1985 Volvo 240 DL Oil leak

This is another post for the 1985 240 DL Wagon I am looking to buy. Please excuse any errors, I am fighting bronchitis at the moment.

230,000 miles. Owner is back, I reviewed a stack of paperwork. Good maintenance history - seems to have had almost everything needing replaced done.

Engine starts easily, runs strong but is choking a bit. I am sure a tune up is in order.

I'd like some help on 2 major issues I see for me to buy the car:

1- Healthy oil leak at the right (passenger) front bottom of engine. Dripping at about 1 drop every 2-3 seconds. The leak 'appears' to be coming from a gasket of a red pan bolted to the bottom of the engine. I cannot tell with certainty if this is it, or if it comes from higher up. Would this seem to be something fairly common? What is the estimate to repair? Here the labor rate is about $40-60 per hour. $250 does a rear main seal, or front seals.

2- White smoke from exhaust. The car has been sitting. The smoke did thin out, and got less over time.

3- Flame trap was replaced many years ago, but know it's over due. Not sure how much effect this would have.

In sum, I am satisfied with the body, the tranny was rebuilt 25,000 miles ago. Engine feels strong, good acceleration, smooth shifting. Blower motor is fine. Lighting is fine all around.

I am thinking $650. Any comments about that oil leak and some estimates for how hard it is to access that pan?

Thanks,

Jamie

Here are the pics, I think this link should work.

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Reply to
Jamie
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Oil pan leaks are not terribly common, but not unheard of either. It may just be a matter of tightening up the bolts, don't go too tight though or you'll deform the pan and make it leak worse. If it needs a new gasket, that's within the DIY range, you will have to remove the fan shroud, and unbolt the engine mounts from the crossmember but then you should be able to jack the engine up enough to get the pan off without pulling the engine.

White smoke is probably just water vapor collected in the muffler, I wouldn't worry about it unless it smells sweet.

Flame trap should be the first thing you do, just open it and clean it out.

$650 sounds like a bargain for a nice straight 245.

Reply to
James Sweet

Thanks James for the quick follow up. I just completed the stack of paperwork for this car. It appears that between 1994-1999 they replaced everything under the sun on this car, including, but not limited to:

Tailgate wiring harness Water Pump Tranny at 205K with used one Flame trap (until 1999, replaced regularly)

***Oil Pan Bolts tightened in 2004 to stop leak (just found that receipt)*** Brakes Ball Joints Muffler Ignition switch Fuel Pump Relay Front seals Rear Main Seal Valve cover gasket Wiper motors exhaust kickdown cable radiator tank auxillary fan Air Mass Meter Replace TPS switch and adjust throttle body Tranny seals AC hoses.

Those were the major things replaced. I think the money stopped going into the car around 2000-2001.

I am glad, I guess, that they had all this done, but I would not have like to be the owner paying DEALERS what I am seeing they paid to do this. OUCH!

I haven't found main wiring harness in the records yet, but so far the car seems asymptomatic and I might can replace that.

JAmie

Reply to
Jamie

A few years back, my grandson thought he had an oil leak... many things checked, tightened, etc.. I finally climbed under his 240 and removed the oil cooler line which ran to transmission.. on the inside area the line had 'worn' abraded, or whatever where it had been touching and rubbing the oil pan for many years... fixed that and leak was gone... good luck

Reply to
Ralph Griffith

Wow, that sounds like the Saab 900 my ex had, the previous owners had gotten sick of dumping money into it, at which point it didn't really need anything because it had all already been done.

Reply to
James Sweet

The tranny cooler lines on slushbox equipped 240s often crack where they bolt to the frame under the car, tranny fluid is bright red though so easy to identify. Not sure how it would rub on the oil pan.

Reply to
James Sweet

I was going to offer the lady $650 for the car, but offered $700 because we work at the same university and both like the Gypsy Kings - go figure. She gladly accepted, and was enthused because the car will get a second life.

So, I bought the car, but haven't picked it up yet.

Here's my last guess on the leak before I jack up the car and see it with my own eyes: (Isn't it just fun to try and solve the mystery and then later see how close you were?)

1- I found the latest receipt was from 2004 where it read, "leak inspected, oil pan bolts tightened, leak stopped." I am thinking that perhaps the seal was going out and that last adjustment just bought a little time. That or the bolts are loose again.

2- Symptom - When I started the car it did not leak immediately. I looked and looked and saw nothing. Not until I drove 6 or 8 blocks, parked the car idling, did I see it start to spill and gurgle out of that front corner passenger side of the oil pan area. This maybe tells me when I started the car, the oil was sucked from the pan into the engine and not dripping. As it later returned to the pan, it maybe began to spill out of a bad seal.

These are my best guesses. It would be nice if this were the culprit.

I'm excited - got my 740 and a real brick! AYYYEEEEE!!!!!

Once I get the bleeding stopped - this car is going to get a set of e- Codes like my 740. That is hands down one of the BEST things I think I did on that car. eCodes are REALLY incredible.

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Reply to
Jamie

James, don't you have a different tax form to fill out when you own a SAAB? If it's "built from Jets", you and miss Pelosi might be doing taxes together...LOL

Just kidding, I remember you told me about how it feels like a cockpit in a SAAB, and I think that is awesome. I want a car like a cockpit one day. Maybe I can make the 240 wagon like the cockpit of a 777 - lights and switches across the roof, clear back to the rear door?

;-)

Reply to
Jamie

I almost bought a Saab 900 Turbo a couple weeks ago. Metallic mint green

3 door hatch, 5 speed, pretty good condition and I could have had it for $600 but alas I decided it just wasn't a good idea for me to buy yet another car right now as well as it was a 4 hour drive from me but still now I find myself kinda wishing I'd bought it, that was a hell of a deal for a really cool car, but then there's a few 900s on craigslist almost every time I've looked. If only I had a 10 car garage and time/money to give them all the attention they deserve.

If you ever get the chance to take one for a spin, do it, but make sure it's a pre-GM 900 (-'93) with a manual, anything else just isn't right. I'm not sure which I like better, Volvo or Saab, but the two classic Swedes definitely have vastly different personalities and each is good in its own way.

Reply to
James Sweet

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