240 General: Fluid Service:~

[Bob Meadows]

1988 240 Power Steering: ~ just completed a power steering fluid change as I don’t have a service history otherwise all fine. I didn’t think that I would really notice any great changes replacing tired fluid.
It was never heavy to drive and just performed well- it has improved extremely well so a recommended item if you have this on the too do list.
Clutch fluid done at the same time as it looked quite old with the header tank sediment requiring a good clean- as this had to be a one man operation day I used a baster to drain the tank and then cleared the debris in the tank base without allowing air to enter.
The system was then drained through a few times by filling then drain method- again a noticeable difference in gear changes.
Brakes next for this car and then the V70 will have the same.
Regards Bob

[Clifford Pope]

That's a useful lesson to learn. Usually one only changes fluids when fixing something else, so never really appreciates the contribution new fluid can make to smooth operation.

Another two to add would be gearbox and axle oils, and if you have an overdrive, cleaning the filter.

[Bob Meadows]

Done those as well Clifford shortly after purchase: ~ this car has the 5speed box so the oil is specific to the model, once you get the filler & drain plugs out - they are renowned for not wanting to move (probably Loctite used at the factory) but once out and a larger nut welded on top of the original then it is very much easier for future servicing - oil level a little awkward as it is recommended to slightly overfill to lubricate 5th (I think this came from the forum advise?)
Regards Bob

[Nicholas Lewin]

Bob - not wishing to teach egg-sucking, but...

Long story, but my 105k mile 240 no longer has it's original M47 'box due to abuse. It now runs a s/h 'box with about 210k miles on it. I decided last month to change the oil on this 'box as I was unsure of it's pedigree and the two bottom gears were sometimes reluctant to be used - EP 80/90 came out (the strong smell, colour and viscosity confirmed that) and that's not right. It should be ATF as confirmed by several sources including the car's original handbook

I refilled the 'box with Redline ATF (using a syringe at 10ML per shot - imagine how long that took) and the change to how the gearbox performs was revolutionary. It is now an absolute joy to drive - much lighter, much less resistive to dropping down gears.

So for anyone else reading and considering changing their gearbox oil...

All the best, Nick

[Clifford Pope]

Originally Posted by Bob Meadows

oil level a little awkward as it is recommended to slightly overfill to lubricate 5th
b

Jack the car on the left hand side so the level is tilted to the right.

For filling I use a garden pressure spray with hose. Stand it in a bucket of hot water for half an hour first.