For NA, a cam swap to a K or D would liven things up (@pigdog reports good results with the D grind).

Now summer is with us, a change to the 4-port heater tap is worthwhile. I strongly suggest you do not engage 'recirculate' mode especially when running the aircon on hot days - doing so cuts off coolant flow at the back of the head. I damn near cooked an engine when going to visit Mister Bear years ago on a trip down from the Blue Mountains when the ambient temp was about 39 deg C. The on/off OE heater tap is a very stupid design by the factory, whose definition of 'a hot day' is 'anything above freezing'.....

Is the CR-905 an Alpine head unit? IIRC, I have a surplus CD changer in either the 940T or the 960 which isn't being used, and it;'s basically the Alpine unit.

    Major Ledfoot Thanks for the heads up regarding the recirculate function. I had absolutely no idea about that and will keep that in mind going forwards.

    I’ve tried looking around to see if the CR-905 unit is made by Alpine but I can’t really find any info on it. All I could really see was a turbobricks forum post stating that the middle number of the models is indicative of the intended market/RDS capability. So in my case, the CR-905 head unit was intended for a British market, with RDS capability. At least, that’s according to this forum post. Does that narrow down our possible manufacturers? I’d like to say it’s an Alpine unit but I honestly have no clue how to find that information out.

    As for camshaft options, I’m pleased to hear that the D cam is a good option as well. Any idea who I should talk to, or where I should look to find a D or K cam?

      Good morning BG and the OP (original poster) and welcome to the forum since you’re a new member.

      Changing the camshaft is neither practical nor possible.

      The earlier model camshafts mentioned (the higher performance types) won’t work in a 940 due to the head having the ignition distributor on the end of it. This means the camshaft has a slot on the rear end which drives the distributor directly.

      If the recently purchased 940 which we’re discussing is the car I’m thinking of (QHM061), I know this car well, and it has a B230FB engine which happens to have a VX3 camshaft already. This camshaft is suited to the B230FB engine, and it has been matched by Volvo to work correctly in this engine and produce decent power output both in the middle and upper RPM range, and it works together with the 531 cylinder head which works better than the 530 head that most other engines had.

      You can if you really had to, hire a machine shop to make a slot in the camshafts that don’t already have one (those early engines have a block mounted distributor and no slot on the cam) but, in your case going to this length is not what you want to do.

      We can discuss certain repairs and maintenance this car needs (I think I wrote a list and handed it to the previous owner) which some jobs were urgent from what I can remember.

      Better performance can always be had later.

      The car is very good, but not perfect. I’d be happy to help with parts and service to keep this vehicle going forever. It can be made to go the distance and be ultra reliable just like my 940’s and 240’s that I take on long trips very often and they all have traveled well over 300,000 kilometres

        ramrod Yes, you’re bang on regarding which car it is. I didn’t realise this was the FB engine (though I should have). Thank you for the in-depth explanation re camshafts as well. The previous owner did show me a list of the things that had been done but I’m not sure he told me about the most important upcoming jobs. That being said, I’ll be in contact with you very soon and we can talk a bit more in depth then.

        Is there anything in particular that stood out to you as a problem on this car while you were working on it? I know the transmission is going to need a fluid change very soon, and I also know that the timing belt is just about due too. I’m also currently sourcing an odometer cog replacement for the original gauge cluster so I can have a reliable speedometer and odometer again.

          ramrod The earlier model camshafts mentioned (the higher performance types) won’t work in a 940 due to the head having the ignition distributor on the end of it.

          Unless you get slotted versions of the cams, which you must have with the head-mounted distributor engines. But fair point.

            You can get a machine shop to slot the cam provided you have a slotted cam they can use as a reference.

            Auto is it? I'd stick with the EFI cams and get a VX3 or the IPD VX cam.

            The AW70/71/72 accumulator mod improves the ride IMO, it gives the car a snappier, more responsive gear shift, and reduces wear on the transmission too. It's also reversible, no permanent mods required.

            A 2.25" or 2.5" exhaust with a high flow cat will net you considerable power, hurricane extractors are okay but even with the stock downpipe, just get the exhaust shop to modify the collector to suit the diameter of the new system.

              jamesinc This is great stuff here, thanks a ton! According to @ramrod who has actually worked on my EXACT car, I have the VX3 camshaft already installed so that’s good to know.

