| Volvo 240 Mods & Fixes |
Return to Main Page UPDATED: January 5, 2012
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handling, comfort, etc. In this page I will try to outline some cool mods I have done to my 240s.
Installing a
Primary Electric Cooling Fan in your 240
 When in good working order, the original viscous
clutch fan in your 240 can handle most cooling needs. But if you
have been thinking that your 240 needs an electric primary cooling fan,
here is a page I put together on my experiences. CLICK HERE |
| Turn Signal
(Blinker) 3-Flash Upgrade I
drove a late model BMW M5 (E60) a while back and fell in love with the Comfort Blinker (or
"Komfort Blinker") that the Germans are putting
into their cars now. This feature allows you to momentarily tap
the
turn signal stalk left or right and you get three successive flashes
from your
blinkers. Ok, ok.... for those of you who aren't so lazy, I guess
you can just
pull and
hold the stalk for three flashes every time you change lanes or
pass. But I just simply like this feature enough that I decided
to look into the
possibility of making it happen for my 240.
www.davebarton.com/pdf/blinkerdiagram2.pdf I suspect this feature in the BMW is controlled by a central computer. No matter.... as it turns out, Volkswagen and Audi have been making this feature available in some of their cars too. The module they use is a special relay, VW or Audi PN 000 953 227A. After obtaining one of these relays on-line, I set out to discover how it functioned and if it could be wired into the existing 240 blinker circuit. This took some studying and experimentation, but I was successful. Installing this relay into a 240 makes the blinkers work exactly the same way as the new BMW, VW or Audi. Also, it does not affect the normal operation of the blinkers cancelling automatically after a turn or with the emergency 4-way flashers. I created a diagram linked below for those of you who want to try this for yourself. The VW/Audi relay has five poles, similar to any standard power relay and connecting it to the blinker system is as simple as splicing four wires and a ground. I believe this operation would also be successful in any Volvo 700 or 900 series, or in any car (probably any European car) that uses a similar blinker flasher relay and emergency flasher switch. Check the diagram and see for yourself. I also did this mod on a BMW M5 (E28) recently and it was successful. Diagram is below. www.davebarton.com/pdf/blinkerdiagram-E28.pdf |
| Shifter Knob Fix
(M-46/47 Manual Transmission) If
you drive a Volvo with the M-46 or M-47 manual transmission, then you
will likely know what it's like to have the shifter knob come off in
your hand during a rapid 1-2 shift. It's very annoying,
especially when it yanks the wires off of your OD switch and you have
to put things back together on the side of the road. Well, here's
a very simple cure.
     First, pull off your shifter knob and if you have
wires, tuck them off to the side and out of the way. Get out your
drill and start by drilling a hole in the knob just like you see in
the photos. Then continue the hole into the metal shifter
tube.
The hole should be just slightly smaller than the screw you decide to
use. I used a countersink type screw, so I also drilled a shallow
countersink hole in the knob. I screwed the screw into the tube
to test how tight it would be and decided the tip of the screw was a
bit too long. I didn't want it to interfere with the wires, so I
snipped it off. The last photo shows the finished result.
That should fix it for good. |
| Upgrade the
In-Tank Fuel Pump in your 240 with a 740 Turbo Pump The
Bosch in-tank fuel pump found in your 240 Turbo will be the same pump
used in all 240/260 models from 1976 to 1984. It's very small and
while it's adequate for a non-turbo Volvo, it has been considered by
many to be too small for a turbo motor with any increased engine
performance. The Volvo part number for the original in-tank pump
is 1276330. In 1985,
that part number changed to 3507436,
which was used through 1993. The 740 Turbo pump, which was used
from 1986 and later in 700 and 900 Turbo models, as well as 960 models,
used PN 3517845. This
pump retails for between $150 and $200. It is also widely
available in salvage yards for a lot less, although you should keep in
mind some pumps found in salvage yards may be dead already. For
my 240 Turbo, I chose to install a used pump from a salvaged
Volvo. If you need to test a pump with a battery, do it very
briefly... only a second. These pumps are not designed to run dry
and it can damage them.
