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I enjoy the teaching of internal combustion engines, if you every go down the path of internal combustion engines for aircraft please make video's. Opposed engines are what is really common in the aircraft world but Radials and other engines need love too. Thanks to your videos I understood the 4 stroke/5 cycle combustion and the other video's about the engines helped out a lot. Thank you for the great explanation and for teaching me about combustion engines.
That's really interesting. Are they still made to that standard and if not, which was the last model to be well built? I've never owned one but it's not too late to change that.
"A car with the aerodynamics of a wall, turned up at the racetrack and won both the European and German Touring Car Championships." You're killing me. Perfect writing, timing , and matter of fact delivery. Hilarious.
In my youth, I was strictly domestic cars. After my stint in the Navy, the only place that I was offered a decent job was with a Volvo dealership on Long Island. This break set me on the course that I followed for the rest of my life. I loved working on Volvos. I rebuilt 3 of them. These engines are beasts. After about a year I was offered a job working at Porsche by the shop foreman at Volvo. I decided to part ways with Volvo and continued to find love for imported cars. I worked for Porsche for the next ten years when I decided to open my own shop on Eastern Long Island. I specialized in all European cars. Now I had my hands back in Volvos as well as Porsches, BMWs, MB, etc. Life was good... I have since retired, but looking back on my decision to start with Volvo was probably one of the best life decisions I ever made. Thanks for this video and the memories it made!
As the former owner of a 740, a 760 Turbo, and a 960, just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed this! I recently pondered selling my 2015 Ford Taurus Limited and searching for a 240 as my primary transportation, but my wife said, “Why would you want to be replace your nice car with an “old” Volvo??” You have a good answer here!!
You can explain your situation as equivalent to choosing the right life partner: a reliable life partner vs a young gold digger. Basically you said wifey is a Volvo..So, congrats 😅🎉
My wife had a 240 wagon back in the 1990's - loved that car! I called it the swedish tractor. Ultra reliable, simple to repair, unnaturally good on snow, and ultimately saved several passenger lives when it got high speed T-boned by a commercial truck.
unfortunately kinda true. have an new-ish Volvo my self. the build quality oft the car is good, its very safe, stable and over all a good car. but the drive train is not as good as before. the newer VEA engine family is kinda stressed and over complicated, much like modern VAG engines, and lack any character, again much like modern VAG engines. the 5 cylinders were great. but the 4 pots unfortunately are not.
@@phg4977 The problem with Volvo is that, just like it's German counterparts, it ditched the idea of "the everyday man's car" and went for the more luxury sedan section. Now said affordable vehicles are the purview of the Japanese and Korean automotive industry. I have a Volvo 2010 S60 and, while I really do enjoy it, know that it doesn't compare to both the affordability that its ancestor had.
As a retired 40-year collision repair tech, really enjoyed the 240s all those and 740s, almost like a snap together toy. And if we had to do some light mechanical work that was easy to. This car was designed to be repaired properly in the event of a collision with ease and accuracy of repair.
and also designed to never be repaired mechanically. i have yet to see a 70-90 volvo engine that need any repair that is not general care like plugs....did anyone ever blow one with less than 900 000 km in the world ? hard to beleive the t5 is a reworked ford engine ( the 2.3 is a ford tempo engine running on volvo electronics . thats why people been buying tempo engine parts instead... way cheaper without volvo logo even tho its the same part with same quality and same part number just like audi/volks ) and knowing the 850/850R was even more reliable and durable than the famous b18 b20, it tells how volvo used to know that they were doing.
@@Broken_AK47 Dad blew up a 940 engine once, but it was a trashed old car with a malfunctioning dash, no working temp gauge. One of the coolant pipes burst, and the engine kept trooping on until it seized like a brick. Apart from that, nothing really. Leaky head gaskets occasionally, leaky rear main seal permanently. But just refilling oil slightly above low as soon as it hits slightly below low keeps the leak manageable. Road in front of my parents house has a giant black mark from 2 decades plus of leaky oil seals.
Easily the best car I ever worked on, changing the brake pads made me insanely happy, I looked forward to it, I couldn't figure out why other companies weren't stealing the ideas
Because the design is to easying the mechanic's job to repair the broken parts of the car after collision with standard tools such as hammer, a saw, a metal plate scissor, and maybe a welding machine. The old days were a practical age for mechanics, or for someone that had passion for mending things themselves.
Back when the goal wasn't planned obsolescence but rather: Build a good product. Honestly love these cars. A friend of mine has one he's been driving since the mid 90:s. They just don't build them like they used to.
As a mechanic coming up in the late 80s and early 90s...i wanted to hate the 240s...but i couldn't...they were , as you said...rugged,reliable, and simple...these days...if i could find one that isn't rusty i would buy it and resto mod it in a heart beat
When you put the key in the ignition, I already had the startup sound playing in my head. And sure enough, it sounded exactly as I remembered when you turned the key :) As a Swede born in the early 70's, that's what I grew up with. Thanks for yet another great vid!
Volvo is a Chinese Government owned Company now, brutally sad as the CCP mafia is going to kill Volvo and destroy its name. I had a Volvo for over 20 years, went everywhere with it... all over the country... Never broke. Loved it...
I have the same thinking when a BMW motorcycle wheels by. I still have 3 of them, but a brain injury prevents me from driving anything. My wife enjoys the '04 V70T5. A rocket ship of a Volvo which is still very popular in the traffic patrols of the UK.
The stress tests sound even more insane than the legendary Chrysler slant 6. Apparently Chrysler thought the drivers that chose one would haul a house trailer at full throttle every day. Uphill, both ways. Volvo must have asked "What if they added a second trailer, and it was snowing?"
now, Dad had an old retired Taxi, which had an audi straight 6 diesel, but we towed a tractor with that Volvo 244. Sadly far too many have been junked because Sweden got hard environmental laws about having a yard full of old car-wrecks.
@@andreassjoberg3145 kind of ironic because keeping an old car maintained is far better for the environment than buying new disposable cars all the time. I guarantee one million mile Volvo has impacted the environment far less than however many Teslas, new batteries and charges of those batteries it takes to go a million miles. Edit: I forgot Sweden runs on hydroelectric and nuclear, but the manufacturing of the car and new batteries is the biggest impact in that equation anyway.
Most of American designed In-Line 6's were made that way. They were initially built as industrial type for gas powered farm tractors and generators. The Slant 6 was so durable because when they tipped it over to accomodate the new low-line hoods, the unintened result was better oil wash and a slower oil return to the sump when the emgine was sitting cold. Thus, more oil was retained in the upper parts which simulated the modern pressurized oil systems of today. Oil is everything to longevity, and explains why the GM small blocks were so good. large oil galleys. large oil galleys also are present in the famous AMC 258-6, which Chrysler kept building as the 4.0L. Legendary engines.
Worked on Volvos for many years I know these 240s inside out , one of my all time favorite cars. We had several customers that had well over 500k miles on them did several V8 conversions, easier than you'd think.
LOL, I will have to show my daughter this video since she is the one driving our beat-up old 1990 Volvo 240. One thing that Volvo definitely screwed up on was the crappy odometers which tend to all fail miserably as the plastic gears disintegrate. Also, the engineer who came up with the flame-trap and its location deserves a serious dope-slap.
Those gears are easy to replace. The later 900 models had much bigger issues with leaking capacitors. Also fixable. It's worth mentioning that those instrument-clusters weren't produced by Volvo - some were Japanese and some were German.
One thing forgotten was that when the new OHC redblock was developed, volvo made it a non interference engine(most of them until 98 still are) in case the belt would snap no harm would be done to engine and you could put a new one in and continue to drive. Volvo also marked up everything so you could retime it with ease yourself without any specialty tools.
Broke mine while ago, dropping some screw down the casing of the belt and it snapped when I turned the key. It was a 2h job, granted it was the first time with did it and my car has the ac bolts in a different spot from other models, which took at least 30m to figure out. Knowing what you are doing it is a 30minute job really. No special tools required. I basically can fix almost the entire car with a 15€ tool kit from Lidl.
yep, i stripped my timing belt one winter. took me half an hour to replace after buying one at the local dealer. when i blew my headgasket i just drove 140 kms home to the garage to change it. took an hour or so.
My brother drives this car (Volvo 940, B230F) for about 10KM without realizing the timing belt was stripped! It still arrives safely at the destination! The only complains is "the engine does not run smoothly" He order the new timing belt & he install the timing belt himself on the next day!
@@redblock5949 yeah, i have a B234f in my manual 940 wagon which is a 16 valve and sadly not a non interference engine but having a NA engine that makes almost as much power as the turbo version(155 instead of the turbo's 165hp) is pretty fun as well, especially bc it has an automatic locking differential from factory, which is awesome for drifting! So i'll accept the downside of having to change the timing belt at the correct intervals and not just driving it until it snaps lol. xD but the B230ft would have been pretty cool as well :D
My wife and I had a VOLVO 240 (245) wagon. It was a Euro-spec car that had been sent over here in error. The VOLVO dealer begged us to sell it back to them after they discovered this at our first service. We kept the car for a number of years before selling to a serviceman that was taking it with him back to Europe. This car would 'cruise' all day at speeds well above our speed limit without even breathing hard. And it got very good fuel mileage doing it too. Suffice it to say, we loved that car.
I had a 1980 245 I bought in 1985 from someone in the US Air Force. He had bought the (US spec?) vehicle in England but had removed the catalytic converter so he could use it with regular gasoline. (I later had to buy a catalytic converter when I lived in a state with pollution tests.) The only visible difference between mine and all the other 1980 245s was mine had round headlights. Suited me fine-- the round sealed beams were cheaper than the rectangular ones. I spent a lot maintaining that car, but by the late 1990s I had trouble finding folks who could service it in my area. So I sold it to a guy who was a bigger fanatic. He had bought it for his adult daughter, who I hear hated it. I kept seeing it on the road for a few years. I don't doubt she finally found a way to wreck it irreparably. It had electrical flaws but I just knew to carry some fuses, and plan to put in a new alternator every 100,000 miles
Thank you so much for this one! Being 50yrs today and having lived in Sweden all my life, I remember those cars very well. Some say, it is the car that built Sweden. Thanks again, sincerely, Alicia from Sweden.
You mean exactly 50 years?? So it's your birthday?? If so happy birthday and congrats on living in Sweden. I turned 51 last month but am still in denial! To myself I think I am fine staying at 50 foreva! Like Abba!
Back in the 1980's I sold cars. 1 year Chevy, and 3 years Volvo. The Volvo 240 series was unparalleled. My own 1983 lasted 375,000 miles and something like 20 years. She was sand beige, and I named her "Sandy". I still miss her.
I can’t think of another person who has more of my respect. Every time I randomly watch you I say out loud to myself “God I just love this guy!” Common sense with high intelligence add in the innate sense of what we don’t actually know about things we love. GOODJOB.
