Guys, finally I got the broken bumper and tail lamps changed last week due to the accident happened in August. Was too busy to send in the car until last weekend. As the car exceeds 5 years old, we have to pay 40% of the total cost for the new parts. The rest is taken care by the insurance company. Thumbs-up for AIG for its' assistance.
I sent the car early morning and pick it back around 4pm. I then brought it for a complete car wash, including engine wash. Awesome, the gloom is back, especially for the rear end which was very ugly for the past few months.
Sadly, I am moving out from my hometown. I have been posted to work in Labuan, Sabah. The gloom, and nice car, I left it to the original owner; my dad! This blog will always remind me of the car; even I don't know how it is now in KL. :)
Hi, it's been a while since I last post in here about the 240's maintenance or repair. So yesterday, I got the car for MAJOR SERVICE which nearly cost me thousand bucks;
PROBLEM
First, I got splashes of oil around the air-cond compressor, it dripped down to the anti splash pan, and further down to anti-sway bar and brake lines. I am very suspicious at the moment I found the splash as my power steering fluid did not decrease, nor the brake and clutch; and my aircond works well too.
Second, I got 'tok-tok' knocking sound when starting the engine. Thought it came from loose rubber mounting on exhaust; but it was actually the engine mounting.
Third, I got some vibration and vibration noise when turning right; also due to engine mounting and cracked timing belt inner cover plastic which made contact with the pulley.
SO WHAT HAVE BEEN DONE
First, upon troubleshooting, it was confirmed that the leak came from the air-cond compressor. So, have to take out the air-cond compressor and change the worn seals and gaskets.
Next is major service. The work done includes changing timing belt, the timing oil seal, change drive belts as well, change engine mounting, as well as engine oil change.
PICTURES
Taking the compressor down.
The picture above shows that the oil seal have started to leak. Thus, I decided to change all of the oil seals as well.
Upon opening up timing belt and its' cover. Wow, so dirty. The mechanic did clean them thoroughly using a brush and water since they are just cumulated dusts.
New oil seals in. See how clean it is after the cleaning done.
New inner cover plastic.
How bad the engine mounting were.
RESULTS
No more 'tok-tok' knocking sound, no more vibration when turning right, and no more humming noise at 80km/h. Next will be the transmission system and suspension system.
This is a story of an old car having a new car features. I am very sure that most of you have heard about Global Positioning System (GPS). Using satellite, this GPS technology enable a real time tracking to be done. In countries such as France, GPS had been used in cars. And even some new cars have this GPS features built-in in them. So now, how do I have GPS in Malaysia; in this old brick (which definitely have no such thing as LCD stuffs).
First of all, credit to my dad who gave me chance to know and get to use GPS. He went to France about a year ago when he started to appreciate how feasible to have a GPS system inside a car. To have GPS, simple and basic things that you must have is a device that is able to transmit and receive data to and from the satellite (which can be called as navigator or transceiver), and an interface device that have software and maps to indicate your location such as a hand phone, laptop, or PDA.
In my case, I am using a HP iPAQ PDA which runs with Windows Mobile 5.0 and a GARMIN GPS 10 navigator (transceiver). The GARMIN GPS 10 navigator is connected to the PDA using Bluetooth. Note that you can also used PalmOS based PDA.
How about the software?? The software comes along with the GARMIN navigator. Maps?? The software given by GARMIN is a navigation software and of course it needs database or maps. Let say you stay in Malaysia, you definitely need to put in Malaysia's map into your handheld so that the software can use it. Maps for countries such as US and UK are expected to be available anywhere on the net. I am focusing on Malaysia's scenario. Maps for Malaysia & Singapore is available at Malsing (http://www.malsingmaps.com/portal/). Just download and follow the instructions or details on the portal. There's a lot of mappers and GPSers there.
