90 Volvo 740 GLE

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr. Blah Tee Dah
  • Start date Start date
M

Mr. Blah Tee Dah

There's this 90 740 GLE listed on ebay at an auto donation yard that
I'm thinking of bidding on. It's close to my home, so I went out and
started it up. They claim that it runs rough, but shouldn't be driven
on the road. So, I started it up, and it roared to life, but it sounds
like a lawn mower. They claim that it needs new fuel injectors. What
do you guys think? Are they blowing smoke (no pun intended)?

The bid sits at $255 at the moment, and the auction ends on Thursday.
Is it worth the risk?

Travis
 
Mr. Blah Tee Dah said:
There's this 90 740 GLE listed on ebay at an auto donation yard that
I'm thinking of bidding on. It's close to my home, so I went out and
started it up. They claim that it runs rough, but shouldn't be driven
on the road. So, I started it up, and it roared to life, but it sounds
like a lawn mower. They claim that it needs new fuel injectors. What
do you guys think? Are they blowing smoke (no pun intended)?

The bid sits at $255 at the moment, and the auction ends on Thursday.
Is it worth the risk?

Travis
Click to expand...


Sounds like an exhaust leak to me, did you look under the hood? There's a
gasket between the exhaust header and downpipe which fails sometimes and
will make it sound like a dragster, I've also seen the downpipe break at the
Y weld from someone driving through a deep puddle with a hot exhaust. It's
easy to get injectors for these at junkyards, you can probably pick up a set
for under 20 bucks and send them out for cleaning and matching but usually
they're ok. It's also common for people to get the firing order wrong if
they take off the plug wires due to the design of the distributor cap. All
the posts are in a line, but they do not connect to the cylinders in that
order.

If the car is in good cosmetic condition then I would say it's worth it, all
the mechanical stuff is readily available and easy to work on. Body, trim,
and interior parts are spendy and increasingly difficult to find good used
ones.
 
Mr. Blah Tee Dah said:
There's this 90 740 GLE listed on ebay at an auto donation yard that
I'm thinking of bidding on. It's close to my home, so I went out and
started it up. They claim that it runs rough, but shouldn't be driven
on the road. So, I started it up, and it roared to life, but it sounds
like a lawn mower. They claim that it needs new fuel injectors. What
do you guys think? Are they blowing smoke (no pun intended)?

The bid sits at $255 at the moment, and the auction ends on Thursday.
Is it worth the risk?

Travis
Click to expand...

Which engine is it? Is it Auto or Manual ?

Perk
 
Perk said:
Which engine is it? Is it Auto or Manual ?
Click to expand...


If it's a '90 740, it has a B230F, and if it's a North American car, it's an
automatic.
 
Does it smoke at all?

Are there ticking or knocking sounds from the engine?

What is the condition of the interior, exterior, tires?

While you cannot drive it, you should be able to start it and then
move the transmission through the gears, making sure each one works
well.

Push body up and down and then sideways for very rough check of
suspension condition.

If it passes all the tests and looks good in and out, bid.

If not, walk.
 
James said:
If it's a '90 740, it has a B230F, and if it's a North American car, it's an
automatic.
Click to expand...
My 90 740 auto has the 16 valve B234F interference engine in it.

P. (:>)
 
My 90 740 auto has the 16 valve B234F interference engine in it.

P. (:>)
Click to expand...

That's the same one that I bid on (and just won about two hours ago).
What exactly is the interferance engine?

Travis
 
That's the same one that I bid on (and just won about two hours ago).
What exactly is the interferance engine?
Click to expand...

It's an engine in which the valves and the pistons occupy the same space,
hopefully not at the same time. Keep up on the timing belt change, it's
absolutely vital. If that belt fails, the engine will be destroyed before
you know what happened. Other than that it's a sweet motor, smooth,
powerful, decent fuel economy.
 
Mr. Blah Tee Dah said:
Here it is!

Travis

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...item=230226572961&_trksid=p3984.cWAT.m240.lVI
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree with Mr. Sweet.

Mine's fine but I know from the records that the timing belt was changed
only about 20K ago. Even knowing that I may have it changed when I have
a little extra $$, just to be sure..If there are no records with it
that's the very first thing I would do!!!!

Otherwise you'll be always driving and listening for something. The "an
ounce of prevention" thing. (:>)

Perk (:>)
 
Wish you'd posted the link earlier.

Body is real rough.

There is no headliner.
 
Mr. V said:
Wish you'd posted the link earlier.

Body is real rough.

There is no headliner.
Click to expand...


Did you expect a mint condition ride for $600? He saw the car in person and
obviously was satisfied with the cosmetics. Yeah it's a bit of a fixer, but
he should end up with a good solid car for a thousand bucks and a bit of
elbow grease.
 
Did you expect a mint condition ride for $600? He saw the car in person and
obviously was satisfied with the cosmetics. Yeah it's a bit of a fixer, but
he should end up with a good solid car for a thousand bucks and a bit of
elbow grease.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's actually going to be a gift for my uncle who's birthday is
in October. So I've got the rest of Spring, and all of the Summer to
fix it up.

Travis
 
Yeah, it's actually going to be a gift for my uncle who's birthday is
in October. So I've got the rest of Spring, and all of the Summer to
fix it up.
Click to expand...



A tip regarding the headliner, remove the windshield to get the backing in
and out. People say it can be done by just folding the seats back, I barely
managed after removing the seats, console, steering wheel, and other
interior parts then flexing it so far I swore it would snap in two. If the
windshield needs replacing then perfect, otherwise it's well worth having it
removed and reinstalled, you'll be pulling your hair out otherwise.
 
Did you expect a mint condition ride for $600? He saw the car in person and
obviously was satisfied with the cosmetics. Yeah it's a bit of a fixer, but
he should end up with a good solid car for a thousand bucks and a bit of
elbow grease.
Click to expand...

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.
 
There's this 90 740 GLE listed on ebay at an auto donation yard that
I'm thinking of bidding on. It's close to my home, so I went out and
started it up. They claim that it runs rough, but shouldn't be driven
on the road. So, I started it up, and it roared to life, but it sounds
like a lawn mower. They claim that it needs new fuel injectors. What
do you guys think? Are they blowing smoke (no pun intended)?

The bid sits at $255 at the moment, and the auction ends on Thursday.
Is it worth the risk?

Travis
Click to expand...

Whether it is worth the risk depends on whether you are willing to
risk $255 to acquire the car. And then possibly put a lot more into
it to fix it up. Many but certainly not all donated autos are being
given away because the owner doesn't want to pay to fix some costly
problems.
 
Whether it is worth the risk depends on whether you are willing to
risk $255 to acquire the car. And then possibly put a lot more into
it to fix it up. Many but certainly not all donated autos are being
given away because the owner doesn't want to pay to fix some costly
problems.
Click to expand...

He didn't pay $255, he paid $603.27.
 
Mr. V said:
He didn't pay $255, he paid $603.27.
Click to expand...

I don't think we have enough info here to know if the guy is capable
of doing the necessry work himself. If he can work on an engine, but
isn't familiar with this particlualr one, he probably can. If he really
is a newbie, then it is way too big a job...
 
I don't think we have enough info here to know if the guy is capable
of doing the necessry work himself. If he can work on an engine, but
isn't familiar with this particlualr one, he probably can. If he really
is a newbie, then it is way too big a job...
Click to expand...

I inferred that he is a newbie, or at least inexperienced, as he
didn't know what an interference engine is.

It would seem axiomatic that anyone with the knowledge necessary to
replace a 740 headliner, to troubleshoot fuel injection and otherwise
undertake sorting out this beater Volvo would know that salient fact.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top