1977 244DL "Amy"

jamesinc · 2013-07-24T00:16:02+00:00

Love the bug-bomb holder you have there, James :)

jamesinc

Well what I'm using is the live MAP readings from the 123ignition, which I imagine are accurate enough. I don't have a calibrated vac gauge ?

I won't have time to investigate until Sunday, but the gestalt of it says to me the cam is slightly off.

jamesinc

Okay I have it running pretty well now, at least once it's warmed up. Cold start is still a bit tough but I will come back to that.

I checked timing and everything is fine, and I checked the warm-up valve on the carb which was not setup correctly. So I followed the greenbook and adjusted it so the valve lifts off the seat around 20°C.

I checked the choke valve and I think it is correct based on general guidance I've found online, but confusingly my valve is a mirror image of the valve in the Greenbook ? so not 100% sure what that's about.

In the images above, my carb exactly matches the carb side of the fitting, but my choke fuel valve has the big port and small ports in a mirror orientation - not 180° out but mirrored. There's no way to flip it so evidently they had two different parts.

I also played with the mixture a bit, I will dial it in fully with an O2 sensor. I checked the ATF level in the damper pot and it was low so I topped it up and that has sorted out the backfire when you plant your foot. It wasn't bone dry just maybe half as full as it should be.

Finally I just let the car run for half an hour and get everything bedded in. There's 20L or so of pretty old 98 in the tank, it smells fine but it's about a year old so I will fill it up with fresh fuel when I take it for blue slip.

I took it round the block and it makes NICE power. Not ridiculous, but very satisfying. Very nice power delivery too.

jamesinc

Okay I have played around with the car and off idle it runs great, but at idle and when cold-starting it has been a pain. I also noticed cylinders 1 and 2 had a much more dramatic effect on running than 3 and 4 (when d/c spark leads). The manifold up near #4 is where the PCV vac line comes in and this is a pretty big line with a check valve to prevent boost exiting. I put a hose pincher over the hose to block it off and the wonky idle cleared right up. So obviously this line is allowing far too much airflow. Unsurprising I guess because later 240s this is always a 4mm vac hose.

So I will see if my old B21E has a reducer on it, otherwise I will machine a flow restrictor insert that slots into the port on the manifold, which should sort it out. I might also see if I can swap the A/C port with this one, as the A/C port has a restrictor built into it already, and the AC system is a closed system so won't keep letting fresh air into the manifold. In any case, with the port closed off, the car seems pretty happy. I will cold-start it again after work and verify.

jamesinc

I had a chance to sneak down to the garage for 10 minutes and take a quick look, sure enough! Wrong bloody nipple! I swapped the nipple with the one from my old B21E, the engine was cool, set the choke, she started right up and revs and sounds happy. Success!

Wrong:

Correct:

Remaining tasks (in order):

Install washer bottle - I don't think I ever updated the thread but the 240 Turbo washer bottle I had doesn't fit because of the AC compressor. I've ordered a small 1.2L bottle that I think will mount in about the same spot as the stock water tank.Hook up AC compressor clutch power and groundGet a blue slip - need to find the receipt for the engine (which I bought in I think 2015!)Do some power runs with the tuning software and dial it in - I've already setup a conservative tune and programmed in 15 degrees of timing retard per one bar of boost pressure but I would like to get it perfect.

jamesinc

Boost/vac gauge showed up so I took the car for a spin and confirmed I have the wastegate set correctly (it makes 6.5-6.8psi, which AFAIK is about as much as the carb can handle). I still need to hook up an O2 sensor and check what the mixture is like at full tilt, but it pulls nicely and it sounds fine so probably is in the right ballpark. The oil cooler is hot after a bunch of power runs up and down my street so I know it's working.

The washer bottle turned up today but I need to fab up a bracket to hold it and then run the hose and wires across to it. I'm planning to just extend them round the front of the car, behind the grille, rather than unpicking them from the loom.

AshDVS

Looking very neat.

Ex850R

Absoloootellifrikknsooooopuuurb!

Can you show us the original car sitting forlornly awaiting you to come along , possess it and make this beastie out of it?

LoveIT!

jamesinc

@Ex850R yeah man turn to page 1 of this thread

jamesinc

Washer bottle install done. The bracket isn't as rigid as I'd like, but it's well good enough for rego. Done done! Car is done! I'll update once I have it registered.

jamesinc

Yeboye we done, took the car for a spin in the pouring rain and it went well

AshDVS

What made you go back to full reg, rather than conditional?

jamesinc

I want to drive this car a bit more, and also I want to put its original plates back on, JID-987, white on black.

AshDVS

jamesinc
I want to drive this car a bit more, and also I want to put its original plates back on, JID-987, white on black.

Is the original plate still available?

With the NSW Conditional reg, what are the driving limitations on that?

jamesinc

Yeah it is

60 days log book driving per year (driving to club events not included). Strictly no commercial usage. That's about it. The actual registration process is much more manual, it's all paper-based, and not every mechanic still keeps paper copies of the blue/pink slip forms so it can sometimes be a hassle.

jamesinc

Alright, first teething issue. I initially thought the downpipe was hitting the steering column under hard acceleration / full boost as I was getting a touch of vibration. However (and looking at the photos above you can see evidence of this), it is actually the charge air pipe hitting the bonnet. Not the end of the world, this pipe was remade from a damaged original so obviously the dimensions are slightly off. I didn't have the advantage of engine-in-car when it was made.

The fabrication was done by Grim Performance up in Hornsby so I'm going to head over and see Dennis on Monday and get him to sort me out, it may look tight in photos but there is plenty of space to play with, we only need to drop the highest point maybe 5mm. I think what will end up happening is that the pipe over the top of the valve cover will end up sitting more level with the ground, which will probably look nicer too, and it will also add a little bit more space for the throttle cable to pass under - right now it rubs a bit on the pipe.

jamesinc

Stuff sorted now.

Revised pipe. Exhaust has been clearanced too.

I am having some trouble with the carb damper losing fluid, I thought it was the o-ring so replaced it and cleaned everything for good measure. But after driving for half an hour I notice it is nearly empty again. I think what is happening is, when I come on boost, there is maybe some turbulence or something that is blowing the fluid out where it then just drains through the vent holes at the bottom of the pot. *shrug* not sure what to do, there's not much online for boosted CD carbs. I'm considering maybe putting a baffle over the vent holes in the pot.

Major Ledfoot

So it's blowing the damping fluid out of the carb dashpot?

CD Strombergs were very popular in blow-through aftermarket applications in the late 1980s. The ancient 'Turbo' magazine feature a lot of them. There's a fix out there.

jamesinc

Dunno. I can't think of another explanation really. The o-ring isn't leaking, the diaphragm is in good condition, everything is seated properly. Must be turbulence ?‍♂️

jamesinc

Well this maybe answers it, I have been using ATF haha. I'll see if 10W40 goes better. Maybe this is why they say not to use ATF, it isn't viscous enough to stick around.

a7pocket

man 8 years fakk what kind of world i have gotten myself into with volvos, congrats man ur car looks amazing

Ex850R

a7pocket
man 8 years fakk what kind of world i have gotten myself into with volvos, congrats man ur car looks amazing

U are doomed to walk this earth in search of rare and expensive bits that make these beasts purr , your life as you once knew it is gone forever.

do not resist...

we all sing the song , we will save you.

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