Behold, the finished product.




Please forgive the hose behind the thermostat. The factory ran it over the rocker cover, but I think I'll get some longer hose and run it behind the head.

Compared to how it looked when I got it, I think its a pretty good improvement.



Running is still about the same. I can get in it, have it run horribly, shut it off, and turn the key a second later, and it will run perfectly. I'm just getting used to having the extra power, and its definitely there when you need it, as opposed to before, where you always drove the car flat out to get it to go anywhere. No leaks that's I've seen, but the oil is already pretty dirty, so I'll be changing that out sooner rather than later.

Oooh, shiny and more powah, lookin good Greg.

Y'know, in the K-jet OHC motors, that warmup regulator isn't right above the cold intake manifold, which is right above the hot exhaust manifold. Heat soak definitely can affect this part - it's supposed to work fine with just the heat from the electric heating coil inside, but I can see why they tucked it down next to the engine block in later models...

Ah, yeah, I can see that.

I mean, I'm sure that with an NOS WUR you're probably AOK, but still...

Here's a crazy thought: have you been through it electrically? Ignition key, perhaps? I don't recall if there's a fuel pump relay, because I think there's some kind of switch in the fuel distributor that kicks in the fuel pumps when the engine starts moving air... have you given though to adding a relay for the pumps? If you can literally shut it off and restart it and the problem goes away for a while, I'm wondering if it's not a fuel delivery issue, where the pumps are either shutting off or the pickup tube is clogging up. Did you ever clean out the fuel tank? This was all so long ago that I kind of forget how you got here with the car.

Edit - read through from the beginning, and see that you've got a squeaky clean tank in there with good pumps, but I'm still uncertain how the whole relay thing is triggered. I'm wondering if it's a crusty relay or a crusty signal to make the relay go click. For my own car, I'd be wiring in a brand new generic 30A weatherproof relay, powering it right off the battery and switching it from the ignition switch, after I've proven that the ignition switch isn't giving problems.

When the car's running poorly, give the switch a wiggle. Even crank it over to start for a microsecond - pretend you didn't hear the starter teeth complain. See if that makes an iota of difference. I've had one or two Volvos newer than yours with bad ignition switches, and a little switch wiggle would either kill or cure them.

It looks a 1000 times better than the before picture. Only problem now is you will never properly slice up your hands with the fan shroud in place.

Will do Matt. I'll give that a try next time. Indeed, the pumps should be good, and the tank is your old one. It was spotless when I opened it. Pretty much the only thing in the fuel system that hasn't been changed or gone over is the distributor. I think when you checked fuel pressures were all pretty good though. Injectors are all okay, although #2 isn't perfect.

One more thought, not related to your engine troubles but more towards settling a friendly bet: Have you done a leakdown test after swapping the head? I'd be interested to see how much the leakage evened up, if at all.

Haven't done one, no. But I'd be curious as well, just to see what all happened. Perhaps sometime over the holiday I'll see if I can summon Prof. Coburn to use his tester.

Well, this has been a long time coming, but its time for an update.

Since the head swap, the Smurf has been running along relatively okay. It definitely has been better without the valve issues, but still this car won't start when hot, and has since starting puking oil out of every orifice imaginable. By the looks of things, with the valves sealed up, the blowby from the rings has nowhere to go, and is just dumping oil out of the front seal, spark plugs etc. And there is still the immense amount of frothy white goo coming up through the oil filler cap. Good times. So now when I stop the car all the oil leaking everywhere comes in contact with something hot, and there's some good fumes and smoke pouring out of the hood. It makes me look pretty awesome.

So, there's been some talk. Basically what things come down to is rebuilding the bottom end of this engine, and then fixing all the rust, which is only getting worse. After much deliberation, and some extremely friendly offers from some members of the club to build engines and do bodywork, I've decided that this car is going to be retired. It won't happen immediately, but I am going to start to look for a new vehicle. Once I find one, the Smurf will be parted out and scrapped.

The Smurf is still running (and realistically could run for some time yet), but I figure if something good comes along for a new car, I'm gonna go for it. I've already been talking quite a bit with Athal, and he's keeping his eyes open for me. And I've been hunting pretty steadily here. While I'm way more comfortable with buying another 240, I've been thinking I should be open to something else too. So here's what I'm looking for:

-'76-'80 245 without rust, that hasn't sat for a decade.
-'91-'93 245
-'855 T5-R or 855R
-P1 V70R although I know that's a bad idea
-'03-'07 P2 XC70. More money but I've been seeing them for fairly cheap.
-VW Eurovan Westfalia (although this is partially motivated by Laura, as she would drive it, and I would drive the Jetta)
-B5 Audi A4 1.8T Avant
-Audi Allroad
-Mk4 VW GTi preferably in that sweet metallic green colour
-possibly some other random European madness

The thought of having something more reliable, and requiring less maintenance is nice. I think having all the stress of ANOTHER project car will be nice to avoid. I'll be sad to see the Smurf go, but I also have some excitement over something newer too. So if anyone sees anything cool, post it here if you don't mind!

