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LH2.0 to 2.4

OldCarNewTricks

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 23, 2016
Location
Oregon
Hello,

I currently have my 83 242's engine and trans out of the car. I was looking around, and I saw that Buchka offers a wasted spark chip for lh2.4 which promises fuel mileage gains of 10-30%. I wanted to see what people's personal experience of this is?

I might be interested in trading out my lh2.0 for a newer system if there is an actual measured gain there. I will start driving 240+ miles/week come fall time.

I know the B23F doesn't have the existing holes for the crank sensor. Does anyone have a guide or something on adding the holes? Or measurements for sensor to flexplate?

What about street performance? Have any of you that have used both systems noticed differences?

Thanks
 
Hello,

I currently have my 83 242's engine and trans out of the car. I was looking around, and I saw that Buchka offers a wasted spark chip for lh2.4 which promises fuel mileage gains of 10-30%. I wanted to see what people's personal experience of this is?

I might be interested in trading out my lh2.0 for a newer system if there is an actual measured gain there. I will start driving 240+ miles/week come fall time.

I know the B23F doesn't have the existing holes for the crank sensor. Does anyone have a guide or something on adding the holes? Or measurements for sensor to flexplate?

What about street performance? Have any of you that have used both systems noticed differences?

Thanks

Never mind, I forgot that 2.4 requires speed input. That and the trial and error involved in the crank sensor install is not worth it.
 
Drill the holes in the block! I did it and the holes were a bit too far apart and the crank sensor mounting bracket cracked, but it still held together and worked as it should.

If I had used a transfer punch instead of eyeballing it it probably wouldn't have cracked..... scratch that... I think the correct term is blind hole spotter. https://www.mcmaster.com/blind-hole-spotters/


http://www.forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=285121

link to the original thread...
138138886.jpg
 
Last edited:
Drill the holes in the block! I did it and the holes were a bit too far apart and the crank sensor mounting bracket cracked, but it still held together and worked as it should.

If I had used a transfer punch instead of eyeballing it it probably wouldn't have cracked..... scratch that... I think the correct term is blind hole spotter. https://www.mcmaster.com/blind-hole-spotters/


http://www.forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=285121

link to the original thread...
138138886.jpg

Okay, that's very cool! Are you running lh 2.4? I read something about requiring a speed sensor from the rear axle?

My 83 wire harness is okay for what it is, but I would NOT mind a much newer one, as many sections are a bit ghetto and soldered in and mismatched colors from previous ownerships. I usually use same color wire.
 
I think COP would be such a nice thing to add to the engine. I also have had thoughts of adding a speed sensor differential to get rid of the "dancing needle" cable driven speedo.
 
Okay, that's very cool! Are you running lh 2.4? I read something about requiring a speed sensor from the rear axle?

My 83 wire harness is okay for what it is, but I would NOT mind a much newer one, as many sections are a bit ghetto and soldered in and mismatched colors from previous ownerships. I usually use same color wire.

At that point I could have used lh2.4 but I was using the crank sensor with megasquirt. The only thing that would require a sensor from the differential is the speedometer.

I think COP would be such a nice thing to add to the engine. I also have had thoughts of adding a speed sensor differential to get rid of the "dancing needle" cable driven speedo.

You could do COP with the wasted spark board.
 
Okay, great! I'll do a bit more research I think. Do I need a specific flexplate, or will the older ones work, too?
 
Okay, great! I'll do a bit more research I think. Do I need a specific flexplate, or will the older ones work, too?

You'll need an lh2.4 flexplate (or flywheel) for sure... It'll have the trigger wheel around the body of the flexplate.

Here's a picture of what it'll look like

BU15M37JSZLE.jpeg


Any 89-later 240 or 90-later 740/940 will have what you're looking for... beware of the 940's with rex-regina... they have a different tooth pattern in the flexplate.

Someone here should be able to hook you up with one.
 
I'm just going to throw this out there, but have you considered megasquirt (specifically microsquirt) for your project instead? I know there's less anxiety in using tried and true lh2.4 to run a daily driver but the microsquirt can control your wasted spark and allow almost complete tuning authority over how the engine runs. You could use that same lh2.4 flexplate and crank sensor to trigger the entire system.

I just say this because you're going to have to swap out wiring harnesses and mount the crank sensor... I know there's a learning curve to these things but just throwing it out there in case you had never heard of it.

http://www.useasydocs.com/quickstart.htm

https://www.diyautotune.com/product/microsquirt-engine-management-system-ecu-only/
 
Great, thank you for the leads! I have heard about MS, and I really enjoy the idea of having a modern engine management system control my old redblock.

My longterm plan for my 242 is to sort of renew it, and keep it probably permanently (sentimental car). So I think it would be worth taking a serious look into.

Would the major benefits of MS be throttle response and fuel mileage? Any other things it brings to the table?
 
Great, thank you for the leads! I have heard about MS, and I really enjoy the idea of having a modern engine management system control my old redblock.

My longterm plan for my 242 is to sort of renew it, and keep it probably permanently (sentimental car). So I think it would be worth taking a serious look into. If you have plans for power upgrades (cam, headers, turbo, etc.) then having something you can tune quickly might be worth a look at.

Would the major benefits of MS be throttle response and fuel mileage? Any other things it brings to the table?


If the scope of your project is to keep an NA vehicle that starts and runs great every time, lh2.4 might be the best for you. It's just that I have a thing for megsquirt and can't help recommending it every chance I get even where it may not be the best option.

I'll say this... while there are ways of tuning lh2.4, imho, tuning MS is more direct.

If tuned well, it can give you every bit of drivability and throttle response that lh2.4 (or frankly any of the products that've come on fuel injected volvos in my experience.

Mileage... well yes, you can tweak the fueling and spark to your heart's content, but ultimately mileage has a lot more to do with the condition of the engine, ring sealing, etc.

I've used MS on NA as well as turbocharged cars and the flexibility it gives with multiple triggers and spark outputs and sensor inputs; data that I can use to help in my own way to keep the engine running right or keep the engine together.

It's also pretty darned cheap. There aren't a lot of aftermarket ems systems you can put together in a neat little box like a megasquirt... or especially microsquirt.

At any rate, as you can tell I have a soft spot for the system even thought it might not be best for you.
 
If the scope of your project is to keep an NA vehicle that starts and runs great every time, lh2.4 might be the best for you. It's just that I have a thing for megsquirt and can't help recommending it every chance I get even where it may not be the best option.

I'll say this... while there are ways of tuning lh2.4, imho, tuning MS is more direct.

If tuned well, it can give you every bit of drivability and throttle response that lh2.4 (or frankly any of the products that've come on fuel injected volvos in my experience.

Mileage... well yes, you can tweak the fueling and spark to your heart's content, but ultimately mileage has a lot more to do with the condition of the engine, ring sealing, etc.

I've used MS on NA as well as turbocharged cars and the flexibility it gives with multiple triggers and spark outputs and sensor inputs; data that I can use to help in my own way to keep the engine running right or keep the engine together.

It's also pretty darned cheap. There aren't a lot of aftermarket ems systems you can put together in a neat little box like a megasquirt... or especially microsquirt.

At any rate, as you can tell I have a soft spot for the system even thought it might not be best for you.

The idea of MS is very exciting. However, I did do some math on the *possibility* of some gas mileage related savings. If my MPGs improved by 15%, it would take me the better part of two years to come even with the investment into MS or lh 2.4.

I think I'm going to save my money for now. I may try to use the Spal fan I already own to gain an extra MPG or two.
 
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