Then, just turn on the Bluetooth on my PDA, turn on GARMIN GPS 10, and let the software track my location first before i start searching for places. I can enter name of roads, city, or even places of interests such as mosques, names of buildings, nearest petrol station. The software also provides route preference features; you might want to skip U-turn and want to choose the least distance route. It also have voice direction which is really handful because you cannot take a look at the map all the time while driving. Yes, definitely it will take about few days before you can really understand and handle the software properly; practices make perfect.
For me, I need to use this device as my current job need me to get all over customer's place on time, so that I can complete my job for the day. Believe it or not, all was done by GPS. I have to go to Bangsar area, Damansara Heights which I don't really familiar with. Sometimes GPS will asked me to go through housing estates and small roads, and before you know it,the building that you want to find is in front of you :)
Where to get this GARMIN device?? There is a GPS shop in Low Yat Plaza, I forgot which floor but this shop sells GPS related products only. I believe he can assist you as he assisted us; from hardware selection, software, and maps.
OK, may this post click up your mind to have a GPS system. Oh before I end-up, this GPS is FREE! Why FREE?? Because there is no service provider. GARMIN GPS 10 is only a transceiver device, and the rest is done by the software, so why pay??
More details?? Just drop me an email...Good Day :)
After all, today is the time for the brake booster / servo pump to fail. The first symptom I got early this morning is when I brake while driving down a slope, with just a little braking power, the tires jammed and skid for a short while before it stopped. From that point of time, I have suspected that something is not right somewhere, but then I just continue traveling to the office. Everything seems normal.
Then I have to go out to the customer's place. Driving just outside the office, while braking at a traffic light, I felt the brake became harder and engine tremble vigorously if the brake being applied hardly. I could also hear hissing vacuum leak sound. Luckily there's one VOLVO mechanic around that area and I just passed by to have him rectify that it is the servo problem.
Got it changed (BOSCH brand) this morning also :) Whew, I got back the feeling of driving a VOLVO with good braking power :) It's quite simple to DIY, but with time limitation, I just let the mechanic do.....
If you got into mud, what to do?? First, don't panic and keep revving and rotating the tyre because it will just get things worse. Second, gather some friends, make sure enough member to push the car out of the mud slowly. Then only get into the car, and speed off from the area quickly.
GOOD LUCK!!
p/s - 240 is damn heavy to push to get out from mud, believe me.... we were really exhausted that day after pushing one 240, one Kia, and one MPV!
NICE MAN!!!
GET CAR WASH TO DO THE CLEANING... DON'T MESS UP YOUR OWN PORCH :)
Yeah, this is the second treasure hunt I joined. Although with an ugly looking bumper, we still continue our treasure hunting program. At this moment, please do enjoy the pictures first. Details will be online later perhaps.
Last Friday, in Kuala Lumpur, I met an accident. I was on Jalan Hang Tuah, stopped and waiting for the RED lights. Everybody were happy at that moment in their stationary cars. All of sudden, BANG!! I got myself pulled to the back, I realized my things on the dash compartment area gone! Ooooppsss... I looked back through the rear-view mirror, I saw an uncle in a Perodua Viva rubbing his head. I moved my car aside a little bit, then I switch off the engine, I came down from the car and the first thing I go and see is the 240's back. Bumper got tears, LHS rear tail-lamp get off from its bracket, and all chrome linings were down on the road. I really pissed-off!
But then, I saw the uncle in Perodua Viva got blood flowing from his forehead, he keeps wiping it with his tissue, then the mood changed into sympathy. The story did not end there when I discovered that the Viva was also being hit by a Proton Waja before it hits this brick. Again, I am really sorry for the poor uncle, whose brand new Viva got sandwiched. We then just proceed to the nearest police station and make reports.
So what happened to the brick?? Interior parts also affected because of the impact. First, the glove box got itself opened upon impact and RHS hinge broke. All cassette, papers, and pen inside the glove box thrown out to the front passenger seat. Exterior parts includes the bumper got tears, LHS tail-lamp bracket broke, cracks on both tail-lamp, and all rear chrome linings fall down on the road.
