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Hacked III: Third Time's The Charm (M90 940 Edition) (prev. Hacked II)

If you get a new cam you should get new lifters as well.

If you reuse your old cam, you should match lifters and pushrods with the cam lobes. You don?t just put them in a bag and put them back randomly.

Good luck!
 
If you get a new cam you should get new lifters as well.

If you reuse your old cam, you should match lifters and pushrods with the cam lobes. You don?t just put them in a bag and put them back randomly.

Good luck!

I'd never tightened any of the adjusters on the rocker shaft, just kinda left the lifters dangling in the hole. Engine had never run, d'uh. I don't see any reason why I couldn't just reuse them.

If it is a problem, I accidentally bought Iske's V8 lifter pack, so I have another eight I can use.

EDIT: The old K cam is absolutely wasted. Lack of Zinc. I'm getting a new one from a friend.
 
I'd never tightened any of the adjusters on the rocker shaft, just kinda left the lifters dangling in the hole. Engine had never run, d'uh. I don't see any reason why I couldn't just reuse them.

If it is a problem, I accidentally bought Iske's V8 lifter pack, so I have another eight I can use.

EDIT: The old K cam is absolutely wasted. Lack of Zinc. I'm getting a new one from a friend.

Oh, so the lifters and rods are brand new? In that case just mix and match randomly :)

I guess you can mix used rods and lifters but not used lifters and cam.

Anyhow, great to see some progress here! Keep it up!
 
Is this progress?

Anyhow, great to see some progress here! Keep it up!

Thanks for the encouragement. I definitely need it.

It being consistently above 15?C outside means I can work on the car more frequently, and it also means more frequent 'updates' for... whoever's reading this I guess.

Today I endeavored to pull the engine. Got up nice and early, and had some semblance of a plan.

I figured that assembling my engine stand was probably a good start.

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Also, removed my hoist from hibernation. It had developed a little bit of rusty from just sitting for six months, but nothing that hinders its function.

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Once again, probably the biggest challenge of working the car is my tiny garage. Doesn't help that it's constantly full of junk. It took me a fair amount of time just to clear out the front so I could get the hoist in. The plus is that I can put it back better organized than before.

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Engine leveler, as suggested.

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I wasn't totally sure where to mount the chains, so I just installed the spare head bolts all the way.
Sketchy? Yes. Functional? Probably.

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Unfortunately, I couldn't really get any pictures of me working under the car (just due to the cramped environment). This is the part where I cut to someone else's hackery on this old car.

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For some reason, the nuts/bolts are different from one engine mount to the other. One used a normal 5/8" nut, while the other had two 17mm nuts stacked on top of each other.

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I took all the bolts out of the bellhousing, which took an unusually long time. They were pretty well stuck, but I managed to get my torque wrench to free the ones at the bottom.
The ones at the very top, however were a special challenge. I must've smashed my hand numb trying to fit a wrench in the small space between the firewall and the back of the engine block.

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My problem now is that I still can't separate the engine from the bellhousing.
That said, going through all these pictures from today reveals that I left a starter bolt in.

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Whoops.
 
They can also just be stubborn after being bolted together for so long. Sometimes when pulling a motor I've had to tap the seam between the block and bell housing with a mallet and then gently wiggle it a bit to get them to separate.

Edit: Gentle prying may also work, but I don't like putting force on the input shaft.
 
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Fin

Pretty lame thread update, but you all saw this coming.

I've sold the 144.

The guy with the V70R has another 144, and is planning on making this one a race car using all my random performance bits I was including with the car.

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He'd already been over a few times to pick up all of the larger parts and boxes, so it didn't take us long to load up all the other bits (and the windshield).

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We waffled for a bit about how hard 140s are to come by whilst we waited for the truck.

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It's someone else's problem now, I suppose. This is what I'm left with as a reminder.

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Ah, well. Now I need to clean out my garage to make space for that other thing... stay tuned to see if that works out.

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Probably the last update, unless the new owner decides to pay me a visit if/when it runs again.
 
Noooooooo! Too bad.

