240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Just a thought, Alan, but is it possible to retro-fit A/C to the R.B.? It may probably be costs prohibitive, but maybe using secondhand parts or a proprietary system would bring the cost down. My 1983 245 GLT, being an ex-embasy car, had factory A/C, which, after re-gassing, worked well during the hot summer of '95. Maybe 'L.S.' could enlighten us?

Regards, John.

Hi John,

What an interesting idea! I've watched enough episodes of Fast N' Loud and Wheeler Dealers to know it only takes Aaron or Ed China a few minutes to make up a few brackets and switches, and have it working in time for Richard/Mike to sell the car for a good profit.

... I suppose it could be done, but my thinking is that it would detract from what the Royal Barge is. If I want a car with ABS, airbags, traction control, electric windows, electric mirrors, SATNAV, DAB... and air conditioning then I have two of those sitting in the garage or car port. What I really like about the RB is its simplicity (and a good slice of nostalgia): no computers, carburettor, manual choke, wind up windows and sunroof... I've even come to really like the 3 speeder auto gearbox!

This has been a good news story: I'm really happy with the Royal Barge as it is - and sort of because it is what it is. I've even veered away from the idea of fitting a 4 speeder 'box because it would detract a bit from that.

Stay safe,

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Anything is possible John, given enough time, money and skill. I've heard of a new form of A/C using piezo-electric chillers, similar to the ones used in min-fridges/coolboxes but i think at present it's too expensive to be viable.

As for retrofitting A/C to a car that doesn't have it, Jim (Tofufi) retrofitted A/C to his 1990 740 and had to buy at least two 760s if memory serves to get the right bits to fit his car. I know the dashboard had to be changed plus the heater box, air inlet to the heater and so on.
There are aftermarket kits that are "universal" but they're few and far between and tend to be expensive as well.

Usually if someone approaches a garage and asks them to do it, the answer is along the lines of it would be cheaper to buy another car with A/C already fitted.

Hi Dave,

See above - my reply to John.

I think this is an interesting idea, and I'm sure would be possible (maybe bot even hard - I should think nearly all the cars supplied to the USA back in 1980 would have had factory A/C). Getting the bits (probably from the USA) might cost me as much as the RB is worth though!

I only use the Royal Barge for local trips (the other two cars are much better at anything else), and for that it really complements my little car collection.

I'm thinking that if the lock-down is over before the end of the summer I might take the RB on a longer road trip somewhere. It might have to be when Dan is away on a school trip or something (he would insist on taking the Porsche - or even the Skoda Superb estate if Bob came with us). Maybe an overnight trip to N Wales. The purpose: mostly nostalgia, but a little bit of proving the RB (and my handiwork) would be up to it. Bob could even come with me - he doesn't mind the RB (although he much prefers the Superb as it has a dog crate that fits in the back), and I have bought some vinyl covers for the back seat for him (somewhere I have a dog harness that clips into a seat belt I got for that horrible Saab 900 but never used).

Back to John's idea about the A/C: I don't need it for the 5 hot days per year we get in Corby, and I really like the Royal Barge as it is (sort of standard, with a few fixes/modifications/improvements here and there). It was a really good idea though.

Stay safe chaps,

Alan

[Othen]

Hi Chaps,

Having taken Bob for a nice, big walk on this lovely morn, I had nothing else to do, so I have spent half an hour doing some research on the 240 A/C issue and come up with this thread from these gages:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showt...errerid=209931

... from post #557 onwards. It looks like the chap used mostly 260 bits.

You chaps probably know the author (the thread is about 5 years old). The car was a bit of a labour of love!

...now time for a nice cuppa.

Stay safe,

Alan

[Othen]

I have just done my weekly check of the Royal Barge, and noticed the coolant level is a bit lower than I left it. The system took about 3/4 pint to bring it up again (I'm running it on water until the winter).

People may remember I changed the water pump a few weeks ago - before that it was losing quite a bit of coolant. there are no leaks now, so where has the coolant gone? My thinking is that maybe there might have been some air pockets (particularly in the heater) that have been filled over the past fortnight (I've probably only done 50 miles in that time due to the lock-down). Is that a likely explanation?

Everything else seems to be working okay, the water level in the expansion tank rises a bit when the engine is hot (as one would expect) and falls again when cold (I fill it to half way between the min and max marks). The expansion tank cap is rates at 10 PSI and forms a good seal.

I can't see anything wrong, am I worrying about nothing?

Stay safe.

[john.wigley]

Regarding coolant loss, Alan, my guess would be that the system is expelling previously trapped air (airlock) from when you refilled it. I've experienced this several times after working on the cooling system, so yes, I do think that you may be worrying about nothing. Having said that, it's not a bad idea to monitor all levels regularly to provide reassurance.

Regarding A/C, I take your point absolutely regarding the refreshingly delightful simplicity of the 2 - series, but do not think that retro-fitting factory A/C (if indeed it should be possible and not cost-prohibitive) would significantly detract from that ethos. As I mentioned, my GLT was equipped with it from the factory, so it may well have been an option on other variants as well.