10 Star Thumbs Up. An incredible, informative and humorous video. A regular highly informative, stautus quo challenging video. Accompanied by some brilliantly "PC bypassing" snarky humor along the way. As a boomer big c.i. American V-8 fan with an Engineering Physics degree. I learn new concepts every time I watch your videos. It takes me back to why I love Engineering. It's, unfortunately, the only science left where your results are displayed to the public.
Fun fact about the red block: The same foundry line were those red cylinder blocks were made is still in use today making 11, 13 and 16 liter engine blocks for Volvo Group! (Trucks, VCE, bus and Penta)
I owned three 240's between 1975 and 2008 and I can state without a doubt they were the most reliable and all round pleasant cars in my 53 years of driving.
@@JamaicanToast Fuel consumption was not a strong point I admit, 28 or so mpg around town, but in those days petrol prices were not the concern as they are today. They were comfortable and 'smooth' enough for me and family. The 1975 244 DL was the first car I ever owned with power steering so I found It light, especially for such a large car and all of them cornered very well. But it was the incredible reliability; the large carrying capacity; the fantastic heater on a winter day and the all important safety features that appealed to me. And the 'Red Block' B21 engines - say no more - unbreakable! For Instance our second 244DL bought in 1980 we kept for 18 years and that engine never had anything other than oil and air filter change, plugs, points and timing belt in all that time!
I could not agree more. I used Volvo from 1978 to 1998, 20 years and it is a very good and reliable car. I had to divorce the car since in Indonesia it was rather difficult to get the spare parts and hard to find competent mechanic around where I live. At that time came to my mind if Volvo conducted simple training for the car users I would be more than happy to join the course. By the way I am a mechanical engineer. Anyway, I still admire that it was a good car. Cheers from Jakarta, Indonesia.
These Volvo’s were a huge part of my childhood. My grandparents bought 18 of them in row. They were teachers in Minneapolis that retired in 1968 and being from Norwegian and Swedish families decided to spend their summers driving around Scandinavia visiting family and exploring. They would buy the car from the factory in Gøttenberg in the Spring. Pick it up in June and drive it around until August. They would then have it shipped Virginia and drive it back to Minneapolis and use it until the following Spring when they would sell it and repeat the process. They always had friends that wanted to buy their last car. Bought the last one in 1985. When my grandma wrecked it it kept her from getting seriously injured despite the damage.
@@OutsideTheTargetDemographic bwahahaha. I like self-deprecating humor; it's not really that bad here, but you set a good foundation and it was too good an opportunity to pass up, haha.
Thank you for speaking about this "red block" engine. My first car I've got from my dad was 240 Turbo, very strong, very reliable, also very easy to maintain. Only my bad was, my self that I didn't properly cool down the turbo.
I inherited my beige Volvo 240 from my great grandfather, I've done my best to take care of it and keep it as original as i could, it's an awesome car, probably the one and only car i'll ever have.
one of my childhood friends owns one of these 240 Turbo, he inherited the car from his father when he passed away. His dad was so cool he basically let all of us drive stick shift with that 240. We went on a road trip with the whole gang about 2 weeks ago, long story short, the 240 made the whole trip without a single issue I may be a JDM fan, but the Volvo 240 Turbo holds a special place in my heart, that machine is the GOAT
JDM ? Have my doubts ! JDM means "japanese domestic market " , I cannot see you living in Japan and or driving cars meant JUST for the Japanese market (like KEI cars f.e.)
@@51tomtomtom KEI can be sold in EU now from 20 years ago. The Gull winged door 600cc 2 cylinder Suzuki mid engine could be upgraded to a Honda 4 cylinder 750 or a Harley?
Thank you for making this video! I'm not sure how many people will read this but last year I searched for a vehicle to swap out my current daily 1986 300zx with. I love my Nissan so much and I just figured I'd have a "beater" car to daily. I needed something that wasn't too new or costly to repair, and especially reliable. Suddenly one day on Craigslist I found someone selling a blue 1988 Volvo 740 wagon for 850 dollars with 188k miles. It was driven by a 93-year-old lady and it had 2 small dents here and there. I didn't mind the character that came with it. It even has the owner's manual! I was lucky enough to be the first person to look at the vehicle and sure enough, I made the deal. Four thousand miles later, "Blueberry" is doing great! I've replaced a fuel relay, a timing belt that had been previously done in 1998, and replaced the fuel filter. I also tinted the windows and upgraded the sound system with a small amp and subwoofer to make it a little modern. It has the same redblock the 240 has and I love the brick shape of the wagon. It has room when I need it and I even bought her some new shoes that really set off the look. I've gotten many compliments and even a few offers to sell her. I'd be stupid to let her go! I'm very thankful this extra vehicle has entered my life and has become my new daily driver. I hope everyone can have their own version of Blueberry too :)
This was my very first car. We bought it among four friends to travel through Europe, with the ink of my driving license still wet. We even slept in it during a month. The best car ever, still love it!
As a young kid I always thought my Norwegian grandparents 200 series Volvos were the most boring cars on the planet. Now I'm coming to see them as actually pretty cool. Thanks for the great history lesson about this automotive classic
Great video. I had a 1976 Volvo 244. (2 Series, 4 Cyl, 4 Door) and it was an incredible solid car, I drove it all over Europe and it never let me down, bought with 120,000 miles and sold with 190,000 miles, it was starting to use a bit of oil but still good. Later I moved to live in Thailand and I bought a Volvo 940 with the redblock turbo, I loved that car more than any car I have ever owned, but when I left Thailand in 2016 I had to sell it was I was moving to Ireland and exporting the car was not really an option. The old Volvos are amongst the best cars ever built, I have no experience of the later ones.
Can confirm these things are still out there. Saw one on the highways of California not too long ago keeping pace with modern cars like it wasn’t bothered. Amazing engineering!
My boss at work used to own a Volvo 740 like 25 years ago, he used to give it to us for errands, it was built like a tank but for the size it was very easy to drive and extremely comfortable, I was impressed with it. Never had the chance to drive a 200 series unfortunately. Thanks for the video Chief 👍
My first car was a 740 GL Turbo Wagon in 1992! Dark blue metallic with all the chrome all around. Even roof rails and trims. I usually parked this car in spaces two hands longer than the car itself was. Pedestrians stopped by because they could hardly believe. I loved the possibility of having an absolutely flat extended trunk to sleep in over weekends at the sea!
In sweden its often reffered to as unkillable, An old lady close to were I live hit a mooze with her 740 going around 80km/h and the only thing that happened to the car was a slight dent in the roof wich they dented out really easy.
@@alterbayer7196 As I am only european average when it comes to hight (175cm) it was like a king and his castle resp. masterbedroom on wheels. With this "Kombi of Love" I took even my canoe (stuffed with luggage) and 3 friends down to the south of france. Or camped "stealth" on the parkinglot for 4 days during the 24h of Nürburgring... Boogiedown Memorylane!
@@wood_louse119 I hit a Lancia Beta that shot onto the street inbetween parked cars broadside at approximately 45km/h - Lancia 0, Volvo 1. The Lancia got a salvage-title after this surprisingly but hefty meeting.
thank you... my best friend from 1998 -2008 was given a 240 Turbo as a gift from his late Grandad... we drove all over UK in that car... it was awesome... sadly Daniel passed away of a heart attack in hosp. back in 2008... but i feel he would be smiling as he looked over my shoulder at this awesome video... it meant a great deal to me to see the history of Daniels 240... many many thanks! 🍸
I remember a 240T absolutely cleaning up in NZ touring cars in the 80s. The rules were loose enough (back then) that you could bolt on a huge turbo at any boost to a 2 litre and be fine. Hence the 240T was boosted to ridiculous levels and cleaned up against NA 5 litre V8s
I was working for the local dealer and importer for Volvo in New Zealand in those days phone never stopped for enquiries to buy..I later moved on to Australia owned 2= 240 series lucky also worked for 2 dealerships there .Back to NZ AND A 360 AND 240 and my last one a 960 -great cars the 360 gearbox rear axle was a great little car VOLVO I ROLL
I must say that I love your calm voice and how you present things in a nice and understandable way. So many TH-camrs have interesting channels but I just can’t deal with their high pitched screaming voices “Hey TH-cam, what’s going on…” It stresses me out and I can’t stand it. So thanks for being the opposite of that.
Fantastic video! Great content! I will always remember reading Car Magazine back in the day and the pros and cons for all cars on the last pages. For the Volvo 2 series the pros were that It last forever and the cons were that It last forever 😏
Greetings from UK. The Volvo regardless of the model was always termed the "Doctors" car and considered a very safe and reliable "tank" hence a lot of professional people drove them. I never owned one but always hankered after the Volvo P1800 circa 1960, very flash at the time!
A very nice homage to Volvo and the redblocks! I would like to note that the 5 cylinder engines succeeding the redblock are also known for reliability, sound and performance. While I will probably never own a 240 series, I take comfort in the sound of my turbocharged 5pot.
just what I wanted to say. I know, it's a new generation of engine, but the 800 series was just as awesome, and just as reliable. Also, the only station wagon to race in BTCC
I've owned 16 Volvos in my life - 120s, 140s, 240s, 940s, and an S60R... The best sounding 2 were my 71 142E with it's B20E injected motor and 130HP (understated/underrated) and my R... that 5 just sounds amazing. The 240 Turbo intercooled engine sounded good at full revs, but still sounded like a sewing machine/tractor at idle...
NO WAY you just uploaded this video! I literally bought a Volvo 940 Shitbox wagon for drifting and road-trips last week lmao. (I paid 650€ for the ”broken“ car and already got the engine running again and it rips and drifts amazing!)Thank you for your always awesome content man!
Last year, I purchased a 91 Volvo 240. I am a truck guy who owns 3 90'S ERA Gm pickup trucks, and this was the first car I purchased because of higher fuel prices. I decided to purchase a 240, and I love this car. I was amazed how simple the car is to work on, and it's fun to drive. I would definitely purchase another 240 to add to my collection of vehicles. Thank you Volvo for making a great simple car.
I believe this is my favorite of your presentations. I was 10 years old when my dad bought our first new automobile, a 1969 Volvo 142. I felt like an astronaut riding in that car. Why? It was the first car we had with seatbelts! He taught me to drive that car a year before I received my learner's permit...off road of course. ;-) Thank you for reviving the great memories. I think I'll peruse Hemmings and see what's on the market.
My mom got an old 240 when she graduated law school. Drove my sister & me around in it for years as a kid. Was unkillable & always cranked when you put the key in. Damn thing is probably still rolling around somewhere.
My late uncle had several Volvo Amazon and also 140 til his death in 1980. And as a fact, the second last built "Volvo Amazon" became donated and driven from the Factory in Göteborg in Sweden to Helsingør/Elsinore in Denmark, and is exhibited in the local Technical Museum! It has 600 km and still its original protective plastic on its seats!
Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!! I remember when I was young my Grandma was a nurse at the hospital, and she drive a Volvo, and the year was 1972, and I remember getting to ride with Grandma a couple of times in her Volvo!!! I Love the fact that my Grandma loved Safety!!!
When I was growing up the 70's 80's these were the most regular-blend boring cars ever! Years later I moved to Sante Fe, NM. I was pretty hard up at the time. I traveled there after college and my lady figured the dry air would help with her arthritis. We rented a UHaul 👉one way with no idea what we would drive once we setteltted into our cheap hotel. We desparatley needed a ride! After scouring the local newspaper 📄 (this is many years before the internet) we found for about $500 dollars, that bland cream color. It plowed through NM deep snows, we tooled around NM AZ for about a year, it never had any issues. We drove it all the way back to Staten Island at 80 mph on the lower route back east. We drove it there for another few years with no ZERO problems EVER. I see them once in a while in my state of Maine and they always brings a smile. Such a classic, timeless vehicle
Wow. I really liked all of your videos explaining engines & its technology since 1-2 years ago, and today I'm extremely surprised because this is my daily car! I still drove '95 Volvo 940 from my father, which still uses the B230F Redblock engine! I really really love to learn about latest engine technology and F1 engines, but well, this simple, robust, and reliable engine wins me over efficient & powerful engine but built to fail like a soda can 🤣. I have the original service book/manual - it provides maintenance schedule until 25 years & 1.000.000KM! I was literally laughing seeing that back then! Every repair is very simple to do and the dealer service manual (along with the VIDA software) really well documented. It is over 600 pages but everything is explained thouroughly how it works, and how to troubleshoot and repair. I am not a car mechanic, but me & my brother now repair this car on our own since last 10 years.
My parents have a 1995 volvo 940 turbo with the factory upgrade "turbo plus" that raises the horse power to 190 hp. Engine code B230FT with oil cooled pistons. It has 550000 km on it. Its still original engine and turbo. Of course there has been issues with the car, but never the engine itself. Regular oil changes, and normal maintenance, and it just runs and runs. Great engine!
When I turned 16 my dad bought me an old 240. A couple months later it saved my life when I fell asleep coming home from a summer internship and totaled it. First police officer on the scene said he just assumed I was dead when he showed up - all I had was a little scratch from glass but couldnt move since the engine was nearly pushed into the passenger compartment. Drove my next 240 until it got passed down to family many, many years later. Thanks for the video!
@@salvadorpalma8173 Because I'll buy it, then end up spending $10K doing stuff to it. It's become a pattern with me. I should really buy a 2004 Corolla and just drive it.
I used to have a 1983 navy blue 242 DL. I ended up selling it for a couple hundred bucks, because I was moving out of state. This was almost 14 years ago, and I'm still kicking myself for selling it to this day. It was an unbelievable car!
I had a 244 back in the mid 80's and used it to do a house move. The back passenger doors opened wide enough to get a full sized TV / video unit on the back seats. Epic car that I have fond memories of to this day.
I bought a 245 new in 1976 and drove it for 36 years, doing all maintenance myself. IMHO this wagon was a disguised sports car--the tremendous torque, stick-shift and rear wheel drive added up to an exciting driving experience. Unbelievably, the car was capable of starting in third or even fourth gear! The load capacity was essentially unlimited with the flat roof and six roll bars and I personally hauled many oversized loads. Once I hauled all the materials for a 10' x 10' x 15' tall garden building in one trip! I admit that was not a great idea and I never repeated that size load. Still, the car handled it with no problem. BTW, my 245 never had any major engine issues in over a quarter million miles. It is interesting that my B21F engine had Bosch continuous fuel injection. This was an entirely mechanical system and was one of the earliest engines with fuel injection. I really miss that car!
I used to get roasted for having multiple old bricks but it seems like they get more and more recognition every day! An interesting variation of the redblock engine is the 2.5l 16v version that only came in marine applications.
Another interesting engine is the b204ft 16v turbo, the most powerful stock redblock. Developed mainly for Italian market and only 2.0liter for tax reasons
@@nedclarke2716 I’m piecing together a 16v 2.5 turbo for my 780 bertone. I bought the crankshaft and block from an aq171 or aq151 and the 16v from a 740/940GLE. I’m going with forged pistons and connecting rods so it should be a unit
Brick guy here. 940T wagon b230fk manual m90, from 97 with all the extras and 520000km. Original engine with perfect 162psi on all cylinders, original gearbox. Redblocks never die! Let's go!
Cheers from russia, same shit here, but a knackered one the odometer says 400-something, but i'd add about 200-300K to that, engine rebuilt by some previous owner with liners (discovered this when the head gasket let go), td04-19, vx3, lada ecu, about 250 hp @0,5 bar. Also got myself a 1988 745 with b234f recently, now trying to find a way to get hold of a timing belt tensioner...
@@zloychechen5150 the first owner of my car always brought it to the same dealership where he bought it next to his house. He was the kind of guy that pays Volvo to bring the car to anual inspection, you know, proper rich. LoL With the car came an Excell sheet of all the maintenance and work done in the car for 24 years. Just 30k ago they had the engine machined and all gaskets changed. That alone was a 3k euro job with receipt to prove it. It has to be one of the cars with the most prestine paper work ever.
@@zloychechen5150 it's hard to get the tensioner right now because you are in Russia? I can tell you some sellers, but don't know if they are shipping to RU.
@@salvadorpalma8173 Yes, it is kind of because of that, there are ways around this, it's just that i may have chosen the shittiest one of them all, so the process is stuck at the moment, if there's no progress in the nearest days, i'm ordering it through other means. But thank you for the suggestion.
This video is so good I’ll watch it again and again! Well done sir! I’ve had 1 Austin, 3 Renault, 1 Peugeot, 1 Mazda, 2 Audi 2 Toyota and I’m on Volvo #3 and all have done 250k+ miles. Current XC70 D5 is at 205,000 and going strong.
Same here (XC 70 D) ! The new XC 60 is ordered but I'll keep the other as well, just having a paint job planned (since Sardinia+my son created some memories)
I bought my first car, an 89 740 in march of 2022 at 19 years old with 292k kms on the clock, it was a stock N/A car some time ago. Previous 2 owners spent lots of time replacing all the non turbo parts and installing a 531 head with a 15g to pair up with it, along with all the other 940 turbo parts. sitting at around 315k now with a stage 2 clutch, lightened flywheel, on 15 pounds of boost, and BCRacing coilovers. I think that these cars are the best in the world. they are sporty with the right mods, and will keep up with pretty much any modern hot hatch, and more. I intend on keeping this car the rest of my life, whether that means i have to rebuild it 15 times or not. I'm making sure this brick shithouse stays upright, so that 20 years down the road I can confidently say that the volvo 740 and the redblock with all its counterparts is the most reliable and enjoyable motor/car ever made.
Since you only went over the best parts then i will mention the Achilles heel of the 200 series. That being the transmissions. The engines alone could easy handle 500hp without much modifications but every transmission would not handle over 250hp. I recently took apart my volvo 240's redblock that has gone 400 000km. It has been in the family since it was new. Maintenance have been good oil changes and fuel cleaning solution every once in a while. Every single specification on clearance was as factory. I was both impressed and slightly mad since i already bought all the parts to replace everything. These engines are insanely durable as long as you do oil changes. Also fun fact about Volvo's name. It was actually supposed to be a ball bearing name from SKF. But they ended up not using it. So when 2 guys that worked for SKF wanted to make a car company they asked SKF for help. They gave them the name and some capital to let them achieve the dream of a Swedish automobile.
Very interesting/well done! I always remember Volvo had the best reputation of safety & how their style hardly changed but had such a great reputation. Brings back memories when cars had SO MUCH room to work under the hood! 👍✊🖖🇺🇸
My father has a P1800S 1966 with the B18 double carburator motor, actually sounds very nice for a 4cyl and it is the original motor since 57 years ago. I really enjoy driving it, and am currently helping him fix things on it as they break (because eventually things do, even in volvos)
We just had our old 245 go through some renovations. It’s 44 years old this year and started straight away after having been standing for 14 years after my father passed away. Its sturdy as heck and calling it a brick is very very true
As a 122 and 740 owner, I love my worked b20 and b230 motors, a very stout motor given the work needed for an SR20 to make 500whp reliably. They did do r-sport builds for the b18/20, double factory hp. First turbo motor was in the 240 though, with the b21, before the 7 series's came out.
as a Volvo for Life guy, having owned 122's. 145's & 245's, I really enjoyed this video ! now please do a video on the awesome Volvo 850 (my current driver)
Normally when I’m watching a video about cars, tear downs or anything that involves a detailed analysis about engines and how a vehicle operates, I do not comment nor subscribe. But this video in particular has piqued my interest and is genuinely worth the time. The way you narrate, the grammar you use, the punctuations and everything about this video seems lively. Wishing you all the best in your future videos
Maybe not the 240, but the early 960s also got redblock engines. And what I love about that model the most is that they used Aisin transmissions. A lot of cars, especially Toyotas, from the 2000s used Aisin transmissions also, which made the already easily maintained car even easier to maintain, especially with how you can just drive to any dealership and ask if they got the transmission for a typical Toyota minibus instead of a Volvo's. My dad's 960 has a cheaper maintenance price than my mom's much newer Honda Fit, and it gets roughly the same mileage when used on highways.
Thanks for the production and upload! I grew up in a Volvo 144. It never failed us in over 10 years. Always started, always ran. Great car! Now I have a Volvo 740 GLE with a B230F engine. It does have an aluminum top, but OK. It has about 300.000 miles on it, but it still runs like clockwork. Nothing has ever been done to the engine or the transmission except normal maintenance. I think the car will outlast me, and I'm 54 now. From my military service, I also have some experience with the BV202 and the Volvo L3314 (called the "Valp", or "Volvo felt" (popularly "Folvo velt" because of its high center of gravity, and prone to tipping over), and I can vouch for them both. They always started and ran, no matter how hard they were driven. Never failed. Great engines!
Of course i´m proud to be swedish, and, yes, swedish steel is the best. Forged in the furnace of legends comes the all powerful 240, and shows the world what true endurance really means.. This video is a homage to one of the coolest cars in the world, to bad they stopped making it. And to the narrator: you are doing a great job. Please continue..
I am still a grate believer of the redblock, had a b230 squirter in a 940 that ran just about doubled it's HP with a few mods on a stock never opened block. She was mint for 8 years and proper high milage . Lost her to an accident. I so miss that car 😭
Back in high school, the parents of a friend (not teachers) had a blue 240. We as teenagers found the thing boring. One day this friend, who is a huge guy, took a baseball bat and hit full force the bumper. It made only dry noise. We were deeply impressed.
