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Help/advice needed for the lil sweetie! (B230ft Kjet 1983 Volvo 242 turbo NA)

I Am A Bicycle

New member
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Edit: 1983 Volvo 242 turbo NA b2ft kjet
Hey guys! So I've run into a few problems with my car. It's all original and is in great shape for being a 1983.... I want to drive it until it can't be driven any more and so since my dad gifted it to me (he bought it for 700 from one of Obama's old campaign managers. It had the Harvard parking sticker on it when we got it haha)

The issues I'm having:
It's shaking when I drive it in all gears... It's a manual and from what I've researched it could be missfiring? I recently got some work done on the muffler because it seemed to have an exhaust leak.

After I got some parts of the muffler line welded (all I could afford at the time.) It's still having some problems which is leading me to think I need to replace both fuel pumps.
I'm curious what fuel pumps y'all have used and what you would recommend. I am ready and willing to pour a bit of money into it to get the job done right and to take care of the car well so it won't be as likely that I'll have to do repeat maintenance on things I fixed hopefully right the first time...

Are the symptoms I'm experiencing possibly misfiring? Or could it be something else? I'm still learning everything there is to know but have a true desire to learn and grow in my ability to perform all my own maintenance on my car.

The AC issues I'm having are 2nd along the line of things to fix but I'm more worried about fixing the main stuff to keep it on the road.

When it was jacked up at the muffler shop we think there may be a small leak in my tranny as well.

I've honestly never taken on a project like this so it's a bit overwhelming on where or how I should start which is why I'm reaching out today!

What has already been done:

Clean intake manifold
New AC compressor (upgrade from a yorx) don't know what I got sorry
Newer power steering rack to go with the new AC compressor.
Brand New brake master cylinder was out in as well.
Electric Pusher fan mounted behind the grille to help keep the engine cool in this hot AZ heat.
Fixed my exhaust leak and put in whatever those things are called that goes between the exhaust manifold and the engine on the left side of the engine.

I'm wanting to take it to stage zero but like I said it's a bit confusing and so I'm not sure all where to start!

Any and all constructive criticism or advice is welcomed.

Thank you very much and I hope you have a great day!

-Bike

P.s. once I figure out how to upload a pic I'll get some photos up of the 'Lil Sweetie
 
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If the engine is misfiring, it will sound funny and be missing a decent amount of power. Is the car shaking while driving, sitting still, or both? Engine mounts is one of the first things I think of, can you wiggle the engine around by hand?

We have a few good articles about stage zero, and some other sites do as well, a Google search on Volvo 240 stage zero should get you several articles to read, some are easier to understand than others if you don't have a strong grasp of the mechanical stuff. Try reading a few. I start with basics like oil change, spark plugs and wire, cap and rotor. Then brakes, suspension wear parts, etc. Check engine and trans mounts. Etc.
 
yes it seems to be missing some power... although engine mounts is another thing on my list to fix including getting new tie rod ends inner/outter.
 
If the engine is misfiring, it will sound funny and be missing a decent amount of power. Is the car shaking while driving, sitting still, or both? Engine mounts is one of the first things I think of, can you wiggle the engine around by hand?

We have a few good articles about stage zero, and some other sites do as well, a Google search on Volvo 240 stage zero should get you several articles to read, some are easier to understand than others if you don't have a strong grasp of the mechanical stuff. Try reading a few. I start with basics like oil change, spark plugs and wire, cap and rotor. Then brakes, suspension wear parts, etc. Check engine and trans mounts. Etc.

are bougie cords and oem spark plugs the way to go? Should I get the metal ones or are the rubber ones okay? and it shakes while driving AND sitting still. Also, another issue that i've had off and on has been having to fix the idle on it. for a while if I had it below 1300-1500 ish it would just die or crap out.
 
Grab the engine by the top and try to wiggle it, if it easily swings wheel well to wheel well, problem. If it is misfiring, the best thing to do is replace the plugs and wires, ignition cap and rotor. It's part of stage zero and it's very cheap. The wires are the biggest culprit of misfires. A great test for bad plug wiresis start the motor in total darkness and see if you can see any sparks along the wires. Do not touch them, it hurts a lot haha. You can also mist them with a hose or spray bottle of water and see if it gets worse.
 
I used whatever fuel pumps FCPEuro,com sells, Prosomething or other. They work fine.
Tell the autoparts store what car you have and that you want NGK, they can handle it. The proper part number is BPR6ES, you can buy them anywhere. They are the same as OEM, if someone writes Volvo on them the price goes up a lot. Th OEM ones were probably Bosch, but they are the same thing, no difference at all.
 
