S-L-O-W 1993 240 Classic wagon

[culberro]

As an FYI, your 93 has pretty decent knock detection and preventative tuning. If this was an older car, using older ECUs well it would be a different story.

You can probably get by just fine with regular, but you’ll notice a slight dip in power and MPG as the ecu pulls timing. I did a fair amount of heavy towing and road trips through the mountains with my manual cars with a shaved head and B or VX cam. You can run significantly more CR when using lh2.4 fuel management.

[dmg4]

Originally Posted by culberro

As an FYI, your 93 has pretty decent knock detection and preventative tuning.

Excellent. One less worry.

Just got a quote for a rebuilt 530 cylinder head shaved 0.040", for $475 with free shipping and a 5-yr warranty from Clearwater (Odessa) Cylinder Head in FL. This seems very reasonable in Covid times. Good firm, and they do quality work. I got a head for a 960 from them several years ago and beat the snot out of it. I wanted a 531 head, but they are made of unobtanium.

I'll swap my VX cam into the new head upon arrival (about a month from now), and put the other aside for a rainy day.

We'll see how that runs with the present exhaust system, and then adjust, declare victory, and go home.

[culberro]

Check their reviews, I did when you mentioned them earlier. Some stuff looks very very questionable.

[dmg4]

Originally Posted by culberro

Check their reviews, I did when you mentioned them earlier. Some stuff looks very very questionable.

I checked Google reviews beforehand, and it's a mix of mostly good, but some pissed-off. Reading a number of the pissed-off, many are just shouting and not following the stated policy to get a new head or refund. A few look like legit gripes. Clearwater offers a 5-year warranty, but you need to return the head first for inspection. Not ideal, but not unreasonable. As I mentioned, I've bought from them before, as have several friends: all good experiences.

I also called and spoke to the owner, and made sure we were both very clear on exactly what I needed. Now, I'll follow that up in writing when I get the quote, and file a copy of that correspondence as a resource in case there is ever a dispute. Caveat emptor.

I'd say the reviews are the usual mix of mostly good and about 15% pissy. I used to work in customer complaints for a major airline, so I recognize a few types that likely f__ed something up and now someone else needs to pay. Heck, if you can keep 85 % of today's customers happy, you are doing something right.

I checked out a shop nearer to you in Portland, OR (http://www.aluminumheads.com/), but they can't get 530 cores, and I'd have to ship my cylinder head there and back, and they'd rebuild it. Very good reviews, and the owner knows 240s well. They offer the same degree of rebuild as Clearwater for the same price.

While we're here: I assume that if I shave 0.040" off the cylinder head, that I'll retard the timing somewhat as a consequence. Is there a table of much timing is retarded per 0.01"?

[culberro]

My main concern on their work was a few valve stems that looked like they were shot blasted with gravel. Those would (and did per the reviews) wear the valve guides excessively.

For cam timing on these motors, it’s 1° of crank timing per 0.010” removed.
Most (all?) of the cam gears for redblocks measure cam degrees. So that’s double crank. At 40 thou off the head, you’d want to advance the cam 2° on the gear. You can also dial them in by measuring TDC lift.

[culberro]

Just saw your edit:
AHR does decent work. I’ve had mixed experiences with them. That’s why I ended up purchasing my own cylinder head tooling for rebuilding heads.

But, they generally do a very good job on redblock heads. Sometimes their valve jobs aren’t super concentric… and that’s why I check them and correct them.

I’ll also say that I’ve done some not very good valve jobs before (sorry klr142!), but we got it all fixed and working well.

[JE Jr]

http://www.240.se/litteratur/katalog.htm
Then click "tillbehör 90tal" then goto page 999. Its interesting, Volvo states 9hp more on B23A (carburettor, ~110hp) when switching to the "GT-exhaust" thats quite an impressive gain! I dont know if the later exhausts fitted to B230F was any better?

