240 General: 244GL in New Zealand with a few problems

[fuel]

Hey guys!

This is my first old RWD Volvo, quite the tank it is! I've owned a 850 Turbo sedan previous and I really liked it.

I saw this '76 244GL 2.1 fuel injected 4spd manual for sale and I just knew I had to have it, problems and all. At the price I paid and given the age I didn't expect it to be problem free, so am now just trying to go through each problem one by one to sort them out.

Firstly, and perhaps the most important is that the oil pressure warning lamp is always illuminated when the ignition is on position two - the engine *sounds* fine with no knocking and I don't think the oil pressure is low, but one thing I have noticed is sometimes the light will flicker or glow faintly when the engine revs increase above 3000rpm (am estimating, the tachometer doesn't work). I figure it could be a number of issues, the most simplest being a faulty oil pressure sensor, stuck open oil pressure relief valve, or the engine really does have poor oil pressure due to worn oil pump etc. Can the oil pressure relief valve be accessed externally or does the sump or oil pump require to be removed in order to do so?

Secondly, as above the tachometer doesn't work - the ignition oil appears to have all wires correctly connected to it, is this a common problem and is it easy to fix?

Third, my brake lamps do not illuminate - I have replaced the bulbs but they still don't go - am guessing it's the brake pedal switch but I've heard the rear wiring loom can have troubles, and if this is the case where is the most likely place to first look?

Fourth, the blower fan doesn't work - common issue or perhaps just a fuse?

Fifth, odometer stopped at 301,000kms and hasn't registered travel since 2007 - another common fault?

Sixth, the windscreen wipers don't self park - is it likely to be the park switch in the wiper motor or could it be something else? (like a Peugeot 406 I once had, turned out to be the intermittent wiper relay at fault after replacing the wiper motor and finding the wipers still didn't self park).

Oh and lastly, one of the rear doors does not appear to open from the inside - yes I have checked the child safety lock and it's not activated, the internal door handle still pulls and has a little resistance (as opposed to not being able to pull the handle at all with child safety lock on), and I can see it actuating something on the door catch yet the door still doesn't open! Thoughts?

Thanks guys!

[marcmarel]

When the light is always on, how does it flicker or glow? If the light works (check the wire next to the oil filter) you might have a oil problem. I don't think anything is wrong with the pump, these are very solid and simple.
Change the oil filter, and see (smell) if the oil is not diluted with petrol.
The B21F K-jet (your injection system, see: http://www.escortupgrades.co.uk/Esco...K-Jetronic.htm) does have several ways of getting stuck and injecting way to much petrol.

If not, you could have a bearing problem just from old age or previous problems, somewhere the system is loosing pressure, most likely in the big end bearings.

If you run the engine with faulty K jet, you will have bearing trouble very soon.

[fuel]

the light is on once you turn the ignition on, and remains on when the engine is running. If you rev the engine to say about 3000rpm or higher the light will start to slightly decrease in intensity and then it will flicker if you rev any higher. The engine does have a rattly almost bearing like noise to it but the noise is more prominent at idle speeds and if anything gets more quieter at higher rpms. The car had travelled approx 1000km with the oil light on with the previous owner at the very least, and I travelled 100km in it today with no issues (other than the ones outlined above).

It strikes me to be more of a faulty engine oil pressure switch or a stuck open oil relief valve in the oil pump. I guess the true way to find out is to actually fit an oil pressure gauge on there and see what the actual pressure it is reading at.

Also it idles very smooth and is very smooth running throughout the rev range, I was following it home when we collected it and it wasn't smoking at all, be it blue or black smoke so I don't think it's running rich. The oil didn't smell overly like fuel, just the typical used oil smell really. It got reasonable economy too did about 100km to 9-10L mostly highway driving in 4th gear (no overdrive on this model).

[marcmarel]

So your K jet appears to be in order. Maybe a clogged oil filter?

The oil delivery pipe has rubber seals that can pop out. To examine the oil pump and oil delivery pipe you have to drop the pan, and lift the engine a good bit. Here is a nice pictorial of someone doing this, for the exact same reason: http://cleanflametrap.com/oilpan/

On the blower, check the fuse, but more likely the motor is gone. That is a very common failure, takes an afternoon of digging into the dashboard to replace it. Odometer same, a little cogwheel breaks.

Brake lights suffer from bad ground connection at the housing.

[fuel]

Thank you very much for that! Sounds just like the trouble I'm having and seems like an easy enough fix! With my manual gearbox and no power steering there will be less in the way to do the job (I hope!)

[fuel]

Ok so a few probs sorted, namely the oil pressure light. I pulled out the oil pressure sender to fit an electric oil pressure gauge sensor but it was far too big and wouldn't fit between the alternator and the oil filter housing, so I just cleaned up the original oil pressure sender and put it back in and re attached the wire to it - well that appears to have fixed it! I would have figured if there was a dirty connection the oil light would not glow at all, rather than glow at all times, as when I pulled the wire off completely the lamp didn't glow.

Brake lights (and interior lamp) now works, it was just dirty fuse contacts it seems - the fuse was fine but wiggling the fuse made it work.

Wipers now park themselves as well, the tracks under the metal plate were covered in grease and muck, and had been for quite some time.

Three down still many more to go! Haha

[Mike_Brace]

Might be worth checking that the insulation on the oil pressure switch wire is ok - a short toearth will bring light on.

Good luck with sorting the rest out.

Mike

[DFF53]

Hi mate, nice to see a fellow NZer with 240, can i assume you bought the maroon 244 , me and my brother were looking at that too we have a 240 each and it's nice to see it has gone to an enthusiast rather than the wreckers as old volvo saloons do down here.