Edit: See, this is what I can't believe...the P2 XC70's were like $55K out the door, and now I can get one for this much?
http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z384440819
Yeah, the kms are higher, but this is the cheapest I've ever seen an '06. If it was a 240, that mileage would be a joke, but for a newer Volvo? I'm not sure. What do people reckon?

I don't care how much the newest of the P2s have improved, the '99-03 have me so turned off newer Volvos that I can't imagine picking one up for myself. You'd have to be braver than I, but then again if I did the littlest bit of research I would most likely be swayed. I know that when I was researching a new car for Roberta, an '00 or '01 V70T5 came up. Roberta drove it, LOVED it, but with all the troubles they've had with the transmissions, ETBs, etc., and with all the troubles I've had with cheap Volvo plastics (absolutely EVERYTHING was broken or squeaking on Roberta's 850, the plastic was turning into powder, and we all know the stuff used in 240 and 700 series cars ain't much better)... well, I wasn't too willing to take that plunge. Any Volvo with AWD scares the poop out of me – I understand that angle drive is the next closest thing to a guaranteed replacement at some point and it’s not cheap.

I've got a friend who's owned two Eurovans - one gas and one diesel - and he's been happy with them both. Flogged them both as work trucks. I've driven a Euro Westy way back in the day, I guess it was okay but the road noise was awful. That was with the dealer-spec Continentals of lowish profile (for a van), not sure how much you could improve that. Pretty underpowered, and let's face it - if you get a Westy you're going to want a waterboxer. Nothing like getting pushed around in 4th gear... Not that the waterboxers are that good if they're not perfectly maintained, and they're all getting pretty rusty by now. Plus you can get a Synchro... My father-in-law has an ’89 Westy and it’s been very good to him. It’s needed a few things and it now needs some love, but it’s never been too expensive to maintain. It ALMOST left Roberta & me stranded once on a camping trip, but that was due to the VW dealership not replacing the fuel filter and once we had that taken care of, it’s never let anyone down. I love driving that thing – it’s like flying, only slower. I’d honestly be more tempted to do the half Westy thing – a Westy interior without the pop-top. The downstairs bed has more room anyway, and that roof is a squeaky bitch that can be an expensive problem when the canvas or the seals go. The nice thing about the pop-top is that it gives you a little headroom… I’ve never checked to see if you can retrofit the sunroof mechanism back into the Westy, which would be the simpler way to go, rather than buy a nice Combi and find a complete Westy interior. Though the Combi is very nice, lighter than the Westy, and is just as camping-friendly.

There’s always the devil you know, but from my point of view a winter 245 and a summer 245 is a little too much of a good thing. I need a break in the winter, and I don’t want my winter car to be something I particularly care about, yet I want it to be useful and comfortable and especially reliable. The 245 is all of those things but I think if I were you, I’d be getting a little too attached to it in short order. Especially since it will be the dumping ground for all your unused parts – sways here, wheels there, etc. I’d end up working on it all summer.

The Audi A4 and the VW GTi are out. Too tempting to make them summer toys. Pretty much the same problem for the 855 T5-R, 855R, or V70R.

The Audi Allroad makes me throw up a little, but that helps make it the perfect winter car for me. It’s all the things you need and none of the things you want!

I still think you might consider a Tacoma...

Hey Greg, sorry to here about the Smurf's impending demise. I know you don't want to hear this but you would be surprised how many people we know, who knowing my interest in Volvo's, have seen your car around town and have commented on the really cool old Smurf blue Volvo wagon they had seen the other day. They really are becoming an iconic bit of automotive history, that being said you should try and pass it on if possible rather than sending it off to Valhalla (I know, it's kind of a lost dog/cat thing). I think we can agree there are far worse examples that have been saved from the crusher, just a thought but totally your call of course.

OK, enough sentimental goop. We sold our 02 V70 AWD at 17x km as the thought of a $4K angle gear or a $7K transmission was too hard to stomach. Like Matt said the angle gear is a make work project and Volvo's AWD is pretty pathetic when you get right down to it. I don't have the link but there is a video on youtube with a Volvo XC vs a Subaru Outback on the same minimal snowy climb, as a Volvoist it was embarrassing to watch... I also don't have much faith in their autotragic tranny's either. Other than that it was a very nice highway cruiser, you could chew up the miles and hardly notice it but at what cost?

As far as recommendations I'm not much help, if you figure it out let me know. We are in a similar predicament with 2, 1990's and the GT that hasn't been touched since I got it. I need to face up to the reality of my world and either live with the fact that we are helping Jack at Ellis to retire early, or sell off some old cars and buy an appliance. I haven't crossed that bridge yet but it's inevitable.

I think Matt's closing thought on a Tacoma makes a ton of sense and have considered that as a replacement for the Valdez, I'm glad I sold my Dodge last year but definitely miss having a truck around on a semi regular basis. One last thought is to throw a can of Restore in and drive to Vancouver (or something like that lol), Dale has posted that a couple of times in the past and has good results. This is definitely not a fix, but in the short term it might alleviate some of the embarrassing fumigation issues you are experiencing.