But seriously, your garage is a mess! :)

You should've seen it before I got the car in back in 2019. I spent about six hours cleaning out various junk that hadn't been moved since 1989 or so.... lots of beer cans and boxes of random old stuff.

Considering the friends I've made and connections I've established with Volvos over the last two-ish years, I am definitely going to be staying Volvo, and I do potentially have a replacement car lined up. One that runs this time.
 
Hacked II: Getting a 1983 245 Back On the Road?

I have returned. Work on the 144 is still ongoing, and I'm keeping up to date and occasionally dropping by the new owner's to help him out and check on his progress. Currently he's pulled all the carpet and removed all the rusty floors. A lot more than I accomplished in my two years owning it, but he has more space. That's my excuse, anyway.

So I got another car. I've been working on-and-off importing this rust-free '83 245 diesel from the US. It's been a long time in the making, but finally, it's in my garage and ready for me to ruin.

Why this car, specifically? I dunno. It was presented to me at a very reasonable price and I just had to have it. And so I do.

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Getting it off the trailer was the easy part. I've never driven a manual 240 before and had no idea how the reverse lockout worked. The truckers that delivered it told me they thought the reverse gear was broken. I later found that wasn't the case - but not after having backed it down the hill and onto the street using only the brakes.

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The interior is... remarkably nice. The driver's seat is a little torn, but at least it has an interior, unlike the 144. All the bits of missing trim are in the back. The seller had warned me that the car had a really bad mildew smell, to the point where he was unable to continue driving it (allergies). Might just be me, but I never noticed any terrible smells. At least, not as bad as with the other car.

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The uh...big issue with this car is a massive fuel leak coming from the injection pump at the front. It's the reason I couldn't drive this all the way from VA, and had to organize transport instead. I have the seals to fix it, so we'll see how this goes.

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Many spare parts included. The seller let me know that the M46 was probably going out, so he included a spare.

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Ah, yes. The D24. So much metal is used to make 76 horsepower. The engine bay is really surprisingly clean, albeit with some slightly sketchy wiring. That lamp wire goes to a secondary fuel pump, used to prime the main VE pump when it runs itself dry.

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Plans? I'm not really sure yet. I was fairly convinced that I would be swapping out the diesel fairly early for a gas engine (and thus starting a possibly permanent jack stand build a la 144). Looking at how clean the engine bay is and how well it runs (minus the leak, of course), I'd be tempted to leave the D24 in there. My only issue (and the reason I can't develop an attachment to this engine) is the timing belt. Last I checked, you need an entire Volkswagen service department to change the belt, and a lot of weird, D24-specific tools. The current belt (to my knowledge) hasn't been changed in probably at least the last 30,000 miles, and I'm a bit scared of driving it too much on that belt.

I guess we'll have to see how it works out.
I'll also probably have to beg a mod to change the name of my thread, wish me luck!
 
Looks like a really nice wagon. Much better condition than the typical diesels I've seen and probably nicer than the '84 I had for a few years.

The D24 powered 240s have their own...je ne sais quoi... something about the sound and how much you have to shift to make them go anywhere. They are glacially slow in stop & go traffic but once you're up to speed on the highway they are extremely smooth and quiet. There's more sound deadening than the gas 240s had, and the engine smooths out a lot at speed.

Take good care of it and it should treat you well. I would second the advice to pay someone else to do the critical stuff, at least while you're still getting used to the car and learning its quirks.
 
Looks like a really nice wagon. Much better condition than the typical diesels I've seen and probably nicer than the '84 I had for a few years.

It's really not as nice as the pictures makes it look... the paint has a lot of scratches and peeling clear coat, there's a few small dents on the topside of the vehicle (hail damage?). I didn't buy it because of the diesel, to me it's just an $800 rust-free shell to put a redblock into that just happened to have a leaky D24 in it. It's also fairly cobbled together, according to the PO using the best bits from four different cars, and a bunch of trim from a couple gas cars. It's not really a collector's piece.


