My 1992 240 sedan...

240 · 2015-09-14T12:17:29+00:00

Another question - my car doesn't have an electric antenna, but I may have the opportunity to get one. Will the wiring already be in place in my car (meaning...

jamesinc

Well, moving on, maybe the problem is the reverse light switch in the gearbox? Have you tried using a multimeter to test continuity through the reverse light pigtail on the gearbox side, when the shifter is in reverse? If putting it in reverse is closing that circuit, the next step would be to check for +12V on the cabin side of the harness, and also for good continuity to ground.

Another way would be to just bridge the two pins on the cabin side of the chassis and see if the reverse lights come on.

240

Haven't tried a multimeter on the gearbox side because it's pretty hard to get in there but I don't know why I didn't think of just bridging the two pins on the cabin side - I'll try that. If the lights work then, I suppose it could be a bad switch in the box.

jamesinc

You don't have to get the multimeter down to the gearbox, you can just probe the wires at the connector. Only if it fails tests there would you then need to get under the car and debug further along the system.

familyman

Never mind... I completely mis-read the problem.

tissueboxonwheels

240

Somehow this happened (swaybar end link):
I am getting the suspension completely refreshed in a week or two though which I'm looking forward to.

I also did the oil separator box recently. Compare the old and new ones!
I also saw it as a good opportunity to clean the engine a bit...

For anyone doing this - I found it a pretty simple job - I just removed the intake hose, the throttle body and other related hoses, as well as the flame trap (which I replaced). It was then just a matter of unbolting it. Remember to unbolt the clip that holds the wiring harness on, and to replace the o-ring.
Poke something down the tube (on the left) to clear the gunk out, then do an oil change. (Do NOT pull that hose out from the block though.)
I was also told to make sure to use a genuine Volvo part for this.

Now a couple of questions that I have about my car.
On other forums I've read reports of redblocks using next to no oil between services, yet I did an oil change about 1500km ago and the dipstick is already below half way. Is this anything to be concerned about?

Also wondering if anyone has experience with 240 instrument clusters. My M46 overdrive is wired to the orange arrow light from the old auto - so it's always on, then goes off when the OD is on. Is there any way to reverse this?
Or, even better - I have an old instrument cluster from an M46 car - is there a way to swap the green "5th" light over into my cluster? (I'm changing the odometer gears soon, so that'd be a good time to do that.)

Major Ledfoot

240;89136 wrote
Also wondering if anyone has experience with 240 instrument clusters. My M46 overdrive is wired to the orange arrow light from the old auto - so it's always on, then goes off when the OD is on. Is there any way to reverse this?

Yes, but it depends how you've currently wired things.

There is a wealth of information here -
http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/?dir=volvo/240%20Wiring%20Diagrams

See Figure 5, from here.

http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/volvo/240%20Wiring%20Diagrams/Volvo%20240%201992.pdf

Connector [34] has a yellow-red wire to the auto trans overdrive relay, To make the light go on, that wire needs to be grounded. At present, from what you've said above, it's being grounded when the OD is off. <p>

Or, even better - I have an old instrument cluster from an M46 car - is there a way to swap the green "5th" light over into my cluster? (I'm changing the odometer gears soon, so that'd be a good time to do that.)

What year model M46 car is the cluster from? Does your car have an SRS warning light? Going by the books, for example Connector [31/4] on the 1987 cluster was for the OD light, but on the 1992 cluster, Connector [31/4] is used for the SRS warning lamp.

gavinh

With the od on the m46, have you got a auto relay fitted, ie you press the od button in any gear and the od activates? I can't remember which wire it is for the cluster display but you can remove it from the relay holder with spade connected or with out and tap into the pos connection feeding the solenoid down behind the left hand panel at the driver's seat. If you have a basic multi meter, or one of those little 12v test screw driver thingys, it will make it alot easier

240

No I've got an M46 relay fitted. I wired it up according to the volvowiringdiagrams.com info, but I just reused the auto OD light wire for the M46. (Of course the auto OD is always meant to be on, which is why the light is off when it's on).

So it sounds like maybe I have to change how it's connected to the relay? if so, what would I change? The thing is, that I think it's something to do with how the actual light in the dash is wired; if I fitted a 'standalone' light I wouldn't have the same problem. Interestingly the dash light has its own wire coming off the back, whereas all the other lights in the cluster are integrated into the circuit board.

