1987 Volvo 740 GLE Non-turbo Crankshaft Bearings Knocking

OK, the mechanic told me that the crankshaft bearings are knocking. I
have 196,000 miles and he will:

Remove engine, remove crankshaft and bearings, replace or repair
crankshaft, replace bearings, fix front and rear oil leaks (replace
seals), replace front transmission seal, replace timing belt,
re-install engine: $500 labor

How likely is it that I only need bearings and not a new Crankshaft? If
I need a new crankshaft, how much new or used?

Thanks!

 

Tell him to take a hike!! Crankshaft bearings rumble or growl, they do not
knock. Connecting rod big-ends knock. Ask him for the proof of his
diagnosis. Can you hear a deep thumping knocking yourself? If you cannot
hear such a sound then there is no need to strip down the engine and cause,
more problems.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).

 

Thank you for the reply. I have to be diplomatic because this mechanic
is actually a friend of my neighbor who does car repairs as a hobby. He
is retired and I am told does really good work at really good prices.

I surely don't want a mis-diagnosis, but I am sure if an error was
made, it wasn't on purpose. This is why I am doing so much research on
the Internet - to learn for myself and to be sure we do the most
important thing- fix the problem.

Thanks again!

 

I suspect that someone is trying to screw you. First it was the knock
sensor and now it is the crankshaft bearing "knocking" He isn't even using
right terminology. Just what symptoms do are you experiencing?



Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things) http://www.viatrack.ca

void _-void-_ in the obvious place

 

Hi,
I think my lack of knowledge might be the main cause of the problem. I
bought the car last week for $500 bucks, never even haven driven the
car. It was an Professor's car - single owner, 196,000 miles, always
serviced. I spent the first week cleaning the hell out of the car and
degreasing oil off the engine from a front and rear leak.

I changed the plugs, wires and air filter. In the process of removing
and replacing the breather box and flame trap I broke the wire off the
Knock Sensor and repaired it, then replaced it. I haven't run the
engine much at all because at first it wouldn't run well, then when it
ran it was leaking oil so badly I was afraid to run it.

So, last night the guy replaced the distributor and rotor (I think), he
said they were so worn he was surprised it ran at all. Then, when he
test drove the car he said it knocked and he's sure it's the main
bearings.

I don't want to take risks to I want to get into the engine and see for
sure.

Thanks!
JAmie

 

A rod knock is bad. It won't go way as the motor warms up, it will get
worse. Drive it for a while longer and a rod bolt will break and the
offending connecting rod will come through the side of the motor. Then
it will be easy to diagnose the problem. $500 seems really cheap for
what amounts to a lot of work.

Bob

 

Mebbe he knows and mebbe he don't. I recently bought a 240 of the same
vintage for $100. The mechanics at the gas station said that the
bearings were noisey. It had a bad water pump. Sounded real bad until
you looked at where the noise was coming from, and you could see the
water pump flange wobbling a lot. New pump no noise.

Bob

 

Amen to that! I'm all about going for the obvious first. Thing is, I
want the engine and tranny solid so that I can move on to getting this
car back in shape. The local mechanic wanted $250 to drop the tranny
and fix the rear main seal leak. Then he wanted another $225 to change
the timing belt, replace the cam and crank seals up front.

My current mechanic, whom I like a lot better, is charging the same
price to do all of the above, plus take out the engine and see what the
deal is with the crank and bearings.

$500 to pull the engine, replace all the seals front and back, change
the timing belt, check compression, replace the rotor and distributor
cap, check the shocks, struts, ignition wiring, the whole 9 yards - is
A-OK in my book. This guy is retired Air Force who just does this
because he loves it. He's not in it for the money, so I can't knock the
guy, I just want to help and to learn.

Thanks all!

 

That's very unusual for that mileage, what's it sound like? Personally
I'd drive it until the engine dies, if it ever does, and then drop in a
good used motor, they're easy to find and shouldn't cost more than a few
hundred bucks.

