240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Ah yes, I remember that from decades ago when the elements used to be much wider I think.
:-)

The "template" they supply certainly suggests elements about 1/8" wide! The paint itself is horribly thick and gloopy these days, no recommendation for a thinner on the packaging and the bottle is only 3ml (not even a teaspoon full! ) so would be tricky to add thinners successfully.

It's a novel way to buy a gram of otherwise useless silver though!

[Stephen Edwin]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

It is still available, it's called Granville Electrocure and these days it doesn't work very well. It used to, 30 years ago as i used it on my 144 but now it's so thick that it's almost impossible to paint on, never mind in a straight line. End result makes the rear sceen look like it has measles!

I never ever managed to make such repair paint work ...




. P.S. I like the car's functions including heated rear window to be all fully working. But. The heater is on and opening a window has always worked wonders. Heat and ventilation are the answer to condensation, init.





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[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

The "template" they supply certainly suggests elements about 1/8" wide! The paint itself is horribly thick and gloopy these days, no recommendation for a thinner on the packaging and the bottle is only 3ml (not even a teaspoon full! ) so would be tricky to add thinners successfully.

It's a novel way to buy a gram of otherwise useless silver though!

From what I remember that is right, I recall attempting a repair of a HRW 30 odd years ago (I can't remember the car well - maybe a Peugeot) - and it not working particularly well.

I'm pleased the HRW works well on the RB :-)

[Othen]

I got round to changing the three auxiliary belts today. I'm not sure they old ones were in such bad shape, but there was the occasional squeak from the front of the engine, so I thought it sensible to swap them (and I didn't know the age of the old ones - more than a decade I should think).

I found the right belts (two 10AV0925 - listed for a Talbot van, and one 10AV0937) for a total cost of £13.10 - delivered to my house (yes, that is for all 3 - generic parts for 240s are so cheap).

The rain stopped for a while this morn so I put the RB up on some ramps and pulled off the under-car tray. Changing the belts themselves took about 5 minutes of course:



... everything is much smarter, and another squeak has gone:



The old belts didn't look too bad, but I'm guessing they had become a bit less pliable with age because things are definitely a little quieter in the engine bay.

Another little job done :-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I got round to changing the three auxiliary belts today. I'm not sure they old ones were in such bad shape, but there was the occasional squeak from the front of the engine, so I thought it sensible to swap them (and I didn't know the age of the old ones - more than a decade I should think).

I found the right belts (two 10AV0925 - listed for a Talbot van, and one 10AV0937) for a total cost of £13.10 - delivered to my house (yes, that is for all 3 - generic parts for 240s are so cheap).

The rain stopped for a while this morn so I put the RB up on some ramps and pulled off the under-car tray. Changing the belts themselves took about 5 minutes of course:



... everything is much smarter, and another squeak has gone:



The old belts didn't look too bad, but I'm guessing they had become a bit less pliable with age because things are definitely a little quieter in the engine bay.

Another little job done :-)

Sorry to say it Alan but i think those are the wrong belts. Usually with Volvos the belts sit a bit proud of the pulleys, not "in" them as those do.

Volvo use a slightly different profile to the rest of the planet to achieve this.

See how they go for the next few months but keep an eye on them for increased wear/fraying and investigate what Volvo have to offer.

You may well find Volvo are cheaper for the correct belts!

More worrying is what appears to be damage to the timing cover in the first pic. Is that just a plastic cover that looks misshapen or is it the metal cover itself?

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

More worrying is what appears to be damage to the timing cover in the first pic. Is that just a plastic cover that looks misshapen or is it the metal cover itself?

That is just the sheath for the little bit of wiring loom that goes to the alternator and the oil pressure gauge Dave. It is correctly fitted in its two metal guides, I think the light has just caught it so it looks distorted.

I'll keep an eye on the belts - but they are the same specification as the ones that have been on the car for the past decade or so... I'd be surprised if they led to a problem now.

Many thanks,

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

That is just the sheath for the little bit of wiring loom that goes to the alternator and the oil pressure gauge Dave. It is correctly fitted in its two metal guides, I think the light has just caught it so it looks distorted.

