1980 Volvo 242

Removed the seats and carpet, changed seat brackets and replaced a torn seat support diaphragm. Inspected beneath the sound insulation and repaired rust before refitting low-mileage carpet dyed black. Further dashboard crack repair and reflocking were planned.

Found significant internal damage while resolving timing and running issues. Teardown traced the foreign object damage to a ball from the cam-cover installation tool. Removed the engine and shifted toward rebuilding a replacement B5244T5.

Diagnosed severe crank sensor noise present only while the starter ran. Replacing crank sensors, starters and ECU hardware did not resolve it; a trial MaxxECU installation behaved the same way. Removed the transmission, cleaned the bellhousing-to-block mating faces and chased the bolt threads. The interference disappeared and the car started again. Reinstalled Megasquirt and changed the second batch of break-in oil.

Replaced the small Odyssey battery with a factory-size battery. Retrofitted the factory bracket and tray that had been shaved from the engine bay. Finished fitting the flex-fuel sensor before delivering the car for dyno tuning.

Delivered the car in March for flex-fuel dyno tuning. Baseline output was 274 whp and 282 wtq. On E85 it made 366 whp and 381 wtq with peak boost around 21 psi. The shop installed a wastegate, fuel pressure sender and fuel pump, and rewired the pump. Boost control remained slow. The wastegate installation damaged adjacent finishes, which were later repaired. A hot restart problem progressed to a no-start.

Removed and refinished the axle housing, replaced the polyurethane trailing arm bushings with Kaplhenke spherical bearings and set carrier backlash with shims and new bearings. Tacked the 12-tooth trigger wheel to the differential carrier and installed the aluminum cover.

Installed NOS trunk trim panels, carpet and covers for the fuel pump wiring and filler neck. Made a textured quarter-inch HDPE seat-back panel isolated with one-eighth-inch closed-cell foam and mounted a Rockville RW10CA powered subwoofer.

Rapid oil consumption led to a low-oil event less than 3,000 miles after the engine assembly. Leakdown was 22 percent on all five cylinders into the crankcase and crankcase vacuum was very low. Teardown found scratched bores, scuffed piston skirts and worn rod bearings. Excessive base ignition advance discovered earlier was a possible cause of the piston heat damage.

Removed the scavenge pump setup after a couple thousand miles on the replacement engine. Opened the return fitting for flow and routed the drain into the sump wing with Aeroquip hose, Setrab push-lock fittings and a heat-reflective sleeve.

Fixed a coolant leak at the water pipe O-ring and drove the first 15 miles. Used break-in oil, varied RPM below 4,000 and kept throttle below 60 percent.

Removed the engine after oil consumption persisted. Cylinder 4 had a melted piston and the remaining pistons had broken ring lands. Oil-induced detonation over time was the working diagnosis, with about 240,000 miles on the original pistons. Replaced the bottom end with a forged-piston engine.

Tried a factory-port gravity return, then fabricated a turbo oil accumulator and electric scavenge pump installation. The second accumulator included a -6AN atmospheric vent and the pump mounted on the driver side of the bellhousing with -10AN Aeroquip hose. The vent greatly reduced apparent oil consumption, though later teardown revealed piston damage.

A sheared turbo stud led to removal of the manifold. Replaced the fasteners with dual-pitch studs, silver-plated Inconel nuts and Nord-Lock washers, added fresh gaskets and recoated the manifold and turbine housing in charcoal Stove Brite. Added an EGT port. Oil smoke continued after a two-hour drive despite testing smaller turbo oil feed restrictors.

Installed Energy Suspension 9.6107G isolators with the five-inch rear springs. The isolators fit snugly around the Afco adjuster threads and reduced rear suspension noise and impact harshness.

Replaced the stiff Yoshifab engine mounts with Genuine Volvo diesel passenger-side mounts. Installed a refurbished steering rack and later a new power steering pump. Corrected 35 to 55 mph driveline vibration by flipping the rear driveshaft yoke back into phase. Welded reinforced transmission crossmember mounting points and restored the proper rubber bushings and steel sleeves. Added an adjustable clutch stop, replaced the cracked M5 giubo and fitted rear-window louvers.

Attended the VCOA National Meet with four 242s in the group. Set the quickest lap in the Volvo-only autocross on the karting circuit and drove parade laps on Road America.

Started the five-cylinder for the first time. Subsequent work included setting base ignition timing and loading initial fuel and ignition maps.

Repaired stripped cam cover bolt holes with Keenserts and fresh Volvo anaerobic sealant. Replaced the failed brake booster and radiator plug grommet, fitted more resilient silicone IAC hoses and powdercoated the charge pipes and GT braces black.

Drove to Eurowerks in Minneapolis. Received the Sleeper award chosen by local police and Broadway Auto Tech's Favorite award. The car had covered 12,202 miles since its first drive.

Dismantled the 16T, replaced wear parts with a genuine Mitsubishi rebuild kit and had the assembly machined and balanced for an 11-blade billet 20T compressor wheel and housing.

Reinstalled the Buchka wasted-spark setup after identifying a faulty EZK box as the earlier problem. The engine ran more smoothly. Fitted 235/40R17 Falken RT615K tires to the BBS RC304 wheels and added Yoshifab strut tower reinforcement plates to raise the brace clear of the fuel rail.

Replaced the seeping brass radiator with a 1992-and-later 940 NA radiator. Trimmed the lower plastic standoffs and drain, flattened the lower core tabs and adjusted the upper support for clearance. Reworked coolant hoses, the intake pipe and its support bracket, increased the PCV return to one inch and added an upper intercooler mounting bracket.

Had the car aligned after prolonged driving with a poor alignment. Handling improved, but more caster was still desired.

Drove to the VCOA Midsommar meet in Hannibal, Missouri. Koni Race front coilovers had been fitted before the trip. A leaking IAC bung in the charge pipe was replaced with a welded one-piece pipe to address lean behavior at boost onset.

Installed Koni Race rear shocks, trailing arms shortened 20mm with new Genuine Volvo bushings, and a plated iPd adjustable panhard bar. The rear suspension rode better and felt more settled.

Drove the car in a circle in the driveway with the B230FT and Getrag installed. Brakes and driveline were in place, with exhaust work still to finish.

Replaced the leaking modified B21 valve cover with a 530 cover. Changed the front springs from 336 lb to 450 lb Eibachs with 250 lb rear springs, improving balance but pushing the short Bilsteins beyond their comfort zone. Installed a Mann ProVent and reworked the intake for its return. About 7,500 miles had been driven since getting the car on the road.