Greg's Gold 1991 240GLE wagon B230FT-to-be

Making a bit of slow progress. Got the heater hoses, all wiring etc. disconnected and ready to pull the engine out. Of course I borked the firewall pass-through grommet for the ECU/EZK wires. Fark! Oh well, when I put it back in I'll fill it full of silicone sealant! May try to glue the rubber back together before I install it. I unbolted the AC compressor/bracket from the engine and hung it in place so I don't have to de-gas the AC, but the compressor front seal is leaking anyway so eventually that will have to be rectified. Still seems to work fine so guess I'll leave it for the time being. Really stupid as it would be so easy to deal with it while the engine is out LOL! I think I have come to hate working on cars now.

Got the boat anchor (AKA auto gearbox) out today. No real dramas. The kickdown cable had been a bit sticky over the years requiring some WD40 then ATF poured down it to free it up. Now I know why. Before I pulled the gearbox out, I grabbed the kickdown cable from below and pulled it down so it didn't get stuck on anything. In doing this, I snapped it off at the plastic boss where it goes into the gearbox. Fark! So I cut the end off the cable and slid the sheath off to discover the cable was on its last thread basically due to a rusty/frayed spot, so yeah, miracle that it didn't snap while driving at some stage! Pic attached. The gearbox itself was fine and has less than 150k kms on it if anyone is interested. I'll post it in the for sale section. I believe it's an AW70.

Anyone want to place bets on whether a standard 240 M46 J-type overdrive rear flange will bolt onto the back of a 740T M46 P-type overdrive? The seal diameter appears to be the same, but not sure whether the P-type output shaft and spline is the same as the J-type. I bet somebody here will know @Major Ledfoot Bob I'm betting you'll know!

Major Ledfoot Thanks Bob. I'll learn something new to share on this one!

jamesinc Thanks James. My concern was more that something about the P-type overdrive unit would be different due to it being more heavy-duty than the J-type, so I thought maybe it would have a larger-diameter output shaft. But yeah, hopefully it will just be plug and play!

Swedthusiast Thanks - the wheels are the OE Volvo Polaris alloys. I bought them about 20 years ago used on whatever came before Gumtree. They were in pretty rough condition so I had to have them stripped, straightened, beads welded, then painted. They're definitely one of my favourite wheels. You used to be able to buy the replica wheels (Eiker E1: https://www.eiker.no/produkt/eiker-e1-volvo-75x17-5-108-et20/) but I don't know if they are available anywhere now).

Happy engine-out Easter day!

Got my FCP Euro order of engine gaskets/seals…but been too busy to work on the gold car for a while (Volvo Club magazine. Volvo Club National Rally planning, lots of yard projects). Should get stuck into it again some day!

OK so my parents are visiting and my dad is helping get this stalled project back on the road again! We pulled the dash out to make it easier to install the manual pedal box. Marked, then drilled holes for clutch master cylinder, then reinstalled pedal box. Got the clutch master, pipe, bracket, hose and slave installed. Just need to cut the tip off the brake master cylinder reservoir hydraulic feed for clutch and install the rubber hose, then the clutch mechanical and hydraulic system will be done.

Dad's a stickler for cleanliness, so I said great, get the engine cleaned up (I had started some time back). While he did that, I installed the new spark plug heat shields (unfortunately they're not perfectly aligned…guess It's due to manufacturing tolerances?) The new ones have a rolled edge which I assume helps make them stiffer and maybe less of a sharp surface.

New water pump is installed (genuine Volvo - made in UK - purchased maybe 15 years ago?) Also installed the oil pressure sender, new LH2.4 ECU temp sender, swapped gauge temp sender from the 91 240 engine, pulled distributor from 91 240 engine (to be installed on the B230FT). We'll put on a new timing belt and get things aligned, then install the distributor.

Next steps are - swap 91 LH2.4 harness over to B230FT and route extra wire to oil pressure sender, install inlet manifold and new injectors, pull cam cover and put on new seal, and install rear distributor blanking plate + IPD rear cover plate…then I guess new clutch pilot bearing, install flywheel and clutch…heater hoses, engine mount brackets and engine mounts…then about ready to install engine.

Oh, we also got the overdrive wiring re-jigged using the 740T M46 overdrive relay, and I routed the overdrive light wire to the spot for the ABS warning light. Disassembled instrument cluster and cut a green overdrive "5" lens from an earlier cluster to replace the ABS lens on the warning lamp strip. Reassembled cluster and installed a globe in the correct spot.

We don't reinstall the dash until the engine and wiring harness is in as I want to have good access to the wire pass-through when installing as I buggered up the grommet when I removed it (super glue to the rescue). Also installed turbo ECU and have turbo EZK ready to install once engine and harness are in.

So, things are moving along!

jamesinc It's a custom job using a 740 throttle spool/vacuum dashpot/bracket, a late (91-93) 240 cruise stalk and cruise ECU, custom pedal switch brackets, wiring etc. I prefer this setup as it doesn't rely on engine vacuum at all to control the throttle position (it has the separate vacuum pump).

jamesinc Yep 850 pump is the same. Let me know if you need any bits and pieces…I have a large tub of cruise control parts.