Volvo 240 with VW 1.9 TD

Hi All, I came across this company called, "the green car company" on craigslist the other day. I found a TDI for sale and they had a link to their company. They sell used diesel cars and also sell Bio at the dealership in Kirkland WA. Anyway they are taking orders for restored Volvo 240 wagons retrofitted with VW 1.9 turbo diesel engines (don't know if they are TDI or IDI). They are reasonably priced at $11K to $14K with a 2 year warrenty to boot. They are getting 30-35 MPG with an automatic trans.

Here is the link: http://www.greencarco.com/

Anyone in Kirland are been to the dealership? I have a gas powered 240 wagon and wished it had the power and mileage of my TDI. Seems interesting so I thought I would pass it along.

Hmm... if it's not a TDI, I'd be worried that they'd be too gutless. The stock engines for the diesel 240s are the D24 (2.4L inline 6 derived from the 1.6L inline 4 from the A1 and A2 Rabbit/Golf/Jetta diesels) and the D24T (the turbo version of the D24). (Well, OK, I'm sure it could beat the D24, but from what I've heard, that was a VERY gutless engine.)

I'd guess it's an IDI, since they mention "adding an intercooler". A TDI would already have one, wouldn't it?

was the 2.4 sold in the US ?
i always liked the noise they make and the turbo would be okay wouldn't it ?
in europe that engine is also in the LT van
and how about the 5 cyl Audi diesel engine ? the old idi would be an easy swap too I guess

Yeah, the D24 and D24T were available here.

Not at all common, I've never seen one in person, and only seen pics of one online (a D24 240 sedan on eBay, IIRC).

christi said:

was the 2.4 sold in the US ?
i always liked the noise they make and the turbo would be okay wouldn't it ?
in europe that engine is also in the LT van
and how about the 5 cyl Audi diesel engine ? the old idi would be an easy swap too I guess

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Yep. It was a pretty solid if uninspiring car. I had a customer with a 240D that came to us because of our VW strength. Sure looked funny with a belt on both ends of the cam!

Wow...VERY COOL! Wonder if they could build one with a stick shift (love that Volvo M46 4speed+OD). If they actually come through with this we will sell the Passat in a second for one of these.

I think volvos were sold in Europe with 6 cyl VW diesel and manual transmission so it can be done, and probably quite easily

Volvo diesels 1.6 , 2.0 , & 2.4 L VW diesel transplants

Turbo D said:

Hi All, I came across this company called, "the green car company" on craigslist the other day. I found a TDI for sale and they had a link to their company. They sell used diesel cars and also sell Bio at the dealership in Kirkland WA. Anyway they are taking orders for restored Volvo 240 wagons retrofitted with VW 1.9 turbo diesel engines (don't know if they are TDI or IDI). They are reasonably priced at $11K to $14K with a 2 year warrenty to boot. They are getting 30-35 MPG with an automatic trans.

Here is the link: http://www.greencarco.com/

Anyone in Kirland are been to the dealership? I have a gas powered 240 wagon and wished it had the power and mileage of my TDI. Seems interesting so I thought I would pass it along.

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If it is a 1.9 L IDI more than likely its' a Canadian transplant from a Jetta or Golf or maybe a Passat . I have that same engine transplanted into my 85 Jetta TD . It's fast but mpgs are not as good as the origional 1.6 TD .

If it is a factory engine in a 240 series it could be a 2.0 L 5 cyl. TD . Volvo also used a 2.4 L non-turbo diesel in the that car . I can't recall but I think Volvo also used the 1.6 TD in that model .

I owned a 245 wagon with the automatic trans and the 6 cyl. diesel . I also had a couple of friends that had the same set up with 5 spds .

Volvo used the 5 & 6 cyl TDs in the 700 series . 740 & 760 TDs . The 5 spd models got between 35 & 40 mpgs . Autos were rated 28 in "D" mode & high 30s to low 40s in "E"- mode ( Coasting mode ) .

All the Volvo diesel engines are VW / Audi transplants .

While the automatics had that funny automsitc with the E-mode for coasting in city driving . In the E-mode the car went into "N" when ever you let up on the throttle , then shifted back into the appropriat gear for what ever speed you were traveling at the time . In E-mode if you drove correctly operating the throttle with skill coasting whenever possible you could get 40+ mpg US driving around town .

