Tired old Volvo 240 Wagon

Project attempt #2. I wanted a cheap DD that could haul my bmx and whatever comes up. Plan is to keep up with maintenance, clean it, and get it more squishy/comfortable/slow ride. It has 294,000 odd miles, I think it will be funny to break 300,000.

Spent some time today scrubbing the plastic to see how clean I could get it. Interior looks like its never been cleaned. Which is fine by me because I enjoy cleaning. The plastics cleaned up well, not sure how to tackle that cloth. All doors need door handle trim and door lock trim. And for those that dont know, the front doors had pockets on the bottom but the plastic is so brittle that most were kicked to E36 M3. Mines gone but I'm thinking of getting one.

Have a clunk in the rear, so started with torque rods since they are the easiest to replace. Took some from another wagon and sanded / painted them. Didn't solve the clunk but at least I know now I have rods with a good bushing. This was the first time I actually had a car up on stands and was wrenching underneath. Good learning experience! To solve the clunk I'm going to have to do the axle / control arm bushing which is a bigger undertaking, doing that in a few weeks. Shout out to volvo community for loaning me a garage and tools so I may work on my wagon!

Had cracked rubber window scraper all around the car and it looked pretty bad. Found someone who sold a set on forums and replaced them. I stripped the scraper holders to bare metal and painted them with SEM Black Trim. It's something I saw every time I entered the wagon and it was a small but good repair! (took me way too long to paint the damn things though, must of gave them 8 coats..). It was like 100* outside so naturally I celebrated w/ some ice cream.

Needed some new tires in 1k miles, had some hankooks optimo on that I liked. Wasn't into the idea of spending a lot of money on tires. Been looking a bit and found a crashed 240 with less than 1 year old Michelin Defenders. Jumped on that for $100 and spent a morning just doing a wheel for wheel swap, so he may roll away his car for junking. Car drives really straight now. What luck! Bought my first jack, stands, and four way. Did this all by myself and felt pretty good. Oh and my wagon broke down ON THE WAY TO GET THEM. Spent 40 minutes in a parking lot figuring out how my gas pump system works. I got it running again, so I'm learning. It think car is a great learners car as I know zero about being a mechanic (had to read the instructions on how to use a jack, haha) but I'm figuring it out. Easy because is simple and well documented.

Rolled over 295,000 miles too.

cool to see you diving in! keep it up and you'll learn

Best way to clean that cloth on the door panel is probably repeated applications of this stuff: It's always done great for me.

I've got some good door pockets in that color if you're interested. Also have other 240 stuffif you need some odds and ends.

Awesome that you're learning and wrenching on this fine steed. Keep it up!

Most carpet cleaners will do a nice job on that door cloth. Also, laundry stain removers like Shout! will do a fine job as well. Rinse with a wet sponge.

I've had success using OxiClean powder mixed into a paste on some fabric trim before. If you're using it on headliners err on the solid side, not on the wet side.

So what happened with the fuel pumps? Is your pre pump non-op?

Thanks guys! Learning as I go haha.

Kartoffelbrei wrote: So what happened with the fuel pumps? Is your pre pump non-op?

Well the previous owner replaced the pump pre pump and sock. That was 10 yes ago. To relay went on my Saturday so I had to bypass it to get it working. I think my pre pump is going and the sock needs to be replaced. Though working on fuel system and gasoline really scares me... Wagon is parked because I want to do spark plugs this weekend on the dot when it needs it :)