I'll keep an eye on the belts - but they are the same specification as the ones that have been on the car for the past decade or so... I'd be surprised if they led to a problem now.

Many thanks,

Alan

Glad to hear that's just a plastic sheath over some wiring Alan!

***EDIT***

Just for future reference :

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...rive,belt,8900

https://www.fcpeuro.com/Volvo-parts/240/Drive-Belts/

You'll see the belts are almost exclusively 1/2"/13mm wide unlike the 10mm wide ones you've got. It's a strange way of doing it but that's what Volvo did. I had problems with my first 740 because i didn't know about the belts at the time and fitted 10mm wide belts and had some problems - changed them for the correct 13mm wide and problems solved.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Glad to hear that's just a plastic sheath over some wiring Alan!

***EDIT***

Just for future reference :

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...rive,belt,8900

https://www.fcpeuro.com/Volvo-parts/240/Drive-Belts/

You'll see the belts are almost exclusively 1/2"/13mm wide unlike the 10mm wide ones you've got. It's a strange way of doing it but that's what Volvo did. I had problems with my first 740 because i didn't know about the belts at the time and fitted 10mm wide belts and had some problems - changed them for the correct 13mm wide and problems solved.

I think I'm going to have to remain a little unconvinced that the alternator belts are wrong Dave, in fact I notice the very first Contitech belts listed on the link you posted (for a 244 - the right set for my car) - are 10x920, exactly what I have fitted today. I'm 99% sure I have the right belts there. The PAS belt does look a bit skinny for the application and I'm prepared to accept that an 11.9mm (11.9x835) belt might well fit better there - it will wait until it needs changing though.

I've just taken the RB out for a test spin with the lights, heater and HRW on to make sure the alternator has a little load. It is very obviously much quieter than previously - I'm pretty sure the old alternator belts were causing the previous noise as the PAS belt looked almost new.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I think I'm going to have to remain a little unconvinced that the alternator belts are wrong Dave, in fact I notice the very first Contitech belts listed on the link you posted (for a 244 - the right set for my car) - are 10x920, exactly what I have fitted today. I'm 99% sure I have the right belts there. The PAS belt does look a bit skinny for the application and I'm prepared to accept that an 11.9mm (11.9x835) belt might well fit better there - it will wait until it needs changing though.

I've just taken the RB out for a test spin with the lights, heater and HRW on to make sure the alternator has a little load. It is obviously much quieter than previously - I'm pretty sure the old alternator belts were causing the previous noise as the PAS belt looked almost new.

That's why i said see how it goes Alan, theory says it shouldn't make a difference and in many cases it doesn't. However given i had trouble with my first 740 with belts too narrow then i know it's possible.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

That's why i said see how it goes Alan, theory says it shouldn't make a difference and in many cases it doesn't. However given i had trouble with my first 740 with belts too narrow then i know it's possible.

Thanks Dave,

I did a bit of reading up this eve and on this forum came upon a thread with people advocating anything from 9.5 to 13mm belt widths, people believed that the Volvo fitment was variously 9.5, 10, 11.9 and 13mm - clearly there are lots of opinions! You are dead right though: I'll just see how it goes. I am 99% sure the 10x920 belts are right for the alternator - they fit nicely into the pulleys and just come flush with the edges. The link seemed to list 10mm belts for the 244/245 and 13mm for later 240s and 740s.

The PAS belt does look a bit skinny and the shoulders of both pulleys come higher than the belt. That being said, the bottom (narrower) part of the belt seems to engage very well with that part of both pulleys so it is not free to wander. I tried the PAS from lock to lock and couldn't make the belt squeal, so I'll just keep an eye on that one and if it does wear quickly I'll replace it with an 11.9 or 13mm one. I'm not envisaging that being a problem at the moment though, everything seems to fit well and I'm pleased it is much quieter.

Alan

PS. Here is a link to that discussion about belts from a few years ago Dave - lots of opinions, nothing really definitive:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=281867