Pay someone to fix your diesel pump and timing belt ;)

I would second the advice to pay someone else to do the critical stuff, at least while you're still getting used to the car and learning its quirks.

It's looking like that's the way to go. I'm researching local places to see if anyone has experience with Volvo diesels or 1.9 TDIs and if they can do a belt change for me. The fuel pump is something I can probably do myself, and is presently the only thing preventing it from passing a safety inspection and making it functionally drivable.

I've been wanting to put together a shmedium-power NA redblock for the car, but if I can get the belt changed, it will at least give me time to think through whether or not to actually make the swap happen, and to order all the parts the first time to prevent this from turning into a jackstand build a la 144.

Thanks for the replies!
 
When you say it's leaking from the "front" do you mean the part of the pump that's facing the front of the car? If so, that's most likely the big o-ring that seals the pump head against the pump body. You can change that seal in the car (or at least you can on VW diesels). This guy makes a handy kit with a viton o-ring for that purpose: https://www.dieselgeek.com/products/viton-pump-head-o-ring-seal-kit-for-bosch-ve-injection-pumps

I should say that I'm not sure the seal used on the D24 pump is the same dimensions or not, but it's worth a look.

As for the timing belts; I've only done the job once and it was on the 5 cylinder version of that motor in a VW Transporter in an unheated garage in Norway in January. It wasn't very fun, to be honest.
 
When you say it's leaking from the "front" do you mean the part of the pump that's facing the front of the car? If so, that's most likely the big o-ring that seals the pump head against the pump body.

I'm 68% sure that's what's leaking. The rest of the pump looks pretty dry. Previous owner concurred with my thoughts.

I should say that I'm not sure the seal used on the D24 pump is the same dimensions or not, but it's worth a look.

AFAIK the D24 uses a Bosch VE pump, so I ordered a D24 VE kit, so we'll have to find out if it's any different.

As for the timing belts; I've only done the job once and it was on the 5 cylinder version of that motor in a VW Transporter in an unheated garage in Norway in January. It wasn't very fun, to be honest.

I heard the 2.4L motors need some next timing tools - at least what I've read on D24T.com...

I'm calling up local Volvo and VW places to ask if they can do D24 things. Sunday's looking like the day to pull off, inspect and reseal the pump, so I'll update the thread with pictures when I get around to it. Now that I comprehend how to reverse lockout works, I can turn the car around to make that a tad easier.
 
Joining this thread late -- nice looking 245.

Your instincts are right to do the t-belts on the D24 ASAP. That will give you time to run it for a while without worry and decide what direction to go. The D24 is a great motor (provided of course it is not sabotaged by knucklehead mechanics, that is what the horror stories all come from). Dependable and long lasting and extremely low operating cost, plus refined and quiet, easy to live with. Keep the cooling system functional (ie don't rely on 40 year old rubber hoses or let them get damaged by fuel leaks), change the timing belts CORRECTLY and on time, and run synthetic 5W40 with reasonable change intervals, and you will never have an issue.

The one deficiency of the D24 is it is not suited for serious mountain driving. High elevation plus long/steep grades just slows them down too much, though in all honesty a stock NA redblock in those conditions doesn't move the car very well either. Flat highways or around town, D24 is just fine. D24T is the answer for long mountain grades.

D24T.com has a tool rental section intended to help since lack of access to the tools is probably the biggest single obstacle to owning one of these in the year 2021. I have three complete sets of the full factory tool kit, and I loan them out FOR FREE. You just pay to ship them to you and back with insurance plus a large deposit to ensure I get them back, fully refunded when they are returned. So don't let the lack of the tools be a reason not to make progress. :)

Furthermore there is at least one member of the old D24 email list who is in Ontario and is highly skilled and equipped with these engines. No doubt he would be willing to share the tools and probably help you do the belt job, or do it for you. PM me if you want his contact info.

Have fun, looks like a good starting point.
 
Fuel pump reseal is not rocket science but do your homework carefully before you take it apart. That is one job that you probably do want to pay a pro to handle if you are not familiar, or get a junkyard pump from an old VW to practice on. If you lose reference on where everything is calibrated when you disassemble, it'll never be right again, and worst case if you really get it wrong or don't hook up the governor correctly, the engine can run away from you and destroy itself when you go to start it.

