240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Othen]

It being the first of September I taxed the Barge this morn and took it for a test drive... and my first impression is: marvellous. It feels so much more modern than the RB, even though it is only 3 years younger.

I really enjoyed a spin round the local country lanes:



... the extra torque from the 2.3 litre engine is really nice and the overdrive (which works perfectly) means only 2,500RPM at 60MPH. The tick-over was set a bit fast (1200 RPM) once the motor had warmed up, but that may have been the result of me changing the plugs and adjusting the ignition. I've turned it down to 750 RPM, which sounds about right.

I'm pleased to report that all the extra gauges work:



The oil temperature gauge seems to be a bit pessimistic, as does the voltmeter whilst the ambient temperature gauge seems a bit optimistic. They all seemed to improve with use though, so they are probably best left alone for a while.

This is a great deal of very nice motor car for 2 grand :-).

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by Othen

It being the first of September I taxed the Barge this morn and took it for a test drive... and my first impression is: marvellous. It feels so much more modern than the RB, even though it is only 3 years younger.

I really enjoyed a spin round the local country lanes:



... the extra torque from the 2.3 litre engine is really nice and the overdrive (which works perfectly) means only 2,500RPM at 60MPH. The tick-over was set a bit fast (1200 RPM) once the motor had warmed up, but that may have been the result of me changing the plugs and adjusting the ignition. I've turned it down to 750 RPM, which sounds about right.

I'm pleased to report that all the extra gauges work:



The oil temperature gauge seems to be a bit pessimistic, as does the voltmeter whilst the ambient temperature gauge seems a bit optimistic. They all seemed to improve with use though, so they are probably best left alone for a while.

This is a great deal of very nice motor car for 2 grand :-).

Hi Alan,

Looks fantastic in the sunshine, and I'm glad to hear that the road test has proved as good as you hoped, although I dare say, you've already added jobs to your 'to do' list😀

Looking forward to further updates as you get the rest of your list ticked off.

Cheers
Steve

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Hi Alan,

Looks fantastic in the sunshine, and I'm glad to hear that the road test has proved as good as you hoped, although I dare say, you've already added jobs to your 'to do' list😀

Looking forward to further updates as you get the rest of your list ticked off.

Cheers
Steve

Thank you Steve,

I really like this motor car (in a different way to the RB, that felt like a 70s motor car, the Barge definitely feels 80s). The really impressive thing was that I didn't find anything else wrong from my test drive. There was a bit of a squeal from the brakes but that seemed to disappear after a while, so it was probably just the rust being cleaned off the discs. I had ordered a new set of rear pads (for just £12.58 delivered - I do like it that Volvo parts are so cheap).

I'm hoping out postie shows up for work today and I get some parts so I have something to do on the motor car for the next few days.

:-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

The oil temperature gauge seems to be a bit pessimistic, as does the voltmeter whilst the ambient temperature gauge seems a bit optimistic. They all seemed to improve with use though, so they are probably best left alone for a while.

This is a great deal of very nice motor car for 2 grand :-).

Those symptoms suggest a less than perfect earth and/or +12V feed to the auxiliary instruments. The oil temperature should stay at a similar temperature to the coolant, perhaps getting slightly warmer under hard driving conditions as i'm guessing there is no engine oil cooler on there?

Glad you're pleased with it though and you've seen the huge difference the extra capacity makes.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Those symptoms suggest a less than perfect earth and/or +12V feed to the auxiliary instruments. The oil temperature should stay at a similar temperature to the coolant, perhaps getting slightly warmer under hard driving conditions as i'm guessing there is no engine oil cooler on there?

Glad you're pleased with it though and you've seen the huge difference the extra capacity makes.

Perhaps you are right (about the -ve return) but if it was a common earth issue I'd expect all to read high or all to read low. I think it is best to wait a while and see if everything beds in before looking for problems that may fix themselves with a bit of use.

This motor car has done only covered 503 miles since 2014 - it is inevitable that a few systems will have become a little sleepy, but should wake up with a bit of use.

:-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Perhaps you are right (about the -ve return) but if it was a common earth issue I'd expect all to read high or all to read low. I think it is best to wait a while and see if everything beds in before looking for problems that may fix themselves with a bit of use.

This motor car has done only covered 503 miles since 2014 - it is inevitable that a few systems will have become a little sleepy, but should wake up with a bit of use.