The impact these sturdy Swedish icons have had on me personally is probably immeasurable. My grandfathers brother, a CEO back in the 90s had to choose a company car. Everyone was driving Mercedes, but he liked Volvos. So he picked up a 940 with just about all the comforts one can fathom in the 90s. And of course with the biggest engine option available, 2.3L turbo. He clocked in more than a hundred thousand kilometers and in the meanwhile I was born. Sometime early 2000s my grandfathers Volvo 740 had a tree fall on it. While my grandfather did have it fixed he figured it might be time for a new car anyway. So the brothers struck a deal and my grandpa became a happy owner of a nice 940. Clocked in a couple thousand kilometers on it some of them with me as a kid. A kid who fell in love with that cars simplicity, elegance and charisma. Shortly before his passing, my grandpa gave me the keys knowing how I grew up loving the car. I drove him to our favorite coffee place we used to regularly visit and despite his worsening health we had an amazing time reminiscing. Then one autumn day we laid my grandpa to rest, with that Volvo visible in the nearby parking lot. I couldn't help feeling like a piece of him was still left here with us. Now with 600 000km closing in I can't imagine a thing that would make me give up this car. It could sure do more love than I can afford right now, but the red cast iron heart has never stopped beating. I always get cheery with videos of old Volvos and I do feel like this video made justice to something I so dearly love. Can't believe it took me a year to stumble on this but boy am I glad I did. Thank you.
Very well made video as well! I appreciate your implementing of a couple of swedish quotes 👍 In salty Norway these cars are still daily drivers and I am proud of them being the closest car manufactured to 🇧🇻.
I have a 1985 244 DL and I can't stop loving this car! Granted, 80's sealing tech isn't nearly as good as it is today, but if it leaks, it still has fluid! I'm saving up to swap in a Ford 302 HO motor for that good ol Merican burble, but I know that I'll miss the endless reliability of the redblock motor!
I had a 1988 740 wagon with a Ford 302 HO and AOD transmission. It was fun to drive, but I missed out on the redblock experience since I bought the car already converted. Now I am looking for a decent 240, manual transmission.
I've owned two: an '82 240 DL and an '87 wagon. Both were awesome. What I appreciated the most was the ease of maintenance and repair (only one repair was ever needed). I also owned a 940 Wagon and had nothing but problems with it. Times change.
My first view of the Volvo 240 was the first Wellington street race (NZ, 1985, televised live). Entries included 5-litre Holden Commodore V8's, 5.8 litre Ford (Aus) Falcons, a swag of BMW 635's, 3.5 litre Rover Vitesse V8, - and one Volvo 240T, which arrived too late for practice and had to start from the back of the grid. Well this hulking great brick just carved its way through the field, then it was involved in a shunt and had to pit to have its bonnet tied down. Carved its way back to the lead again then its bonnet started flapping and it got black-flagged and had to pit *again*. And again. And it did it all again - here it was passing BMW's of almost twice the capacity and a Holden V8 of over double - how the hell could the motor hang together? Yes it won the race, and there was never a more worthy winner. Hugely impressive.
It won the race in spite of all of the extra pit stops. I bet that the other teams were thankful for those pit stops or they may have been badly shown up!.
i got to say i never expected you to talk of the beloved brick, but the video made justice and it is so true, the teenagers in scandinavia love these, myself included. first car was a 740 with 400k KM on the clock and i dailied it rallied it and was off the road with it several times before me banging the oil sump gave the engine a early demise during a rallycross day. got a 240 now with it's "SPORTY" B23FX engine 136 maad natural aspirated ponies xD and some bolt on upgrades like under drive pulleys lighter flywheel bigger throttle chipped ignition and fuel ecu and a budget ported head soon to be slapped on. love my brick
@@bitchinflexin the ecu chips control the fuel and the ezk chips controll the ignition, so often it's fuel chips you need to run higher boost without getting fuel cut the ignition chips may allow more advance on the NA engines, but more retarding on the turbo chips as higher boost might mean more retard ignition if knock is detected
@@bitchinflexin so if you are looking for a mild upgrade you can install a manual boost controller and adoust up til the stock ecu fuel cuts, as the only difference between the 135hp and 165hp engines was the wastegate pressure and not even the ecu's or open the stock wastegate and put washers in it to stiffen up the spring also works
Friends of my parents had a 240 when I was a kid and, I dunno, I just LOVED this beast. The sound when you started the engine is one of my most lasting memories, no joke. Whe I hear the sound now, it teleports me right back then and there...Thanks for the vid + other amazing content...😃
Brilliant video! I now understand why my rusty but trusty 1982 Volvo 240 DL, 4 speed manual (+ push button overdrive) SAVED MY LIFE by not exploding 25 years ago! Back story… I was a working student and just worked a late shift on a snowy blizzard night in Minnesota… after clearing 14” of snow from top of the ‘beige brick beauty’… I started my journey home…. Immediately, traction was non-existent.. even as a poor kid, I always had appreciation for quality and aesthetics.. so of course I had found a set of used aluminum wheels off a turbo model from a junkyard.. they had some pits and patina, but were still much nicer looking than the original steel wheels. The only downside - the mismatched 195/60-15 rubber were well past prime… and so it began, slipping & sliding, made it a few miles and finally stuck.. out came the shovel, unstuck and moving again… slowly! If anyone has driven a real wheel drive with bald tires, not weight in trunk… you know what I mean. After 3 hours of this, I began to get angry.. the last straw was a bridge with a slight incline… I made it halfway and then stuck. Could not proceed.. so I threw it in reverse and FLOORED the gas until finally off the bridge (there were no cars behind me). And then something happened. The car was overheating.. the temp gauge was pHOT and wasn’t coming down.
My husband's mom started off with a Volvo 340DL then his dad had a 340GL as a works company car. Then they graduated up eventually to an 840. The 840 suffered a slow speed rear end collision from a Vauxhall Astra, nothing seemingly happened to the Volvo however, the young lad's Astra, which was his first car, looked like it had run into a wall. They took the Volvo to the dealers to be sure it was OK and all that had happened was that the number plate panel was slightly distorted. This was just rejigged straight. Job done. Built like a tank. His mother chose Volvos to ferry round his 3 younger sisters in safety. It did an excellent job!
I'm loving this video. My 1990 Volvo 240DL Estate with the automatic is still running like new at 620,000 km. I'm just now at the point where you start the red 244. It needs a tune up and carburetor set up. It should start MUCH quicker than that. Our 81 had the 2.1 litre with side draught Zenith carburetor and even at -40 degrees it started better than that
@@dartdude4084You are so lucky with that. Even today cars from California are imported into the Netherlands sometimes and they always have ridiculously low rust for their age.
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I enjoy the teaching of internal combustion engines, if you every go down the path of internal combustion engines for aircraft please make video's. Opposed engines are what is really common in the aircraft world but Radials and other engines need love too. Thanks to your videos I understood the 4 stroke/5 cycle combustion and the other video's about the engines helped out a lot. Thank you for the great explanation and for teaching me about combustion engines.
That's really interesting. Are they still made to that standard and if not, which was the last model to be well built? I've never owned one but it's not too late to change that.
after this video, volvo 200 and 700 series have rose in prices around the world
and now is chinese ....
Dude, Iron is actually pronounced i-on in UK English, its a silent R
American English is pronounced I-earn. Your speaking it like hi-ron.
"A car with the aerodynamics of a wall, turned up at the racetrack and won both the European and German Touring Car Championships."
You're killing me. Perfect writing, timing , and matter of fact delivery. Hilarious.
Also won the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1986
Three million miles and I thought I was smart buying a Toyota! I want a Redblock
The flying brick it was thrashing big Jaguars and BMW's at Spa in the eighties
@@falconberlina8488 But couldnt win bathurst, thank god
@@falconberlina8488 And some endurance races in Europe, such as the 1987 and the 1990 24hrs of Zolder.
The year is 4523, little remains of civilization. A small group of people unearth a relic of the old world.... A Volvo that still runs.
I was thinking, a few Volvos were still in use, the choice of giant cockroaches.
... Driven by Cher. :)
Very few left in the UK, they all rotted.
Side lights still work too
And Nokia 3310 inside, still having 1/4 battery charge
In my youth, I was strictly domestic cars. After my stint in the Navy, the only place that I was offered a decent job was with a Volvo dealership on Long Island. This break set me on the course that I followed for the rest of my life. I loved working on Volvos. I rebuilt 3 of them. These engines are beasts. After about a year I was offered a job working at Porsche by the shop foreman at Volvo. I decided to part ways with Volvo and continued to find love for imported cars. I worked for Porsche for the next ten years when I decided to open my own shop on Eastern Long Island. I specialized in all European cars. Now I had my hands back in Volvos as well as Porsches, BMWs, MB, etc. Life was good... I have since retired, but looking back on my decision to start with Volvo was probably one of the best life decisions I ever made. Thanks for this video and the memories it made!
man you really worked hard!! Appreciaite it!!!!
This is a fantastic comment! Not just an American dream, but a reality.
As the former owner of a 740, a 760 Turbo, and a 960, just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed this! I recently pondered selling my 2015 Ford Taurus Limited and searching for a 240 as my primary transportation, but my wife said, “Why would you want to be replace your nice car with an “old” Volvo??” You have a good answer here!!
You can certainly get a very nice looking reliable one for what you can sell that taurus for
You can explain your situation as equivalent to choosing the right life partner: a reliable life partner vs a young gold digger. Basically you said wifey is a Volvo..So, congrats 😅🎉
I'm still looking for another 760 turbo today. It was amazing and I wish I still had mine
I was hit by a bus in a 760. Firefighter said it saved our lives.
owned a 360 ,3 X 240 and my last Volvo 960 VOLVO MEANS I ROLL
My wife had a 240 wagon back in the 1990's - loved that car! I called it the swedish tractor. Ultra reliable, simple to repair, unnaturally good on snow, and ultimately saved several passenger lives when it got high speed T-boned by a commercial truck.
A trick was to toss something heavy in the trunk during wintertime, making the grip even better in snow.
Jep - they are incredible good handling on snow. Never had so much fun drifting 🤣
Back when Volvo made Volvos.
This is the truth. Now they make euro boxes like everyone else. Still safe though, it seems.
unfortunately kinda true. have an new-ish Volvo my self. the build quality oft the car is good, its very safe, stable and over all a good car. but the drive train is not as good as before. the newer VEA engine family is kinda stressed and over complicated, much like modern VAG engines, and lack any character, again much like modern VAG engines. the 5 cylinders were great. but the 4 pots unfortunately are not.
@@phg4977 The problem with Volvo is that, just like it's German counterparts, it ditched the idea of "the everyday man's car" and went for the more luxury sedan section. Now said affordable vehicles are the purview of the Japanese and Korean automotive industry. I have a Volvo 2010 S60 and, while I really do enjoy it, know that it doesn't compare to both the affordability that its ancestor had.
@@CG-yq2xy Its better for the bottom line to sell fewer cars with higher margin than the other way around apparently.
@@salvadorpalma8173 now they are Chinese
Just when I thought your content couldn’t get any better, you unleash the love of my automotive life!
