240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Moomoo]

Those connectors are ok but they are buggers for leaking after a while. Had quite a bit of experience with them where used in outdoor pneumatic applications.

They need to be checked! 🧐

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Yes, they're definitely reusable Alan and hopefully your ATF will never get near 120C!

120c was the worst case scenario I could think of Dave. Similarly I don't think the pressure will be anywhere near 20psi, it only has to be enough to lift the ATF to the top of the radiator - so perhaps 50cm. One bar (14.6 psi) would lift it about 10m (probably a bit more, it will be less dense that water) so a couple of PSI difference between supply and return would be fine.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

Those connectors are ok but they are buggers for leaking after a while. Had quite a bit of experience with them where used in outdoor pneumatic applications.

They need to be checked! 🧐

You're right Andrew but there are two things that cause them to leak as you suggest - continuous pressure of ~100psi of air and constant movement which is inherent in flexible pneumatic lines. This often wears the end of the nylon tubing they were originally designed for which also caused leaks, often i could get away with nipping off 1/2" of the nylon line and reconnecting it to cure a leaky joint.

Happily on a rigid steel (or aluminium) pipe set up and very little pressure they tend to go on forever - both of those criteria are satisfied with the ATF cooler lines or i wouldn't have suggested them for the reasons you suggest. I'm confident they'll do exactly what Alan needs them to do without any problems.

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

You're right Andrew but there are two things that cause them to leak as you suggest - continuous pressure of ~100psi of air and constant movement which is inherent in flexible pneumatic lines. This often wears the end of the nylon tubing they were originally designed for which also caused leaks, often i could get away with nipping off 1/2" of the nylon line and reconnecting it to cure a leaky joint.

Happily on a rigid steel (or aluminium) pipe set up and very little pressure they tend to go on forever - both of those criteria are satisfied with the ATF cooler lines or i wouldn't have suggested them for the reasons you suggest. I'm confident they'll do exactly what Alan needs them to do without any problems.

In that application, I’m sure you’re right, it is movement and change as well they’re not keen on !👍

[john.wigley]

Hi Alan, with reference to your post #3010 above, no right or wrong about it my friend. We each simply drew different conclusions from the available evidence at the time. Both of us are open-minded enough to review those initial conclusions in the light of further experience.

The important thing is that the RB is running well and should continue to serve you well. The bonus is that you now have a serviceable 2.3 engine and 'box and the luxury of time in which to decide and plan how you wish to proceed with the project.

I'm pleased that you are happy with the outcome - I'm sure that the RB will continue to improve with increasing mileage.

Regards, John.

[Bob Meadows]

One of important factors in using push fit fittings ("O" ring seal) is that the pipe
must be cut straight & free from any burrs:~ pushing the pipe fully into the fitting is also a point to be watched, making sure it gets gripped properly.

What can happen if the pipe isn't deburred is the seal could get damaged as the pipe passes through- this can lead to leaks.
They should be very reliable and very similar to quality push fit hot/cold plumbing systems, many are manufactured to aviation standards.
Regards Bob.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Hi Alan, with reference to your post #3010 above, no right or wrong about it my friend. We each simply drew different conclusions from the available evidence at the time. Both of us are open-minded enough to review those initial conclusions in the light of further experience.

The important thing is that the RB is running well and should continue to serve you well. The bonus is that you now have a serviceable 2.3 engine and 'box and the luxury of time in which to decide and plan how you wish to proceed with the project.

I'm pleased that you are happy with the outcome - I'm sure that the RB will continue to improve with increasing mileage.

Regards, John.

Hi John,
You are very generous; I was still a bit wrong, I don’t mind admitting that.
I was a bit hasty in jumping to the conclusion that the RB would need a new motor, when all it required was a bit of patient running in.
:-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Othen

I'm still at the thinking stage of the sub-project as there is no longer any rush to save the RB. I have 3 options:

a. No Change. Just run the RB on with the original B21a/BW55 combination, sell the B230e/AW70 and pretend nothing happened. Although this is sort of tempting, having come this far I think I can probably discount this course of action (COA). I quite like the idea of enjoying a little more power from the 2.3l engine and a 4 speeder gearbox would be a really good improvement.

b. Performance Upgrade. Take my time to recondition the B230e motor and AW70 gearbox and solve all the engineering problems whilst it is still out of the motor car. Procure a LP and HP fuel pump, sort out a return fuel line and some more wiring, then fit the B230e/AW70 as they were designed with einspritzen. Lets call this the performance upgrade option - the RB ends up with 131HP and a 4 speed gearbox - but is obviously not the same motor car.

c. Look Original. Again take my time reconditioning the bottom end of the B230/AW70, but remove the 530 head, inlet manifold, CI system and 3 piece cam belt cover:

... replacing them with the 160 head, inlet manifold, Pierburg carburettor and one piece cam belt cover (I need to do that to get timing marks for the 160 head):

So: the song remains the same, everything looks identical to the way the RB is now, short of checking the casting marks or inspecting the front crank pulley no one would ever guess anything had changed. The hidden advantages would be about 112HP (vice 98HP) and a 4 speed gearbox (with the same PRND21 shifter). Another advantage of this is I don't need to bung the injector ports on the 530 head.

There could a few shades of grey between COA 'b' and 'c' of course.

A shade of grey: If I went for option 'c', how would I identify the camshaft in the 530 head (to find out of it is a V profile camshaft)?.

I found this thread that claims a V cam gives an extra 10HP and is worth £75:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=130114

PS. I found this useful table:

https://www.turbobricks.com/resource...ontent=camspec

A and V profile camshafts seem to be the same apart from 0.77mm lift on the inlet valves.

PPS. I found the answer - it will be stamped on the back of the shaft:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...07&postcount=5

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

A shade of grey: If I went for option 'c', how would I identify the camshaft in the 530 head (to find out of it is a V profile camshaft)?.

I found this thread that claims a V cam gives an extra 10HP and is worth £75:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=130114

PS. I found this useful table:

https://www.turbobricks.com/resource...ontent=camspec

A and V profile camshafts seem to be the same apart from 0.77mm lift on the inlet valves.

Turn the engine over with the cam cover removed until you can see the identification letter. You should have an A cam in the B21A and a V cam in the B230E, the V cam has a slightly shorter duration which will improve low end torque (and work better with the K-Jet) at the slight expense of top end power, however this will be favourable for an automatic box. The higher lift will redress the balance on top end power though so is a beetter combination for an auto, giving the best of both worlds.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Othen

Of course Dave...

When out for a test drive (no smoke and it would seem negligible oil use) I noticed the shifter had become very sloppy, indeed sometimes R would not engage at all. I had a look underneath and found the bush at the bottom end of the shifter had disappeared. A new bush has been ordered (£5.15) and will be here in a couple of days.

... another lovely day in paradise.

The shifter bush arrived with the postie - it works properly now.

:-)