It is a very memorable experience, as this is my first time road accident after 5 years of driving. Take care guys :)
p/s - i think 240 may have the pre-whiplash system, because at the moment of impact, the seat support me well as if they were saying "relax zhafri, we are supporting you!"
Its time to let go the car. Selling reason?? Maybe to get a new car. Details of the car are as follows;
Specifications; 2316cc Solex Cisac Carburetor Manual M47 Transmission Petrol
Problems; -long shaft vibrating at 80kmh -rear gearbox oil seal need to be changed -ignition key spring sometimes just did not pull back by itself -boot rubber seal might need replacement
Privileges; -full service record available -serviced only by Volvo authorised mechanics only -odometer fixed -new original tail lamps -new taiwan made headlight reflectors -new taiwan made sidelamps -stock Day Running Lights -new recond aircond compressor
Feel free to browse thorugh this blog for more info and pics on this car. Just drop me a message if you are interested. Thank you :)
Thank you very much for your support. I was shocked when I Googled for 'volvo 240 speedometer sensor' and the first result is 'VOLVO 240LIVE!'....I would like to thank all of you, visitors and supporters who frequently visit this blog. There is no better word for me to express "THANK YOU VERY MUCH"....
Short note on the location of the Speedometer Sensor and its' wiring harness on the rear axle. It will be better to check this part first if the speedometer and odometer do not function at all; check for wire conditions, ensure socket is intact. Below is how the sensor look alike.
Last week I got a call from a friend, asking to check for his speedometer. His 1991 240SE's speedometer did not work since he bought the car. I forgot to ask about the odometer, but theoretically, odometer might also stopped. I haven't checked his car yet, but from that day I was very curious to know how could I check for speedometer signal transmission from the rear axle to the circuit board is OK. This is because it was quite popular that I heard on 940s, and some 240s that the connections at the rear axle had ruptured.
I have done the measurement on the 240 I drive. You guys might want to do this first if your speedometer do not work. It might just be bad connections from the sensor rather than a broken instrument board. Steps to dismantle the instrument cluster may be referred from this link (http://www.hyperocity.com/volvo240/volvoodometer.htm).
See below illustration. After the instrument cluster got removed, find for the 3 wires with L-shape connector as shown in the picture. Note that wire color codes have been changed in later models, however it still serve the same purpose.
Then, using an analog multimeter (can use any type of multimeter, even an oscilloscope), connect the -/COM lead to the BLACK wire terminal, and the + lead to the BLUE wire. Note that the RED wire supply voltage for the board, because we are not connecting the board, leave it. BLUE wire is transmitting signals from the speedo sensor.
I set my multimeter to read AC voltage as follows;
Start the car, and get moving, slowly. You should be able to see the multimeter readings increasing with the speed of your car. This indicates that the signals from the speedo sensor at the axle was fine. If with this condition, still the speedometer do not work, I suspect the instrument board itself must be checked.
Another DIY session to share with. It has been months since the driver side power window gave some musical beat when it was in motion. It sounds like this; 'tak...tak...tak...' and it seems that its getting slower and hard to move. See the below video to listen the 'tak...tak...tak...'. Until one morning last week, the power window can barely wind-up, I decided to get it serviced that evening. Here is the details of how I got it serviced (and the door lock too).
Below is the step-by-step of what I did, from dismantle the door panel, until showing up the power window parts needed to be service. Equipments & tools needed are just flat and philips screw driver, 10mm spanner, and the good WD40. Don't forget to have piece of rag with you to clean up the things.
1-REMOVE TRIM
Remove the door lock trim by squeeze it up a little bit. The lower part will then be disengaged from the panel. The same should be done to the upper part (squeeze down a little bit).
This is how it looks like after the trim removal.
2-REMOVE DOOR POCKET
Notice the location of the flat type plastic pins. There are 3 such pins altogether at the lower part of the door pocket. Remove them by using a flat screw driver and turn until 90 degrees only. Keep them in safe place.