☝️ this
Ditto.
You own a 200, 700 or 900 series? I got a 940t wagon.
agreed
@@salvadorpalma8173 So do I 🙂
As a retired 40-year collision repair tech, really enjoyed the 240s all those and 740s, almost like a snap together toy. And if we had to do some light mechanical work that was easy to. This car was designed to be repaired properly in the event of a collision with ease and accuracy of repair.
and also designed to never be repaired mechanically. i have yet to see a 70-90 volvo engine that need any repair that is not general care like plugs....did anyone ever blow one with less than 900 000 km in the world ? hard to beleive the t5 is a reworked ford engine ( the 2.3 is a ford tempo engine running on volvo electronics . thats why people been buying tempo engine parts instead... way cheaper without volvo logo even tho its the same part with same quality and same part number just like audi/volks ) and knowing the 850/850R was even more reliable and durable than the famous b18 b20, it tells how volvo used to know that they were doing.
@@Broken_AK47 I had one with 300k MILES, the tranny was toast but the engine ran and looked like new.
@@Broken_AK47 Dad blew up a 940 engine once, but it was a trashed old car with a malfunctioning dash, no working temp gauge. One of the coolant pipes burst, and the engine kept trooping on until it seized like a brick.
Apart from that, nothing really. Leaky head gaskets occasionally, leaky rear main seal permanently. But just refilling oil slightly above low as soon as it hits slightly below low keeps the leak manageable.
Road in front of my parents house has a giant black mark from 2 decades plus of leaky oil seals.
Easily the best car I ever worked on, changing the brake pads made me insanely happy, I looked forward to it, I couldn't figure out why other companies weren't stealing the ideas
Because the design is to easying the mechanic's job to repair the broken parts of the car after collision with standard tools such as hammer, a saw, a metal plate scissor, and maybe a welding machine.
The old days were a practical age for mechanics, or for someone that had passion for mending things themselves.
Back when the goal wasn't planned obsolescence but rather: Build a good product.
Honestly love these cars. A friend of mine has one he's been driving since the mid 90:s. They just don't build them like they used to.
That was the 200 series' biggest problem. They were too reliable so who would buy a new car.
@@Nubbe999 Would have been its best feature if we lived in a saner world.
I wonder if the Japanese will do the same
Thank goodness, today's cars are much much safer, more comfortable and efficient.
I was thinking the same thing. People actually fixed their cars back then. Now it’s just sell it and buy a new one.
My friend ran over me with this car and it did not take any damages. Recommended 10/10 what a beast!
You funny.
As a mechanic coming up in the late 80s and early 90s...i wanted to hate the 240s...but i couldn't...they were , as you said...rugged,reliable, and simple...these days...if i could find one that isn't rusty i would buy it and resto mod it in a heart beat
When you put the key in the ignition, I already had the startup sound playing in my head. And sure enough, it sounded exactly as I remembered when you turned the key :)
As a Swede born in the early 70's, that's what I grew up with. Thanks for yet another great vid!
Volvo is a Chinese Government owned Company now, brutally sad as the CCP mafia is going to kill Volvo and destroy its name. I had a Volvo for over 20 years, went everywhere with it... all over the country... Never broke. Loved it...
I have the same thinking when a BMW motorcycle wheels by. I still have 3 of them, but a brain injury prevents me from driving anything. My wife enjoys the '04 V70T5. A rocket ship of a Volvo which is still very popular in the traffic patrols of the UK.
The stress tests sound even more insane than the legendary Chrysler slant 6. Apparently Chrysler thought the drivers that chose one would haul a house trailer at full throttle every day. Uphill, both ways.
Volvo must have asked "What if they added a second trailer, and it was snowing?"
now, Dad had an old retired Taxi, which had an audi straight 6 diesel, but we towed a tractor with that Volvo 244. Sadly far too many have been junked because Sweden got hard environmental laws about having a yard full of old car-wrecks.
@@andreassjoberg3145 kind of ironic because keeping an old car maintained is far better for the environment than buying new disposable cars all the time. I guarantee one million mile Volvo has impacted the environment far less than however many Teslas, new batteries and charges of those batteries it takes to go a million miles.
Edit: I forgot Sweden runs on hydroelectric and nuclear, but the manufacturing of the car and new batteries is the biggest impact in that equation anyway.
😂😂😂
Most of American designed In-Line 6's were made that way. They were initially built as industrial type for gas powered farm tractors and generators. The Slant 6 was so durable because when they tipped it over to accomodate the new low-line hoods, the unintened result was better oil wash and a slower oil return to the sump when the emgine was sitting cold. Thus, more oil was retained in the upper parts which simulated the modern pressurized oil systems of today. Oil is everything to longevity, and explains why the GM small blocks were so good. large oil galleys. large oil galleys also are present in the famous AMC 258-6, which Chrysler kept building as the 4.0L. Legendary engines.
@@OutnBacker …unlike 5.7L hemi’s which like to eat lifters due to oil starvation.
Worked on Volvos for many years I know these 240s inside out , one of my all time favorite cars. We had several customers that had well over 500k miles on them
did several V8 conversions, easier than you'd think.
LOL, I will have to show my daughter this video since she is the one driving our beat-up old 1990 Volvo 240. One thing that Volvo definitely screwed up on was the crappy odometers which tend to all fail miserably as the plastic gears disintegrate. Also, the engineer who came up with the flame-trap and its location deserves a serious dope-slap.
Those gears are easy to replace. The later 900 models had much bigger issues with leaking capacitors. Also fixable. It's worth mentioning that those instrument-clusters weren't produced by Volvo - some were Japanese and some were German.
One thing forgotten was that when the new OHC redblock was developed, volvo made it a non interference engine(most of them until 98 still are) in case the belt would snap no harm would be done to engine and you could put a new one in and continue to drive.
Volvo also marked up everything so you could retime it with ease yourself without any specialty tools.
Broke mine while ago, dropping some screw down the casing of the belt and it snapped when I turned the key. It was a 2h job, granted it was the first time with did it and my car has the ac bolts in a different spot from other models, which took at least 30m to figure out. Knowing what you are doing it is a 30minute job really. No special tools required. I basically can fix almost the entire car with a 15€ tool kit from Lidl.
All 8v redblocks except b230k with the heron head are non interference
yep, i stripped my timing belt one winter. took me half an hour to replace after buying one at the local dealer. when i blew my headgasket i just drove 140 kms home to the garage to change it. took an hour or so.
My brother drives this car (Volvo 940, B230F) for about 10KM without realizing the timing belt was stripped! It still arrives safely at the destination!
The only complains is "the engine does not run smoothly"
He order the new timing belt & he install the timing belt himself on the next day!
@@redblock5949 yeah, i have a B234f in my manual 940 wagon which is a 16 valve and sadly not a non interference engine but having a NA engine that makes almost as much power as the turbo version(155 instead of the turbo's 165hp) is pretty fun as well, especially bc it has an automatic locking differential from factory, which is awesome for drifting! So i'll accept the downside of having to change the timing belt at the correct intervals and not just driving it until it snaps lol. xD but the B230ft would have been pretty cool as well :D
My wife and I had a VOLVO 240 (245) wagon. It was a Euro-spec car that had been sent over here in error. The VOLVO dealer begged us to sell it back to them after they discovered this at our first service. We kept the car for a number of years before selling to a serviceman that was taking it with him back to Europe. This car would 'cruise' all day at speeds well above our speed limit without even breathing hard. And it got very good fuel mileage doing it too.
Suffice it to say, we loved that car.
I bet you wish you still had it. A truly amazing motor car.
I had a 1980 245 I bought in 1985 from someone in the US Air Force. He had bought the (US spec?) vehicle in England but had removed the catalytic converter so he could use it with regular gasoline. (I later had to buy a catalytic converter when I lived in a state with pollution tests.)
The only visible difference between mine and all the other 1980 245s was mine had round headlights. Suited me fine-- the round sealed beams were cheaper than the rectangular ones.
I spent a lot maintaining that car, but by the late 1990s I had trouble finding folks who could service it in my area. So I sold it to a guy who was a bigger fanatic. He had bought it for his adult daughter, who I hear hated it. I kept seeing it on the road for a few years. I don't doubt she finally found a way to wreck it irreparably.
It had electrical flaws but I just knew to carry some fuses, and plan to put in a new alternator every 100,000 miles
My first vehicle, a 77 245 4 speed manual.....I did that car wrong 😞
You were a fool to sell a European spec car to someone who just took it back to Europe.
volvo 740 was my first ever im def jelly xD
Thank you so much for this one! Being 50yrs today and having lived in Sweden all my life, I remember those cars very well. Some say, it is the car that built Sweden.
Thanks again,
sincerely,
Alicia from Sweden.
You mean exactly 50 years?? So it's your birthday?? If so happy birthday and congrats on living in Sweden. I turned 51 last month but am still in denial! To myself I think I am fine staying at 50 foreva! Like Abba!
Back in the 1980's I sold cars. 1 year Chevy, and 3 years Volvo. The Volvo 240 series was unparalleled. My own 1983 lasted 375,000 miles and something like 20 years. She was sand beige, and I named her "Sandy". I still miss her.
I can’t think of another person who has more of my respect. Every time I randomly watch you I say out loud to myself “God I just love this guy!” Common sense with high intelligence add in the innate sense of what we don’t actually know about things we love. GOODJOB.
You're too kind. But I'll take it 😁
10 Star Thumbs Up. An incredible, informative and humorous video.
A regular highly informative, stautus quo challenging video.
Accompanied by some brilliantly "PC bypassing" snarky humor along the way.
As a boomer big c.i. American V-8 fan with an Engineering Physics degree.
I learn new concepts every time I watch your videos.
It takes me back to why I love Engineering.
It's, unfortunately, the only science left where your results are displayed to the public.
@@d4a your attention to detail is superb, I've learned a lot watching your video's.
I've said before, this guy is who should be running the EPA. When was the last time the head of the EPA even had a car or license or intelligence?
Fun fact about the red block: The same foundry line were those red cylinder blocks were made is still in use today making 11, 13 and 16 liter engine blocks for Volvo Group! (Trucks, VCE, bus and Penta)
I owned three 240's between 1975 and 2008 and I can state without a doubt they were the most reliable and all round pleasant cars in my 53 years of driving.
Care to expand please? Are they smooth? How about steering? Fuel consumption?etc
@@JamaicanToast Fuel consumption was not a strong point I admit, 28 or so mpg around town, but in those days petrol prices were not the concern as they are today. They were comfortable and 'smooth' enough for me and family. The 1975 244 DL was the first car I ever owned with power steering so I found It light, especially for such a large car and all of them cornered very well. But it was the incredible reliability; the large carrying capacity; the fantastic heater on a winter day and the all important safety features that appealed to me. And the 'Red Block' B21 engines - say no more - unbreakable! For Instance our second 244DL bought in 1980 we kept for 18 years and that engine never had anything other than oil and air filter change, plugs, points and timing belt in all that time!
