1985 240 squeaks, and other concerns

[panamared]

Hi all-
I got a good first drive this evening in the new Tan beauty. I'm just trying learn the noises and whatnot and appreciate any help.
1985 245 4 speed
1) I've got a non-escalating squeel, like a belt whine, that goes away when the clutch is depressed. The clutch is pretty stiff, but I'm used to a supple 850 clutch. Any ideas what the squeel might be?
2) It looks like there is a new clutch cable, but the stiffness is notable and the engagement distance is very short. Is that just the nature of the 240, or can I remedy it in some way?
3) There is a short at the drivers side auto locking area. It locks and unlocks at will. Any tips on the best way to remove the door panel, any special tools needed for that? I'm hoping that once I pop it off it will just be a wire that needs wrapping. The solution that the previous owner went with was removing the fuse.

I have very little experience working on cars, and look forward to learning on this one. Thanks for the suggestions!

[billofdurham]

1. When I had my '84 244 I had a squeal from the clutch. As it was my first Volvo I asked one of the fleet mechanics if he knew what it could be. He smiled and told me to leave the car with him. 10 minutes later he told me the squeal was gone. 2 hours later, after I threatened him with all sorts of dire consequences, he told me he had moved the rubber bellows (40 in the attached) on the release fork enough to spray the release bearing (39 on the attached)with WD40. Squeal gone and did not return for 3 years when he repeated the treatment.

240 clutch.pdf

(157.07 KiB) Downloaded 192 times

2. The cable can be adjusted.

240 clutch cable adjustment.pdf

(101.84 KiB) Downloaded 178 times

3. The door panel set-up on the US model differs from that on the UK model but usually the arm rest is held on by two screws hidden by plastic plugs. The front of the arm rest plugs into the door panel so you remove the screws and the pull the front of the arm rest out. The door pocket is held on by clips but at the front it hooks over a peg in the door panel. The front has to be pushed up to avoid breaking the hook. The door panel itself will be held in by several plastic clips which usually break as you try to disengage them.

Bill.

[panamared]

Thanks Bill, I'll get under there asap and let you know how it turns out.

[panamared]

So, I finally got under there and located the rubber boot that covers the secret spot for spraying. I did it twice, and I'm still getting the squeak. I have found that the noise goes away if I lift up on the clutch. Any chance the clutch adjustment will solve all the problems? I don't have wheel ramps yet, so I I cant get clearance under there for two hands.
In other news, I was at the parts yard this weekend and was lucky enough to find a donor car of the same year. I got to practice taking off the door panel and check out the wires leading to the door lock. Why did they use biodegradable wires?? The wires in the donor car were just crumbling, and I fear that mine will look the same. One more question about getting that door panel off...whats the trick for negotiating the window crank? I couldn't figure it out, so I had to rotate the panel around it, not something I'd want to do with my vehicle as it seemed to compromise the panel.
I did manage to get a working tailgate latch from the donor. It wasn't the easiest replacement, but I got it in there.
Parts yards rule.

Thanks to Bill and all the other folks on this forum.

[billofdurham]

Adjusting the clutch may help. The clearance is shown in the attached.

240 clutch cable adjustment.pdf

(101.84 KiB) Downloaded 144 times

Here was I naively thinking that only UK cars still had manual windows so I didn't mention them. These are from Haynes:

Window winder removal.jpg (27.16 KiB) Viewed 981 times

Gently prise out the cover with a small screwdriver at the forward end.

Bill.