I used whatever fuel pumps FCPEuro,com sells, Prosomething or other. They work fine.
Tell the autoparts store what car you have and that you want NGK, they can handle it. The proper part number is BPR6ES, you can buy them anywhere. They are the same as OEM, if someone writes Volvo on them the price goes up a lot. Th OEM ones were probably Bosch, but they are the same thing, no difference at all.

Great! Thx for the guidance! How about bougies? Plastic or metal. Will O'Reilly's have them as well or should I order from ipd
 
The metal end Bougies seem to click on easier, but it doesn't really matter. The only issue I have had is either not getting a coil wire, or too short of a coil wire. IPD or FCP is the way to go. Sometimes Rockauto will have them.
 
Hey, I'm also trying to keep an old K-Jet car alive!

Does it sound raspy and irregular when it idles? I had what the local shop thought was a "misfiring" issue which turned out to be a major vacuum leak in the line going to the brake booster. $5 fixed that.

As for the in-tank pump I went with IPD's uprated unit: https://www.ipdusa.com/products/5799/111016-volvo-in-tank-fuel-pump-upgrade-kit-aftermarket-7845k. You will need to trim some material off the current sending unit. The Harbor Freight tube cutter works. My under-car pump looked okay so I just fixed the crumbling wire.
 
Hey, I'm also trying to keep an old K-Jet car alive!

Does it sound raspy and irregular when it idles? I had what the local shop thought was a "misfiring" issue which turned out to be a major vacuum leak in the line going to the brake booster. $5 fixed that.

As for the in-tank pump I went with IPD's uprated unit: https://www.ipdusa.com/products/5799/111016-volvo-in-tank-fuel-pump-upgrade-kit-aftermarket-7845k. You will need to trim some material off the current sending unit. The Harbor Freight tube cutter works. My under-car pump looked okay so I just fixed the crumbling wire.

It does seem a bit raspy... I was thinking it could also be a vacuum leak. I mean it's something I will eventually have to take care of anyways so... Got any tips for that? What did you do?
 
It does seem a bit raspy... I was thinking it could also be a vacuum leak. I mean it's something I will eventually have to take care of anyways so... Got any tips for that? What did you do?

Well, I learned the hard way when I engine braked and the car stalled requiring much leg strength to bring it to a stop...

The best way is to give everything a firm squeeze and bend and seeing what seems old or broken. There's always the method of spraying carb cleaner on a running engine to see if the idle changes. It's well documented on this forum: http://forums.turbobricks.com/archive/index.php/t-272686.html

Get some vacuum hose, use your existing hose (or as much as you can salvage) as a template, trim with a knife, and reinstall. Pat yourself on the back. Fix other stuff.
 
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Well, I learned the hard way when I engine braked and the car stalled requiring much leg strength to bring it to a stop...

The best way is to give everything a firm squeeze and bend and seeing what seems old or broken. There's always the method of spraying carb cleaner on a running engine to see if the idle changes. It's well documented on this forum: http://forums.turbobricks.com/archive/index.php/t-272686.html

Get some vacuum hose, use your existing hose (or as much as you can salvage) as a template, trim with a knife, and reinstall. Pat yourself on the back. Fix other stuff.

I was wrong... I have a b21ft I'm sorry not a b230ft
 
If the engine is misfiring, it will sound funny and be missing a decent amount of power. Is the car shaking while driving, sitting still, or both? Engine mounts is one of the first things I think of, can you wiggle the engine around by hand?

We have a few good articles about stage zero, and some other sites do as well, a Google search on Volvo 240 stage zero should get you several articles to read, some are easier to understand than others if you don't have a strong grasp of the mechanical stuff. Try reading a few. I start with basics like oil change, spark plugs and wire, cap and rotor. Then brakes, suspension wear parts, etc. Check engine and trans mounts. Etc.

Little confused about the wire cap and rotor but. I'll get the parts today and start fixing those things. But are there articles or videos of this maintenance being done? Still learning how to identify what everything is haha... Gotta learn somehow
 
My frist suggestion would be to get a Bentley manual and a Haynes manual. At least the Bentley. Read the maintenance section. In fact just read the whole book. There may be some youtube videos. There are pictures on the web as well.

What I usually suggest is to plan on a 60k mile type service. That makes all of the routine maintenance on your schedule of care. The 60k service is a extensive service of all fluids and filters along with tunes up. Lube the door hinges, hood hinges, trunk hinges. Lube the locks and latches. Good stuff like that.

As for vacuum leaks. A common leak on these are the injector seals and intake manifold gasket. If it's been more than three years in a hot area your injector seals are shot. Be sure to buy Volvo, Elring, or Reinz gasket brands. Others may work but I'd be careful of just using anything. The silicon hoses that handle the air also decay.

If you donate to the board. You can post attachments. :cool:
 
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