240 General: New project 244GL

[mpetersen]

Hello everyone,

First time poster; please let me know if this is in the wrong place.

I would really appreciate your advice. I'm not a mechanic, am actually a philosophy lecturer, but I love cars (particularly 240 Volvos and VW Beetles) and would love to learn more about them. I found this 1981 Volvo 244GL, at a very good price. The car is running, it has less than 200k in the clock and very little rust in the body. My idea is to buy it and restore it. Does this project sound insane given my lack of technical knowledge? Or is it possible to learn on the way?

I have no rush; it doesn't matter if the restoration takes several years. You advice would be really helpful. Thanks!

M

[Moomoo]

Welcome along bud, nice easy car to work on, no silly electronics. Take your time and ask loads of questions if you’re not sure!👍🙂

You are in a veritable mine of information!

[Steve 940]

Welcome mpeterson, and as 'Moomoo' has indicated, there are a number of 240 forum owners on here, who know these cars inside out, and are most willing to assist and guide us lesser mortals.

I'm relatively new to the old Volvo world, and the amount of help I've received from this forum is amazing.

I did notice your location as Santiago ?? If that is the Santiago in Chile, then a lot may depend on how easy it is to source old Volvo parts locally???

You may need to order from US sources, such as Rock Auto etc.

Best of luck, Cheers,
Steve

[mpetersen]

Thanks Moomo and Steve for your advice.

Steve, you're right, my location is Santiago de Chile. Shipping parts from the US is relatively inexpensive for us, so hopefully that shouldn't be a major problem.

I think I will give it a go. Will keep you posted. Thanks again!

[mpetersen]

Hi there!

I decided to go for it so I'm now the proud owner of a 1980 244GL.

At closer inspection I found out there is a leak in the cooling system (there was mostly water in the expansion tank and now it's empty). I've been reading about possible causes (water pump seal, radiator, engine drain). Any thoughts on how to start discarding potential causes? Thanks in advance!

Best wishes,

Matias

[Othen]

Originally Posted by mpetersen

Hi there!

I decided to go for it so I'm now the proud owner of a 1980 244GL.

At closer inspection I found out there is a leak in the cooling system (there was mostly water in the expansion tank and now it's empty). I've been reading about possible causes (water pump seal, radiator, engine drain). Any thoughts on how to start discarding potential causes? Thanks in advance!

Best wishes,

Matias

Coolant leaks are either external or internal.

External leaks: easy to find and fix, spray some talcum powder all over the likely spots (radiator, hoses, water pump, heater hoses... there aren't many), fill up with water, start the engine and it will show you where it is leaking by the time it reaches running temperature. To fix just change the bit that is leaking.

Internal leaks: into the engine oil or combustion chambers. Look at the oil to see if it is emulsified at the filler cap. Do a compression test. To fix change the cylinder head gasket.

Einfach?

[mpetersen]

Thanks Othen! I've followed your advice and, most likely, it is an internal leak. No leaking from radiator, hoses, water pump, etc. Water seems to be leaking from the back end of the engine.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by mpetersen

Thanks Othen! I've followed your advice and, most likely, it is an internal leak. No leaking from radiator, hoses, water pump, etc. Water seems to be leaking from the back end of the engine.

It may be from the two heater hoses that connect to the back of the engine, between it and the bulkhead. They are difficult to see, but maybe use a mirror or an endoscope and some talc to check them before you start taking the engine apart.

If the issue is with the head gasket that will show up with a compression test. Changing a head gasket is pretty simple.

Good fortune,

[mpetersen]

Thanks again Othen! I've checked the heater hoses and can't see any leaks. Will look again while the tools for the compression test arrive.

Thanks!

Matias

[mpetersen]

Hi all,

Happy new year! It took me while to find the time to work on the leak.

I run a compression test and readings were as follows:

C1: 135
C2: 125
C3: 148
C4: 150

I assume that the head gasket could be blown between cylinders 1 and 2. I already bought the parts from Rockauto. I was looking at the procedure on how to change a head gasket in the Haynes manual. It says I need to do the following:

- Drain the cooling system (already drained) and remove the spark plugs
- Remove intake manifold brace and exhaust manifold flange bolts
- Remove the distributor
- Remove the timing belt and the camshaft
- Then, loosen the head bolts, etc.

Would appreciate any suggestions on whether this makes sense.

Thanks and best wishes,

MP