I've never wanted a vehicle so badly so quickly
Hello Peter how are you doing 😊
I could not agree more. I used Volvo from 1978 to 1998, 20 years and it is a very good and reliable car. I had to divorce the car since in Indonesia it was rather difficult to get the spare parts and hard to find competent mechanic around where I live. At that time came to my mind if Volvo conducted simple training for the car users I would be more than happy to join the course. By the way I am a mechanical engineer. Anyway, I still admire that it was a good car. Cheers from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Thanks for the memories of my 264, 245GLT, 760, V70R, S60, S80, v50, and I may have missed some.
Hello Bob how are you doing 😊
These Volvo’s were a huge part of my childhood. My grandparents bought 18 of them in row. They were teachers in Minneapolis that retired in 1968 and being from Norwegian and Swedish families decided to spend their summers driving around Scandinavia visiting family and exploring. They would buy the car from the factory in Gøttenberg in the Spring. Pick it up in June and drive it around until August. They would then have it shipped Virginia and drive it back to Minneapolis and use it until the following Spring when they would sell it and repeat the process. They always had friends that wanted to buy their last car. Bought the last one in 1985. When my grandma wrecked it it kept her from getting seriously injured despite the damage.
Hello Peter how are you doing 😊
Remember guys, it's not about how fast you are, it's about the girth of your crank shaft. 😏
overbuilt, underpowered, but lots of stamina!
@@mry82 Mmm. Nice. 🍻 You too are good for millions of miles? 😂
@@OutsideTheTargetDemographic Yep, but I mostly sit parked in the garage, lol...
@@mry82 Awwww. 🤣 That just means you don't have rust and you probably get waxed all the time. 😅
@@OutsideTheTargetDemographic bwahahaha. I like self-deprecating humor; it's not really that bad here, but you set a good foundation and it was too good an opportunity to pass up, haha.
Thank you for speaking about this "red block" engine.
My first car I've got from my dad was 240 Turbo, very strong, very reliable, also very easy to maintain.
Only my bad was, my self that I didn't properly cool down the turbo.
I inherited my beige Volvo 240 from my great grandfather, I've done my best to take care of it and keep it as original as i could, it's an awesome car, probably the one and only car i'll ever have.
"Beige" says it all. I remember these cars. Never knew anyone who owned one.
What a fantastic story about over-building an engine for longevity.
The one and only car you will ever need!
My family owned a 240dl for almost 30 years, it had over a million miles when we sold it in 2005😢 I miss it. I absolutely LOVED that Volvo wagon.
I drove one of the last Volvo 240 from the factory in 1993 at my local driving school in Norway. It was a sturdy and comfortable car.
A 240 turbo estate...one of my dream cars. An understated genius of motor engineering.
Get the 2 door if you can.
Not safe, but characterful
one of my childhood friends owns one of these 240 Turbo, he inherited the car from his father when he passed away. His dad was so cool he basically let all of us drive stick shift with that 240. We went on a road trip with the whole gang about 2 weeks ago, long story short, the 240 made the whole trip without a single issue
I may be a JDM fan, but the Volvo 240 Turbo holds a special place in my heart, that machine is the GOAT
JDM ? Have my doubts ! JDM means "japanese domestic market " , I cannot see you living in Japan and or driving cars meant JUST for the Japanese market (like KEI cars f.e.)
@@51tomtomtom KEI can be sold in EU now from 20 years ago. The Gull winged door 600cc 2 cylinder Suzuki mid engine could be upgraded to a Honda 4 cylinder 750 or a Harley?
Thank you for making this video! I'm not sure how many people will read this but last year I searched for a vehicle to swap out my current daily 1986 300zx with. I love my Nissan so much and I just figured I'd have a "beater" car to daily. I needed something that wasn't too new or costly to repair, and especially reliable. Suddenly one day on Craigslist I found someone selling a blue 1988 Volvo 740 wagon for 850 dollars with 188k miles. It was driven by a 93-year-old lady and it had 2 small dents here and there. I didn't mind the character that came with it. It even has the owner's manual! I was lucky enough to be the first person to look at the vehicle and sure enough, I made the deal. Four thousand miles later, "Blueberry" is doing great! I've replaced a fuel relay, a timing belt that had been previously done in 1998, and replaced the fuel filter. I also tinted the windows and upgraded the sound system with a small amp and subwoofer to make it a little modern. It has the same redblock the 240 has and I love the brick shape of the wagon. It has room when I need it and I even bought her some new shoes that really set off the look. I've gotten many compliments and even a few offers to sell her. I'd be stupid to let her go! I'm very thankful this extra vehicle has entered my life and has become my new daily driver. I hope everyone can have their own version of Blueberry too :)
I got a ”redBerry” 1997 Volvo 945 turbo.
This was my very first car. We bought it among four friends to travel through Europe, with the ink of my driving license still wet. We even slept in it during a month. The best car ever, still love it!
As a young kid I always thought my Norwegian grandparents 200 series Volvos were the most boring cars on the planet. Now I'm coming to see them as actually pretty cool. Thanks for the great history lesson about this automotive classic
Great video. I had a 1976 Volvo 244. (2 Series, 4 Cyl, 4 Door) and it was an incredible solid car, I drove it all over Europe and it never let me down, bought with 120,000 miles and sold with 190,000 miles, it was starting to use a bit of oil but still good. Later I moved to live in Thailand and I bought a Volvo 940 with the redblock turbo, I loved that car more than any car I have ever owned, but when I left Thailand in 2016 I had to sell it was I was moving to Ireland and exporting the car was not really an option. The old Volvos are amongst the best cars ever built, I have no experience of the later ones.
Can confirm these things are still out there. Saw one on the highways of California not too long ago keeping pace with modern cars like it wasn’t bothered. Amazing engineering!
They're still very common here in Sweden, especially on the countryside or outer parts of cities where a lot of old cars are still used.
Nowadays if you see one keeping pace with traffic in California, whats under the hood may not be a redblock.
@@Juancheros it may as well be a redblock, but now with 600 horsies
@@JuancherosLS redblock 🗿
I have a 4 speed auto 240 with the original engine and it’s still just fine for driving in traffic. A turbo would be nice, though.
My boss at work used to own a Volvo 740 like 25 years ago, he used to give it to us for errands, it was built like a tank but for the size it was very easy to drive and extremely comfortable, I was impressed with it. Never had the chance to drive a 200 series unfortunately. Thanks for the video Chief 👍
My first car was a 740 GL Turbo Wagon in 1992! Dark blue metallic with all the chrome all around. Even roof rails and trims. I usually parked this car in spaces two hands longer than the car itself was. Pedestrians stopped by because they could hardly believe. I loved the possibility of having an absolutely flat extended trunk to sleep in over weekends at the sea!
In sweden its often reffered to as unkillable, An old lady close to were I live hit a mooze with her 740 going around 80km/h and the only thing that happened to the car was a slight dent in the roof wich they dented out really easy.
@@mixalisstathis274 hi bro ..... My 245 (kombi) was for years my Camping-Car ....... with a 2m long air-mattress behind the seats ......
@@alterbayer7196 As I am only european average when it comes to hight (175cm) it was like a king and his castle resp. masterbedroom on wheels. With this "Kombi of Love" I took even my canoe (stuffed with luggage) and 3 friends down to the south of france. Or camped "stealth" on the parkinglot for 4 days during the 24h of Nürburgring...
Boogiedown Memorylane!
@@wood_louse119 I hit a Lancia Beta that shot onto the street inbetween parked cars broadside at approximately 45km/h - Lancia 0, Volvo 1. The Lancia got a salvage-title after this surprisingly but hefty meeting.
thank you... my best friend from 1998 -2008 was given a 240 Turbo as a gift from his late Grandad... we drove all over UK in that car... it was awesome... sadly Daniel passed away of a heart attack in hosp. back in 2008... but i feel he would be smiling as he looked over my shoulder at this awesome video... it meant a great deal to me to see the history of Daniels 240... many many thanks! 🍸
What can I say? Simply th best car ever built. My 240 GL SW (245) from 1993, still going strong, even better that I can say for myself.
Among the many vehicles I've owned and driven over 34 years, the 240 was one of my favorites. I miss my 240.
I remember a 240T absolutely cleaning up in NZ touring cars in the 80s. The rules were loose enough (back then) that you could bolt on a huge turbo at any boost to a 2 litre and be fine. Hence the 240T was boosted to ridiculous levels and cleaned up against NA 5 litre V8s
Still can in most countries. (freedom sounds intensify)
What horsepower rating did you get out of it, do you have any idea?
I was working for the local dealer and importer for Volvo in New Zealand in those days phone never stopped for enquiries to buy..I later moved on to Australia owned 2= 240 series lucky also worked for 2 dealerships there .Back to NZ AND A 360 AND 240 and my last one a 960 -great cars the 360 gearbox rear axle was a great little car VOLVO I ROLL
...being a shop owner/mechanic for 53 years, I have to say, everything you said is true/no exaggeration......Great cars...........
Hello Paul how are you doing 😊
I must say that I love your calm voice and how you present things in a nice and understandable way. So many TH-camrs have interesting channels but I just can’t deal with their high pitched screaming voices “Hey TH-cam, what’s going on…” It stresses me out and I can’t stand it. So thanks for being the opposite of that.
Fantastic video! Great content!
I will always remember reading Car Magazine back in the day and the pros and cons for all cars on the last pages. For the Volvo 2 series the pros were that It last forever and the cons were that It last forever 😏
Greetings from UK. The Volvo regardless of the model was always termed the "Doctors" car and considered a very safe and reliable "tank" hence a lot of professional people drove them. I never owned one but always hankered after the Volvo P1800 circa 1960, very flash at the time!
Greetings from Germany 🤩 here the 240-Series was the ""Teachers Car"
@@alterbayer7196 the German people and the British so similar in many ways!
Saw a P1800 at a car show last summer and was really taken by the sensuous lines and curves, a very pretty car indeed.
@@habsom1406 if my memory serves me correct some, if not all, P1800's were built in the UK by Jenson in West Bromwich.
@@Brit_Toolmaker Only from april 1961 - mars 1963, then they moved the manufakturing to Sweden and change the name to P1800S.
A very nice homage to Volvo and the redblocks! I would like to note that the 5 cylinder engines succeeding the redblock are also known for reliability, sound and performance. While I will probably never own a 240 series, I take comfort in the sound of my turbocharged 5pot.
Turbo 5 is awesome!
850 = what a sound !
just what I wanted to say. I know, it's a new generation of engine, but the 800 series was just as awesome, and just as reliable. Also, the only station wagon to race in BTCC
I've owned 16 Volvos in my life - 120s, 140s, 240s, 940s, and an S60R... The best sounding 2 were my 71 142E with it's B20E injected motor and 130HP (understated/underrated) and my R... that 5 just sounds amazing. The 240 Turbo intercooled engine sounded good at full revs, but still sounded like a sewing machine/tractor at idle...
