13 replies to this topic

[skiman26]

Thanks to everyone who has been helping me, I really need it!

Found this old gal and want some opinions on her

http://www.ksl.com/i...view&ad=1712058

She mentioned that it has some kind of fuel injection/fuel system problem.
She said while driving it when she lets off on the gas the engine dies.

Car has been garaged for a good portion of its life

Has new:
- Radiator
-Thermostat
-Struts

How is the price?

[skiman26]

*****Correction******

1985 240 GL

[Three Fat Tigers]

3rd person POV, it looks pretty good, and if it is in that condition, doesn't need body work, no rust, I would say the price is right. Sounds like it may need a MAF sensor, or it may have some sort of simple intake leak, maybe a leak in the the PVC system.

[skiman26]

Three Fat Tigers, on 28 October 2009 - 11:59 AM, said:

3rd person POV, it looks pretty good, and if it is in that condition, doesn't need body work, no rust, I would say the price is right. Sounds like it may need a MAF sensor, or it may have some sort of simple intake leak, maybe a leak in the the PVC system.

She did mention a little rust, but from the pictures it looks good.

So worst case senario how expensive would I be to fix an idle/fuel injection system issue?

Are parts for these old cars expensive?

I'm going to check the car out today, anything I should look for?

[Three Fat Tigers]

Well worst case is hard to say, it all depends on what exactly is wrong and what parts are available. This car has LH2.2 which is means there a much better chance of finding good used parts than if the car were a model year older. A used MAF should be 50$ or so, rebuilt/reman they can be between 300 and 350$.

It might also just be a throttle position switch out of adjustment, or a bad idle control valve, those are not very expensive. I'd start by buying an Robert Bentley 240 Service Manual, under 33$ delivered, odds are it would have all the instructions you'd need to diagnose and repair the issue, worth every penny.

I would look for rust around the all of the fixed window seals, aka everything but the door windows. I'd also pull off the front sill covers and then pull back the carpet and check the front floors for rust.

[skiman26]

Three Fat Tigers, on 28 October 2009 - 04:08 PM, said:

Well worst case is hard to say, it all depends on what exactly is wrong and what parts are available. This car has LH2.2 which is means there a much better chance of finding good used parts than if the car were a model year older. A used MAF should be 50$ or so, rebuilt/reman they can be between 300 and 350$.

It might also just be a throttle position switch out of adjustment, or a bad idle control valve, those are not very expensive. I'd start by buying an Robert Bentley 240 Service Manual, under 33$ delivered, odds are it would have all the instructions you'd need to diagnose and repair the issue, worth every penny.

I would look for rust around the all of the fixed window seals, aka everything but the door windows. I'd also pull off the front sill covers and then pull back the carpet and check the front floors for rust.

A few guys on brickboard.com said I should try cleaning the throttle body first.

[skiman26]

Just got back from the test drive.

Very clean car, I had to search to find the rust she was talking about.
On the underside of the wheel wells where the painted sheet metal curls over
there was some minimal rust. I didn't notice any door dings, but it was kind
of dark.

It did quit while I was driving it. I was at a stop light and started to let out
the clutch and it died on me. I started it back up and I was on my way.

I tried to pull the carpet (carpet looks to me to be in brand new condition) up as
much as I could where the drivers seat is bolted to the car, from what I could see,
no rust at all, looked new.

He purchased the rear 3rd seat from a salvage yard its in great condition. I guess
I would have to find the rest of the hardwear to go in it for the seatbelts.

Hood latch is broken, but he has a replacement one with cable.

AC is cold

Clear coat is coming off on the roof and in some small areas on the hood maybe the largest
cosmetic problem.

Engine had good power and the clutch felt good

[Three Fat Tigers]

Well I've seen them go cheaper, but then to get them into good shape with a nice interior, not to mention working AC, it all adds up, so still sounds like a good deal, the manual trans at least makes is more fun to drive.

[excessive101]

I'd put $1200 cash in front of him..

$1500 would still be a good buy..

Car is easily worth the asking price..