Good luck with whatever you decide, I'll be watching this thread with great interest on a number of levels.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Greatly appreciated.

Matt: yeah, I know what you mean about being scared about the Volvo AWD. I'm terrified of what its going to cost, and without a dealership nearby for me, its pretty likely I'd have to drive to Calgary to get it done. Thing is, if the rest of the car is good, and its really cheap, or if the driveline has already been done, then I'm not too worried about it. If I can get one for 6k, then I'm still getting a pretty nice car even if I have to spend a few more grand on the drivetrain. I've been looking at this:
http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Volvo/XC70/C ... _5578809_/
and this:
http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z387797890
For some reason I really like the white in these cars, and the green is kinda unique too. Both are '03+, so they're Haldex cars, which is what I'd aim for. Although you mention '99-'03 as being problematic....what have you heard there?

Eurovans. I'd like them for being a slightly newer powertrain. I'd love a Westy, but the Wasserboxer has been nothing but grief to most people I know. And honestly, I don't think I could handle that little power. My ideal would be a later watercooled Westy with a TDi in the back, and yes, and Syncro. Drooool. But that would end up being a huge project. So the Eurovan might be a better option in a VR6. Here in Canada they are crazy expensive, so Athal is keeping his eyes open in Japan. For a daily driver I don't think I'd like it, but for summers it would be great. The half Westy thing you mention would be cool too.

As for 240's, part of me is still really torn on not driving one. On one hand, I've had one my whole life. I know how to work on them, I have lots of spare parts, and I've got a network of sources for parts and help. But, I feel like I'm limiting myself. I love so many other cars out there, so would like to try something new too. So I dunno. Too much of a good thing....perhaps. This one came up and I thought I could do it, being a manual and all....
http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z386865923

Hahah! Don't like the Allroad eh? Fair enough. I'd love one, except they'd probably make a P2 XC look reliable. The GTi I'd love is this:



Just love that colour and those wheels. Yes, I'd be tempted to make it my summer toy, but it would be fairly reliable which is the main thing.

Tacomas. Thought about them, yep. But really, I don't need a truck at all. If I were to do it, I'd probably get a Four-Runner instead. A friend just bought a later one and lifted it/put on proper tires, and I liked driving it a fair bit. But I'd still rather have an XC for some reason. Or I'd go full out and go for a Land Cruiser or a G-Wagen.

Jim: thanks for your thoughts. Very cool to know people like the Smurf, and had noticed it! I've had a few people wave at me in which is cool. But its good to hear people like it...it definitely makes me want to keep it more. And that's what's bugging me about a lot of cars I'm looking at: no personality. Boring. It makes me sad thinking I won't have something that's recognizable anymore. Like you say...buying an appliance. I just don't know if I can do it. And I'm sure Jack appreciates the business!

Good to know more about your experiences with your '02. Scary stuff. I had seen that video of the XC vs. the Subaru, and I just couldn't figure out how the Volvo was that bad. It had to have been broken in some way is what I figure, as I just couldn't figure out why the rear wheels weren't moving. At any rate, yeah, the early XC's at least the AWD is pretty crappy. I believe the Haldex at least solved some of the issues.

Again, yeah, not sure I need a truck, but it would be handy at times. What would the Restore do? Blow out all the crap?

So other than the stuff posted above, I will say Athal and I have been chatting a fair bit, and there's been some bids put in on some stuff out in Japan, so far two SWB G-Wagens and a W124 E320 wagon. Haven't gotten anything yet, but I would give my left nut for a G-Wagen. I love those things so much. Its not a rational choice, but if I could afford one (which maybe I can), I would love to own one.

One quick thought that just came to me, Lisa was talking to Mel at Ellis about the AWD in Volvos and apparently they have a done a number of Calgary owner cars b/c they are so much cheaper than Valentine. Don't know much else on that but it's definitely worth knowing if you go that way.

That white XC is way overpriced for a private party sale, VMR lists it at $10,395 retail. It also needs TB/WP service right away at $1K. The green one is below wholesale so good deal there even with needing TB almost immediately. That green GTi is cool, definitely won't see yourself coming and going in that!! I've lusted after an Allroad with a stick as well, but then Jack would move in to my house and I would have to live in the car (when he wasn't working on it).

Haha! True enough Jim. Did the Allroad ever come in a stick in Canada? I've never seen one. Also great to know Ellis' has some experience doing the Volvo AWD system. Great info actually, as knowing someone local will touch it for cheaper is pretty reassuring.

Good info on those two cars. The white one I thought if I did it, I'd offer the guy 10k to see what happens. But then the green one is so much cheaper. I'd just prefer the white.

Hmmm. What else to report. I've been looking at 80 series Land Cruisers. Basically I'm a mess.
http://lethbridge.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi ... Z386145067
This one looks super clean and well maintained. Was going to drive it tonight, but it just sold. Think of oil companies I could support!

Also....someone STOP ME!!!
http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z389389293

If I could get it for like 3k, and it had the driveline service done? Hmmmmm. I love the colour and interior. I've already inquired as to why the engine was replaced. Its the first P1 R I've seen for sale in a while.