90 Volvo 740 GLE

[James Sweet]

That is ridiculous, you should know better.

The buyer is a clueless newbie: he doesn't know what an interference
engine is, for goodness sake.

So how can he wind up with "a good solid car for a thousand bucks and
a bit of
elbow grease," eh?"

He's already into it for over six hundred.

Do you seriously expect a newbie to be able to replace a headliner?

I've done it, and it is a real PITA: he'll most likely be intimidated
by the complexity of the job and farm it out...KA-CHING!

Let's not forget "it sounds like a lawn mower, and (at minimum) needs
new injectors.

Not a task for a newbie.

KA-CHING!

Unknown maintenance history: did he do a compression test?

Of course not: no telling what the valve train, rings and lower end is
like.

Lots of problems evident with the body, too.

No, this newbie, or the intended recipient, is going to spend some
serious coin sorting out this car, Mr. Sweet, your Pollyannaish
optimism notwithstanding.

Maybe you or I could sort it out and not spend much more than our time
on it, but a newbie?

Puh-lease.

Nothing that it needs is beyond what a reasonably determined amature can
figure out with a bit of help from the group. I've been working on Volvos
for 14 years, but when I first started I knew nothing about them. Through
trial and error, a Haynes manual, and advice from the web I've become very
proficient and donate a significant amount of my time to helping others
maintain their bricks. As far as the engine goes, I wouldn't be surprised in
the least if all it needs is some exhaust system attention or checking the
order and condition of the plug wires. I've picked up several cheap cars
over the years as-is with various problems, it's always a gamble but so far
I've been lucky and it's been little things people overlooked and assumed
the problem was much more serious. When I redid my A/C I knew nothing about
it but found enough info here to figure it out. When I did the headliner I
had zero experience there, but found tutorials online and jumped into that.
Looking at that car, I think a good solid weekend of washing, waxing,
scrubbing, polishing, and vacuuming will have it looking presentable, then
he can tackle all the other odds & ends it needs. Put simply, I'd pay 600
bucks for it without batting an eyelid if I didn't already have more cars
than I need.

Are you actually trying to help, or do you just get off by being an a-hole?

 

[Mr. V]

Are you actually trying to help, or do you just get off by being an a-hole?

I am an a-hole who is helping.

You claim that this newbie can use elbow grease and spend less than
four hundred bucks to turn this apparent beater into "a good, solid
car."

Given that it has NO HEADLINER, and runs LIKE A LAWNMOWER, and has a
beat up body, I say NO WAY.

You are imparting FALSE HOPE there, Mr. Sweet, albeit perhaps
unwittingly; you may not know any better.

In contrast, I tell it like it is.

 

[James Sweet]

I am an a-hole who is helping.

You claim that this newbie can use elbow grease and spend less than
four hundred bucks to turn this apparent beater into "a good, solid
car."

Given that it has NO HEADLINER, and runs LIKE A LAWNMOWER, and has a
beat up body, I say NO WAY.

You are imparting FALSE HOPE there, Mr. Sweet, albeit perhaps
unwittingly; you may not know any better.

In contrast, I tell it like it is.

Good solid car as in a reliable runner that won't win any beauty contests.
I've done it, I've seen others do it, it's not rocket science. My friend
bought a beat up 240 for a few hundred bucks that was barely running,
replaced a vacuum hose that had cracked off, did a tuneup with new plugs,
wires, cap, rotor, changed the fluids and it's been a dependable driver.
Another got one that didn't run at all for a song, swapped out the fuel pump
relay, fired it up and drove it home. I bought my daily driver 8 years ago
for 500 bucks, it ran poorly and had water in the oil, I thought the engine
was shot but I did a tuneup and 80K miles later I'm still driving it, I
never did find out how water got in the oil but it never happened again.
Another friend picked up a Saab 900 that "was loud, had no power and the
electrical system was shot" for $250, well the downpipe had a broken weld,
so it was loud as hell. It turned out that the power was fine, and the
electrical system, well both headlights were burned out. The point is it's a
gamble, but 600 bucks is a trivial amount of money to spend on a car, you'd
throw away more than that the moment a new car is driven off the lot. If he
decides to give up on it, I have no doubt he could sell it to someone like
me and recover most if not all of his investment. The 16V cylinder head
alone is a rare part worth a few hundred bucks to guys who put them on turbo
motors to get 300-500+ HP.