I think I do have the SRS warning light, but no SRS system, so that spot in the cluster is effectively free. But, to be able to use it, I'm unsure of a) how to actually wire it up - because it's part of the circuit board (I think...), and b) if it's possible to retrofit the "5th" light in that spot to replace the SRS light.

gavinh

Sorry am nowhere near my car till wed so I can't tell you off the top of my head, Dave Barton has some great easy to read diagrams on his page if you google him. I have the od light on my dash. But it's just a case of finding the solenoid supply "pos" and extending the up shift wiring to the connection at the bottom left kick panel on the drivers side.

Major Ledfoot

Try moving the yellow-red wire - the one going from Connector [34] at the cluster that was originally on Terminal 87A of the relay - so that it connects to Terminal 87 of the relay instead.

Near as I can figure by the book, Terminal 87 of the relay should already have a white wire going to the solenoid on the transmission.

Moving the wire from 87A to 87 should switch on the orange arrow "OD off" light on when you engage the overdrive.

240

Thanks, I'll try that/

Now sorry if this is a stupid question...
Is the handbrake meant to have any effect on the front wheels, or just the rear? I had a front wheel off recently to change that broken swaybar link and noticed that the brake pads were touching the disc; I rotated the disc and could hear them rubbing on it. (This is with the handbrake on.)
I have a limited knowledge of brakes - is this normal?

lasercowboy

It's normal that the pads rub against the discs on both fronts and backs when there is no pressure applied to the brake pedal.

The handbrake operates a pair of shoes on the back wheels only (on the inside of the disk that push outwards) and is generally ineffective!

240

"Generally ineffective" seems to be somewhat accurate! If I want it to work well, I have to really pull it up (presumably stretching the cable a bit).
How does one adjust the handbrake?

Also, just for interest's sake, I stumbled upon a For Sale ad for my car from before I bought it:

http://140volvomadness.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/1993-240-volvo-on-market.html

lasercowboy

240;89877 wrote How does one adjust the handbrake?

Prayer.

I've tried all of the usual tricks and adjustments, and even with new disks and shoes, the handbrake in a Volvo 240 is pretty crap. In the long run it's just easier to adjust your expectations :D

familyman

The handbrake on 240s is really only a park brake. As you might remember, I've been driving around for a few weeks using it as my main brake because my pads were down to the metal. But it takes a lot of planning and concentration to drive that way. They are curved shoes - half circles - and fairly narrow. They push outwards into the inner circle of the rear rotors. i.e. Not the type of brakes that are great at the best of times, which is why cars all switched to disc brakes back in the late 1970s. So they're really only meant to hold the car still once it has stopped.

Major Ledfoot

Here is how to say your handbrake prayers.

O Lord, Oooo You are so Big. Please help Thy Humble Servant to Fix Mine Brakes!

And The Lord did say, via the Blessed Mother Volvo in The Book of Green -

Green, 5:23:

The parking brake should be fully applied at notches 3-4. Otherwise adjust the parking brake as follows:
1. Remove the rear ash-tray.
2. Screw out the adjustment screw at the rear end of the parking brake lever so that the cables are
slackened. The screw is accessible through the ash-tray hole by using a 17 mm socket with an extension.

3. Put the rear end on stands and remove the rear wheels.
4. Align the brake drum so its hole is in front of the adjustment screw and adjust the shoes by turning the adjustment wheel with a screwdriver.

Stop turning when the drum just about cannot be turned around, then turn back 4-5 teeth.
Turn the brake drum and check that the brake shoes do not drag. lf that is the case, turn back another 2-3 teeth.
5. lnstall the wheels.
6. Tighten the wires with the adjustment screw at the rear end of the parking brake lever so that the brake is fully applied after 2-3 notches.
7. lnstall the ash-tray.
8. Amen.

Vee_Que

Just like most drum braked vehicles.

240

So I've spent some time making the car look a bit better...
The bumper was bent so a while ago I replaced it with a used one, looks much better now.
Removed the ugly faded pinstripes, some came off easily but with some I had to use a rubber 'eraser wheel'. I also removed the faded and hard black trim to replace with the one IPD used to sell.
Gave the car a good wash, polish, wax and put the new trim on.
The tail lights were no good (one cracked, the other very faded) so I decided to put my spare pair on although they needed a bit of work. I had to paint the chrome stripe black, and they were starting to fade in places so I wet sanded them with 1500 grit paper and then polished them.
They came up pretty well - BUT - when installing them, two of the studs on one of the lights snapped (See pics).
Any ideas of how to proceed? All I can think of is to try and drill a hole in it and put a screw in but I'm not sure how well that'd go.

The old bumper:

Removing pinstripes (and old black trim removed):

Broken tail light studs:

The car as it is now:

tbro

Know someone with a lathe? get them to knurl some 6mm thread bolts, obviously on the blank shank and use a good plastic glue (wurth??) drill out the old and in with the new.

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