If you drove around in normal "D" drive 28 mpgs on the button were the norm . I owned a many of these in VWs , Audis & Volvos over the years with "E" - mode equipted auto trans and learned a lot about saving fuel in city driving .

Skills I still use to this day to get better mpgs in my city driving as compared to my highway driving . I always get 3 to 5 mpgs more in city driving than on the highway in all my cars .

I attribute my higher mpgs in city driving directly to learning how to drive it correctly the way it was designed to be driven in that crazy E-mode equipted automatic transmission .

The 1.6 four and the 2.0 five never went in Volvos. Also the swap will be more complicated than you guys (and maybe GreenCarCo also) realize, since the Audi diesels (2.0 five and 2.4L six) use a completely different bellhousing bolt pattern than the VW 4-cylinders, even though the internals are mostly the same. Also those engines have the injection pump driven off a second spur belt on the back of the head. I don't think Volvos had the E-mode--wasn't that just VWs and Audis? I thought the Volvo used the same old Volvo AW55 tranny as the gassers (bulletproof, by the way).

v8volvo said:

The 1.6 four and the 2.0 five never went in Volvos. Also the swap will be more complicated than you guys (and maybe GreenCarCo also) realize, since the Audi diesels (2.0 five and 2.4L six) use a completely different bellhousing bolt pattern than the VW 4-cylinders, even though the internals are mostly the same. Also those engines have the injection pump driven off a second spur belt on the back of the head. I don't think Volvos had the E-mode--wasn't that just VWs and Audis? I thought the Volvo used the same old Volvo AW55 tranny as the gassers (bulletproof, by the way).

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740 had the 5 cyl TD and auto with the E-mode , I owned 2 of them .
760 had the 6 cyl. TD I had 1 of these

240 had the non td 6 cyl I only had 1 of these , I was around a bunch of the 245 wagons .

The standard 6-cylinder D24 diesel, as found in the Volvo 240/260 series from 1980 to 1984 in the USA, had 82 HP @ 4800 rpm and 103 lb-ft torque @ 2800 rpm and was pretty gutless, especially with the automatic, but could give 40 MPG with moderate-speed highway driving.

The 6-cylinder D24T turbodiesel, as found in the 740/760 series from 1983 to 1986 in the USA, had 106 HP @ 4800 RPM and 140 lb-ft @ 2400 RPM and was a much more satsifying car to drive. A standard 90 HP TDI, or a 1.9L TD with intercooler (also 90 HP, but less torque than the TDI) would have similar performance, but wouldn't be as smooth as the big six.

Volvo continued using D24-series diesels in Europe until the early '90s, and the best of them was the intercooled D24TIC, with 127 HP @ 4650 RPM and 184 lb-ft torque @ 2400 RPM, using a Garrett T03 turbocharger. It would take a TDI with upgraded chip and injectors to reach this performance level.

A better choice would be the 2.5L European 5-cylinder TDI, which was used in Audis in the early to mid '90s, before the V6 TDI was introduced. In its best factory tune it delivered 140 HP; I'm not sure about its torque rating. Besides, a little 1.9L 4-cylinder VW diesel would look lost under the hood of a Swedish brick; if you've ever seen the D24, it's a LOOONG inline 6-cylinder block, and is funny to see in operation with belts spinning on both the front and rear sides of it!

For posterity's sake, here's the original press release for the Volvo D24 diesel, and also a rather optimistic ad:

Hmm, that made too cheaply comment... I assume that was directed at GM? If it was driected at VW how ironic would that be!

-J

compu_85 said:

Hmm, that made too cheaply comment... I assume that was directed at GM? If it was driected at VW how ironic would that be!

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Definitely GM. But to be honest, all gas-engine-based diesels -- including VW -- suffered from reliability problems in the late '70s and early '80s. The "clean-sheet" diesels from Mercedes and Peugeot were clearly superior during this era. GM made major improvements to their 5.7L diesel in 1981, and their smaller V6 diesel (used in their midsized FWD cars like the Olds Ciera) was a much better engine to begin with, but by then their reputation was already ruined.

The http://www.greencarco.com/ site says they are using 1.9 VW engines (with an added intercooler) that they are importing from Germany. Now if they would only consider doing this with a manual tranny car...