[dmg4]

Originally Posted by JE Jr

Volvo states 9hp more on B23A (carburettor, ~110hp) when switching to the "GT-exhaust" That's quite an impressive gain! I don't know if the later exhausts fitted to B230F was any better?

Grasping, clawing, clutching, scrrrrrrrraping for one more normally-aspirated HP... one more ft-lb of torque. Spirits, give me hope that I may yet get from 0-60 in less that 12 seconds.

Of course, the Toyota Pious can do it in 10.2.

[HiSPL]

Originally Posted by dmg4

Grasping, clawing, clutching, scrrrrrrrraping for one more normally-aspirated HP... one more ft-lb of torque. Spirits, give me hope that I may yet get from 0-60 in less that 12 seconds.

Of course, the Toyota Pious can do it in 10.2.

With the AC on full blast.

[Kjets On a Plane]

Originally Posted by JE Jr

http://www.240.se/litteratur/katalog.htm
Then click "tillbehör 90tal" then goto page 999. Its interesting, Volvo states 9hp more on B23A (carburettor, ~110hp) when switching to the "GT-exhaust" thats quite an impressive gain! I dont know if the later exhausts fitted to B230F was any better?

The later dealer-replacement exhausts go over the axle fairly smoothly.
That said, they just sell Walker 'muffler shop' cheap corrosion-prone thin chinesium junk now at dealer(s)?
Been a minute since I've had to buy one, but within the last ~2 years IDK quality was still decent?

As to early/late DP & chambered rear muffler, you'd have to figure that out in some way that makes sense?

Not trying to be a kill-joy here, just as time's gone on I sorta accept these for being slow, but reliability/longevity & slow/MPG & cargo-carrying & originality being more important for the N/A boring driver on various lousy fuel is all?

As to heads, the stock ports are uh...less than great.
The exhaust is basically the same on all the Volvo SOHC.
The 405/531s chamber's a little more un-shrouded ~ the exhaust valve & intake has the fin/swan's neck-thingy before the valve guide there.

It's not a *bad* design for its day, but the exhaust short side radius is what it is (almost a sharp kink/limited options w/that) & it takes a while for the ignition flame to get all the way across the bathtub without it being more wedge-angled & heart-shaped for a 2V.

If it's really ~0F out & you aren't using a block heater, the airbox pre-heat isn't a *bad* thing per se for some nice ~80ºF air being immediately available before having to wait for all that coolant to warm up. ~90% of engine wear happens on cold-start in normal driving/operation in the first few mins. I'm sure emissions is part of the equation, but so is longevity in the cold w/EFI especially?
Especially if the OEM can't rely on avg. joe to block off the radiator/operate the window shade like the old SAAB 93s & 96s & 122Amazons had for the radiator (they also didn't have T-static engine cooling fan clutches & did have carbs/engine bay & its mechanicals to keep *somewhat* warm).
Wouldn't want the throttle body to ice up or to wash things down longevity or MPG-wise with excessive fuel, right?

[dmg4]

Originally Posted by Kjets On a Plane

Not trying to be a kill-joy here, just as time's gone on I sorta accept these for being slow

As to heads, the stock ports are uh...less than great.

If it's really ~0F out & you aren't using a block heater, the airbox pre-heat isn't a *bad* thing per se for some nice ~80ºF air being immediately available before having to wait for all that coolant to warm up.

I accept that I am mortal, but I see no reason to facilitate death. My car is relatively slow, but I can make it less so with a modest infusion of time and money without affecting longevity or reliability, and that makes me happy.

Yup, the 530 head could be improved, but it's all I have for the time/money equation. A 530 head shaved 0.04" with the VX cam and 2.25" higher-flow exhaust is doubleplusgood and also should not degrade reliability.