 

I suspect he's just not experienced with Volvo, probably does a lot of
work on domestics and is biased by the mileage, at which point most
American motors would be about worn out.

 

Well, that's encouraging, but it's going to cost me about $360 to
replace the front and rear seals + timing belt, so for $140 more I get
the engine removed, inspected and if there's internal damage, I pay for
machining the crank and maybe new bearings.

It would be nice to drive it till it dies, I'm just afraid of where
I'll be stuck if/when it dies.

 

I'd be nervous about ALL the bearings, given the history of a bad oil
leak.

The engine only holds four quarts, and if most of it leaked out, the
bearings will score.

Consider having this fellow do a complete rebuild.

New rod, main and cam bearings.

Disassemble, hot tank and resurface block and head.

New oil pump.

Check, turn and polish crank.

Valve job.

New water pump.

Just do it.

 

Better still, obtain as good an engine as possible and ask him to swap it
in. Should cost less than $500 to do that (straight swap, not a lot of
labour).

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).

 

It's not worth it to do a full rebuild unless the car is pristine or
collectible. Volvo engines are easy to find in good shape, they're
usually the last thing to wear out on those cars unless abused.

 

Depends on how cheap the mechanic will do the work for.

A tear down and rebuild is pretty straight forward, some outside
machining, sure, but with a good labor rate the total shouldn't be much
over $1600 or so.

But yeah, it assumes the car is otherwise in good shape, otherwise
forget throwing much money in it at all, just dump it and buy one in
better shape to keep and refurbish.

 

This car is pristine, for all accounts and purposes - which is why I am
interested. It was a single owner car, the body is immaculate - no
dents, dings or scratches and perfectly straight. The only exterior
blemishes are where there is some fading on the hood, roof and trunk
paint. I plan on repainting these. I need to replace weather stripping
and each of the headlight doors, or moulding.

The interior upholstery and carpet are immaculate. The headliner needs
to be replaced. It's a gold exterior and interior that REALLY shines
when polished. Oh, the dash has I think one crack near the passenger
side.

I'll have pics when I get her back. She has owner service records every
year from 1987 until I think about 1995, or 150,000 miles. That's where
I need to ask a few questions, because it was the same owner, a college
Professor who couldn't work on cars but could drive to the dealer and
pay to fix something when it broke. I really wish he wouldn't have left
the car with those oil leaks.

fingers crossed.

 

I don't know about there, but there's a couple local yards here where I
could go pull a good running B230F for $150, I just can't see it being
worth doing a full rebuild unless the car is *pristine* and you plan on
driving it another 300K.

 

I bought my 244Turbo from a private party about 6 years ago, because
the body was straight (not perfect) and the interior was good.

The engine was tired.

My plan was to keep it for the long haul, which necessitated a tear
down and rebuild, including lowering springs, rebuilt suspension,
rebuilt engine etc.

Taking a chance on a junkyard engine was, frankly, never a viable
option, as the car is my daily driver.

But that's me: this fellow may just be looking for something to tide
him over for awhile, in which case I'd say "Why not?" to a junkyard
engine: spend a few hundred, do the R&R and roll dem bones, what the
heck.

But if you plan on keeping it indefinitely, if you want a reliable rig,
and if you can afford it, rebuild it.

 

Turbo is a bit different, the 240 Turbos are special cars, there's not a
whole lot of nice ones around anymore and the turbo motors get worked a
lot harder as well as it's a lot more difficult to find a good used one.
It's worthwhile to overhaul one if the car is restorable and once you
have a real solid motor you can upgrade it to get a lot more power.

 

The thing about these cars is, they're well made, "classic" in design,
comfortable, good steering and handling: they're a good product.

Safe, too.

So for one third or so the price of a new Camry, you can buy, rebuild,
and restore an old Volvo.

You pays your money and you makes your choices.