I recently purchased my first Volvo, a 1988 240DL with manual transmission. It really is in nice shape for the age. Runs/drives nice, 210k miles, no rust, decent paint, near perfect interior. I only paid $575 due to a rather sever oil leak. The owner assured me it had only lost a quart of oil before realizing it was leaking. He smelled a burning odor (oil on the exhaust) after about a 5 mile drive and discovered a puddle of oil under the car. He had recently installed all new brakes and a new timing belt within the last 6 months (to the tune of about $1200) and didn't want to "pour" any more money into it.

I replaced a clogged Flame Trap which I understand is what probably caused the leak. The leak is coming from the oil pan gasket on the passenger side of the engine. It's very obvious that this is the location since it's streaming from the edge of the pan.

The procedure in the Haynes manual I just purchased seems too simple. Remove the bell-housing/engine brace. Remove the oil pan bolts. Give the pan a tap to loosen it, then detach the pan from the engine. Heck! I can't even get access to a few of the bolts because of a crossmember and steering rack running under the engine. Besides that, there is only about an inch or less of clearance between the pan and the crossmember. How could it possibly come off even if I could get to the bolts

My question. Are there steps missing? Obviously there are but the Haynes manual is not going to help. Does anybody have a suggestion for a better manual or know of a procedure posted online? Is the procedure one you could share via this post (without making you write a book)?

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated!

Regards,
-Mark

PS. Can anyone recommend a good mechanic in Indy (Indianapolis, IN)?

 

Welcome to the forum.

Haynes does tend to miss bits out but I can't recommend any other as I am from the UK.

This is from a Volvo publication. I hope it helps.

[IMG]local://upfiles/4491/01C1DEBFC75F40B68D61D448CDA70045.jpg[/IMG]

 

The 740 Haynes guide says you need a hoist to lift the engine up so as to access the engine mounting bolts. Also, the Bentley manual gives instructions on removing the oil pump, which includes removing the oil pan. It also says you need an engine hoist. Not as simple as the old days when the oil pan was in plain view.

Also, check out www.stepbystepvolvo.com for some other hints on 240 Volvos.

 

Test msg to see if it posts. Lotsa problems posting.

 

Support the engine, remove engine mounts, lift engine slightly, remove front cross member.

 

Note: Been trying to reply in for the past few days but kept getting an error.
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Thanks for the input so far. At this point it looks

I know how I can raise/support the engine from above, however removing the crossmember doesn't look too easy as it is part of the front suspension. The lower a-arms are attached to it as well as the steering rack. I'm worried that once the crossmember bolts are removed, things might "spring" apart.

Sadly all the instructions I've seen so far are too simplified. I wish it were as easy as "remove crossmember". If I can, I'm thinking I may have to document and photograph my attempt at installing the gasket. I would think with all the warnings and problems people have had regarding the Flame Trap and seals blowing out, someone would have had to do their own oil pan gasket.

Well, wish me luck. I may be at it sometime in the next few days. I'd love to get this car on the road as it really is a nice ride.

-Mark

 

Trying to post is very frustrating. I've posted more detailed procedures twice and they get sent to cyberspace.

The engine must be lifted slightly from above. That means an engine hoist or a support arm across the fender wells.

Removing the oil pan is a big job.

If this posts I'll try to add some later.

 

Thanks for trying. Oddly I finally discovered that I couldn't reply until I deleted the word l-i-k-e. I even had to hyphenate it here because I had the same problem! How strange is that! I type about a sentence and click preview to test it.

If you want you can email me directly to: mark at kippert dot com