To quote the philosopher Sylvester: "You DOUBT my verathity???" Yes, it really is that cold in Geneva, NY at this time of year. I hear you on the airbox heating tube. It's disconnected while I sort out the rest of the puzzle. The car is off the road for Dec, Jan, and Feb every year to avoid road salt. The other 9 months here are gorgeous weather and salt-free, and I doubt it will be a bad thing to leave it disconnected for now. I'll likely get a new airbox thermostat if that's the issue, and fix it. For now, I have an extra cold air intake (and an abundant supply of cold air).

Just for farts and giggles, I'll get a reading on the air temp in the intake tube during the first 2 minutes after a cold start on a single-digit cold day and report back. Remember: the coolant in this engine is getting warm within 1.5 miles on such a day. My day job gives me access to some neat toys. I suspect that the air in that 1-meter long non-insulated tube is cooled real fast on such a day. It will be nice to have some data on the air temperature gradient at the manifold vs at the airbox during that first 2 minutes.

[JE Jr]

The issue is that the bi-metal thermostat in the airbox has likely failed so it will always draw warm air. Until you cab get it sorted, I suggest to lock the flapper into 'cold air position'. If I remember correctly the cold air inlet is akso bigger/less restrictive.
BR

[dmg4]

Originally Posted by JE Jr

The issue is that the bi-metal thermostat in the airbox has likely failed so it will always draw warm air. Until you cab get it sorted, I suggest to lock the flapper into 'cold air position'. If I remember correctly the cold air inlet is akso bigger/less restrictive.
BR

Will do. Duct is presently detached from the manifold end and the end of the duct is rerouted fore of and beneath the radiator. Not much chance of any hot air entering it for now. But if the flukey flapper has closed off a less-restrictive cold air port, then I need to attend to the issue sooner.

[dmg4]

OK, finally got the garage warm enough to do some work. Got the airbox out of the car and removed the thermostat. It's toast. Ordered a new one. The foam seal on the flapdoodle door is mostly dust. No one has it, but it looks like the same closed cell foam that's used as the surround for small engine air filters, so I'll grab one of them and make a new one.

If you've not removed one of these little buggers before, it's not really self-evident as to how that is accomplished. Fortunately, there's always YouTube: https://www.google.com/search?client...WytMPobGSiAo16

[740atl]

Originally Posted by dmg4

OK, finally got the garage warm enough to do some work. Got the airbox out of the car and removed the thermostat. It's toast. Ordered a new one. The foam seal on the flapdoodle door is mostly dust. No one has it, but it looks like the same closed cell foam that's used as the surround for small engine air filters, so I'll grab one of them and make a new one.

If you've not removed one of these little buggers before, it's not really self-evident as to how that is accomplished. Fortunately, there's always YouTube: https://www.google.com/search?client...WytMPobGSiAo16

Most people rip it out and replace it with a cone filter.

[dmg4]

Originally Posted by 740atl

Most people rip it out and replace it with a cone filter.

And then there's me. I've never liked those things.

[2manyturbos]

dmg4. I know this is really late to the party. I've been reading the thread right from the start. My experience with a VX3 IPD cam. It was in a 1993 240 I bought and I would say the car would have to be on a dyno to measure what the difference was, if any. Other than a lumpy idle, seat of the pants told me the car was slower to accelerate than a stock 240. There is just nothing to be had changing to that cam when running stock compression levels, stock exhaust/intake and an automatic transmission. It totally jives with your experience.

[dmg4]

Originally Posted by 2manyturbos

dmg4. I know this is really late to the party. I've been reading the thread right from the start. My experience with a VX3 IPD cam. It was in a 1993 240 I bought and I would say the car would have to be on a dyno to measure what the difference was, if any. Other than a lumpy idle, seat of the pants told me the car was slower to accelerate than a stock 240. There is just nothing to be had changing to that cam when running stock compression levels, stock exhaust/intake and an automatic transmission. It totally jives with your experience.

