940 - which model to get?

Hi, all, and Happy Holidays!

I am contemplating getting a 940 soon, somewhere in the 91-95 range. I
was wondering if someone with experience here could shed some words of
wisdom: which models are better (reliability first) and which are less
desirable? GLE's? turbo's? SE's? Your input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

I like our 93' 940t....just get it checked out
good 1st, and take care of it...they are nice, solid
cars...we have aprox 270,000 miles on it..no major
problems......

 

Hi happy holidays too you to ;-)

I own a 940 GLE '92. Great car, never let me down, even after 10 years
crossing the alps with a speedboat behind her! (1.500 kg).

Now over 220.000 km and now a minor oil leak. Fixing will not much
trouble.

Greetz,

Chris

 

We have a '91 940 turbo which has never gifen any problems --- very reliable
and even though we have had several other Volvos since, we've decidied this
one is a keeper. 145K mi. (just about broken in).

 

I have a 1995 940 2.3 SE Turbo, and a family member has a 1996 940 2.3
GLE (also turbo but slightly lower power).

I think they are all pretty much the same (no nasty V6s in the 900
range), the turbos have good power, even the lower pressure variants,
than the normally aspirated but are a bit more sensitive to bad
maintance. Turbos generally need refurbed after 100K miles, but might
last as long as 150K miles, this is normally worth doing as the rest of
the car should last a lifetime. SEs (Sports Edition) have the highest
power, noted by a boost guage, and can be tweaked to T5R levels for no cost.

Biggest problems are slight water leaks or no anti-freeze that are left
unrepaired leading to severe corrosion and leaks or bigger leaks. This
is quite common (as the cars can tolerate leaks for years), but
ultimately leads to head skim/new gasket. Also recently I fix the above
family members car for a stuck termostat and blocked breather caused by
cooling system corrosion, had to skim the head.

2ndly but more rarely is lack of oil changes, they are not fussy cars
but severe lack of oil changes or perhaps poor quality oil will leak to
various problems, look out for sludge/crud build up on CAM and bearing
caps visible through the oil filler cap. Oil pumps sieze up, bearings
are damaged, seals leak, generally a complete stip and rebuild will the
save the engine but it may still not have the same service life. Above
family members car was a bad example of this, hopefully stable now after
new oil pump, head skim/clean, cooling system overhaul.

Earlier cars have unreliable fuel pump relays (can fail due to solder
joints breaking), but I think this is fixed on or before 95 as the
relay layout is different to the problem ones. Certainly hasn't been a
problem in my car.

Biggest difference between models is the estate and saloon, saloons seem
to have multi-link rear suspension which I really don't like. Estates
hold their value more strongly anyway and are just so useful (7 seats or
just huge load carrying).

 

Drive a turbo and any thing else will be a poor second choice.Nice car
with all the bugs out .

 

Yes, but are they less reliable because of the turbo? I read in a post
around here that usually turbos need replaced around 150K mi. True?

 

Turbos require a bit more careful maintenance, but if you keep up on the
oil changes they should be fine. The old oil cooled turbos usually
needed replacing around 150K but after '86 they were water cooled and
last much longer. I have 282K on the original turbo in mine and these
days you can get a new turbo relatively cheaply on ebay or have it rebuilt.

I agree that once you drive a turbo, you won't want anything else.

 

arh but the joy of the turbo is to be experienced and the cartridge is
not so bad as well We use synthetic oil so the life of the Turbo is
extended somewhat.

 

Inside my engine is like a sewing machine no crud at all thanks to
synthetic oil which is best for the turbo as well .When you turn the
engine ff the turbo spins on destroying the dino oil making it
gritty.Synthetic oil was developed for Jet engines as dino oil couldn't
do the job .

 

The Turbo is inheritantly less reliable since the others don't have a
turbo to fail. Also, people who don't let the turbo unwind before they
shut the engine and hence the oil circulation off cause the turbo to
fail early. It is not worth the risk on a used car if you want
reliability.

The best years are '94 and '95. GLE and SE is just a trim level. The
lower trim models are inheritantly more reliable since they have less to
fail.

