240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Othen

I've run out of things that I can sensibly do with the spares I have at the moment, and the postie won't bring any more until at least Tuesday next week, so I thought I might as well drop the Barge off the ramps. It will be easier to shift other cars and bike round over the long weekend that way.

I can't drive it on the road yet (SORN until Thursday), but here is a photo of the Barge sitting straight and level Andrew:



... it is very smart :-)

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

It doesn't have a break-in patch lead to the aerial connector on the radio does?
Then what i said is correct. The aerial lead does NOT need to be connected to the radio for it to recieve transmissions from the BT-FM transmitter.

Useful bud!👍🤔😁

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Othen

I've run out of things that I can sensibly do with the spares I have at the moment, and the postie won't bring any more until at least Tuesday next week, so I thought I might as well drop the Barge off the ramps. It will be easier to shift other cars and bike round over the long weekend that way.

I can't drive it on the road yet (SORN until Thursday), but here is a photo of the Barge sitting straight and level Andrew:



... it is very smart :-)

I’ll say it again, the coffin nose is the most handsome.

That , is a nice example.❤️

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Othen

I've run out of things that I can sensibly do with the spares I have at the moment, and the postie won't bring any more until at least Tuesday next week, so I thought I might as well drop the Barge off the ramps. It will be easier to shift other cars and bike round over the long weekend that way.

I can't drive it on the road yet (SORN until Thursday), but here is a photo of the Barge sitting straight and level Andrew:



... it is very smart :-)

Minutes after I'd taken the Barge off the ramps the Hermes courier turned up with some parts: the closed end wheel nuts and some 5W30 oil. I wasn't busy so I fitted the wheel nuts:



... easily £16 worth of wonderfulness.

The oil change can wait until the Barge is on some ramps again next week.

I had a look at the constant temperature device - it didn't seem to move with a blast from the hot air gun and was fixed in the hot air position. This means that the motor car has been breathing through the bendy pipe that goes to the exhaust manifold only - perhaps that is why someone removed the bracket onto the exhaust some time in the past?

Anyway, that rather made up my mind to delete the constant air device, I don't really think we need it here in the UK so it was probably doing more harm than good. I wound the adjuster so the valve now sits permanently with the front air intake open and the hot pipe closed. I think that will be healthier for the motor. When I'm next under the motor car I'll remove the bendy pipe and find something to bung the hot air vent to stop creepy-crawlies getting in.

A few baby steps forward.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Minutes after I'd taken the Barge off the ramps the Hermes courier turned up with some parts: the closed end wheel nuts and some 5W30 oil. I wasn't busy so I fitted the wheel nuts:



... easily £16 worth of wonderfulness.

The oil change can wait until the Barge is on some ramps again next week.

I had a look at the constant temperature device - it didn't seem to move with a blast from the hot air gun and was fixed in the hot air position. This means that the motor car has been breathing through the bendy pipe that goes to the exhaust manifold only - perhaps that is why someone removed the bracket onto the exhaust some time in the past?

Anyway, that rather made up my mind to delete the constant air device, I don't really think we need it here in the UK so it was probably doing more harm than good. I wound the adjuster so the valve now sits permanently with the front air intake open and the hot pipe closed. I think that will be healthier for the motor. When I'm next under the motor car I'll remove the bendy pipe and find something to bung the hot air vent to stop creepy-crawlies getting in.

A few baby steps forward.

Alan

You may want to rewind the adjuster so that in winter, so you get the benefit of a warm air intake Alan or you may get carb icing and/or driveability problems, particularly on a cold engine.

As for 5W30 oil, are you changing the oil in one of your moderns?

The Barge needs at least 10W40 (preferably semi-synthetic) or maybe even 20W50, 5W30 might be alright in Sweden during the winter but even during our winters is a bit on the thin side.

The wheel nuts are a vast (nd much needed!) improvement!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

It doesn't have a break-in patch lead to the aerial connector on the radio does?
Then what i said is correct. The aerial lead does NOT need to be connected to the radio for it to recieve transmissions from the BT-FM transmitter.

I have never heard of a car radio that would receive transmissions without the aerial lead being plugged in Dave, and have no idea what a break-in patch lead is. I've just tried googling it and didn't get any results; you may have to explain that technology.

