240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Laird Scooby]

Surprisingly Alan, Proops Bros. are still going strong :

https://www.proopsbrothers.com/

Checking in one of my sources, it confirms the B21A for 1980 is 12 deg BTDC @ 750rpm without vacuum. Worth checking it once a year to make sure the timing hasn't wandered and is stable - if it's a bit unstable, it suggests possible wear in the distributor shaft bushes.

The Bosch 0 100 227 039 is quite a common ignition amplifier module and i believe the same one is still used in mine - it was also used by many other mnodels throughout the world at the time so is well supported. If you can, remove the two screws holding it on the heatsink, clean the mating surfaces with carb cleaner, IPA, meths or similar with a soft cloth (don't use anything abrasive) and polish up to as close as you can get to a mirror finish. Then apply a fresh smear of heatsink compound to the rear of the module and as you refit it, give it a wiggle to spread the compound out evenly. This will help prolong the life of the module.

Plenty on fleabay fairly cheaply :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-AUDI-S...9/223172017125

If memory serves, the Intermotor part number is 15001 and they're even cheaper (from about a tenner) so you may want to think about keeping one handy just in case.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Surprisingly Alan, Proops Bros. are still going strong :

https://www.proopsbrothers.com/

Checking in one of my sources, it confirms the B21A for 1980 is 12 deg BTDC @ 750rpm without vacuum. Worth checking it once a year to make sure the timing hasn't wandered and is stable - if it's a bit unstable, it suggests possible wear in the distributor shaft bushes.

The Bosch 0 100 227 039 is quite a common ignition amplifier module and i believe the same one is still used in mine - it was also used by many other mnodels throughout the world at the time so is well supported. If you can, remove the two screws holding it on the heatsink, clean the mating surfaces with carb cleaner, IPA, meths or similar with a soft cloth (don't use anything abrasive) and polish up to as close as you can get to a mirror finish. Then apply a fresh smear of heatsink compound to the rear of the module and as you refit it, give it a wiggle to spread the compound out evenly. This will help prolong the life of the module.

Plenty on fleabay fairly cheaply :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-AUDI-S...9/223172017125

If memory serves, the Intermotor part number is 15001 and they're even cheaper (from about a tenner) so you may want to think about keeping one handy just in case.

... you are right about the Intermotor equivalent:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F292569102385

£11.30 delivered for a new part! Do these ever fail? I must admit I’ve never had an ignition module fail on any car or bike in (I suppose) 30 years since they became standard.

There seems to be no shortage of these parts.

PS. Thank you for confirming 12 BTDC, the Book of Haynes was a bit arbitrary between 15 and 12 degrees.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

... you are right about the Intermotor equivalent:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F292569102385

£11.30 delivered for a new part! Do these ever fail? I must admit I’ve never had an ignition module fail on any car or bike in (I suppose) 30 years since they became standard.

There seems to be no shortage of these parts.

PS. Thank you for confirming 12 BTDC, the Book of Haynes was a bit arbitrary between 15 and 12 degrees.

I thought i was Alan but quite a long time since i've needed to check it. If yo've found one for £11.50, it's worth buying (as well as a tube of Servisol Heatsink Compound (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Servisol-...e/362527726443 ) and keeping in the car, with the necessary tools to change it if necessary.

If you get the heatsink compound, do the clean up and reapplication of it to the existing unit to prolong its life, the primary cause of failure is little or no heatsink compound from the factory.

Usual symptoms are firstly misfring and/or cutting out when hot then restarting after between 10-30 minutes, running again, usually for 20-30 minutes and repeat.

Seen a good many of these fail, especially when i was in the trade. Had a few of my own fail too and Sods Law is, when you break down miles from civilisation in the pouring rain with no mobile signal, the nearest shops will have just sold their last one and the AA/RAC patrols won't even know what it looks like, especially if they can't plug their OBD-II reader in anywhere!

My source is an Autodata computer database so while not as ambiguous as your Haynes, could still be wrong as i've known them to be wrong on a few things.

However, 12 deg BTDC sounds about right, if the engine sounds happy and pulls without pinking, fires first touch etc and gives good economy and power, it can't be far out.

I think the first cars (that i knew of anyway) to use these type of ignition modules were the 1980 onwards Escort (Mk3) and Mk1 Astra (1979), Mk2 Cavalier (1982) and similar. It might be VWs and Audis used them earlier, Saab i believe started using them about the same time as Volvo (early/mid 80s) and many more as time went on.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I thought i was Alan but quite a long time since i've needed to check it. If yo've found one for £11.50, it's worth buying (as well as a tube of Servisol Heatsink Compound (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Servisol-...e/362527726443 ) and keeping in the car, with the necessary tools to change it if necessary.

If you get the heatsink compound, do the clean up and reapplication of it to the existing unit to prolong its life, the primary cause of failure is little or no heatsink compound from the factory.

Usual symptoms are firstly misfring and/or cutting out when hot then restarting after between 10-30 minutes, running again, usually for 20-30 minutes and repeat.

Seen a good many of these fail, especially when i was in the trade. Had a few of my own fail too and Sods Law is, when you break down miles from civilisation in the pouring rain with no mobile signal, the nearest shops will have just sold their last one and the AA/RAC patrols won't even know what it looks like, especially if they can't plug their OBD-II reader in anywhere!

My source is an Autodata computer database so while not as ambiguous as your Haynes, could still be wrong as i've known them to be wrong on a few things.

However, 12 deg BTDC sounds about right, if the engine sounds happy and pulls without pinking, fires first touch etc and gives good economy and power, it can't be far out.

I think the first cars (that i knew of anyway) to use these type of ignition modules were the 1980 onwards Escort (Mk3) and Mk1 Astra (1979), Mk2 Cavalier (1982) and similar. It might be VWs and Audis used them earlier, Saab i believe started using them about the same time as Volvo (early/mid 80s) and many more as time went on.