:-)

The voltmeter and oil temperature gauges read low, the outside temp gauge reads high, correct?
Without digging through the diagrams, i'm fairly sure that would be exactly the case for a less than perefect earth. I use the term "less than perfect" because obviously it's still good enough to give reasonable readings but not perfectly correct. Probably not worth delving into at this moment in time but eventually while doing something else, maybe check the earth and/or the +12V feed.

[Othen]

A few more baby steps, completed or changed stuff in red::

1. Fit the new rear shock absorbers (only £36/pair). These were an advisory on the last MoT.
2. Change the wheel nuts to the closed end type (done - only £16/set).
3. Clean up the spare wheel (matching alloy - but the PO didn't get it refurbished with the road wheels) and change the tyre to a new 175/70R14 (fitted - only £33).
4. Change the plugs, check the points gap and ignition timing - done, I'm starting to like the originality of the Barge, so I may just stick with CB points and so have ordered a new set (for a couple of pounds).
5. Get a proper wheel brace (fitted).
6. Change the oil and filter.
7. Fit a new air filter (done). Update: I've got the device to work (it just needed a bit of lubrication) so I've decided to fit the system and have ordered the exhaust parts
8. Fit a new under-engine tray - done: it arrived today and looks super:... so the under-engine tray is secure for the first time since 2013 (I'm sure this motor car belonged to a farmer).
9. Fit new headlamp wiper blades (ordered) and adjust properly. Done - the blades arrived today and were fitted in a trice. The wipers work and park properly now (I suspect they had not for a decade)/ The washers are fixed.
10. Fit electronic points (once I have the engine running well with points) - cost only £35. See 4 above: I'm warming to the idea of sticking with points ignition.
11. Change the camshaft belt, check the water pump and idler.
11.a. Check the valve clearances, change the hushers and the camshaft oil seal.
12. Paint the exhaust manifold (probably swap it with the one from the B230e) and maybe the cam cover also. This is the manifold from the spare B230 motor I have, they seem to be identical, so I could just swap this nicely painted silver one.
13. Flush the cooling system.
14. Fit new auxiliary belts. Ordered: do at the same time as the cam belt.
15. Find and fit some mud flaps for the rear. I've fitted a new bracket to the NS, the previous one having dissolved over the past 39 years.
16. Fit an add-on BT receiver so I can still use the original radio/cassette player. The antenna is fixed - but the radio is still stuck on the MW band.[/COLOR]
17. Fix the O/D. Done :-)

My list above is gradually turning red :-)

Today the postie brought me a new air filter - whilst fitting it I could see that my bodge for the constant air device has worked well and the valve opens and closes. That will do nicely for a few weeks until the proper parts arrive from Brookhouse Volvo. The little valve for the headlamp washers came as well, so the Barge now has working headlamp wipers and washers :-)

The replacement aerial mast arrived but didn't fit (it was a Volvo one - the electric antenna must be an aftermarket replacement. Unperturbed I dismantled the unit to find the nylon tail of the old aerial had not broken, but the mechanism was just slipping and needed to be tightened up a bit. It was soon reassembled, Dan gave me a hand with testing and it works fine now.

The radio/cassette works better now, but still only on MW (so the BT receiver/FM transmitter unit I have won't work with it. I don't think there is any more I can do to repair it in situ, but at least I have a better choice of MW stations now the antenna is fixed. It will do for a while, but some time next week I'll fit the new £18 radio I have bought - then have a go at fixing the old radio/cassette on the bench.

It is a lovely day, so I'm going to have another little drive in the Barge (with the sunroof open. It is a pity I can't persuade Dan to come along :-).

[Moomoo]

Having a cool beer by the pool,got my Wi-Fi , needed an update on the Barge, sad bastard that I am !
Chuffed to find it appeared to be ok on test drive. Hard to believe three years made such a difference. Having experienced it ,it’s true.

Happy for you bud!👍

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

Having a cool beer by the pool,got my Wi-Fi , needed an update on the Barge, sad bastard that I am !
Chuffed to find it appeared to be ok on test drive. Hard to believe three years made such a difference. Having experienced it ,it’s true.

Happy for you bud!👍

What a wonderful world we live in - enjoy your holiday in Greece and drop in to see us every now and then.

:-)

[Bob 1967]

Originally Posted by Othen

Noooooooo!

I'm a biker at heart; caravans are the antithesis of bikes.

I need to remove the grey socket and make it so that there is no trace of it ever being there. The black one is good - I can tow my bike trailer with the Barge.

:-)

Actually it was the Volvo driver who was the nemesis of many a biker.
It was everyone else who hated caravans, especially those stuck behind them on B roads.