              I had read about increasing the exhaust to a 2.25 or 2.5 inch which is something I’ll definitely consider. Any idea as to what an exhaust shop would charge for a stainless steel catback setup? I’m currently learning to weld but I don’t trust my abilities enough to do it myself hahaha.

              Do you have any resources in the OzVolvo forums about the accumulator mod? If it’s reversible then I’d be very interested in giving it a go!

                  An FB is a great candidate for a +T. It has the right compression at 9.3:1 thanks to the B230 bottom end with the 531 head. It will have LH2.4 so the electrical work is a matter of swapping the ecu and icu over + extending the maf wiring. Then you can either use factory oil and coolant lines or make them up yourself. Find a 13c if you only want stock power and run it at 7psi and it will be the best bang for buck in terms of performance. Making NA power with a redblock requires you to make it rev which is not really practical with an auto in a traffic setting. A stock +T wouldnt require engineering in NSW and would be the best use of your time if you are spending anytime increasing performance.

                  If you arent up to doing it yet, then when you have you exhaust done make sure you get atleast 2.5 inches. That way your 13c will breathe nice and easy and make quick usable power in traffic.

                    Slowbrick Oh wow you’ve given me some food for thought. I’d love to do a +T, but only if I was positive that my car was in the state to handle everything that forced induction could throw at it. Maybe that’s what I start working on after next year’s OzVolvo Nats!

                    Are there any well documented 940 +T conversions for RHD vehicles that you’re aware of?

                      Sydney940 I got quoted 1600 for a SS catback system last week (Melbourne, inc install)

                      Have since gone with a replacement (Ferrita) system via Skandix, not expecting it to change the driving experience. just less leaky!

                        6 days later

                        FWIW, Skandix have emailed me and told me the Stainless catback system will cost an extra 500 euro in shipping fees, making it substantially less viable. Now going to try rendcarparts for the same parts.

                        • Forg

                        • Post #15

                        Did anyone address the comment from the original post about upgrading the fuel pump?

                        If not, IMHO that’s not going to achieve anything. With an EFI system, if you’re not getting enough fuel it’ll run really badly & you’ll know it … misfires under acceleration etc.
                        I mean I could be wrong and it could be some odd thing with FB’s that doesn’t get discussed very often; but I suspect not, I suspect there’s no value in replacing a fuel pump unless it’s running poorly.

                          Forg Did anyone address the comment from the original post about upgrading the fuel pump?

                          If going from NA to turbo, the main fuel pump will need to be upgraded.

                          If sticking with NA, an NA pump in good condition will be adequate. The B234 engines used the NA pump, same as the 8V NA engines.

                          94+ 940s went from a lift pump / main pump system to a single 3-Bar pump in the tank. YMMV, but personally I prefer the two-pump system, since the low pressure lift pump is doing the hard work under hard cornering and low fuel level on steep incline conditions. See the Volvo Pocket Data Book (in the Tech Archives) for the Bosch part numbers and year model applications.

                            Sydney940 - Looks like I have two multi-disc CD players - one in my 940T wagon and one in my 960 wagon.

                            Only had the chance for a quick look over the weekend as other matters kept me busy, but it appears one unit (I forget which wagon it was in) doesn't have its CD disc holder unit. Not sure if they're the same model number either, but they both look the same.

                            If time permits during the week, I'll remove them from the cars and see what the story is.

                              22 days later

                              Ferrita exhaust from Rend installed easy, sounds nice. Came out to 680 Euro, including shipping! Took under two weeks to arrive.

                              22 days later

                              Oh, my; I really need to get a wiggle-on with those stacker decks.....

                                4 days later

                                Major Ledfoot All good mate. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how to wire it up. If you've got the bracket that they sit in I'll happily take it. I fabricate parts about as well as a quadruple amputee on Valium so anything I can save myself from having to put together is a big plus.

                                Any chance you'd be able to show me how yours is wired too? I checked in the compartment where it's meant to be located and found a bunch of wires from when the previous owner had a towbar installed. Didn't see anything that appeared related to the wiring of the stacker decks. I swear I read that 1994 onwards models had everything wired up already to make the installation of dealer options simpler. I might have the year wrong or I could be talking out of my leather fruit loop, but I'm pretty sure that's what the situation was.

                                In any case, don't rush. I've been keeping myself busy with all sorts of little projects here and there while I try to get it up to scratch

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