[skiman26]

excessive101, on 30 October 2009 - 12:03 AM, said:

I'd put $1200 cash in front of him..

$1500 would still be a good buy..

Car is easily worth the asking price..

Well I am an official Volvo owner!

Talked them down to $1500.

I really need to switch out the engine wiring harness though, for peace of mind. Other than Dave Barton,
are there any other reputable places to get a good harness from?

[Martynj]

skiman26, on 03 November 2009 - 05:43 PM, said:

Well I am an official Volvo owner!

Talked them down to $1500.

I really need to switch out the engine wiring harness though, for peace of mind. Other than Dave Barton,
are there any other reputable places to get a good harness from?

Congratulations. 85 is a great year. I like the 4 headlight setup vs. the 2 bug eyes. (My first volvo was an 84 245 DL).

Looks like you'll need the tailgate wiring harnesses too. Kind of a PITA but rewarding. The brickboard was an invaluable resource for me when I first started working on RWD Volvos. I still go there once in a while too.

Good Luck with it!
Marty

[Three Fat Tigers]

For the tailgate wiring:

You can take the harness out, take some measurements, then shorten it so that part of the harness wire that would normally be on the door side of the hinge will now run through the hinge itself, then make up some simple extensions (wire with one male & one female connector) to plug into the (door side) end of the harness and return the harness to it's original length. This way the cost is very small compared to new a new harness.

Do only one side at a time, and when you remove the hinge from the roof and door you will find some putty, either reuse that, or use some new auto body putty, plumbers putty or silicone sealant when reassembling.

[skiman26]

Three Fat Tigers, on 05 November 2009 - 02:39 PM, said:

For the tailgate wiring:

You can take the harness out, take some measurements, then shorten it so that part of the harness wire that would normally be on the door side of the hinge will now run through the hinge itself, then make up some simple extensions (wire with one male & one female connector) to plug into the (door side) end of the harness and return the harness to it's original length. This way the cost is very small compared to new a new harness.

Do only one side at a time, and when you remove the hinge from the roof and door you will find some putty, either reuse that, or use some new auto body putty, plumbers putty or silicone sealant when reassembling.

So far everything is working on my tailgate. So I guess until it starts breaking, I'll leave it alone.

I've already driven it about 1000 miles and so far it hasn't stalled on me once. The only things I've done so far are put a new air filter in and put higher
octane fuel (88 octane).

Is there a post anywhere on what maintenance steps to take when you purchase an older Volvo?

[Martynj]

skiman26, on 06 November 2009 - 08:43 PM, said:

So far everything is working on my tailgate. So I guess until it starts breaking, I'll leave it alone.

I've already driven it about 1000 miles and so far it hasn't stalled on me once. The only things I've done so far are put a new air filter in and put higher
octane fuel (88 octane).

Is there a post anywhere on what maintenance steps to take when you purchase an older Volvo?

I'm sure there is somewhere but most people will say get it to stage 0. Do a search on that and you'll get a good list of stuff (plugs, wires, cap and rotor, vacuum lines, etc.)

Outside of the mechanical stuff I would address any rust spots(no matter how minor they are now) cuz they grow and spread really quickly. Make sure the drain holes in the bottoms of the doors and behind rear wheel wells are not clogged, really pull up the carpet in the foot wells and inspect, look closely around the entire tailgate. It's common to get chips in the paint at the edge and if you do find some chips that are not yet rusty at least put some clear nail polish over them to protect from the elements if you don't have any touch up paint. Inspect the underbody and touch up any spots w/ a can of undercoat. remove the mudflaps and clean/inspect behind there for any potential rust or rot. This one really needs to be done routinely on the pre 86 style. All of this body stuff (except for maybe yanking the carpets) will only take a couple of hours tops but will add many years to the life of your Volvo if taken care of.

As far as the tailgate goes, in the one picture it looked like there was a wire sticking out of the hinge which is quite common for all the 240 wagons. Definitely leave it alone until you notice something not working properly.

What a fun car. I miss my 84

Marty