240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

Aye, it’s a simple way around it . Mind you the lights aren’t bad on mine really, with the new reflectors.🧐

I'd say leave it as it is now then Andrew. I wouldn't risk having a MoT fail recorded against your motor car (that isn't a factor for the Barge).

:-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Othen

Thank you Steve, I do tend to use this thread (and the GAM one in the 120 section as well) as a personal journal (with some Volvo 240/122 content of course).

The magazines are fabulous, there is also a large bag of other memorabilia like IoM TT and British GP programmes and so on. They belonged to a lovely old chap who's wife had told him to clear the attic - he wanted them to go to a good home rather than the wheelie bin. They will indeed provide hours of interesting reading over the winter.

:-)

Amongst the bag of other motorcycle memorabilia was the IoM TT souvenir programme from 1989 - and inside it a lively A2 poster on Jim Redman riding the Honda RC166 that won the 1965 TT:

It was too good to leave it covered up as it had been for 33 years so we got it framed:



... it looks pretty cool in the sitting room :-)

[Othen]

Folk may recall I had a small issue with getting the CO emissions low enough for the Barge's final compulsory MoT. I managed it in the end by screwing the CO adjuster on the Stromberg 175CD carburettor all the way in, but even then it was a marginal pass and I'd run out of adjustment.

The green book's remedy is to change the fuel jet, that being more prone to wear than the needle, so that was this morn's job. Pulling the carburettor off is a 5 minute job:



It had obviously been apart previously, perhaps someone had changed the diaphragm recently (it was in very good condition so I later decided to re-fit it rather than fit the spare one I have).



The needle seemed (to me) to have been fitted slightly too high in the slide (compared with the diagram in the green book), that would have accounted for me running out of adjustment with the CO screw.



... so I lowered the needle a little bit (about a millimetre) until the groove lined up with the bottom of the slide. Fortunately I had a fuel jet (for a Pierburg, they seem to be identical apart from the colour of the plastic base) in my spares box (many thanks to Alf) - it was the white one in this photo:



There were no obvious signs of wear on the old one, but I have no means of measuring the internal bore with any accuracy, so I changed it anyway and took a SWAG at the initial setting for the adjustment screw.

I gave the whole thing a scrub up with some IPA and a paintbrush before reinstalling:



The Barge started up as soon as the float bowl was full and the tick-over was about right (as one would have expected), there were no leaks so I took it for a spin to get the engine warm. At this point the motor was clearly running too rich - my SWAG hadn't been all that good. The Gunson gas analyser came into its own:



Initially the CO emissions were at 8% and far too rich, but with the analyser and a long 8mm socket I was soon able to tune that down to 2.5% as I now had plenty of adjustment on the CO screw. As you may see it is now at 2.5%, which is within Volvo's specification (1.5-3.0%) and well under the MoT limit (4.5%). I could adjust it right down to under 2% CO, but the motor felt a bit distressed at that level.

A second test drive confirmed the motor is running much more crisply, and it may well be a little better on fuel.

That only took a couple of hours this morn, I'm happy it was a job well done and absolutely delighted with the Gunson gas analyser - I should have bought one decades ago.

Bobwalkin time :-).

Afternote: Now the emissions are sorted out, I may reinstate the constant air temperature device I'd disabled a few weeks ago. To be candid the device isn't required in our very mild climate, but I like things to work properly.

[cam]

Originally Posted by Othen

Amongst the bag of other motorcycle memorabilia was the IoM TT souvenir programme from 1989 - and inside it a lively A2 poster on Jim Redman riding the Honda RC166 that won the 1965 TT:

It was too good to leave it covered up as it had been for 33 years so we got it framed:



... it looks pretty cool in the sitting room :-)

What a sound that bike made, one of my all time favourite sounds, 6cyl 250cc if I remember , poster looks great, nice one, cam.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Othen

The video in this is marvellous:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsp...e-sound-video/

Originally Posted by cam

What a sound that bike made, one of my all time favourite sounds, 6cyl 250cc if I remember , poster looks great, nice one, cam.

You may enjoy the link in this previous post Cam. I've never heard a RC166 in the flesh, but I agree it sounds marvellous.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Folk may recall I had a small issue with getting the CO emissions low enough for the Barge's final compulsory MoT. I managed it in the end by screwing the CO adjuster on the Stromberg 175CD carburettor all the way in, but even then it was a marginal pass and I'd run out of adjustment.

The green book's remedy is to change the fuel jet, that being more prone to wear than the needle, so that was this morn's job. Pulling the carburettor off is a 5 minute job:



It had obviously been apart previously, perhaps someone had changed the diaphragm recently (it was in very good condition so I later decided to re-fit it rather than fit the spare one I have).



The needle seemed (to me) to have been fitted slightly too high in the slide (compared with the diagram in the green book), that would have accounted for me running out of adjustment with the CO screw.



... so I lowered the needle a little bit (about a millimetre) until the groove lined up with the bottom of the slide. Fortunately I had a fuel jet (for a Pierburg, they seem to be identical apart from the colour of the plastic base) in my spares box (many thanks to Alf) - it was the white one in this photo:



There were no obvious signs of wear on the old one, but I have no means of measuring the internal bore with any accuracy, so I changed it anyway and took a SWAG at the initial setting for the adjustment screw.

I gave the whole thing a scrub up with some IPA and a paintbrush before reinstalling:



The Barge started up as soon as the float bowl was full and the tick-over was about right (as one would have expected), there were no leaks so I took it for a spin to get the engine warm. At this point the motor was clearly running too rich - my SWAG hadn't been all that good. The Gunson gas analyser came into its own:



Initially the CO emissions were at 8% and far too rich, but with the analyser and a long 8mm socket I was soon able to tune that down to 2.5% as I now had plenty of adjustment on the CO screw. As you may see it is now at 2.5%, which is within Volvo's specification (1.5-3.0%) and well under the MoT limit (4.5%). I could adjust it right down to under 2% CO, but the motor felt a bit distressed at that level.

A second test drive confirmed the motor is running much more crisply, and it may well be a little better on fuel.

That only took a couple of hours this morn, I'm happy it was a job well done and absolutely delighted with the Gunson gas analyser - I should have bought one decades ago.

Bobwalkin time :-).

Afternote: Now the emissions are sorted out, I may reinstate the constant air temperature device I'd disabled a few weeks ago. To be candid the device isn't required in our very mild climate, but I like things to work properly.

All good work Alan!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

All good work Alan!

Many thanks Dave,

I find this sort of job one of the most satisfying things about classic car ownership: sorting out issues like this at almost no cost. I rather suspect this problem had been around for a while.

This is supposition but it looked to me like a PO had removed the slide (probably to change the diaphragm) fairly recently (within the last couple of years) and re-installed the needle a fraction too high, and that had caused the problem. I can only imagine the MoT tester turned a blind eye to the CO emissions on an old motor car at the 2021 test as the first time I had it tested the CO was at 7.18%.

Anyway, the Barge is much better now and I'm happy with another satisfying job being ticked off.

Alan

[Moomoo]

A bit better, a bit better, very satisfying .

It’s like watching it grow!👍

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

A bit better, a bit better, very satisfying .

It’s like watching it grow!👍

Exactly Andrew. That is what I like so much about older motor cars and bikes: taking something that needs a bit of care and growing it into something nice (without spending a fortune of course).

:-)

[Bob 1967]

Do you have any way of confirming the figures from the gas analyser?
I have read a few reports that they can be way off, haven't used mine yet btw.
Usually, old hands like us would tune by ear and check the colour of the plugs.

But in saying that, it's always good to have another reference point to work with.