We had a gasser 240 wagon with a 5 speed and it got excellent fuel economy: usually at least 24 mpg and as high as 27.

TM

Our 240 wagon has the automatic, I calculated mileage once at 24 mpg driving in mountain roads mostly. I have to drive it to work next week for 3 days, so I will re-calculate the mpg. I'm not relishing watching the gas needle actually move on my short commute. Yeah the Volvo wagon is not exactly an exciting car but it is reliable and invisable to cops and car thiefs.
As far as the green car company goes, I like that they are attempting this project. Now if they will only install a nice 4 cyl turbo diesel in a older Toyota 4x4 or similar I would be interested. I wonder how DMW registration works and importing to Cali? They must be using 240 wagons with blown diesel engines to allow it to be DMV registered? If they are doing gas to diesel conversions and figured out all the legal mess then perhaps they will do some other cool projects.

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I was wondering if anyone had any info on this company or anyone that used to work there, I have a built aaz engine with a Giles super pump that I would like to swap into a volvo 245. Just looking for info on any problems i may encounter. My understanding is the d24 is based on vw 1.6 idi as is my aaz so in theory it should be an easy swap, mk2 guys say the 1.9 bolts right in to their 1.6. I'm hoping for a similar experience if anyone has any. Thanks.

bhtooefr said:

Yeah, the D24 and D24T were available here.
Not at all common, I've never seen one in person, and only seen pics of one online (a D24 240 sedan on eBay, IIRC).

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I have "some" familiarity with the D24 engine used in a 40kW generator set in an old Ma Bell phone company microwave bunker building owned by a friend of mine. The genset manufacturer bought the basic engine from VW and modified it for vertical operation to save space in phone company applications. The genset has the old Western Electric Bell System and Guardian names on it. Western Electric was still in business up until recently when they officially closed up shop in 2010.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=997524&postcount=52

My genset restoration project in 2002 became the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back and made me trade out of my gas guzzling Subaru WRX and get into a 2002 VW Golf TDI, my first TDI. This was the start of my diesel conversion, like a change of religion. The TDI is much better suited to my 100 mile per day highway commute. Fast forwarding 18 years and more than 900k miles of diesel ownership experience to date, I haven't regretted that decision one bit. No more gassers!

I'm planning to get up to the site sometime this summer to start it up and give it a maintenance run.

The d24 i6 is based on the audi 2L 5 cyl. idi diesel. It shares the bellhousing bolt pattern with the 5 and 6 cyl. VWAG diesels, but not the 4 bangers. So it isn't a simple swap into a 4 cyl. car/ trans. You'd need an adapter plate to use the Volvo trans.

n1das said:

I have "some" familiarity with the D24 engine used in a 40kW generator set in an old Ma Bell phone company microwave bunker building owned by a friend of mine. The genset manufacturer bought the basic engine from VW and modified it for vertical operation to save space in phone company applications. The genset has the old Western Electric Bell System and Guardian names on it. Western Electric was still in business up until recently when they officially closed up shop in 2010.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=997524&postcount=52

My genset restoration project in 2002 became the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back and made me trade out of my gas guzzling Subaru WRX and get into a 2002 VW Golf TDI, my first TDI. This was the start of my diesel conversion, like a change of religion. The TDI is much better suited to my 100 mile per day highway commute. Fast forwarding 18 years and more than 900k miles of diesel ownership experience to date, I haven't regretted that decision one bit. No more gassers!

I'm planning to get up to the site sometime this summer to start it up and give it a maintenance run.

Click to expand...

I took a video of a maintenance run of the genset a couple of years ago and posted it up on YouTube. I forgot I had this video. You can hear that vertically mounted D24 engine roaring along at a precisely governed 3600 RPM and never skips a beat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUPal3nG7AY

Continuing to keep this thread alive, like the monster in a bad moovie, it seems the BHW 2L would be quite nice to stick into a 240. I confess I would go back a Mark and do it to the 142. Some research would be needed; those came with STEEP final drive ratios, and I am not sure a thin enough ring could be fitted. And they're half a century old. In for a penny, in for a pound and might as well go to the trouble of doing un to the far prettier 122.

And just a bit of FYI...the 122 was patterned of Virgil Exner's brilliant 1955 Chrysler St.Regis. I had one of those, 5sp, and 2x4, solid-cammed, 300C engine...
cheers,
Douglas