 

Most cars don't use jet engines. The decision to use synthetic oils
should be based on the expected use of the oil. Since synthetics cost at
least twice as much as mineral oil-based products, there is a tendency
on the part of the operator to expect them to outperform in all
circumstances. In a piston engine aircraft environment, however, the
favorable properties of synthetic oils are marginal. Supporters of
synthetic oils have basically two main claims: one, they increase time
between oil changes and second, they improve startability at extreme low
temperatures. Synthetic oils will become contaminated just as quickly as
mineral oil in a piston aircraft engine and synthetics do not show any
appreciable difference in wear levels. OEMs do not distinguish between
synthetics and mineral-based products for oil change recommendations.
Also, for piston-powered aircraft, any possible low temperature benefit
to a synthetic oil is irrelevant because piston aircraft started in
temperatures of 20F or below must be pre-heated. With regard to
extremely high-temperature operation, very few, if any, piston-powered
aircraft are operated at temperatures that highlight the benefits of
synthetic oils.

[ http://www.swaviator.com/html/issueja02/Hangar7802.html ]

 

Oil removed during an oil change should appear dirty. If an oil is
doing its job properly, it should suspend dirt, metallic wear materials,
and unburned carbon. Therefore, when you change your oil it should look
much dirtier than it did when first added to the engine. An excellent
method for monitoring an oil¹s condition is through oil analysis, which
can be key to any preventive maintenance program. Oil analysis must be
conducted regularly to establish trends of operation. It provides
information on wear metals, viscosity integrity, fuel dilution, and air
intake system leaks, among other things. As a long-term preventive
maintenance tool, it will build a history of the engine¹s performance
and aid in the detection of possible problems before they become severe.

Technically, oil does not wear out. However, extended use causes an oils
additives to wear out or become depleted. For example, an ashless
dispersant aviation oil is designed to suspend dirt and metal particles
picked up from an aircraft engine. Eventually the oil will become
"over-suspended." The principal reason oil is changed at regular
intervals is to rid the engine of these suspended impurities. Old oil,
with a high degree of contaminants, can cause bearing corrosion and
deposit buildup. It can also get to the point where it will not suspend
the additional particles created during engine operation. This produces
particle buildup or sludge. Overworked oil will also result in the
depletion of its other additives. The result is that it will be unable
to perform with the benefits the additives were designed to provide.

[ http://www.swaviator.com/html/issueja02/Hangar7802.html ]

By the way, how long have you been repairing sewing machines? Do you
tear down your car engine in your sewing machine repair shop?

 

Back to the topic of turbo vs. non-turbo, I have a base 940
engine-wise. I ordered some extra options through European Delivery,
but I do not have a turbo in the engine. Personally, that is the one
thing about the car I would change. It is noticeably underpowered when
compared to more modern cars, but overall, I would not change anything
else. It is by far the most reliable car I have ever driven.

 

I didn't think the turbo in our '85 765T would last long, because I couldn't
convince my wife to avoid revving the engine on startup or to let it cool
after coming off the freeway and before shutting it down. It is over 240K
miles and 20 years and still going steady.

Mike

 

Actually I have repaired sewing machines AND I DO USE SYNTHETIC OIL IN
OUR MACHINE, but you humour is also in need of repair .My nuff nuff
sister in law prefers dino oil as its cheap so she gets junk oil changes
and saves money ,mind you the crud in her oil cap is so bad it needs a
screw diver to remove it .

 

Update: I did end up getting a 95 SW plain 940 with 164K on board.
Seems to be ok for its age , maybe needs some TLC, especially in the
steering dept. (a bit loose), is that a DIY job? My other options were
a 92 turbo sedan w/ 260K (decent shape) or a 91 SW turbo with 145k and
electrical all messed up underneath (all 940's of course). Yes, this
was an auction, and I should be ashamed to reveal the prices they went
for. I'm looking forward to tidy up my new wagon, even w/o the turbo.
Anything else to look at? Timing belt perhaps? Engine seems to run
pretty smooth even if underpowered (oh well). Thanks again for the
advices.

 

I think you will be very happy with your "new" 940. I would have a
safety check made on the steering. That could be fatal if not fixed. I
would want the peace of mind knowing it was safe. Where I live we have
annual safety inspections just for that sort of thing.