u/No-Lobster-5120

Hi,

I am replacing the cartridges in the front struts of my 1990 240.

The passenger side is done.

I am having a problem with the driver's side though. I got the new cartridge installed properly in the strut housing, and I am at the point of rotating the assembly up into place. The problem: the strut keeps hanging up on the third bolt stud in the strut bearing. It won't go in the tower. I have tried for hours.

I was able to jiggle the passenger side around and then lift it into place for bolting with a hydraulic jack; but that method just isn't working on the driver's side. I can't understand it, everythng seems identical side to side.

is there a known "trick" that folks here can share? Or, failing that... would it be viable to unbolt the 3 bolts holding the ball joint to the control arm, attach the strut up above in the tower, and then re-attach the ball joint below? Or is that opening a new can of worms?

Advice appreciated...

Hi,

My manual transmission 1990 240 has a stock wheel. I'd like something a little smaller since it is a little cramped in there while I'm shifting. I'd also like a little more effort at the wheel, so something with a smaller diameter would be the ticket.

Wondering what would be the least expensive, simplest, safest option would be that retains horn functionality. Ideas?

Thanks

Hi,

Just realized the car I bought last week is missing its catalytic converter. I want to replace it when I rebuild the exhaust. I will probably use a "universal" unit to save some coin since I'm building everything from the downpipe back.

Where does the O2 sensor enter the stock system, in front of the cat or behind? The online sources I'm looking at are unclear. It looks 'upstream' but I want to be certain.

Thanks

So, I bought a 1990 240 with (estimated) 325,000 miles. I drove it very gently to my workshop.

Replaced the timing belt, first thing.

The words that came to mind when I pulled the old one out were: "paper thin". And the teeth, supposed to be square, are worn down.... only square in places. The tensioner was barely engaged anymore, the belt was slack.

I'm guessing the belt hasn't been changed in 20 years and 200k miles. Dodged a bullet on that one!

The engine purrs like a kitten now. New motor mounts helped.

Hi,

My car's odometer broke about 10 years ago when it had 226,000 miles (Carfax confirms this). I am about to fix the odometer; I'd like to advance the thing to reflect the car's true mileage.

While I have the thing out to fix the gears, is there a way to advance the odometer reading? I took the car's average mileage until it broke per year and I figure I should add a good round 100k.

I know rolling things back is hard (not to mention illegal). But maybe rolling forward is easier to do?

So I had pulled up suggested instructions about how to replace the motor mounts on my B230F engine in my 1990 240.

The instructions told me to be careful not to break off the distributor against the firewall when I hoist the engine. (I guess later B230Fs and B230FTs have the distributor in back). But my distributor is in front, on the driver's side of the engine.

So then AI tells me that my engine should have the distributor on the passenger side front, and if it doesn't, I have a different engine.

My distributor is on the driver's side. The side the driver sits on. Simple, right?

Then I upload a photo, and AI tells me, yup, that's a B230F, and the distributor is clearly on the passenger side just as it said, and my confusion comes from not paying attention to the conventions about what is left and right and driver's and passenger's side. It goes on about this for a long paragraph. After "analyzing" a photo that shows the distributor on the driver's side of the engine.

This just shows: AI doesn't think, it can't reason, it just spews stuff it found. And it can't interpret the information, not really. It doesn't understand.

Use what it tells you cautiously.

Hi,

I have been getting down to work on the blue 1990 240 wagon I bought last Saturday. It has a roof rack. It does NOT have the chromed bars that were once on the roof. There are marks in the paint and scratches there.

I'd like to throw a set of chromed bars back on there. I mean, why not?

The question is where to get a set that are in halfway decent shape. Ideas?

Thanks

Hi,

I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to press out the old bushings for the rear trailing arms. Not surprising on a 36 year old car. A big hint: there was a bag of replacement bushings for this in the trunk of the car. Whoopsie! Somebody bought the parts, saw the elephant, said nevermind and sold the car.

Challenge accepted....

IPD has the genuine Volvo tool 9995078 (CORRECTION/EDIT: No, they have the Skandix tool only). Swedish car parts has a homebrew version for less money.

