240 +T as a reliable daily?

Ugly · 2023-12-05T09:46:43+00:00

I've been using my 240 as a daily driver for 18 months now. Its a 92 GLE with the FX engine (280K on the clock). It runs well and is super reliable. I wou...

Ugly

Well I don't know what to do. As much as I like the idea of a little more power, my lack of mechanical know how makes me think I might be setting myself up for trouble.

ramrod

Getting good at being a mechanic does not happen overnight

If I were you I would not be focused as much on making my car faster, but understand how it works, so I could fix what needs fixing. I’m sure there are more important things the car needs

Over time, you will develop skills through experience and knowledge so when you’ve restored everything but the mechanicals in your car, you’ll be ready and confident to modify the engine

Ex850R

IF THE JOB IS DONE PROPERLY THERE WONT BE ISSUES YOU NEED TO DEAL WITH (OOPS caps)

I am more concerned at the cost of labour hours in a cnversion and as the Yanks say " it will nickle and dime" cost you to poverty if you dont fix it ALL thats old and worn and thats ALL rubber bits , all the suspension , steering , shaft seals etc etc .

THEN AGAIN!

Why not do eet and have fun!!!!!!!!! The little stops and starts make it endearing or hell on earth! Its all how you learn!

GO FOR IT!

Major Ledfoot

Unmodified 940s with B230FTs built on the production line are still going strong after 30+ years and many kays.

A hand built, standard spec B230FT engine which is properly maintained will last a very long time. Of course, they can be pushed much harder than factory spec; of course, there can be a consequential loss of reliability the harder you push.

Build it cheaply, and it will go hard but be unreliable.

Build it properly with the best components you can find, and it will go hardISH and be completely reliable.

Turbo = temperatures, very high ones. So hoses, shielding, oil choices, cooling, etc all need to be taken into account.

Ex850R

Major Ledfoot

Well said young Man!

Forg

Major Ledfoot
Build it properly with the best components you can find, and it will go hardISH and be completely reliable.

Unless you get unlucky and it's not (ask me how I know - well OK it's not unreliable per se, it just needs more time & money thrown at it 'cos there's just something wrong with the balance of the engine which nobody can diagnose without pulling it out & pulling it apart).

OK some of the money I spent was before you could buy stuff cheaply from the US, and some of it was before anyone I talked to knew if you could use any of the factory manifolds with a RHD 240, but if I remove frivolities you don't really need (eg. getting away with a factory ECU) then it probably still cost me ~$12k for the power-train in Big Red. And I still need to replace the engine, to make the bad vibes go away.

Ugly

If I do it, I'll do it well. Is there a list somewhere of what I'd need?

Slowbrick

Not the original article as that hasn't seemed to have survived the forum rebuild but this one from Pat is pretty good too.

Turbobricks is the place to learn about this stuff. It's the genesis of Volvo performance modding on the internet.

It's also the place to compare notes on jankyness. It really has it all.

https://turbobricks.com/index.php?threads/swapping-a-b230ft-engine-into-a-240.42051/

Major Ledfoot

Forg When did you build Big Red?
In the mid 1980s back before Turbobricks, there was NO info easily found - those who knew things never told. So you would have been a pioneer of sorts with Big Red.

Ex850R

Major Ledfoot

Yep imdeed you are spot on , Forg lead the way in finding peeps in AUS!

Man , Forg need a moniker on here for his service to Ovlovs of Oz! Damn!

Three cheers!

H H H !

Forg

My lesson is … get 940 Stuff, fit itto 240 to +T.
I tried “not necessarily best but close-ish without paying a billion bucks”, and other simpler implementations (eg. YLD244) are better.

Without all sorts of farnarkling with it, “stock” should lead to solidity & reliability … tweak with a bit more turbo, a bit more boost, maybe an LSD diff-centre … but mostly standard. Perfect for daily!

But it’ll still cost waaay more than a 240 is worth to do.

Ex850R

Forg

MAN , you mention YLD and i think we need to revisit it!

So can it be on here?

240

Ugly you can't just bolt in a 740 engine. It needs the distributor relocated and potentially some other tweaks.
But you don't need a new engine anyway, your B230FX is perfect to bolt a turbo onto.

I don't think reliability would be an issue if it's done right, the issue I would see with your lack of know how would be in gathering all the parts and knowing exactly what parts to get, unless you happen to have a mechanic who's happy to put in that time, but I imagine it would end up costing a lot.
Don't underestimate how long it takes to track down all the parts, you need the turbo, ECUs, manifold, downpipe, oil and coolant lines, intercooler, piping, coolant reservoir, MAF wiring, potentially oil filter relocation and oil cooler, electronic fan conversion, etc. there's probably as much time in chasing down all those parts as there is to actually install the turbo.

Ex850R

To blow out all the silly ideas , ive bought a skinny rod thats been running E85 on Microsquirt with a decent turbo ( dont get real technichal , just GET ON WITH IT!) AND ITS A MASSIVE DRIFT CAR AND NOW HE IS RUNNING A FOXBODY 5.0 V8 , With home made manifolds.

See , do it…..

Rory

You might get piston slap after a 100k klms or so, but from what ive heard, the piston slap doesnt actual affect anything lol.

TwoFourFour

Ugly

Why so much? Because you're paying for the expertise of someone who can do it, as much as the conversion itself. I don't know about $13k, but you'd have to figure in a couple of grand for r&r, then a couple for any fab, maybe a grand or two for tuning, then all the tiny little things and big things that are worth doing while the motor is out, it all adds up very, very rapidly.

Rory

TwoFourFour yeah, better off just buying a 740 turbo, be a better driving expirience aswell

TwoFourFour

Rory I guess, once you tuck the headlining out of your sight and get enough of the electrics functional.

Major Ledfoot

TwoFourFour Go for a 940T instead.
Bonus of LH2.4 turbo over 740's LH2.2 turbo; the NVH is less than 740 too.

Rory

TwoFourFour honestly, id choose a 740 over a 240 any day, at least the later 240s, its hard to deny a early model 244 though

Forg

How long would you be waiting to find a good 940T these days?

19 years ago I needed a less horrible car than the bent '82 244GLE for my wife to drive, and after 4-5 months of looking I gave up & bought my uncle's 10yo owned-from-new VS Berlina instead. 🙂

Major Ledfoot

Forg How long would you be waiting to find a good 940T these days?

Me? I look out the window. Others? A loooong time. Most have been pillaged for their engines.

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