SKANDIX - Your quality choice in VOLVO and SAAB car parts

Main page » News » Refreshing the Volvo 200 - Engine and mixture preparation

Refreshing the Volvo 200 - Engine and mixture preparation

04.08.2023

The previous two parts of this article dealt with the interior and the body, in this third part of the article series we will turn our attention to the almost indestructible engines of the 200 Volvo.

• The engines
• The mixture preparation

As mentioned earlier, the 200 is a true long-running car, and the engineering in particular has contributed to its reputation as a stoic endurance car. With the four-cylinder naturally aspirated engines, astronomical mileages into the seven-figure range are possible and well-known with good maintenance. It is not uncommon even today to find vehicles that are first or second hand and have mileages that degrade many other cars to disposable items.

The reputation for indestructibility has its drawbacks, of course: These Volvos were often bought by car "end users" as cheap second-hand cars and then simply driven. Often, they only repaired what was absolutely necessary. If the repair backlog was too big, the next car came along.

The days of the 200 as a cheap used car are long gone. The last examples will turn thirty this year and the price trend for good cars is on the rise; even a 245 with a B230F is no longer a rarity.

To make sure that the good car stays good, we show you here the peculiarities of the technology and possibilities for maintenance. Basically, a 200 is still a solid everyday companion whose maintenance is, moreover, quite simple in most cases.

The engines

Very early 240s still have the B20 familiar from Amazon, P1800 and 140. The valve clearance of this spur gear OHV four-cylinder should be checked regularly. The valve cover gasket - also available in cork or rubber versions - should always be replaced. If it has hardened, it no longer seals properly and the cover is often overtightened, as a result of which it warps and the gasket no longer seals at all. New valve covers come in various versions.

To squeeze more power out of the engine, R-Sport tuning parts are a good choice, such as the Weber 45 DCOE carburettor kit or the R-Sport air filter.

The original head gears made from Novotex like to suffer from signs of disintegration with age, if it rattles out of the control housing they should be replaced immediately, there is a risk of engine damage. Replacement every 10-15 years can prevent this. More durable are spur gear sets in the aluminium-steel version, here the teeth cannot come off the wheel.

The ignition, like on the later B19-B23s up to 1985, is still a classic contact breaker ignition, where the breaker left/right must be regularly checked and adjusted or replaced. The ignition condenser (or 1000834) is also occasionally worn. Distributor caps (see also 1001757 or 1021304) and Distributor runners are all available (see also 1001756, 1081973 or 1013680).

If you want to avoid this maintenance hassle, you can upgrade all these engines to a modern electronic ignition from 123ignition (or 1028005, 1049657). Should the distributor shaft ever wear out, this is also more economical than having the original distributor overhauled.

Parts for complete engine overhauls such as sealing kits (or 1000474), pistons, bearing kits or camshafts are available.

Like the later B200 and B230, the B19-23 built from 1975 onwards are modern OHC engines with light alloy heads and bucket tappets. Camshaft drive is via toothed belts, which of course need to be replaced at regular intervals. Those who have the crankshaft counterholder can do the change themselves quite easily, no other special tools are needed.

The valves on OHC engines also need to be adjusted. To do this, the adjusting washers in the tappet cups are changed, a crankshaft retainer is required for this.

If OHC engines, also called "Redblock", suffer from oil loss at higher mileages, a blocked crankcase ventilation is often to blame. The engine usually stops leaking after replacing this oil trap (or 1016020) or the flame screen (or 1007949) without even having to replace a seal. Leaks in the water pump are usually only caused by the two sealing rings (or 1000153) to the cylinder head and water pipe; more rarely, the robust, easy-to-replace water pump (or 1000012) is actually defective.

In general, loss of coolant is a reason to check one or the other of the 240: Heating valves tend to leak, and the ones currently available are sometimes not much good. For this reason, we have developed a heavy-duty version.

Engine radiator (or 1015453) and Heat exchanger (or 1014832) are often already leaking easily, have lost fins or may be partially clogged due to age and sometimes poor coolant. Cleaning the cooling system can help, but sometimes a replacement or, in the case of full metal radiators, a new mesh is due.

It goes without saying that the ribbed belts for driving the fan and water pump should be regularly checked and replaced or retightened. Of course, they do not have the service life of modern ribbed belts. In the past, one of each size belonged in the boot, but today this is often forgotten.

VW's 6-cylinder diesel engines are somewhat sensitive when it comes to cooling, so they should always be tight and in top condition. Otherwise, with good maintenance, they are also long-running, and of course more economical as diesels. The timing belt intervals (camshaft and injection pump) must be strictly adhered to, and the water pump must always be replaced as well. With a sensibly adjusted delivery start, the diesel is economical and the D24 in particular sounds very pleasant. Almost all parts for the diesel engines are also available, engine overhauls are possible without any problems.