No headliner and beat up body in no way affect the drivability, they're
strictly cosmetic. I would fix them personally as time permits, but a lot of
people don't care about that stuff and just want dependable comfortable
transportation. In my extensive experience, the running like a lawnmower is
usually something simple, sure it could be a hole in a piston, dropped
valve, or some other serious damage, but that sort of problem is rare.
Usually with these motors someone has put the plug wires on in the wrong
order due to the weird distributor cap design, vacuum leak, cracked
downpipe, that sorta thing. Most of the parts are cheap and plentiful, no
special tools are needed and the logical layout and spaceous engine
compartment makes these cars a joy to work on. Give the guy some credit,
don't assume he's an idiot just because he's a newbie. He seems willing
enough, and with help from this group I'm sure he'll manage and either way
the education will be worth something. Just because you are unwilling,
incapable, or un-interested in taking on this project doesn't make it
pointless for someone else to try. He's already bought the car so unless
you've got something positive and productive to say, there's no point in
saying anything at all.

 

[Mr. V]

He bought the car as a gift for his uncle: I have to suspect he's not
damn-fool enough to give a car to an uncle as a gift if it has NO
HEADLINER!

That is the OP's biggest problem.

As I posted, a headliner repair in a 740 is a major PITA.

Check on turbobricks: it is a loathed job, one that makes experienced
shade tree Volvo geeks cringe and decide to farm the job out.

It is expensive to farm the job out.

You cannot seriously expect someone with little knowledge about Volvo
repair to hit the ground running and refurbish a beater.

Oh sure, I have done it, but I've worked on these damned cars for more
than 20 years and I know a lot about them: were I a newbie I'd never
dream of taking on such a project: it would be the height of folly,
and setting myself up for failure.

Do I suggest that people not repair their own cars?

Of course not.

I simply say this: do not take on projects which exceed your abiltiy.

Just because I could do it, or Mr. Sweet could do it, does not mean
that anybody can do it.

I take great pride and satisfaction in working on these cars, but it
is a skill I have acquired over time.

Start small, and work up: it's the only sensible way to go.

 

[Roadie]

He didn't pay $255, he paid $603.27.

Did he or someone else pay $603.27? I wasn't clear on that. The
difference is only $350.00 and not really significant. The bigger
issue is whether he has the skills and tools to do the work himself or
the pocketbook to pay someone else. It may be back on the road with
$2k paid out. But since the car was apparently driven with no
headliner that is a very good indication that it was driven with other
significant probles as well.

 

[Mr. V]

Did he or someone else pay $603.27? I wasn't clear on that. The
difference is only $350.00 and not really significant. The bigger
issue is whether he has the skills and tools to do the work himself or
the pocketbook to pay someone else. It may be back on the road with
$2k paid out. But since the car was apparently driven with no
headliner that is a very good indication that it was driven with other
significant probles as well.

He posted that he bid on it and got it, and posted a link to the e-bay
listing for the auction: sale price: $603.27.

From the link: "Up for auction is a 1990 Volvo 740 GLE that was
recently donated to a national charitable foundation and is being sold
with NO RESERVE.
This vehicle appears to run ROUGH AND IS NOT DRIVEABLE ON THE ROAD."

So, the seller bought a beater, a car that is not driveable, rough
body, no headliner, and which was GIVEN AWAY by its prior owner, who
was probably savvy enough to recognize a tax break when he saw it.

I will call a spade a spade: I think the purchaser made a bad bargain.

Let this be a warning to others who hope to find a diamond in the
rough; do not let your grasp exceed your reach.

Still and all, he has until Fall to learn how to repair a headliner,
perform body work, trouble shoot fuel and electrical issues...it will
certainly be a learning experience, IF he buckles down and does it,
instead of giving up in frustration and kicking himself for having
bought this beater.

 

[Mr. Blah Tee Dah]

Did he or someone else pay $603.27?  I wasn't clear on that.  The
difference is only $350.00 and not really significant.  The bigger
issue is whether he has the skills and tools to do the work himself or
the pocketbook to pay someone else.  It may be back on the road with
$2k paid out.  But since the car was apparently driven with no
headliner that is a very good indication that it was driven with other
significant probles as well.