You missed a most significant detail in the middle of the thread: at the same time that I installed the VX cam (Not VX3), I reconnected the heating tube from the manifold to the airbox, and didn't confirm that the airbox thermostat was working (it wasn't). When I disconnected the tube and re-ran the 0-60 times, the VX cam dropped the 0-60 time from 15.4 to 13.4. That's not trivial. The initial lack of improvement was entirely due to feeding the MAF nothing but preheated air.

13.4 seconds to reach 60 mph is still slow, but it's a heck of a lot better than 15.4.

[2manyturbos]

Do you realize that is slower that stock still? The 0-62 mph for a stock 240 is 12.1 seconds. The VX3 may improve mid rage performance, however, it is a total dog off the line.

https://www.ultimatespecs.com/car-sp...-(244)-23.html

[Cwazywazy]

Originally Posted by 2manyturbos

Do you realize that is slower that stock still? The 0-62 mph for a stock 240 is 12.1 seconds. The VX3 may improve mid rage performance, however, it is a total dog off the line.

https://www.ultimatespecs.com/car-sp...-(244)-23.html

That's a b230k.

My '88 244 automatic was 13.7s to 60 if I recall correctly, after I got it all sorted and running right.

I dunno if you want to keep the preheater for originality or anything, but you can get a rubber pipe cap at the hardware store and block off the hole so the box only sucks in fresh air from where it's supposed to. It's like 1.75 or 2 inches.

EDIT: I believe I had my 25.5 inch tires on the '88 when I was doing the performance testing too.

[2manyturbos]

Sounds about right then. A very slight improvement over stock. The buttometer won't even detect that difference. That's about how the one I had was. Louder, and that's about it. The 93 I had was running Arakis 17" wheels, which are taller and super heavy. Combined with the VX3, I think it was more sluggish than a stock 93 240.

[Redwood Chair]

Originally Posted by 2manyturbos

Sounds about right then. A very slight improvement over stock. The buttometer won't even detect that difference. That's about how the one I had was. Louder, and that's about it. The 93 I had was running Arakis 17" wheels, which are taller and super heavy. Combined with the VX3, I think it was more sluggish than a stock 93 240.

There's a reason they put tiny little light-assed wheels on these cars.

[dnordin]

Originally Posted by JE Jr

The issue is that the bi-metal thermostat in the airbox has likely failed so it will always draw warm air. Until you cab get it sorted, I suggest to lock the flapper into 'cold air position'. If I remember correctly the cold air inlet is also bigger/less restrictive.
BR

Some flexible metal dryer duct from home depot is the same size as the tube that goes from the airbox to the connection behind the headlight. LIke a cold air intake. The original tube is often missing. adding the dryer duct to replace the tube that was supposed be there helps get cold air to the engine. I did this on mine and it ran better. I don't worry about 0-60 times on this car.
BTW, have you considered adding a turbo?

[dmg4]

See post #47 on page 2 of this thread: "List of dead horses beaten". I have gone back and forth on the heating tube, and decided to fix the thermostat and reconnect it for now. But we're talking about the consequences of an inconsequential choice. About the VX cam (Again, a VX, not a VX3): in this car it produced a 2 second drop in the 0-60 time. I don't worry about 0-60 times. They are just a standard by which performance can be objectively and reproducibly measured. Qualitatively, the car does not feel slower off the line. In accordance with several reviews from users of this cam, the difference in my car was very positive in mid-range rpm, the car reved higher, and the car stayed in 2nd gear past 60 rather than hang at 4000 rom and shift to 3rd. A dog off the line? It's a normally aspirated 240 wagon with an automatic transmission. That was true with the M cam, but it's not worse now. I get it that others might like a different cam. Those are not options for me. I did look into a turbo, but no, not for my car. The mods suggested in this forum section on the "sticky" for NA cars will suffice: VX cam, plane the head 0.040, variable cam gear, upgrade the exhaust to 2.25, and then I'll be done for a while. When the present tires wear out, I'll get something that offers a slightly improved mechanical advantage.

[tjanson]

Just keep the poor thing out of the upstate salt