@@51tomtomtom Hello Thomas how are you doing 😊
NO WAY you just uploaded this video! I literally bought a Volvo 940 Shitbox wagon for drifting and road-trips last week lmao. (I paid 650€ for the ”broken“ car and already got the engine running again and it rips and drifts amazing!)Thank you for your always awesome content man!
safe driving Friend... ✌️
Last year, I purchased a 91 Volvo 240. I am a truck guy who owns 3 90'S ERA Gm pickup trucks, and this was the first car I purchased because of higher fuel prices.
I decided to purchase a 240, and I love this car. I was amazed how simple the car is to work on, and it's fun to drive.
I would definitely purchase another 240 to add to my collection of vehicles. Thank you Volvo for making a great simple car.
This car is now a great car for Australia as it doesn't overheat even in summer. Was even able to fix broken timing belt on side road and drive away 🚗
I believe this is my favorite of your presentations. I was 10 years old when my dad bought our first new automobile, a 1969 Volvo 142. I felt like an astronaut riding in that car. Why? It was the first car we had with seatbelts! He taught me to drive that car a year before I received my learner's permit...off road of course. ;-) Thank you for reviving the great memories. I think I'll peruse Hemmings and see what's on the market.
My mom got an old 240 when she graduated law school. Drove my sister & me around in it for years as a kid. Was unkillable & always cranked when you put the key in. Damn thing is probably still rolling around somewhere.
My late uncle had several Volvo Amazon and also 140 til his death in 1980. And as a fact, the second last built "Volvo Amazon" became donated and driven from the Factory in Göteborg in Sweden to Helsingør/Elsinore in Denmark, and is exhibited in the local Technical Museum! It has 600 km and still its original protective plastic on its seats!
Great! I had an Amazon built in 1967 in the early 90s. A great car. Cheers from Stockholm.
Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!! I remember when I was young my Grandma was a nurse at the hospital, and she drive a Volvo, and the year was 1972, and I remember getting to ride with Grandma a couple of times in her Volvo!!! I Love the fact that my Grandma loved Safety!!!
When I was growing up the 70's 80's these were the most regular-blend boring cars ever! Years later I moved to Sante Fe, NM. I was pretty hard up at the time. I traveled there after college and my lady figured the dry air would help with her arthritis. We rented a UHaul 👉one way with no idea what we would drive once we setteltted into our cheap hotel. We desparatley needed a ride! After scouring the local newspaper 📄 (this is many years before the internet) we found for about $500 dollars, that bland cream color. It plowed through NM deep snows, we tooled around NM AZ for about a year, it never had any issues. We drove it all the way back to Staten Island at 80 mph on the lower route back east. We drove it there for another few years with no ZERO problems EVER.
I see them once in a while in my state of Maine and they always brings a smile. Such a classic, timeless vehicle
By god, he’s back, and back with engines explained. Does it get any better than this? I adore this series and I hope you keep putting them out.
Wow. I really liked all of your videos explaining engines & its technology since 1-2 years ago, and today I'm extremely surprised because this is my daily car! I still drove '95 Volvo 940 from my father, which still uses the B230F Redblock engine! I really really love to learn about latest engine technology and F1 engines, but well, this simple, robust, and reliable engine wins me over efficient & powerful engine but built to fail like a soda can 🤣.
I have the original service book/manual - it provides maintenance schedule until 25 years & 1.000.000KM! I was literally laughing seeing that back then!
Every repair is very simple to do and the dealer service manual (along with the VIDA software) really well documented. It is over 600 pages but everything is explained thouroughly how it works, and how to troubleshoot and repair.
I am not a car mechanic, but me & my brother now repair this car on our own since last 10 years.
I restored one 245 few years ago, today it has 180hp and is a great daily driver
My parents have a 1995 volvo 940 turbo with the factory upgrade "turbo plus" that raises the horse power to 190 hp. Engine code B230FT with oil cooled pistons. It has 550000 km on it. Its still original engine and turbo. Of course there has been issues with the car, but never the engine itself. Regular oil changes, and normal maintenance, and it just runs and runs. Great engine!
When I turned 16 my dad bought me an old 240. A couple months later it saved my life when I fell asleep coming home from a summer internship and totaled it. First police officer on the scene said he just assumed I was dead when he showed up - all I had was a little scratch from glass but couldnt move since the engine was nearly pushed into the passenger compartment. Drove my next 240 until it got passed down to family many, many years later. Thanks for the video!
I had finally talked myself out of buying a 240, and you come out with this.
What's making you doubt buying it? Maybe I can help you make that decision. Cheers.
@@salvadorpalma8173 Because I'll buy it, then end up spending $10K doing stuff to it. It's become a pattern with me. I should really buy a 2004 Corolla and just drive it.
I used to have a 1983 navy blue 242 DL. I ended up selling it for a couple hundred bucks, because I was moving out of state. This was almost 14 years ago, and I'm still kicking myself for selling it to this day. It was an unbelievable car!
My father had two Volvos in the seventies and eighties 244 and 245 GLT. Fantastic cars. Beautiful as well.
I had a 244 back in the mid 80's and used it to do a house move. The back passenger doors opened wide enough to get a full sized TV / video unit on the back seats. Epic car that I have fond memories of to this day.
I bought a 245 new in 1976 and drove it for 36 years, doing all maintenance myself. IMHO this wagon was a disguised sports car--the tremendous torque, stick-shift and rear wheel drive added up to an exciting driving experience. Unbelievably, the car was capable of starting in third or even fourth gear! The load capacity was essentially unlimited with the flat roof and six roll bars and I personally hauled many oversized loads. Once I hauled all the materials for a 10' x 10' x 15' tall garden building in one trip!
I admit that was not a great idea and I never repeated that size load. Still, the car handled it with no problem. BTW, my 245 never had any major engine issues in over a quarter million miles. It is interesting that my B21F engine had Bosch continuous fuel injection. This was an entirely mechanical system and was one of the earliest engines with fuel injection. I really miss that car!
I used to get roasted for having multiple old bricks but it seems like they get more and more recognition every day! An interesting variation of the redblock engine is the 2.5l 16v version that only came in marine applications.
Another interesting engine is the b204ft 16v turbo, the most powerful stock redblock. Developed mainly for Italian market and only 2.0liter for tax reasons
the prices are rising and attention is coming. they're awesome cars but i don't think i want everyone to know
My dad has one of those marine engines stashed away in a shed.
glad you mentioned the aq171c, i've got one in my garage waiting to go into my 240 estate
@@nedclarke2716 I’m piecing together a 16v 2.5 turbo for my 780 bertone. I bought the crankshaft and block from an aq171 or aq151 and the 16v from a 740/940GLE. I’m going with forged pistons and connecting rods so it should be a unit
Brick guy here. 940T wagon b230fk manual m90, from 97 with all the extras and 520000km. Original engine with perfect 162psi on all cylinders, original gearbox. Redblocks never die! Let's go!
Cheers from russia, same shit here, but a knackered one the odometer says 400-something, but i'd add about 200-300K to that, engine rebuilt by some previous owner with liners (discovered this when the head gasket let go), td04-19, vx3, lada ecu, about 250 hp @0,5 bar. Also got myself a 1988 745 with b234f recently, now trying to find a way to get hold of a timing belt tensioner...
@@zloychechen5150 the first owner of my car always brought it to the same dealership where he bought it next to his house. He was the kind of guy that pays Volvo to bring the car to anual inspection, you know, proper rich. LoL
With the car came an Excell sheet of all the maintenance and work done in the car for 24 years.
Just 30k ago they had the engine machined and all gaskets changed. That alone was a 3k euro job with receipt to prove it. It has to be one of the cars with the most prestine paper work ever.
@@zloychechen5150 it's hard to get the tensioner right now because you are in Russia? I can tell you some sellers, but don't know if they are shipping to RU.
@@salvadorpalma8173 Yes, it is kind of because of that, there are ways around this, it's just that i may have chosen the shittiest one of them all, so the process is stuck at the moment, if there's no progress in the nearest days, i'm ordering it through other means. But thank you for the suggestion.
@@salvadorpalma8173 This seems like a gem of an automobile. I wish you all the best in keeping that mother as nice as it is, and just generally.
This video is so good I’ll watch it again and again! Well done sir!
I’ve had 1 Austin, 3 Renault, 1 Peugeot, 1 Mazda, 2 Audi 2 Toyota and I’m on Volvo #3 and all have done 250k+ miles. Current XC70 D5 is at 205,000 and going strong.
Same here (XC 70 D) ! The new XC 60 is ordered but I'll keep the other as well, just having a paint job planned (since Sardinia+my son created some memories)
I bought my first car, an 89 740 in march of 2022 at 19 years old with 292k kms on the clock, it was a stock N/A car some time ago. Previous 2 owners spent lots of time replacing all the non turbo parts and installing a 531 head with a 15g to pair up with it, along with all the other 940 turbo parts.
sitting at around 315k now with a stage 2 clutch, lightened flywheel, on 15 pounds of boost, and BCRacing coilovers. I think that these cars are the best in the world. they are sporty with the right mods, and will keep up with pretty much any modern hot hatch, and more. I intend on keeping this car the rest of my life, whether that means i have to rebuild it 15 times or not. I'm making sure this brick shithouse stays upright, so that 20 years down the road I can confidently say that the volvo 740 and the redblock with all its counterparts is the most reliable and enjoyable motor/car ever made.
My father was a Maths teacher, he had the Volvo 240 built in the 80's and a colleage of him (a Maths teacher of course) had the original Volvo 240 ;)
Since you only went over the best parts then i will mention the Achilles heel of the 200 series. That being the transmissions. The engines alone could easy handle 500hp without much modifications but every transmission would not handle over 250hp.
I recently took apart my volvo 240's redblock that has gone 400 000km. It has been in the family since it was new. Maintenance have been good oil changes and fuel cleaning solution every once in a while. Every single specification on clearance was as factory. I was both impressed and slightly mad since i already bought all the parts to replace everything. These engines are insanely durable as long as you do oil changes.
Also fun fact about Volvo's name. It was actually supposed to be a ball bearing name from SKF. But they ended up not using it. So when 2 guys that worked for SKF wanted to make a car company they asked SKF for help. They gave them the name and some capital to let them achieve the dream of a Swedish automobile.
Volvo means “I roll”.
Very interesting/well done! I always remember Volvo had the best reputation of safety & how their style hardly changed but had such a great reputation. Brings back memories when cars had SO MUCH room to work under the hood! 👍✊🖖🇺🇸
My father has a P1800S 1966 with the B18 double carburator motor, actually sounds very nice for a 4cyl and it is the original motor since 57 years ago. I really enjoy driving it, and am currently helping him fix things on it as they break (because eventually things do, even in volvos)
All you need is a Phillips screwdriver
And always pack spare membranes for the su carbs
All I can say is, I'm proud to be from Sweden.
