1988 240 Driver Door Repairs

[Synfony]

Hi, folks. This is my first post. I've got a nice 1988 240 wagon that bravely sacrificed itself to keep me from becoming road pudding. It has over 300k miles on it (the odometer quit at 290k, however...) It still drives, but the door is smashed, and because of that, it's having issues with draining the battery. No lie--it makes a grinding noise now and again, which i interpret to be some sort of electrical short associated with the power door locks. Every time i leave it too long without driving, i need a jump. Also, the door won't lock, and it presses into the rear left door as well. here's a photo of the damage:

It makes me sad just to see it. The B-pillar does not seem to have accrued much damage--there's a minor dent in it, but the pillar itself does not seem to be pushed out of alignment.

I'm a student on a limited budget, but i do have access to a lot of standard tools such as wrenches, mallets, screwdrivers, clamps, etc. Anyone with any suggestions on how i can improve the function of the door (and/or alleviate the battery draining) is encouraged to share your experiences and knowledge.

Thanks very much.

[billofdurham]

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

That door doesn't look too healthy but it did keep you from harm.

Without seeing it up close it is hard to advise what can be done as a temporary repair. However, I would not consider hammering any of it but would find a door in a scrapyard and put that on.

As a temporary measure to stop the battery drain disconnect it if you are leaving it for any length of time.

Bill.

[Synfony]

Thanks for responding to me, Bill. I visit England every other year, and I love your country.
Now about the car: I took the inside panel off and rummaged around inside of it. the door lock mechanism is pressed upon by the crimped-in skin, and it appears to be trying to pull down on itself periodically. This is the motor noise i've been hearing. I just disconnected the electrical cable at the connector...so far, no noises. this'll save me having to disconnect my battery before i go to classes every single day.
And yes, i do need a new door. I'm still browsing the parts for sale section of this site. A local salvage yard quoted me $250 for a door that won't even be the right colour... I'm hoping i can avoid paying so darned much by going through someone parting out an old 240. I hear that the front doors on the 240 sedans are compatible with the front doors on the wagons...any way to find out how true this is?

Thanks loads.

[billofdurham]

I hear that the front doors on the 240 sedans are compatible with the front doors on the wagons.

That is correct. In fact you can use the doors from 1980 to 1993. Volvo did well to keep them the same for so long.

Bill.

[MadeInJapan]

I may have a solution...let me check to see if this blue '91 240 is still around. I could probably just 'have' the front door off of it- if I remember correctly, it's still in good shape...it's even the same color! I'll post back what I find out. Btw, where are you, Synfony?

[Synfony]

I obtained a replacement door from off a 1984 240 wagon (two doors, in fact, also some nice rims, new tires, two new bucket seats and a replacement glove box....made out like a pirate). Spent all day doing replacements today and finally, after much heaving and huffing and cursing, got it hung. problem is--we can't get it hung so that it'll both latch and close. the post on the pillar-half of the latch hits the crest of the hookshaped part of the door latch. it's a bit too low. if we lower the door, it won't shut enough to even make contact with the latch. further problems include the fact that we can't move the latch with the outside handle. We can't see well enough to note what's going wrong with the mechanism.
What could be going wrong, and what should we do? If anyone needs photos or video, i can provide.

[billofdurham]

The first thing to check is that there is no damage to the pillar at all. After a bump causing that amount of damage to the door I was surprised when you said the pillar was not damaged.

Both the door latch and the striker plate on the pillar are adjustable. Slacken off the retaining screws on one or the other and try again. You may need to do this several times as it is trial and error. I should start with the striker plate as it has possibly moved in the impact. For possibly read probably.

Bill.