Is the Swedish car parts version as good as the Volvo one? I want this job to go as well as possible. I'm anticipating misery, I'd at least like to have the proper tools.

Input gratefully accepted.

Hi,

I just bought a 1990 245 with a manual transmission (!!!) yesterday, and the front speakers are shot, torn, hanging off the door, what-have-you. I am just going to throw something inexpensive in there to get it off the punchlist quick, since I have MANY fires I need to fight with this car.

I'll probably put in a pair of 4" speakers, but I'm unsure about the depth of the units I could use. What's my max?

Thank you

Hi, I may be picking up a 300k mile LS430 for a song. I intend to turn it into a rallycross toy.

On the plus side, the engine is quite powerful and the motor/trans are extremely robust. On the down side, it's a very HEAVY car.

Job one will be to strip about 300 lbs off the chassis to make it a little lighter. The next will be to get tires equal to the challenge.

What tires would this group recommend that would be:

(1) cheap (2) good traction in mud, dirt, gravel, snow (3) equal to tthe stresses of supporting a 4000 pound car (3700 after I slim it down) (4) cheap

Thanks.

Did I mention I want the tires to be cheap?

Been looking around for a used car for awhile, using Facebook marketplace and Craigslist. It's amazing how many people don't seem to have a clue about (1) simple courtesy, and (2) giving sufficient information about the cars they are supposedly selling.

Courtesy:

(1) If you're going to set up a time and place to meet, don't end the conversation halfway through leaving one or the other of these out of the equation.

(2) You're in a negotiation, whether you like it or not. If you've made up your mind to sell a car, understand that the Buyer will have some idea of value. You don't get to decide what the value is and then be nasty about it. The value is whatever 2 willing participants decide it is, not what you've convinced yourself it is.

(3) Don't lie about shit.

(4) Don't play dumb about something when it comes out that yes, you knew there was a transmission problem all along, as evidenced by the bottle of transmission slip fix I find in the trunk.

Giving sufficient information:

(1) Tell me the miles on the car. If the odometer is broken, tell me when it broke and when and how many miles, roughly, you drive it each year.

(2) Tell me if the title is clean.

(3) Tell me the VIN. Its not secret information, it's on the damn car where anybody can walk up and read it. I need it so i can do a VIN check and I'm not buying a car without at least running the free ones.

(4) Don't lie about shit. Yes, this one appears twice in the list because it happens so much.

(5) If the car was in an accident at some point, be honest. Most have. It's not the end of the world, even if the car has salvage title, depending on the type of damage. Lots of cars with hail damage have salvage title. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a winter beater with hail acne.

(6) If the car doesn't run, and you know why, say why.

(7) if the car is one of your projects and you've disassembled everything and everything is in boxes and baskets (hence the term "basket case"), don't expect maximum value for the car it would get if it was complete and running. Nobody cares how much you spent on lowering kits you never installed or fake carbon fiber body panels you never attached. It's nobody's job to bail you out of your bad automotive decisions. Sell it at parts value and learn a lesson.

And finally:

If you don't have title, at least in Minnesota, you don't own the car in the most meaningful of ways. It can't be registered or driven like that. You may have possession of a car, and maybe the right to get a title, but without the title the average (smart) person is NOT going to buy it, even if you give them a "Bill of Sale". If you think "Title would be easy to get" then just get the goddam thing and save everybody a pointless hassle.

Hi,

I am going to put together an old car for rallycross. Then, I will need to sharpen my skills.

I don't know how to do a Scandinavian flick, for example (I did one once sort of by accident at a track day on tarmac, but that doesn't count). I am sure there are lots of other techniques I should learn.

There are many books out there for trackday driving techniques, but I don't see any for loose surface driving. can anybody here recommend one?

Thanks.

Hi,

I want to build a rally car -- everything short of a cage --but I want to keep it legal to drive on the street. I'd like to replace the rear windows and rear windscreen with Lexan to save weight.

For this to be street legal where I live, the material has to be ANSI Z26.1 comliant. Is there anyplace to get window replacements made up, or failing that, to buy the sheets so i can form them myself?

Thanks.