We just had our old 245 go through some renovations. It’s 44 years old this year and started straight away after having been standing for 14 years after my father passed away. Its sturdy as heck and calling it a brick is very very true
As a 122 and 740 owner, I love my worked b20 and b230 motors, a very stout motor given the work needed for an SR20 to make 500whp reliably.
They did do r-sport builds for the b18/20, double factory hp. First turbo motor was in the 240 though, with the b21, before the 7 series's came out.
as a Volvo for Life guy, having owned 122's. 145's & 245's, I really enjoyed this video ! now please do a video on the awesome Volvo 850 (my current driver)
Normally when I’m watching a video about cars, tear downs or anything that involves a detailed analysis about engines and how a vehicle operates, I do not comment nor subscribe. But this video in particular has piqued my interest and is genuinely worth the time. The way you narrate, the grammar you use, the punctuations and everything about this video seems lively. Wishing you all the best in your future videos
Maybe not the 240, but the early 960s also got redblock engines. And what I love about that model the most is that they used Aisin transmissions. A lot of cars, especially Toyotas, from the 2000s used Aisin transmissions also, which made the already easily maintained car even easier to maintain, especially with how you can just drive to any dealership and ask if they got the transmission for a typical Toyota minibus instead of a Volvo's. My dad's 960 has a cheaper maintenance price than my mom's much newer Honda Fit, and it gets roughly the same mileage when used on highways.
Thanks for the production and upload! I grew up in a Volvo 144. It never failed us in over 10 years. Always started, always ran. Great car! Now I have a Volvo 740 GLE with a B230F engine. It does have an aluminum top, but OK. It has about 300.000 miles on it, but it still runs like clockwork. Nothing has ever been done to the engine or the transmission except normal maintenance. I think the car will outlast me, and I'm 54 now. From my military service, I also have some experience with the BV202 and the Volvo L3314 (called the "Valp", or "Volvo felt" (popularly "Folvo velt" because of its high center of gravity, and prone to tipping over), and I can vouch for them both. They always started and ran, no matter how hard they were driven. Never failed. Great engines!
Of course i´m proud to be swedish, and, yes, swedish steel is the best. Forged in the furnace of legends comes the all powerful 240, and shows the world what true endurance really means.. This video is a homage to one of the coolest cars in the world, to bad they stopped making it. And to the narrator: you are doing a great job. Please continue..
I am still a grate believer of the redblock, had a b230 squirter in a 940 that ran just about doubled it's HP with a few mods on a stock never opened block. She was mint for 8 years and proper high milage . Lost her to an accident. I so miss that car 😭
What kind of mods? I am from Poland and I don't know how to get chips
Back in high school, the parents of a friend (not teachers) had a blue 240. We as teenagers found the thing boring. One day this friend, who is a huge guy, took a baseball bat and hit full force the bumper. It made only dry noise. We were deeply impressed.
Ah, the ice-dumping technique.
The impact these sturdy Swedish icons have had on me personally is probably immeasurable.
My grandfathers brother, a CEO back in the 90s had to choose a company car. Everyone was driving Mercedes, but he liked Volvos. So he picked up a 940 with just about all the comforts one can fathom in the 90s. And of course with the biggest engine option available, 2.3L turbo. He clocked in more than a hundred thousand kilometers and in the meanwhile I was born. Sometime early 2000s my grandfathers Volvo 740 had a tree fall on it. While my grandfather did have it fixed he figured it might be time for a new car anyway. So the brothers struck a deal and my grandpa became a happy owner of a nice 940. Clocked in a couple thousand kilometers on it some of them with me as a kid. A kid who fell in love with that cars simplicity, elegance and charisma.
Shortly before his passing, my grandpa gave me the keys knowing how I grew up loving the car. I drove him to our favorite coffee place we used to regularly visit and despite his worsening health we had an amazing time reminiscing. Then one autumn day we laid my grandpa to rest, with that Volvo visible in the nearby parking lot. I couldn't help feeling like a piece of him was still left here with us.
Now with 600 000km closing in I can't imagine a thing that would make me give up this car. It could sure do more love than I can afford right now, but the red cast iron heart has never stopped beating.
I always get cheery with videos of old Volvos and I do feel like this video made justice to something I so dearly love. Can't believe it took me a year to stumble on this but boy am I glad I did. Thank you.
Great posting. Thanks.
You still see quite a few old Volvos on the roads in Sweden. They are incredibly reliable cars. They also have quite an enthusiast following here.
Very well made video as well! I appreciate your implementing of a couple of swedish quotes 👍 In salty Norway these cars are still daily drivers and I am proud of them being the closest car manufactured to 🇧🇻.
Volvo still massivly popular in Belgium, it feels like 2/3 of cars are Volvos there.
I have a 1985 244 DL and I can't stop loving this car! Granted, 80's sealing tech isn't nearly as good as it is today, but if it leaks, it still has fluid! I'm saving up to swap in a Ford 302 HO motor for that good ol Merican burble, but I know that I'll miss the endless reliability of the redblock motor!
I had a 1988 740 wagon with a Ford 302 HO and AOD transmission. It was fun to drive, but I missed out on the redblock experience since I bought the car already converted. Now I am looking for a decent 240, manual transmission.
this may be my first car. i still have to wait bout a year but there is one in my country in prestine condition for 3.5k. it looks so good
Excellent video. The amount of research that goes into your videos is amazing and very much appreciated!
I've owned two: an '82 240 DL and an '87 wagon. Both were awesome. What I appreciated the most was the ease of maintenance and repair (only one repair was ever needed). I also owned a 940 Wagon and had nothing but problems with it. Times change.
My first view of the Volvo 240 was the first Wellington street race (NZ, 1985, televised live). Entries included 5-litre Holden Commodore V8's, 5.8 litre Ford (Aus) Falcons, a swag of BMW 635's, 3.5 litre Rover Vitesse V8, - and one Volvo 240T, which arrived too late for practice and had to start from the back of the grid. Well this hulking great brick just carved its way through the field, then it was involved in a shunt and had to pit to have its bonnet tied down. Carved its way back to the lead again then its bonnet started flapping and it got black-flagged and had to pit *again*. And again. And it did it all again - here it was passing BMW's of almost twice the capacity and a Holden V8 of over double - how the hell could the motor hang together? Yes it won the race, and there was never a more worthy winner. Hugely impressive.
It won the race in spite of all of the extra pit stops. I bet that the other teams were thankful for those pit stops or they may have been badly shown up!.
Ooooh, this is just my taste of engines. I wish cars today were as cool as cars like the Volvo 200 series or old Mercedes cars.
My first car was a 71 120 2 door. Loved that car. Super fun to drive. Loved the look too.
Hello Frank how are you doing 😊
i got to say i never expected you to talk of the beloved brick, but the video made justice and it is so true,
the teenagers in scandinavia love these, myself included. first car was a 740 with 400k KM on the clock and i dailied it rallied it and was off the road with it several times before me banging the oil sump gave the engine a early demise during a rallycross day.
got a 240 now with it's "SPORTY" B23FX engine 136 maad natural aspirated ponies xD and some bolt on upgrades like under drive pulleys lighter flywheel bigger throttle chipped ignition and fuel ecu and a budget ported head soon to be slapped on.
love my brick
Can you tell Me where I can get chips for my b230fk? I am from Poland btw.
@@bitchinflexin BSR also got tuning chips and wastegates up to 0.8 or 1 Bar of boost as they sell as pacage deals
@@Stale_Mahoney they will ship to Poland? Can you tell me few quick info about these chips? What can I expect? No cutting fuel etc.?
@@bitchinflexin the ecu chips control the fuel and the ezk chips controll the ignition, so often it's fuel chips you need to run higher boost without getting fuel cut
the ignition chips may allow more advance on the NA engines, but more retarding on the turbo chips as higher boost might mean more retard ignition if knock is detected
@@bitchinflexin so if you are looking for a mild upgrade you can install a manual boost controller and adoust up til the stock ecu fuel cuts, as the only difference between the 135hp and 165hp engines was the wastegate pressure and not even the ecu's or open the stock wastegate and put washers in it to stiffen up the spring also works
Friends of my parents had a 240 when I was a kid and, I dunno, I just LOVED this beast. The sound when you started the engine is one of my most lasting memories, no joke. Whe I hear the sound now, it teleports me right back then and there...Thanks for the vid + other amazing content...😃
Brilliant video!
I now understand why my rusty but trusty 1982 Volvo 240 DL, 4 speed manual (+ push button overdrive) SAVED MY LIFE by not exploding 25 years ago! Back story… I was a working student and just worked a late shift on a snowy blizzard night in Minnesota… after clearing 14” of snow from top of the ‘beige brick beauty’… I started my journey home…. Immediately, traction was non-existent.. even as a poor kid, I always had appreciation for quality and aesthetics.. so of course I had found a set of used aluminum
wheels off a turbo model from a junkyard.. they had some pits and patina, but were still much nicer looking than the original steel wheels. The only downside - the mismatched 195/60-15 rubber were well past prime… and so it began, slipping & sliding, made it a few miles and finally stuck.. out came the shovel, unstuck and moving again… slowly! If anyone has driven a real wheel drive with bald tires, not weight in trunk… you know what I mean. After 3 hours of this, I began to get angry.. the last straw was a bridge with a slight incline… I made it halfway and then stuck. Could not proceed.. so I threw it in reverse and FLOORED the gas until finally off the bridge (there were no cars behind me). And then something happened. The car was overheating.. the temp gauge was pHOT and wasn’t coming down.
My husband's mom started off with a Volvo 340DL then his dad had a 340GL as a works company car. Then they graduated up eventually to an 840.
The 840 suffered a slow speed rear end collision from a Vauxhall Astra, nothing seemingly happened to the Volvo however, the young lad's Astra, which was his first car, looked like it had run into a wall. They took the Volvo to the dealers to be sure it was OK and all that had happened was that the number plate panel was slightly distorted. This was just rejigged straight. Job done. Built like a tank.
His mother chose Volvos to ferry round his 3 younger sisters in safety. It did an excellent job!
I'm loving this video. My 1990 Volvo 240DL Estate with the automatic is still running like new at 620,000 km. I'm just now at the point where you start the red 244. It needs a tune up and carburetor set up. It should start MUCH quicker than that. Our 81 had the 2.1 litre with side draught Zenith carburetor and even at -40 degrees it started better than that
Hello Michael how are you doing 😊
Rust and the wiring harness sent more 240s to the crusher than anything. One of them is easy to fix.
🤣
That pre 90s wiring harness was the worst. We didn’t get the rust issues here out west
@@dartdude4084You are so lucky with that. Even today cars from California are imported into the Netherlands sometimes and they always have ridiculously low rust for their age.
@@elmanitasdeplomo my Volvo GT has rust in the trunk lid. Came from the Oregon coast though