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

You may want to rewind the adjuster so that in winter, so you get the benefit of a warm air intake Alan or you may get carb icing and/or driveability problems, particularly on a cold engine.

As for 5W30 oil, are you changing the oil in one of your moderns?

The Barge needs at least 10W40 (preferably semi-synthetic) or maybe even 20W50, 5W30 might be alright in Sweden during the winter but even during our winters is a bit on the thin side.

The wheel nuts are a vast (nd much needed!) improvement!

I don't think you have quite understood the constant air temperature issue Dave. The connection onto the exhaust downpipe is missing and the flap was fixed (either adjusted that way or broken) such that the only inlet was the bendy pipe that did not reach as far as the warm exhaust. I suspect these two issues are not unconnected - the valve probably stuck open so someone perhaps removed the exhaust downpipe bracket to stop the motor running on hot air in the past.

I either have to fix it (buy the bracket for the exhaust and sort the thermostatic valve (I do have a spare one that came with the B230 motor)) or delete (in this case disable) it. My decision has been to disable the thermostatic valve because I think that will suit our climate best. It will not do any good to wind open a valve that does not operate.

The wheel nuts really set off the wheels - as you say a good improvement. I've put the open ended ones back with the Pholus wheels (which I'm glad I kept) for the winter.

:-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

Having been away from home all week - working in what is alleged to be God's own county - I've only just come back to and caught up on this thread.

If all the car's tyres are 175/70s they are incorrect for the car. A 1986 handbook lists 175 SR 14 (i.e 80-profile) for DL and GL saloons and 185/70 TR 14s for GLE and GLT saloons. 175/70s equate to 155/80 14s which would improve acceleration at the cost of top speed and fuel consumption.

I have just mocked up one of the Pholus alloy wheels that I kept from the RB project Loki, I think they will look quite good come December:



... the 15" wheels fill the wheel arches quite nicely.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I have never heard of a car radio that would receive transmissions without the aerial lead being plugged in Dave, and have no idea what a break-in patch lead is. I've just tried googling it and didn't get any results; you may have to explain that technology.

Alan

First result using a decent search engine (i.e. NOT Google!) :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_cable

It explains the concept of a patch lead but to give a better explanation of the break-in (and it's borther, the break-out) patch leads, essentially it's an extension lead with a parallel attachment. The break-out lead (or sometimes board) is used heavily in diagnostics as they frequently come with a diagnostics port so the original component/PCB can remain plugged in but further out than normal and diagnostics can be performed.

A break-in lead is similar but adds a component, in this case the BT-Fm transmitter. Essentially it would be a female aerial socket, a male aerial plug and in between, the BT-FM transmitter. In that respect it would more correctly be known as an FM Modulator :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142458220087

I have also proved the function of the BT-FM transmitter and that it doesn't need the aerial lead plugged into the radio to be able to transmit to the radio, both in cars and indoors on my hi-fi. I have one device similar to yours plugged into a USB adaptor and located next to my hi-fi, i send music videos on YT from my PC to the BT-FM transmitter so i can her them through the hi-fi which gives considerably better sound than the PC speakers, even though they're allegedly Harman.

The point of an aerial on a car radio is because you're quite a distance from the transmitter and moving around. Relatively speaking, the BT-FM transmitter is very close and doesn't move as it is always 6-12" from the radio.

As such, it doesn't need to be a powerful transmitter nor does it need an aerial for the reciever to get the signal, the FM front end simply tunes to that signal, locks onto it and produces the sound from the speakers. These have all but made the FM Modulator devices extinct as they're smaller, cheaper, faster to install and transferable to another car or even your home.

I haven't misunderstood the situation with the constant temperature intake system Alan, just hinting you may need (or want) to give the carb some warmer air during winter. How you go about that is entirely up to you, whether you reinstate the original heat duct on the exhaust manifold or just use the corrugated aluminium tubing to draw warm air from the manifold area is up to you. You may be fine and the thermostatic control on the carb may well function well enough to prevent driveability problems but the possibility of carb icing will still exist.

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Othen

I have just mocked up one of the Pholus alloy wheels that I kept from the RB project Loki, I think they will look quite good come December:



... the 15" wheels fill the wheel arches quite nicely.

Alan

Well Butch!🦍

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

Well Butch!🦍

I may need to have the windows tinted quite dark for the winter Andrew.

:-)