The ignition timing certainly feels right: the car starts very well and gives good power, I certainly wouldn’t say it gives good economy though - but that isn’t anything to do with the ignition timing - this is a 40 year old Volvo that weights a ton and a half, has a carburettor with a manual choke, a 3 speed auto gearbox and gets used almost exclusively for running round town! I’d be surprised if the Royal Barge is averaging much more than 20 MPG, maybe 25 MPG on a bit of a run. I was talking about it over the phone with a similar aged mate the other day, comparing the Royal Barge to his Jag (a newish one, diesel V6 with about 200 HP) - which still does 50 MPG. I didn’t buy the Royal Barge as an economy vehicle (which is just as well).

:-)

PS. I’ll check in the spares box before I order one - you never know, the PO may have supplied one of those as well!

[john.wigley]

Our similar spec '81 244 DL averaged 23 in daily use in period, Alan, so you're not doing too badly at all. We were very pleasantly surprised when it first topped 30! 500 KM at 90 KM/h worked wonders for its economy!

Regards, John.

[Laird Scooby]

Funny you should put a PS about checking the spares box Alan, i very nearly edited and did the same!

About 20mpg round town is probably about right but with careful use of the right foot, you should get 30mpg fairly easily on a run. I used to get 32mpg out of my 144 auto which is almost the same but 141cc smaller and OHV instead of OHC so not quite as efficient.

The best trick i found on the open road to getting good economy and passable acceleration up too that point was to work out where my foot would be at say 60mph and put it there from starting off. Then just let it go through the gears itself without moving my hoof.

Another thing that also worked well if i didn't need to accelerate quite so quickly was to gently increase the pressure on the loud pedal until i reached that point which also made the gear changes smoother with a flatter acceleration curve. It's a technique i still use today and it still works.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Our similar spec '81 244 DL averaged 23 in daily use in period, Alan, so you're not doing too badly at all. We were very pleasantly surprised when it first topped 30! 500 KM at 90 KM/h worked wonders for its economy!

Regards, John.

Thank you for that John. I had a feeling that low to mid 20s would be about right for a big 1980s car like the Royal Barge. I remembered that the 240 estate I bought new in the mid 80s did about that figure, but as I was running it on tax free petrol in Germany at the time that hardly mattered.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Funny you should put a PS about checking the spares box Alan, i very nearly edited and did the same!

About 20mpg round town is probably about right but with careful use of the right foot, you should get 30mpg fairly easily on a run. I used to get 32mpg out of my 144 auto which is almost the same but 141cc smaller and OHV instead of OHC so not quite as efficient.

The best trick i found on the open road to getting good economy and passable acceleration up too that point was to work out where my foot would be at say 60mph and put it there from starting off. Then just let it go through the gears itself without moving my hoof.

Another thing that also worked well if i didn't need to accelerate quite so quickly was to gently increase the pressure on the loud pedal until i reached that point which also made the gear changes smoother with a flatter acceleration curve. It's a technique i still use today and it still works.

John just replied to confirm what I’m seeing is about right as well Dave. Low to mid 20s is acceptable as I won’t do many miles in the Royal Barge, if I’m going further than Market Harborough it always makes more sense to use the Skoda or the Porsche (the Boxster is actually pretty good on fuel, Dan and I averaged 37MPG when we took it down to see his nanny and grandad in Hampshire).

Trying to drive fast in the Royal Barge is a bit pointless - it is heavy and has a 3 speed box, so it just gets noisier if one is too heavy with the right foot. I find that easing up a bit just below the two change up points (about 20 and 40 MPH) smooths the gears a bit and makes it a bit less of a lurch between the widely spaced ratios. I suspect that helps a bit with the fuel consumption.

One thing I did notice when I checked the timing this morn is how tidy the engine compartment has become since I fixed that oil leak. I gave everything a spruce up with some Screwfix degreaser (cheap, and the best I’ve found on the market) a few days ago, it has stayed really nice, clean and dry since and improves the car a great deal.

[Clifford Pope]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I thought i was Alan but quite a long time since i've needed to check it. If yo've found one for £11.50, it's worth buying (as well as a tube of Servisol Heatsink Compound (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Servisol-...e/362527726443 ) and keeping in the car, with the necessary tools to change it if necessary.

.

I've had two Ignition Amplifier Module failures over the years. Both were completely without any warning - one moment the car was running perfectly, the next it just cut out and ground to a halt and refused to restart.
The other, it apparently failed overnight in the garage, and wouldn't start.
Both started instantly after replacement.

I always keep a spare ready-mounted on a heat sink. That way if the car ever cuts out you can simply unplug and plug in the new one, leaving it dangling by the wires until more convenient.
At the least you've eliminated one possible cause in seconds.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

I've had two Ignition Amplifier Module failures over the years. Both were completely without any warning - one moment the car was running perfectly, the next it just cut out and ground to a halt and refused to restart.
The other, it apparently failed overnight in the garage, and wouldn't start.
Both started instantly after replacement.

I always keep a spare ready-mounted on a heat sink. That way if the car ever cuts out you can simply unplug and plug in the new one, leaving it dangling by the wires until more convenient.
At the least you've eliminated one possible cause in seconds.

Thank you for that, I had not realised these were so prone to failure (as I told Dave above, I don’t ever recall having an ignition module fail on a car or a bike). As a spare will only cost £11 I’ll order one (I checked the spares box, but unfortunately it did not have one, but I do have two complete sets of plugs, a distributor cap, a set of plug leads, two rotor arms, two coils and a fuel pump spare... perhaps the PO was planning a round the world trip?).

Alan