   <<<
The photos shown are from a 240 sedan trunk. The wagon will be a
little extra work getting to the top of the fuel tank, but otherwise
it's the same. Begin by removing the access cover above the tank. The two hoses shown here are the feed line going to the main pump and the return line from the engine. I have also included a photo showing these fuel lines under the car. Main Feed Line: The original main fuel hose is a cloth braided type and it's secured with hose clamps on the pump assembly at the top of the tank and at the main pump under the car. The hose size is 12 mm if you need to replace it (about 4 feet is needed). 12 mm hose is common in Europe, but not so common in the USA. 7/16 inch fuel hose is a close substitute (it's best to choose high-pressure fuel injection hose), however even 7/16 inch is hard to find in auto parts stores. Some people have used 3/8 inch hose, but I think it's too small and will be difficult to stretch onto the fittings. Both 12mm and 7/16 inch fuel line are available on-line. Return Line: This line transitions from a metal line under the car to a flexible plastic line going to the top of the tank. This line will rarely ever need to be replaced unless you damage it in this proceedure, but as you will discover if doing this type of work, it is very hard to manipulate this line when removing the pump assembly from the tank. It does not disconnect from the pump assembly (unless you cut it off). After doing that once, I chose to cut it off. When the plastic line is cut off of the end fittings, you'll see that they are just simple barbed nipple fittings and regular fuel line can be secured on them with hose clamps. I can't recall this hose size, but it was probably 3/8 inch. It is smaller than the 12mm size used for the main line. If anyone can help with this size, please email me.  <<< Main Feed Line again: Since in this
instance, I was replacing the main fuel hose because it was old and
beginning to weep, cutting it off the fitting was the easiest way to
remove it. Otherwise, this is a good time to disconnect this
line.   <<<
I like having the right tool for a job. iPd sells this tool for
turning the retaining ring on the pump assembly to release it from the
tank. If you don't have one, you can try using two large
screwdrivers crossed or the hammer and chisel method. The
retaining ring will need to turn about 1/8 turn to the left
(counter-clockwise). <<< Before you can try lifting the pump
assembly up and out of the tank, you must disconnect the return
line. This is done under the car. It's a simple flair
fitting. Use two open end wrenches (14 or 15 mm I think). <<< Then you can slowly work the hose
out. I found that the hose needs to come up and out first.
Then you can gently lift out the pump assembly. When you do this
you will know why I chose to toss the plastic return hose and use a
normal hose with a clamp. <<< Here is the pump assembly out of the
tank. You can see the size difference between the two
pumps. Also, it will be a good idea to get a new pump
filter. See it in the photo?  <<<
If you need to remove the pump assembly from the trunk area to work on
it elsewhere, pull up that plastic cover to the left and you'll find
the power and ground connections there that you can disconnect. <<<
Remove the post connections from the old pump. I think that size
is 6 mm.Also release the orange plastic band holding the pump. Remove the hose clamps and the fuel hose and pump from the metal tube.  <<<
Since the 740 Turbo pump is longer than the old one, the metal feed
tube needs to be cut off. You'll need to trim about 1.5
inches. Carefully measure it yourself to be sure. Keep in
mind that the bottom of the new pump needs to be in the same position
near the tank bottom. If you cut off a little too much, you can
always just put a longer hose on. <<<
CAUTION: If you found a hose like this in there, DO NOT reuse it.
It is a weak hose and will rupture (if it hasn't already). <<<
Here's the final product. When you re-insert the pump assembly
back into the tank, be very careful to avoid damaging the wires. If any readers know of any helpful hints not mentioned here, please write me. Thanks, Dave |
| Add a Secondary
Relay
to take the Load off your Fuel Pump Relay The fuel pump relay in your 240 takes a lot of abuse and it's expected to run your fuel pumps for years and years without fail. Well fail they do, usually because of unwanted heat. They often run hot because; 1. They handle a heavy load. 2. The heat causes their plug connections to develop higher resistance, which then causes more heat. Below I have outlined how I added a standard relay to handle the pump loads, giving the original fuel pump relay a much welcomed rest. The new added relay can be any standard 4 or 5 pin type with a load rating of 15 amps or higher. It's triggered by pin 87 on the original fuel pump relay and receives its main battery power at from the pin 30 circuit of the original relay. As an option, instead you may run a dedicated battery wire to pin 30 on the new relay. If you do, then it should contain a fuse between the battery and relay. Below diagram is for K-Jetronic Volvo 240. CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO  Below diagram is for LH-Jetronic 240 CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO  |
Adding a Tachometer to
your Volvo 240 in place of the Clock Adding a tach to my '83 240 DL way back in 1990 was the first mod I ever did to it. It's a very basic install, but can be a bit puzzling for a beginner. These instructions will also show you how the small clock is installed as well. CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS (pdf) |
 Fixing the 240 Driver
Door Lock Switch WiresI get a fair share of emails like this one: "I own a 1993 Volvo 240 Sedan. It has about 100,000 on it and runs beautifully. The only problem is that the central locking system seems to be malfunctioning. It makes a fast clicking sound when driving and sometimes goes up and down when one tries to unlock the other doors from the drivers side. In the past two days the battery died due to something being left on. I pulled the #8 fuse (courtesy lights, clock, trunk light, glove box light, central lock system, power antenna, radio) and today the battery was fine." This is a very common problem that affects ALL YEAR 240s equipped with the central door locking feature. It's bad wires inside the driver door. The wires going to the key lock switch ("F" in diagram) and also possibly the door lock plunger switch ("A" in diagram). It's usually pretty obvious once you open the door up and look closely at these wires. The insulation on these wires will crumble and fall off, allowing the wires to short. This causes the random/intermittent rapid lock-unlock. And when the car is parked, the locks may be stuck in UP or DOWN mode, which will kill your battery in a few hours. The solution is to cover the bad wires with heat-shrink tubing, tape, etc., or cut them out and replace/solder in new wires. You will probably only have to do this to about 8 inches of wires, but keep an eye out for more than that. |
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