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Car Forum / Volvo Cars / September 2004Adding a turbo?
Looking to buy my first Volvo (see previous post - if you have a 240 or 740 anywhere near Lafayette, IN, please sell it to me!), and I'm curious about what is involved in adding a turbo. I'm guessing I'll end up with a 240 wagon. I know some of the 240s came with turbos, but not the wagons, it seems. Are the parts readily available to add a turbo to the wagon? What is required? Am I better off just buying a parts car and swapping it all in? Are there significant engine management issues to contend with by adding a turbo to a non-turbo car? Aaron '92 Pathfinder '70 Beetle project '88 MR2 NA > Looking to buy my first Volvo (see previous post - if you have a 240 or 740 > anywhere near Lafayette, IN, please sell it to me!), and I'm curious about [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > '70 Beetle project > '88 MR2 NA 240 Turbos came in wagons, 2 door, and 4 door sedans from '81 up until '85. After that only the 700 series was available with the turbo, again both in sedans and wagons. They're not particularly rare, but finding a nice specimine is becomming increasingly difficult. The newest 240 Turbos are two decades old, and the majority of those that turn up for sale have been neglected or abused. When you find one, be prepared to drop a grand or more into catching up on maintenance and fixing it up. They're wonderful cars when in top condition and a lot of fun to drive and can take a beating but they won't put up to neglect the way a N/A engine will. As for adding a turbo, it's been done, but it's certainly not cheap or particularly easy. There's enough differences that you pretty much have to swap in an entire motor from a turbo car, as well as fuel pump, some plumbing, intercooler, all the air hoses, fuel injection system, wiring harness, boost guage, and fabricate a custom downpipe for the exhaust. If you want it to handle like the factory turbo cars it'll still need shocks, swaybars and 15" alloy rims. If you take this route you're probably better off with a B230FT from a later 700 or 900 series turbo. > As for adding a turbo, it's been done, but it's certainly not cheap or > particularly easy. There's enough differences that you pretty much have to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > swaybars and 15" alloy rims. If you take this route you're probably better > off with a B230FT from a later 700 or 900 series turbo. I've been looking at doing this to my 90 240. On a late model car it really doesn't seem to be that difficult (Having spent many hours looking into it) IF you have a reasonable amount of mechanical knowledge or take the time to know what your doing. The biggest issue I have is that my car is RHD with the larger steering shaft. Not much clearance for the turbo setup. Turbobricks has it all. AJS > > As for adding a turbo, it's been done, but it's certainly not cheap or > > particularly easy. There's enough differences that you pretty much have to [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > AJS Being in the UK (I assume since RHD) you have the advantage that a donor car with a good motor is probably quite a bit cheaper than it would be here, as is the '90 240 you're putting it into. There's nothing particularly difficult about the process, it's just quite involved and can get expensive real quick. i would say it all hinges on your tools/shop and mechanical abilities...me, being an account and a "shade tree mechanic" would just buy a "fixer upper" turbo (volvo factory) and go from there...i think the factory "has it right" and you may pump a lot of $$ before your conversion started to come close to the factory set ups...i ended up picking up a 1993 940t and going from there...you can choose from a lot of enhansements...but, a factory turbo volvo isn't a bad platform to start a build up from.....it just seems to me there is a lot more than just adding a turbo to make the brick fly...for one thing, you will creat a lot of stress on things overall...drive train, chassis, brakes...etc...also, some of the ecu's and electrical systems are effected...a few issues to condider...but i like james's advice re www.turbobricks.com ...that web site and volvo veterans will tell you all you need to know about volvo turbos...it is an amazing site of volvo info!! good luck !! > > > As for adding a turbo, it's been done, but it's certainly not cheap or > > > particularly easy. There's enough differences that you pretty much have [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > difficult about the process, it's just quite involved and can get expensive > real quick. I don't think you could just add a turbo to an engine. I think the engine has to be built to take the extra compression the turbo provides. <grin> compression and a whole lot of other %$#@ that goes with it...i am pretty sure the turbo drive lines are beefier...i know the drive line is the weak spot in the new s60r on the race track...the stresses are much higher in the turbo systems.....i am on my 3rd tranny after driving around "over boosted" for a few thousand miles...(my 1993 940t) ... i have the boost turned up to 14-16 psi (as needed)....tranny seems smooth and good (when working) ... but i have blown out two tranny's so far...just put the 3rd one in...so far, so good..... > I don't think you could just add a turbo to an engine. I think the engine has > to be built to take the extra compression the turbo provides. > <grin> compression and a whole lot of other %$#@ that > goes with it...i am pretty sure the turbo drive lines [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > tranny's so far...just put the 3rd one in...so far, > so good..... Perhaps surprisingly, they're not. The turbo cars never had the AW-70, the ZF, or the M47 5 speed but they used the same M46 and AW-71 as many of the N/A cars. Drivetrain is identical, brakes are the same except all the turbos had vented front rotors and some N/A's had plain solid rotors. There's really not very many differences under there, but there is a lot under the hood. I would certainly go with a factory turbo Volvo (as I have) but then again if you're dead set on a late model 240 and you want a turbo, the only way to get one is to make one. how about torque converters?...and some of the cooling parts...don't the turbo systems require additional coolant lines for oil and coolant to get routed through the turbo?... > > <grin> compression and a whole lot of other %$#@ that > > goes with it...i am pretty sure the turbo drive lines [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > again if you're dead set on a late model 240 and you want a turbo, the only > way to get one is to make one. > how about torque converters?...and some of the cooling parts...don't > the turbo systems require additional coolant lines for oil and coolant > to get routed through the turbo?... The torque converters *may* have a different stall speed but I don't know offhand, never cared for the slushboxes anyway. Forgot about the oil cooler, yes the turbo models do have an engine oil cooler, it's a fairly simple bolt-on though, uses an adapter plate under the oil filter. > I don't think you could just add a turbo to an engine. I think the engine has > to be built to take the extra compression the turbo provides. It is possible and is routinely done with cars that were never offered with a turbo, to do it right requires a lot of work though and without doing a ton of modifications it'll never behave as well as a factory turbo'd engine. Some engines take it a lot better than others too, I've seen a few Subaru RS's that had been aftermarket turbocharged, and there's a whole slew of people doing it to rice rockets though those can be harder to spot because there's such a glut of all show and no go examples of those out there. Certainly if a factory turbo'd engine is available, that's the route to take. |
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