, beware the headliner, they tend to
fail and sag with age, and it's a HUGE pain to redo it in a sedan. Not so
bad in a wagon but it's no picnic either. It's the price to pay for a bit
more luxury I suppose.

 

I think there might be more to it, I know revving in park will damage it,
but they seem to not last as long even with normal use. Some people have had
great luck with them, but many more have not. The AW-70 and 71 boxes are
just so bulletproof and they're about the same to drive, enough reason for
me to avoid the ZF.