tns1 940FK dailydriver gone out of hand

Hi to all fellow turbobrick users, i'm quite fresh B230FK powered 940 owner.

I have been working with cars, modifying them, making them cooler/faster/lower/slower for quite some time, but 90% of all the cars i've tackled have been german descent (mostly youngtimers) I once had an old 244DL to learn driving fast with an RWD platform and that car gave me quite the impression. It was slow, underpowered and heavy, yet on the snow and on loose surfaces it was ridicoulusly easy to slide around and even easier to repair if something went wrong.

The other turds of my family, me and my GF have an problem with cars

e32 740 5spd swap

C124 300CE-24

E92 325D

A8 FL 4.2Q

E38 740i

E30 318ia




Anyway, one day at work my co-worker asked me if I would like to buy a Volvo. I had seen the car before but somehow I was pretty convinced that it was an NA or diesel. He said it's an factory Turbo, tho the underboosted FK engined version that doesn't even have the suffix Turbo in it's name or a boost gauge, it's still a decent platform. Some of my buddies build Volvos, so I was already familiar with the lingo like "M90 gearbox", "oil squirter block" and so on. We got to an agreement on the price and for the joy of my neighbours, i took another parking spot in front of my house

The car had some mods done to it by the PO. It was already chipped, had an wasted spark igniton using Bosch Motorsport ignition coil, dog-dish flywheel, decent audio system, some polyurethane bushings and quite nice rims, also M90 gearbox. Body wise, the rear beam had been changed and in some point of it's life, also the side rocker panels (? dunno if its the right word ) but these need to be redone soon. The paint is quite faded and has atleast 4 different shades of red, but overall it's complete, pretty much unmolested and had been maintaned properly.

So I went through all the mechanicals, replaced some vaccuum lines, did the stage0 and started to experiment with the B230. I upped the boost to about 1BAR (14,5psi) did an new exhaust (3" downpipe, everything else 2,5" piping with one Simons muffler) replaced the stock T cam with an VX3 and adjusted the valves, installed an S2000 air filter and 3" AMM with Bosch Green Giant injectors from an S70R that are rated at around 42lb/hr.

The puny 228mm diesel clutch could not cope with it properly anymore (probably welding the diff also helped ) so i ordered an 6-puck set. Also i should receive soon a new intercooler and an electronic boost controller. I also have an still tiny 15g turbo prepared for RWD that I plan to use for some time. After upgrading the fuel system I haven't really tested how fast it is because i haven't got the chance to install wideband, don't want to fly in the dark.

Regarding future plans, MegaSquirt2 is waiting to be installed. For that, I plan to get some more parts, probably change the rods and do some more extensive work like a ported 531 head with oversized valves and an more agressive cam, bigger turbo and so on.

Compression check Cyl1

Cyl2

Cyl3

Cyl4

Exhaust, the end of it was just a a joke, it stayed straight


Random pics of the wagon




It's actually quite interesting to invest in performance and go-fast parts for a change instead of coilovers, wheels, small exterior parts and so on, only to find the car undrivable in the end

Thanks!

Nice looking wagon. You're fortunate to be starting with the m90.

Those are some cool cars you have. Did you do the BMW E32 5 speed swap yourself or buy it that way? I have a 93 740i and would love to drive one with a manual trans just to see what it is like. Love the M60 V8-that motor really sings at high rpm.

The manual swap is actually half-way through. Welded an auto-box housing to an ZF gearbox from e39tds, custom flywheel, ZF SRE disc and M5 pressure plate. Front half of the propshaft have to be assembled from different ones and resized and balanced. Everything else bolts on from different e32/e34s.

Atm i just need to assemble it fully.

Sounds like a big job. I was under the impression that you could use all the parts from a manual 540i, which are fairly easy to find here in the US. Would love to hear your driving impressions when it is done. Good luck!

nedc said:

Sounds like a big job. I was under the impression that you could use all the parts from a manual 540i, which are fairly easy to find here in the US. Would love to hear your driving impressions when it is done. Good luck!

Click to expand...

Oh if you are able to source an manual 540, then it's pretty much plug and play. E39 parts work just fine. In europe, they are not that common. Local drift scene is heavy on bimmers with M60turbo+e85, so they go through the V8-s and gearboxes like there's no tomorrow.

New intercooler and clutch arrived. Now just waiting for the 040 Bosch pump and electronic boost controller

Nice start! The stock Turbo T cam will make plenty of power with around 1 bar of boost. Seems you've got it aimed well with the FMIC upgrade and free flowing exhaust. Many folks here have made 250 plus HP on a stock red block bottom end; if your goal is 300 plus then certainly the H beams are in order. Don't forget the wideband if not already equipped.

I've read the Sachs 940 TDI clutch will hold a lot of torque; is that what you intend to replace?

Yes. The current one is actually LUK, but was installed 3 months ago. Some pretty spirited driving was also involved, but before that, the Sachs unit also gave out within a year.

So, installed the new cooler


Car felt a bit stronger. I had a great indicator based on clutch slip, it became unbearable

So 2 days of wrenching after work and I got my clutch replaced (6-puck disc and stronger plate, both KLRacing) Also decided to drop in the Bosch 040 pump, install the wideband and replace the turbo with the 15g unit. 15g Works way better, than the original.

Currently running 1.2BAR (17psi) boost and its on the rich side currently under boost. Will try to add boost soon and see what happens. Next in line will probably be Megasquirt.

The 15g is actually temporary, will try to source an Holset HX35 or something similar.

So, dynoed the car. I was quite impressed with the results. It made 184,5kw and 411nm from the engine. After the 1 pull we lingered a bit, the second and 3rd pull was consecutive, this shoudl be the 3rd. I am running pretty rich on the top end currently. I need forged rods now

I am planning on putting green giant injectors and a 3" amm to my 940 but was worried about my 16t not pushing enough air, even with more boost. Driving characteristics are ok? Besides just in boost?

They are okay, probably if i would change my cam from VX3 to something more low-end friendly, they would be even better. I daily my car at the moment and its quite nice to drive, on rainy days to keep up with traffic from stop lights is sometimes an hustle, because it spins the rears very easily when boost comes on.