240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Hi Clifford,

I'm thinking of something similar. I've just had a look round the garage and found what I think might be the ideal basis for a home-made tool:



The pry bar is 15" long and has a 9mm square section. I'm thinking that if I cut the end off, then applied a bit of heat to give it something of a bend in the vice it would probably hook under the camshaft between two cams and hold one down whilst I rotated the shaft away - just like the US made one.

I'm pretty sure the pry bar came from somewhere like Aldi or Lidl, and so probably cost no more than a few pounds.

I'm not likely to need this very often (maybe once a year - if then because generally the tappets will not need any adjustment).

Alan

Before you mutilate a perfectly good pry-bar Alan, why not try it as it is? You might get a nice surprise! You may be able to refine it by making a piece of flat 3mm bar with slots so it sits on the edges of the buckets with a couple of bits of metal welded on top to aid location of the pry-bar.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Before you mutilate a perfectly good pry-bar Alan, why not try it as it is? You might get a nice surprise! You may be able to refine it by making a piece of flat 3mm bar with slots so it sits on the edges of the buckets with a couple of bits of metal welded on top to aid location of the pry-bar.

Yes of course Dave - this was going to be an iterative development:

a. Try a 10mm Allen key - if it works do nothing more, if not:
b. Try the middle sized pry bar (the one in the photo) - if it works do nothing more, if not:
c. Try the small sized pry bar - if it works do nothing more, if not:
d. Cut the end off the 18" pry bar and try it again - if it works do nothing more, if not:
e. Apply some heat to the 18" pry bar and bend it to make it more like the commercially manufactured one - if it works do nothing more, if not:
f. Try adding a bit of 3mm bar to aid location as you suggest - if it works do nothing more, if not:
g. Buy the proper tool :-)

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Yes of course Dave - this was going to be an iterative development:

a. Try a 10mm Allen key - if it works do nothing more, if not:
b. Try the middle sized pry bar (the one in the photo) - if it works do nothing more, if not:
c. Try the small sized pry bar - if it works do nothing more, if not:
d. Cut the end off the 18" pry bar and try it again - if it works do nothing more, if not:
e. Apply some heat to the 18" pry bar and bend it to make it more like the commercially manufactured one - if it works do nothing more, if not:
f. Try adding a bit of 3mm bar to aid location as you suggest - if it works do nothing more, if not:
g. Buy the proper tool :-)

Alan

I like the lieterary interpretation of a flow chart Alan!

[Laird Scooby]

Forgot to post this earlier, finally got round to weighing the 15" and 16" wheels, steel and alloy respectively.

The 15" is 6J and the 16" alloy is 6.5J, the 15" steel has a couple of balance weights on (<50g) and the steel weighs 9.25kg and the alloy 9.0kg.

Given that the area of the wheel and cicumference are both related to Pi and that is constant, an approximation of 16/15 can be assumed for the comparative weight increase of a 16" steel wheel or about +7% so arguably a 16" steel wheel would be ~9.8kg and the alloy remains at 9.0kg. Not forgetting the alloy is already 1/2" wider to start with, i'd say the alloys are definitely the lighter wheel!

Granted we're only talking about 3kg ish over the 4 wheels assuming a size for size change or 1kg if going from 15" steelies to 16" alloys but it's there. Both wheels are for FWD cars, same PCD and offset bot originally fitted to different cars. That said, the steel bears a remarkable simlarity to the steel wheels fitted to the donor of the alloy.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Forgot to post this earlier, finally got round to weighing the 15" and 16" wheels, steel and alloy respectively.

The 15" is 6J and the 16" alloy is 6.5J, the 15" steel has a couple of balance weights on (<50g) and the steel weighs 9.25kg and the alloy 9.0kg.

Given that the area of the wheel and cicumference are both related to Pi and that is constant, an approximation of 16/15 can be assumed for the comparative weight increase of a 16" steel wheel or about +7% so arguably a 16" steel wheel would be ~9.8kg and the alloy remains at 9.0kg. Not forgetting the alloy is already 1/2" wider to start with, i'd say the alloys are definitely the lighter wheel!

Granted we're only talking about 3kg ish over the 4 wheels assuming a size for size change or 1kg if going from 15" steelies to 16" alloys but it's there. Both wheels are for FWD cars, same PCD and offset bot originally fitted to different cars. That said, the steel bears a remarkable simlarity to the steel wheels fitted to the donor of the alloy.

Many thanks Dave,

Much as I thought - 250 grams, or half a pound - is negligible in this context. The aluminium alloy wheels should be significantly lighter, but they aren't - for the reasons we discussed above.

:-)

Alan

[loki_the_glt]

Originally Posted by Othen

I have to find a way of locking the RB's crank at or around TBC on the compression or power strokes for each cylinder (it is an auto, so I can't just put it in gear). I suppose the crank bolt is the obvious thing, so I need to devise a way of keeping a socket attached and fixed in place to stop things rotating while I test each cylinder. I remember having to lock the crank on a MX5 auto (to remove the crank bolt and so change the cam belt) years ago, and manufacturing a tool that latched on somewhere like the water pump (?) out of a piece of sheet steel (I should think about 8mm think) - with lots of drilling, grinding and filing after the silhouette of a cardboard pattern. Perhaps I might do the same: weld a 22mm socket or ring onto a piece of sheet steel and find a handy bolt to hold it?

This was just me thinking aloud - but if anyone has an idea I'd be grateful.

Alan

The obvious solution would be to borrow a crankshaft locking tool for the B200/230 engine, and use that as a starting point. It secures to the tensioner stud and two slots on the crank pulley on those engines, but using the same principle and most of its dimensions you could weld a suitable socket on to a length of steel bar for the crank end and shape it to follow the B2x0 tool shape.

If you need to borrow the tool, I've got one you can borrow for the cost of postage.

[Clifford Pope]

The old standard way was to remove the starter motor and wedge something in the starter ring teeth.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

The obvious solution would be to borrow a crankshaft locking tool for the B200/230 engine, and use that as a starting point. It secures to the tensioner stud and two slots on the crank pulley on those engines, but using the same principle and most of its dimensions you could weld a suitable socket on to a length of steel bar for the crank end and shape it to follow the B2x0 tool shape.

If you need to borrow the tool, I've got one you can borrow for the cost of postage.

Many thanks - that is an enormously kind offer. The B21 doesn't have any slots in the crank pulley - just those 6 or 8 (I forget) M10 bolts. The idea of welding a 22mm socket to a steel bar and attaching it to a convenient bolt (maybe the PAS) is an excellent one. I'll fashion something like that between now and October.

Alan

PS. What would be handy is a photo of the B230 tool so I can get a rough idea.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

The old standard way was to remove the starter motor and wedge something in the starter ring teeth.

Many thanks - I'd also considered wedging a pry bar into the drive plate for the torque converter via that little plastic mesh, but it would be a fair amount of faff to keep moving it for each of the 4 cylinders.

See above note to Loki - I think that would be the best way - and I could add it to my collection of 'special' (i.e. home made) Volvo B21 tools.

:-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

I replaced (or actually ground down the underside of the shims that were only slightly too thick) most of the shims.

Good morn Clifford,

May I ask what you used to grind down the shims that were slightly too big? I have 3 spares from when I fitted the cam to the new head (4.15, 4.05 and 4.00) - I'm thinking that one or two of the shims are already less than those, so at some time in the future I might need some slimmer shims as the valve seats wear. I'm thinking a paste board with some emery paper glued flat to it might do the job?

Alan