Tom Bryant in Maine USA is a good resource if you want to send the pump out to be resealed and checked out on a bench, extremely affordable.
 
Joining this thread late -- nice looking 245.

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Thanks for the reply...

I took a couple weeks to stare at the car, figure out how everything works and to really plan out what I want to do with it. A friend of a friend contacted me about a complete drivetrain from a '93 245... B230f and M47 that are being pulled for a V8 swap. If I can get my hands on those, that'll dictate the direction of the build. If those plans fall apart...well, I'll have to look into maintaining/fixing the D24. That, or a V8 swap of my own (which is actually why I bought the car in the first place, Vortec 350s are stocked up like cordwood and are stupidly cheap and available near me).

Just put the car on jackstands, stopping short of draining any fluids or anything in anticipation of this swap. Going to wait until I hear back from wagon guy before I make a running car...not.

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I guess the next post will be a direction bump on whether (or what) I swap or not. In other (less relevant) news, I managed to snap up a pretty scuffed set of Dracos that will probably end up on the car.

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That is a healthy sounding motor. The extended cranking time is probably due to loss of fuel pump prime from the leaks you mentioned earlier -- common. Once it started it sounded good.

I also see from looking at your shot from underneath that the engine is painted blue, not the factory green or black. That's a pretty sure sign it has a refreshed motor in it. That color blue was commonly seen on engines built by Chris Bogue in Oregon and he was known for doing a great job with them. Since you said this car came from the east coast, it may be a long shot that it's one of his engines but who knows, people and cars move around. Either way, the different paint color and the good starting and running suggest that you have a healthy engine to start with. Good news for you if you're considering keeping the car diesel-powered, or if not, then you know you have a good strong motor that you could sell to someone else.

I PM'd you the contact info for the D24 guy in your province. Hope he can be a good resource if you need anything.

For what it's worth, and just my opinion -- hard to see the point of swapping a naturally aspirated B230F/M47 into that car (or any car). Neither the engine or the trans are worth the effort -- fine to live with if you already have it but in the wide world of options if you are swapping motors, why would you ever choose it? For all the work of the swap, completely overhauling the fuel system, installing gasoline fuel injection and all its related electrical systems, reworking cooling system, driveline, etc .... you end up with an engine that is no different than what is stock in most wagons out there that you can go out and buy and drive home tomorrow. Not an impressive motor OR trans, only really another couple dozen HP versus the D24 and all that extra HP is up high in the rev band. In real world driving the NA D24 and NA redblock are pretty similar in terms of performance, only difference is when you are really balls to the wall winding it out to redline. If what you want is a NA redblock 245 there are thousands out there, much better off to just start with one that's already built that way. If you want to tinker, you can even start with a NA automatic 245, easier to find, and swap in a T5 trans, +T, whatever. Then at least your time and effort are moving you forward to something better than a stock gasser 240, rather than just laterally to another stock setup with shortcomings.

V8 swap has its justifications too. Then for yet another option, you can also bolt turbo parts onto your D24 and wake up the performance significantly that way. All it takes is manifolds and a turbo fuel pump. You don't get piston squirters with the NA D24 block, but unless you're going nuts with power or towing, it'll live a happy enough life without them.
 
For what it's worth, and just my opinion -- hard to see the point of swapping a naturally aspirated B230F/M47 into that car (or any car). Neither the engine or the trans are worth the effort -- fine to live with if you already have it but in the wide world of options if you are swapping motors, why would you ever choose it? For all the work of the swap, completely overhauling the fuel system, installing gasoline fuel injection and all its related electrical systems, reworking cooling system, driveline, etc .... you end up with an engine that is no different than what is stock in most wagons out there that you can go out and buy and drive home tomorrow.

Plus the d24 sounds cooler.

I've been harassing fatcat on discord telling him to turbo his d24, I'm really hoping he does.
 
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