Just bought my first volvo and need help!!!

Post by **rickm** » 02 Sep 2004 01:37 pm

Just purchased a 1989 340 Le 1.4, Well impressed with it but need to know how much thrashin they can take. also does anyone know of some simple tuning that i can do to it.

Post by **5lab** » 02 Sep 2004 01:41 pm

simplist way to get it to go faster is to sell it and get a 360 glt. simple as that. if you thrash a 1.4 the driveshaft wont last too long (i've killed 2) and you'll probably end up backwards in a tree, but i'm sure you'll have fun getting there

btw, volvo never made an 'le' model afaik

Post by **Chris_C** » 02 Sep 2004 10:48 pm

Ahh, mines stood the test, I've had it for 3 1/2 years and it still is on the original driveshaft (though it does sound like it's starting to slip

) As for tuning, yeah, not much as far as I can see. Still think it must be possible to get a 5 turbo on there though, but people who know more than me say it isn't.

Post by **5lab** » 03 Sep 2004 08:08 am

yeah the turbo wont fit under the lid. you can put an alpine engine in, or you could drop in a 200bhp b14 overboared to 1.6, like that rallycross car..

Post by **foggyjames** » 04 Sep 2004 11:10 pm

How durable are they? Well the engine will take it, but the drivetrain is the problem. I think Hugh's problems relate partially to his colossal mileage (maybe sagging engine mounts making the problem worse?), but a low mileage example ought to be able to take plenty of stick, as the drive train is virtually the same as in the 1.7. The 1.4 is a nice revvy unit....enjoy it!

The Renault 5 Turbo engine won't fit because the turbo goes where the heater box is on a 300. Do some custom pipe plumbing (not so hard!), and it would fit, and make an excellent upgrade...but watch for the drivetrain weakness...and then there's insurance...

My advice if you want to hot it up is to start your research in Renault 5 country...they had the same series of engines, and unlike the army of 300-owning grandparents, they'll have done their performance homework. Don't bother with toss like air filters and exhausts unless you want them for the noise. Look towards proper performance stuff like a hotter camshaft, and a flowed head...maybe higher compression pistons and a better flowing carb...and then get saving for (the insurance on) a car which isn't terminally underpowered (like I am)

There was an LE model, and I have the badge from one here. It was a standard DL, but with a sunroof, red stripe on the bumper, rear spoiler, and velour seats. There was also a special edition (of the 340, as well as the more famous 360 GLE SE).

cheers

James

Post by **Chris_C** » 06 Sep 2004 11:24 pm

Might have to do some more research into the turbo, insurance is quiet low for me now. Always got put off by peeps saying its not poss, but it must be. Anyone got anywhere good to look (or books) for turbo info, i.e. calculations and theory? Off hand, how much difference would pipe lengths make to the engine turbo combo if they did have to be re-plumbed?

Post by **foggyjames** » 09 Sep 2004 10:33 pm

Well you could probably do a better job than in the Renault 5! The turbo is only where it is in one of those because of a lack of space. People do all sorts of things with turbo positioning, and it always works! The thing to do would be to get a Ren 5 Turbo engine that isn't shafted (a challenge in itself...), then figure out where the turbo needs to go. From there, you need to get a custom exhaust manifold welded - or do it yourself. The easy thing is to copy the original as closely as possible, but if you have to go 'freestyle', there are a range of excellent texts available on all aspects of building a turbo engine.

Be warned though, do anything custom, and the insurance goes mental. My best quote for a 360 Turbo (105>182 bhp) was 3x my current one.

To be honest, I'd just get a 360 GLT. The Ren 5 Turbo is only about 120bhp (if that...the memory is rather hazy), so unless you plan to work on the engine when done (easy but expensive), I wouldn't bother.

cheers

James

Post by **5lab** » 09 Sep 2004 11:24 pm

a better option for performance boost would probably be a 1.7 turbo from a 400. more power, although less tunable, its less likely to have been ragged to death..

Post by **foggyjames** » 09 Sep 2004 11:59 pm

Very much agreed. A lot more work, but greater results too. Plus just raise the boost pressure and you've got a free 30bhp.

I'd like to see the R5GTT swap purely because it'd be cool!

cheers

James

Post by **5lab** » 10 Sep 2004 08:28 am

i dont think it would be much more work as its just a b172 with a turbo surely?

Post by **foggyjames** » 10 Sep 2004 11:29 am

True, but we are starting with a B14 here.

Even if we did have a B172 to play with, its more complex because the B18FT is injection (loads of wiring), you'd need to swap the bottom end to the lower compression version, and you'll definitely have to do something with the propshaft.

I'm fairly sure that a GTT engine is carb, (like a metro turbo).

Having said that, neither is much work really, and a B18FT would still be a Volvo engine!

cheers

James

Post by **5lab** » 10 Sep 2004 11:38 am

the 440 turbo is a b18?? i was sure it was the same block as the mk1 440s, but with a turbo bolted on (ie a 1.7 carb..)

Post by **foggyjames** » 10 Sep 2004 12:04 pm

You're quite right - my bad - I meant B17FT. They called the 1.8 400 a B18U (B18A and E being the old 1.8 OHV redblock engine).

It is just a 440 engine with a turbo added, but they dropped the '2' from B172 for the 400 series. It's a fairly complex (and stupid!) numbering system, and I can't remember the finer details right now!

cheers

James

Post by **5lab** » 10 Sep 2004 12:06 pm

so. it'd just drop straight in where a 172 had been?

Post by **special** » 10 Sep 2004 12:44 pm

of cause you could also go for the renault 19 engines
such as the 16v unit that might be more interesting and cheaper (probably)