The "Euro V6" engines, also called "PRV". B27-B280 of the Volvo 260 are a joint development of Volvo with Peugeot and Renault. This engine was also used in the DeLorean made famous by "Back to the Future". The light alloy engine with timing chain has wet running bushes. This circumstance allows engine overhauls without drilling the cylinders, they are simply replaced. For the V6, many parts are also still available, we just had the holders for the K-Jetronic jets made up. The PRV makes the 200 a comfortable glider, especially with automatic. Overall, it is also quite durable. Because it is made entirely of light alloy, the cooling system should also always be in good condition; it quickly resents overheating. Replacing the cylinder head gasket always involves pulling the liners. These often come loose from their base gasket when the head is lifted off. If the paper gaskets (0.10 mm / 0.15 mm) are then not replaced, the result is almost always cooling water in the engine oil.

Cooling water hoses are naturally an issue with the age of the vehicle, even the really good original parts are now often no longer in good condition and should be replaced sooner rather than too late. They are available for all engines almost without exception, and what is no longer available we usually have remanufactured promptly.

Last but not least, each of these engines is only as good as its maintenance, oil changes with filter (or 1004049) should be kept regularly according to the prescribed intervals. The coolant should also not be forgotten; it loses its anti-corrosion properties over time.

The mixture preparation

Due to the long construction period of the 200, various systems were used, from different carburettors to the K- and LH-Jetronic, and of course the Bosch distributor injection pump for the diesel.

The early B20s were available with SU HIF6 and Stromberg carburettors or as injectors. These can usually be repaired with seal and repair kits or are available in exchange. If they are irreparable, they can be replaced quite easily with the reliable HS6 carburettor. This has also been available on the B20 as a single carburettor in the original Volvo 140, it is easier to maintain and is available new. The mechanical fuel pump has also been available again for some time in the original version with glass cover and integrated strainer. This has the advantage of an additional hand feed pump, which shortens the start-up time after a winter break in a starter-friendly way.

The B20F fuel injector has a K-Jetronic in the 240, unlike the 140 and P1800. This variant was only available for just under a year.

On the later B19-B23 carburettor engines, apart from repair, there is the option of upgrading to new Weber 38/38 DGES or DGMS, here an adjustable fuel pressure regulator must be fitted upstream. Seal kits (or 1020323, 1020324) and individual parts are available for most carburettors, also most carburettors are also available in swap.

The K-Jetronic in the B23E or B230E is a reliable and long-lasting injection system, but it does not like long idle times and will cause the control pistons or fuel pumps to seize up. However, modern fuels are not blameless in this circumstance. For engines with K-Jetronic, the flow dividers are sometimes still available in exchange, and the injector nozzles are usually also available. The repair of flow dividers is usually feasible for specialists and is also necessary for turbo engines such as B21ET, where the spare parts situation is critical in some places.

The most recently used LH-Jetronic in version 2.4 is definitely the most frugal mixture preparation in the 200, and on top of that it is clean and economical with lambda control. All important parameter sensors like mass airflow sensor, lambda sensors or temperature sensors are available in good quality and make the B200/230F a low-maintenance and frugal long-runner with good torque.

When a B230F really misbehaves, it's usually due to bypass air because the air intake hose between the mass airflow sensor and the throttle valve is torn. Another cause of rough idling is idle adjuster or mass air flow sensor. The lambda sensor should also be working correctly, otherwise increased consumption and unsightly engine running are not uncommon. Defective engine control units can usually be repaired inexpensively. These defects are all occasional signs of age and will not occur again for the next twenty years after correct repair. Injection valves and fuel pressure regulators for the B230F are available.

Electric fuel pumps (or 1003810, 1004917) are available for all fuel injection systems with the appropriate working pressures.

The Bosch distributor injection pumps of the diesel engines are extremely rarely actually broken, usually they just leak or no longer work correctly due to deposits. Sealing kits for the pumps are available and an appropriate specialist workshop can usually overhaul the pumps without any problems. The injection nozzles tend to lose their opening pressure with age; here, too, a specialist can replace the inserts and readjust the opening pressure.

The bearings of the plastic air filter boxes often break off due to age. For air filter housings that are no longer available, we have a universal clamp repair kit that can almost always be used.

Remanufactured fuel tanks (or 1016541) are available new for both early and late models. The tanks on the 200s are invariably made of sheet steel; especially on the petrol engines, these are subject to corrosion over time, and modern fuels have accelerated this process. For carburettor engines that did not originally have a fuel filter, we strongly recommend retrofitting one. It is not uncommon for tanks to rust more from the inside than from the outside, and in bad cases the fuel lines are really clogged with rust. This problem usually occurs in vehicles that have been parked for long periods of time. Cars that have always been driven rarely have this.

For reasons of age and safety, fuel hoses should be checked regularly and replaced if necessary, if this has not already happened.

The starters and alternators of all engines, which are often made by Bosch, are usually unremarkable and often only require repair or replacement beyond 300,000 kilometres. Replacement parts for repairs are usually available, as are replacement alternators (or. 1001689, 1005691, 1014824, 1016182) and starters (or 1001722).

This is the end of the first part of our technology overview.

The next parts will deal with the steering, transmission and chassis as well as the electrical system of the Volvo 240 and 260.

• share
• share
• share
• share