240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[360beast]

Brilliant news Alan!

I've got three more years to go before my MK1 760 turbo is tax and MOT exempt, that means I've got three years to get it running and weld up all the holes in the Flintstones floor.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by 360beast

Brilliant news Alan!

I've got three more years to go before my MK1 760 turbo is tax and MOT exempt, that means I've got three years to get it running and weld up all the holes in the Flintstones floor.

Having a motor car qualify as an historic vehicle is a strangely comforting feeling Luke, out of all proportion to saving £25.81/month. I suppose it is 'sticking it to the man'

[Othen]

This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning…

I wrote that previously when I’d decided the RB project was at an end a year ago. Having concluded it would make sense to bring the Barge project to a close before I move to Zommrezette (see elsewhere in these pages for the discussion) I started thinking about that today.

I had a bit of time this afternoon after taking the Honda CB500 I’d been working on for a few days for it’s first MoT in 5 years (it passed, with no advisories, I was very pleased with that), so I gave the Barge a good clean and polish, then took a few photos I might use for the ad.

The Barge cleans up really well, the dash is very smart (see first photo), as is the interior. It looks really nice on the outside as well (see second photo). It still has its 15” Volvo Pholus wheels on at the moment, but I’ll swap them for the original 14” alloy wheels tomorrow for the sale (and offer the Pholus wheels as an optional extra - but I don’t mind if I keep them for a future project).

IMG_1812.jpeg

IMG_1825.jpg

I’ll take the Barge out to Great Oakley (a picturesque village a mile away) for a photo shoot tomorrow, then write an ad to list by the weekend.

I really like the Barge, but I know it is time to move on (both me and the Barge), although there is a little bit of me that hopes it doesn’t sell so I have an excuse to keep it .

More to follow in a few days chaps, now it is time for a beer (Bob and I have fish for dinner).

[wisty]

Hi Alan, from the Barge back to the Royal Barge. I wonder if you could help me please? I bought the RB a couple of months ago off a gent in Peebles. He had had it sat for a long time. It is running a bit rough, stalled etc. I'm no mechanic. I thought it was bad fuel or battery but it isn't. Once going along it is fine but at the lights you feel it could stall and it did once. My local garage tweaked the pierburg 175cd carb but said something kept moving because it is worn so they had to keep readjusting over and over. They set it so it runs better but said the carb needs repairing. I understand that most had Strombergs on and they are easier to obtain spares for, would this Stromberg 170cd 2 be a straightforward swap? https://zwedenparts.com/product/carb...mberg175-cd-2/

Also, what is the unnamed green switch for in the middle near the heaters? I'm impressed by the work you've done saving the car and the other cars since.
Best regards
Kelton

[Familyman 90]

Did your garage check the carb diaphragm?

[wisty]

Thanks for your answer. I've just called to check. He said he hadn't opened it up. He was trying to adjust the choke but the spindle it connects to has lots of play up and down and side to side. So when he tried to set the choke to off for example it was not in the same place each time. When the engine is warm it's ok for emissions.

[Familyman 90]

Wear in the spindle won't be helpful, but shouldn't stop the choke from operating correctly - its very crude, a butterfly that's either open or closer and a degree of so inconsistency isn't going to affect the operation.

That carb needs to come off and be stripped for a proper diagnosis.

[wisty]

Thank you. I will get a different garage to have a look at it.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by wisty

Hi Alan, from the Barge back to the Royal Barge. I wonder if you could help me please? I bought the RB a couple of months ago off a gent in Peebles. He had had it sat for a long time. It is running a bit rough, stalled etc. I'm no mechanic. I thought it was bad fuel or battery but it isn't. Once going along it is fine but at the lights you feel it could stall and it did once. My local garage tweaked the pierburg 175cd carb but said something kept moving because it is worn so they had to keep readjusting over and over. They set it so it runs better but said the carb needs repairing. I understand that most had Strombergs on and they are easier to obtain spares for, would this Stromberg 170cd 2 be a straightforward swap? https://zwedenparts.com/product/carb...mberg175-cd-2/

Also, what is the unnamed green switch for in the middle near the heaters? I'm impressed by the work you've done saving the car and the other cars since.
Best regards
Kelton

Hi Kelton,

It is sad that John (the chap in Selkirk) didn’t get to use the RB much, I’m guessing his health issues didn’t allow him, which was a pity as he was a nice chap. I’m pleased it has gone to another enthusiast though.

The green light is the override for the electric cooling fan, it should illuminate and you should hear the fan start when it is closed. You should not need the override from day to day, the fan is controlled by the thermo-switch at the top of the radiator. The main reason for fitting the switch was to enable the fan to be checked.

I didn’t have any issues with the Pierburg CD175. It is a really simple instrument though, and almost exactly the same as the Stromberg I have on the Barge now. I’d say the most likely faults would either be a blockage at the fuel jet/needle due to the motor standing for a while, or the diaphragm (the same one should fit both the Pierburg and Stromberg). I’d suggest checking the oil level above the diaphragm first because that is easiest, and if that isn’t the issue then check the diaphragm and needle next as that can be done easily with the carburettor on the motor. If you need to look deeper then it only takes a few minutes to get the carburettor off and apart - if you have a look at the Barge thread you will find a post where I took apart, cleaned, changed the fuel jet and reassembled the Stromberg carburettor one morn. I’ll find a link for you after the IoM TT highlights.

You should be able to get a replacement diaphragm easily, if you can’t find one drop me a line and I’ll see if I have a spare one I could send you in the mail. I certainly have a soft copy of the Volvo green book covering all the carburettor models, send me a PM with an email address and I’ll see if I can email a copy to you (if it is too large we might need to find a FTP solution).

I hope you enjoy the RB, it is a really sound car and it won’t take long to get it running well again. A question: did John get the AW71 gearbox fitted?

Good fortune,

Alan

Addendum: this is the link to the Stromberg rebuild post in this thread Kelton:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...postcount=3773

The Pierburg is almost identical, I’m pretty sure that one you posted the link to would be a direct replacement if you swapped over the controls.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by wisty

Thank you. I will get a different garage to have a look at it.

The diagram in this post (by Dave) might help:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...&postcount=196

… the Stromberg and Pierburg are pretty well identical, and as you may see are very simple indeed. I recall changing the diaphragm on the RB (the post should be soon after the one in this link), and after that the motor ran very well.



PS. This is a link to me changing the diaphragm- there is nothing much to report, except the engine ran well and the tick over was reliable as a result.

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...&postcount=566

PPS. I’ve just found a short video (about 10 seconds) of the RB on tick over from about this time last year. See if this works:

https://youtu.be/PXMQUV_wQ8w

That might be useful as a comparison?