Gently push up the end of the door pocket. This may be hard, especially if this is the first time. But believe me, it can pry out when you push it up from the screw holder. Just a bit patient and don't knock it hard from the below side. The illustration above gives exactly how your hand should be placed when prying up the door pocket off from the screws. Do this for both right and left ends.
Once the prying up successfully done, turn the door pocket about 45 until 90 degrees as shown above. This will help to disengage the center hold from the door panel.
Then remove both right and left philips screws. Again, keep them is a safe place.
3-REMOVE ARM REST & POWER WINDOW UNIT
Using small flat screw driver, pry off gently the screw covers, 2 of them.
Using a philips screw driver, unscrew the arm rest holding screw. There are 3 of them. Again put them in a safe place. At this level, the arm rest is detached from the door panel, however the upper holder is still hanged on to the panel. Let it be there for a moment.
Lift the power window switch unit to the right. This will detach the unit from the arm rest.
To completely remove the arm rest, slowly turn it as shown above until approximately 90 degrees. You may want to slowly pry it off from the door panel while turning the arm rest unit. The locking mechanism of this arm rest can be seen and self-explained after you got it off.
The next step is to remove the power window unit wire sockets. You may want to jot down the sockets location for proper re installation later.
4-REMOVE DOOR PANEL
Remove the door knob by turning it in counter clockwise direction.
Using small flat screw driver, run through the door panel to see which part is being clipped. Do this slowly. Caution should be taken as the old door panel might be brittle enough and breaks easily.
Pry off the clips using the small falt screw driver. Do this all around the door panel, and remove all clips.
Then, starting form the right end, lift up the door panel, then slightly to the right. It should glides off easily. Note that carefully take off the power window wire socket one by one through the wiring holes, so that the panel is completely off from the door.
This is how it looks like so far.
To access the power window mechanism, remove the white plastic cover.
5-SERVICE THE POWER WINDOW!!
This is the power window mechanism. The power window motor is located at the most below of the door. You might want to take this chance to tighten up the two 10mm nuts that hold the power window motor. Reinstall the power window switch unit for further test purposes. Power on the ignition key, and test the power window, move it up and down to see where is the flaw.
In my case, the 'tak..tak..tak' sound came from the metal round coil. What I did is just to spray the metal coil with WD40. I used quite a lot of WD40, until brownish residues comes out. Move the power window up and down while spraying the WD40. You might also want to take this chance to apply WD40 on the door lock mechanism as well. Clean up the door area after you have done with the job. Installation is just reverse of removal procedures.
The results?? I got a silent power window moving up and down, also lighter door lock. And very happy with the results. GOOD LUCK :))
Hi all. VOLVO 240 LIVE!! is under some minor 'facelifing' process. Have fun on the new layouts and facelift made. Any suggestions or feedbacks, just leave your feedbacks on this page.
I just changed my center dash bulbs this afternoon. There are 3 bulbs altogether in there that look like the below picture.
OK, lets jump straight to how to replace the instrument bulb. I did these procedures in less than half an hour. If you are a beginner, it may consume more than that, but don't worry, this is just a simple stuff. Here are the procedures. I made in point forms and with some pictures as a guide;
-First, remove screws (philips type) and clips that hold the center dash with the side kick panel for both left and right hand side. I marked them with 'A' and 'B' on the picture. If you are unsure of where these screws and clips are, it was located just under the steering column area and the glove box area.
-Then, remove another 2 screws (philips type) located just below the radio compartmet (if you installed your radio there) or just parallel to the gear stick. I labelled them as 'C' and 'D' on the picture.