I have a secret weapon, actually. My roomate. He swears by these cars.
There isn't a single component anywhere in the bricks from bumper to
bumper that he hasn't studied. So, while I may be a newbie, he is not.
And the best part is, he works cheap. He's already helped me whip two
previous 740's into shape, before this, that I bought from the same
seller. We have another roomate that owns one, which he's fixed up,
and he of course drives his own, that he keeps in tip top running
shape. So, there you have it. That's what keeps me afloat.

Anyway, long story short, I drove the car home yesterday, with my
roomate following close behind, and it made the 14 mile trip from
Orange to Anaheim with little trouble. It just seems to bog down quite
a bit after stopping at red lights. The check engine light is on,
because the O2 sensor is wasted, and the CAT converter is baked. My
roomate said that driving behind it felt like being put in a gas
chamber on death row, but other than that ... well ... well, hell, it
runs, doesn't it?

Hey, I'm not worried, I've owned other vehicles that were worse gross
polluters than this one is ('90 Dodge Caravan), and I was able to get
them whipped into shape for less than two hundred bucks. As far as the
headliner is concerned, who cares? Like one of you said, it's just
cosmetics. I could give a rat's a$$, and I think my uncle will feel
the same way, because he's riding a bicycle 'cross state, right now,
and he'll just be happy to have SOMETHING.

And who was it that said the body looks like crap? Looks fine to me,
especially for a car that's almost twenty years old. I personally
don't mind a few dings and scartches here and there. It gives the car
character.

Travis

 

[James Sweet]

Anyway, long story short, I drove the car home yesterday, with my

roomate following close behind, and it made the 14 mile trip from
Orange to Anaheim with little trouble. It just seems to bog down quite
a bit after stopping at red lights. The check engine light is on,
because the O2 sensor is wasted, and the CAT converter is baked. My
roomate said that driving behind it felt like being put in a gas
chamber on death row, but other than that ... well ... well, hell, it
runs, doesn't it?

A few things I'd check here:

Timing belt, someone may have changed this themselves, if the timing is off
by only one tooth the engine will run very poorly. If you don't know when it
was changed, change it anyway, but be *very* careful to do it right. This is
probably the most critical maintenance job on the whole car to do correctly
and on time.

Catalytic converter, if this is clogged you'll have very little power.
Timing belt being off can clog the cat, as can a few other things. In my
experience, you can gut a clogged cat and the car will still do well on the
emissions test, but this may not be true in CA. If you're sure it's clogged,
gut it for testing and buy a new one once you make sure the cause of the
clogging is fixed.

Air mass meter, failure here can cause the engine to run very rich, these
are spendy but if you can find a good used one, it's nice to have as a
spare. Most of the time when I see these fail, the engine won't even stay
running unless you unplug it, then it will run kinda sorta ok when warm.

Vacuum leaks, particularly the corrugated hose from the air mass meter to
the throttle, they like to wear through when they rub on the body anywhere.
A failure here on NA motors will cause lean running.

Ignition firing order, this should be 1-3-4-2, look at your friends 740 to
see what order the wires plug into the distributor since the posts are
inline. As I recall, it's not very intuitive.

Fuel pressure regulator, this is another good item to have a spare of. Mine
failed once and caused it to run rich, took a while to track down what was
going wrong.

Coolant temp sensor, if this fails the ECU can think the engine is always
cold and compensate by enriching the mixture


I suspect I was right and you'll end up with a dependable driver for what
amounts to just a few payments on a crappy new car. You made it home ok so I
doubt anything serious is wrong. I agree, I think it's a good looking car
for 600 bucks, my first car I bought when I was 18 cost me 3 times that and
didn't look any better. Wash it, wax it, polish it, replace the broken
lenses and it'll look presentable. If you wanna get fancy, wash all the
black plastic trim with denatured alcohol and paint it with black plastic
bumper paint, it's amazing what a difference that can make if you take your
time to do a clean job, but focus on the mechanical stuff first, a paint job
won't get you from point A to point B. Good luck and feel free to ping me
with questions. I've been driving and working on these for a long time,
fantastic cars.