Regards, John.

[loki_the_glt]

Don't forget that the 240 has footwell vents that allow ambient air in at ankle-level; they're not something I've encountered on anything else, including the Exoxon Valdez.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Hi Chaps,

Having taken Bob for a nice, big walk on this lovely morn, I had nothing else to do, so I have spent half an hour doing some research on the 240 A/C issue and come up with this thread from these gages:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showt...errerid=209931

... from post #557 onwards. It looks like the chap used mostly 260 bits.

You chaps probably know the author (the thread is about 5 years old). The car was a bit of a labour of love!

...now time for a nice cuppa.

Stay safe,

Alan

The 260 would be the logical choice for bits from the same era car. As hinted in my comment about Jims 740 A/C conversion, you might have to buy more than one donor vehicle to get all the right bits. Any bits from the USA are likely to be handed for a left-hand-drive car.
I'm not saying it can't be done but will take longer and pose more problems than expected.

Originally Posted by Othen

I have just done my weekly check of the Royal Barge, and noticed the coolant level is a bit lower than I left it. The system took about 3/4 pint to bring it up again (I'm running it on water until the winter).

People may remember I changed the water pump a few weeks ago - before that it was losing quite a bit of coolant. there are no leaks now, so where has the coolant gone? My thinking is that maybe there might have been some air pockets (particularly in the heater) that have been filled over the past fortnight (I've probably only done 50 miles in that time due to the lock-down). Is that a likely explanation?

Everything else seems to be working okay, the water level in the expansion tank rises a bit when the engine is hot (as one would expect) and falls again when cold (I fill it to half way between the min and max marks). The expansion tank cap is rates at 10 PSI and forms a good seal.

I can't see anything wrong, am I worrying about nothing?

Stay safe.

For the most part, what John said about the coolant loss ^^^^^ but might be worth investing in a new expansion tank cap though and also verifying the pressure rating on it.

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

Don't forget that the 240 has footwell vents that allow ambient air in at ankle-level; they're not something I've encountered on anything else, including the Exoxon Valdez.

All three of my 740s had those as well, little levers in the kick panels that could be flipped back and forth to open and close the vent to the outside world. Quite handy but can be strange on a cold morning when you can't work out why you're getting an icy draught into the footwell!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Regarding coolant loss, Alan, my guess would be that the system is expelling previously trapped air (airlock) from when you refilled it. I've experienced this several times after working on the cooling system, so yes, I do think that you may be worrying about nothing. Having said that, it's not a bad idea to monitor all levels regularly to provide reassurance.

Regarding A/C, I take your point absolutely regarding the refreshingly delightful simplicity of the 2 - series, but do not think that retro-fitting factory A/C (if indeed it should be possible and not cost-prohibitive) would significantly detract from that ethos. As I mentioned, my GLT was equipped with it from the factory, so it may well have been an option on other variants as well.

Regards, John.

Thanks John,

I suppose if the bits I needed fell into my lap I'd fit the A/C just like a factory car. I did a bit of research (eBay type research) earlier and it looks like the major components (compressor, heat exchanger &c) are available, but I can't help thinking one might get stuck on the little niggly bits.

Stay safe.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

For the most part, what John said about the coolant loss ^^^^^ but might be worth investing in a new expansion tank cap though and also verifying the pressure rating on it.

Thank you for that (also John, as above).

I can't help myself looking for issues on the Royal Barge - even though I think you guys are right and there is nothing amiss. Therefore I just ran a compression test on the RB (as one does on a sunny morn during a national lock-down). Why did Mr Volvo put those plugs facing backwards I wonder? Anyway, after a fair bit of fiddling around (and breaking the insulator on one of the plugs - my heavy handedness) I got:

122/112/112/120 PSI,

the good book says 128 PSI, but I think that is okay (my gauge is a cheap Chinese one that hasn't been calibrated against anything in particular). The important thing is they are all close to one another.

So, that seems okay, if there was an issue with the head gasket I'd have expected to see a big discrepancy somewhere.

I think all I need to do is monitor the water use for the summer. I might look out for another expansion tank cap - the one I have looks okay and seems to do what it is supposed to. I've noticed there is a little pressure in the tank when the engine is running - but I'd expect that due to expansion of the water (and I suppose that is the reason the cap is rated at 10 PSI).

As I mentioned above, when I was taking the plugs out I managed to break one of the insulators by being a bit heavy handed) - that is the first time that has ever happened to me on any type of motor - the plugs were in really tight, so I'll blame the PO. Fortunately the PO had included two sets of spare plugs, one equivalent Denso set (W20 if I recall correctly) - which I fitted, and another just marked VOLVO, as you may see here:



... I didn't know Volvo made spark plugs, and this set didn't have any grade or type markings - so I decided not to use them. Would the VOLVO marked plugs have been okay for my motor (B21a)?

Stay safe,

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

Don't forget that the 240 has footwell vents that allow ambient air in at ankle-level; they're not something I've encountered on anything else, including the Exoxon Valdez.

I'll pop out and have a look for those in a mo - I didn't know :-)