-At this point you may bring forward the center dash slowly. It doesn't need to be taken out. All wires attached to it also need not to be disconnected. Just bring the dash forward to allow some room to access those bulbs. Browse trough for BLACK & BROWN wires, they hold the bulb socket. Once you identified the socket, you can just pull it forward out from the dash. Given that there is a lot of wires going around that area, it is best done by using a long nose plier. There are 3 such sockets and bulbs; behind the TEMP knob, behind the FAN SWITCH KNOB, and above the HAZARD BUTTON row. Pull them out of that hairwire area to enable a more comfortable working environment, as shown in the pictures. Again, no need to disconnect any wires!
-Then it is just a straight forward task. Pull the bulb out from the socket. It might be quite tight in there, but not extremely tight. Just use your fingers. Be patient, thats all. Install replacement bulbs and test them by turning on the parking lamp, they should turn on. Then just reassemble everything. Reassemble is just reverse the disassembling process :))
Guys, this is just a guide, of course I may not be able to take pictures on each and every single tiny miny stuffs, common sense is enough. Anything just contact me. GOOD LUCK!!
Taking the compressor down.
The picture above shows that the oil seal have started to leak. Thus, I decided to change all of the oil seals as well.
Upon opening up timing belt and its' cover. Wow, so dirty. The mechanic did clean them thoroughly using a brush and water since they are just cumulated dusts.
New oil seals in. See how clean it is after the cleaning done.
New inner cover plastic.
How bad the engine mounting were.
Remove the door lock trim by squeeze it up a little bit. The lower part will then be disengaged from the panel. The same should be done to the upper part (squeeze down a little bit).
This is how it looks like after the trim removal.
Notice the location of the flat type plastic pins. There are 3 such pins altogether at the lower part of the door pocket. Remove them by using a flat screw driver and turn until 90 degrees only. Keep them in safe place.
Gently push up the end of the door pocket. This may be hard, especially if this is the first time. But believe me, it can pry out when you push it up from the screw holder. Just a bit patient and don't knock it hard from the below side. The illustration above gives exactly how your hand should be placed when prying up the door pocket off from the screws. Do this for both right and left ends.
Once the prying up successfully done, turn the door pocket about 45 until 90 degrees as shown above. This will help to disengage the center hold from the door panel.
Then remove both right and left philips screws. Again, keep them is a safe place.
Using small flat screw driver, pry off gently the screw covers, 2 of them.
Using a philips screw driver, unscrew the arm rest holding screw. There are 3 of them. Again put them in a safe place. At this level, the arm rest is detached from the door panel, however the upper holder is still hanged on to the panel. Let it be there for a moment.
Lift the power window switch unit to the right. This will detach the unit from the arm rest.
To completely remove the arm rest, slowly turn it as shown above until approximately 90 degrees. You may want to slowly pry it off from the door panel while turning the arm rest unit. The locking mechanism of this arm rest can be seen and self-explained after you got it off.
The next step is to remove the power window unit wire sockets. You may want to jot down the sockets location for proper re installation later.
Remove the door knob by turning it in counter clockwise direction.
Using small flat screw driver, run through the door panel to see which part is being clipped. Do this slowly. Caution should be taken as the old door panel might be brittle enough and breaks easily.
Pry off the clips using the small falt screw driver. Do this all around the door panel, and remove all clips.
Then, starting form the right end, lift up the door panel, then slightly to the right. It should glides off easily. Note that carefully take off the power window wire socket one by one through the wiring holes, so that the panel is completely off from the door.
This is how it looks like so far.
To access the power window mechanism, remove the white plastic cover.
This is the power window mechanism. The power window motor is located at the most below of the door. You might want to take this chance to tighten up the two 10mm nuts that hold the power window motor. Reinstall the power window switch unit for further test purposes. Power on the ignition key, and test the power window, move it up and down to see where is the flaw.
In my case, the 'tak..tak..tak' sound came from the metal round coil. What I did is just to spray the metal coil with WD40. I used quite a lot of WD40, until brownish residues comes out. Move the power window up and down while spraying the WD40. You might also want to take this chance to apply WD40 on the door lock mechanism as well. Clean up the door area after you have done with the job. Installation is just reverse of removal procedures.
