20MPG :( with 240 sedan Brisbane Australia

when I first got my '89 240 wagon about 4 years ago, I was getting around

21MPG... I gradually increased my tire pressure to about 36PSI, and I routinely get around 25MPG, same kind of driving. Before you invest in a lot of expensive work, you might give that a try. The ride is a little harsh on rough roads, but handling is fine and the tires hardly wear at all! Just a thought....

m9876c at yahoo dot com Atlanta, GA

When I had a 240 GLE with I think the B230 engine and I think a Stromberg carb I found the throttle needle needed replacing periodically.A sign this was needed was fuel consumption went from around 27mpg to 20mpg. regards,Mark.

mine has efi and is a b230 engine

i pumped the tires upto 36psi, see what happens!!!

Spark timing is the only thing I ever had make a significant difference to mpg's on a car, if it's out by much. That and heavy loads and/or the strong cross-winds round Caiguna/Widgiemultha between Norseman & Eucla.

350km = 218 miles 50 liters = 13.2 gallons 218 / 13.2 = 16.5mpg

That is horrible for a 240- about half (or less) of what it should be getting on the highway. Check that the E brake and the service brakes are not dragging. Check the temps of the wheels after a drive- they should be about the same (an IR thermometer is great for that). Also check for fuel leaks, and you might want to look into a locking fuel cap as I would suspect someone is syphoning fuel from your car.

Also check the gas or try another brand. There have been incidents of stations putting cheap additives into the gas to stretch profits.

Running that much fuel through the motor is VERY bad for the motor. It will wash lubrication off the cylinder walls and will cause excessive wear on the rings and cylinder walls.

Also, verify that your odometer is operating accurately using mileposts along a stretch of roadway.

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 240 Estate - '93 960 Estate

In Australia they are imperial gallons

50 l = 10.999 imp gal

For goodness sakes!!! I have enough problems with the ridiculous US standards of measurements without throwing IMPERIAL gallons into the mix! Next we will be discussing Whitworth! ;-)

Scotty to bridge: "The Newton Meters are off the scale Captain. I don't know how much longer I can hold it."

Captain to Scotty: "Keep your personal lifestyle out of it and just fix the thing, Scotty!"

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 240 Estate - '93 960 Estate

Read the ECU codes. Reset and run. Then read after a few hundred Kms. Check the O2 sensor (under $150 for a replacement make sure it meets or exceeds the OEM specs.) I would also check the throttle body gasket, flame trap and assorted other items. I can get my 90 240 auto down to about 375-400 off a tank IF I am flat out and using the AC. Your not driving like this. Normal mileage for me is about the 450 mark with some use of the AC and not driven sedately. I can get 500 on the rare occasions I can stop myself making full use of the modified suspension I have. Highway driving significantly improves this and the best my car has done was about the 8-9L per 100Kms but I wasn't the driver for this.

AJS

looks like its off to the mechanic to have the 240 checked out, let you all know what the outcome is :)

Sure scotty did not say Erg, the meters...

Hi,

we only get 420k for the same out of our 90 740 16v, Volvos do not get good fuel economy period. But we live in the hills area Victoria and a lot of short runs so 350 for Brisbane area sounds bad unless you plant the foot a lot. V6 Camry gets 550k home to city n back. Volvo still only got about 420 for the same run.

rgds

Peter

well they found the problem . . . . . airflower meter has seen better days and needs replacing and the O2 sensor near the catalytic convertor needs replacing. . . they said the engine check system had been disconnected so it wouldn't show any faults when it was on . . . . very sneaky of the past owner . . . so i'm looking to have a better 240 soon . . . will let you all know how it goes whn i get the brick back tomorrow :) now i maybe able to call her the "flying brick with better economy" :)

well . . .the mechanic fixed that problem . . . but . . . he told me that it looses power in 2nd gear (auto) unless its shifted manually to 2nd, which i have noticed, (thought that must be 'normal' for a 240) and the torque converter needs to be replaced . . . more $$$$ :( . . . anyone else had this problem with a 240 auto sedan? . . . thanks in advance for any advice :)

he did say the motor is good now, well thats something good to hear :)

Good you got it fixed. Your petrol prices still rocketing in Oz - at least petrol in Bris is still lower than in NSW.

well she's all fixed, new lamda sensor and airflow meter, goes like a dream, even better than before :) and they fixed the auto transmission, it was a just the kickdown cable, that was too short, didn't belong to this model . . . .

just one question for the group please:-

is there a lamda warning light on the dash? and when does it come on, when i turn the iginition on and all the other warning lights come on, and then they all go off when the engine is started, or does it only come on when there is a fault in the system? where is the light located on the dash, or is it somewhere else?

thanks guys :)

If you have the diagnostic connector "blink boxes" under the hood, then you should have a lambda light that works as you described in the first part of your paragraph above. See

our 240s got this feature for the 1989 model year.

You owe that guy a six pack (a "sixer"?). You could have spent a lot of $$$ trying to figure out that shifting problem. If he doesn't drink, let him marry your sister! ;-)

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"