Parts for 340 DL in France

Hi all

I have been following 2 forms on related cars during the last year or so and find this forumn to be the most responsive. Good work.

I am in France and has recently joined the Volvo club in UK for obvious language reasons. Muy reason for joining, recieved a 340 DL for free and took the chalenge to redo the motor and what ever needs done to restore the car to a workable state. This being due to the fact that the body and interior been in perfect condition.

My question is as follows

1) Anybody else in France that belongs to the club and actively participates in the Forum
2) Anyone knows where parts can be bought for the B14 4E motor, which I have now been told is a Renault motor, in Nice or surrounding areas
3) Having bought a technical Book on the 340 DL and trying to understand the French version on how to replace the drive belts, not getting there. Anybody in FRance got the Haynes manual in English or may have made copies of the pages related to the replacement of the belts.

Much appreciate the anticipated replies.

[pettaw]

Sorry, I've never owned or run a CVT 340 so don't know anything about them, but other people will, I'm sure.

The B14.4E engine should have parts readily available at any Volvo dealer, which I should stick to for any critical parts, and actually for any service items, such as oil filters, as Volvo Oil filters are definitely a step above the cheapy ones.

German Swedish and French have some original Volvo parts, but I'm afraid I don't know whether they have and branches in France, and Euro Car Parts also do some good stuff. Again, I don't know whether they have branches in France or not.

I haven't been much help really have I? Well hopefully someone with definitive answers will come along.

What problems have you got with the car. Obviously I'm not clued up on the transmission, but someone else will be but a brief description of the engine problems and we could well help out. I've come across most common problems on the 300 series.

Andy

As the previous post says, you are probably better off getting certain parts from your local Volvo dealer though these can be hideously expensive compared with third party suppliers - CVT drive belts being a case in point.

It may be worthwhile seeing if the companies mentioned (German Swedish & French etc) will deliver to France. I bought some CVT drive belts a couple of weeks ago from GSF and they came to about GBP90.(sorry don`t know what the current euro exchange rate is!)

It`s not a massively tricky job to change the belts - much easier if you can get the car over an inspection pit or up on a lift though. I entrusted this to a local independent garage (cost GBP68)last time due to time pressure, but I have done it before.

If you like I`ll see if I can get the relevant manual pages scanned and email them to you - if one of the neighbours has a scanner!

Will Plummer

A 340 with good body is usually worth the work on the mechanicals as they can usually be brought back to excellent condition dispite prevoius mistreatment. However 1.4s don't seem to last much more than 140K miles, 1.7s are very unreliable, and the autos need expensive belts changed regularily.

If you are willing to deal with the belt hassle and ensure the engine is well serviced and it has a reasonable life then it should be worth the effort. Were possible use OE or Volvo parts, don't use pattern parts.

One word of warning, if you have to remove the drive shaft, tighten the clamps with a torque wrench set the correct torque, otherwise it will strip the splines. And if you entrust any work to a garage (even Volvo) ensure they do the same.

I checked on Euro car parts (www.eurocarparts.com) and they do mention export orders, probably cost a bit for delivery though. They also mention import duties, but this won't apply within the EU of course.

Thank you very much for all the replies.

I am going to try and capture all the infor required together in one reply, soooo here I go.

The problems with the current 340 DL : I has overheated and they previousowner tried to remedy the problems by replacement of the head gascket only. This did not last as she probably need to have the head sceamed as well. The gasses thefore blew back into the water and the car overheated a second time. Just this time I checked the sleeves and found that the rings had dome some serious damage to both the seleevs and the also fused itself to the pistones, so A call for a makeover.
My Pet project more like it, That is the reason why I am going to try my best to provide her this makeover with a change of the belts at the same time.

I would realy appreciate the scanned copies of the pages for the belt change. As said before, French is not laughing language, even more so, when they try explain something not only technically but also assuming some sort of technical knowledge of the subject matter.

I am looking at a spares part place locally, they have quoted arround € 650 for all the engine parts, gasckets etc. Will have deside soon if that is a good price or not. Got a quote from the club prefered supplier, they were quite expensive, but a good grwod anway.

Thank you all .
Have a good one

It seems to me that given the parts price (and those are the ones you know need replacement at this stage - further horrors may lurk within!!)that this car is beyond economical repair - was that GBP650? (even in euros the same would probably apply).

If you are really attatched to this car your best bet would be to get a second hand engine from a scrap dealer or even buy a donor car and do a swap. You can pick up 340s for peanuts these days - have a look in the for sale section for price examples.

[srtames]

If you are looking for spare engine liners, I believe the early model 1.4 renault 5 and 18 was the same block as the 340 and should be easier to obtain in France from a breakers yard. They may even be available cheaper new from Renault than Volvo!
good luck , Steve