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Volv 740 turbo 1990[ALL/1998] posted by Micah on
Tuesday, 10 June 1997, at 9:32 a.m.
I have a 1990 740 Turbo and when it is cold outside (only cold weather) it has a hard time starting. Can you send me information on what the problem may be. Thanf you.
Re: Volv 740 turbo 1990[ALL/1998] posted by Mark Klein on
Tuesday, 10 June 1997, at 8:23 p.m.
What have you checked so far? Not trying to be sarcastic, but it could be one of about 30 different things.
Re: Volv 740 turbo 1990[ALL/1998] posted by Shobhan Mondal on
Thursday, 12 June 1997, at 3:54 p.m.
Hi Mark,
3 of the 30. Not enough to pin point a problem I guess. Actually the coolant dissapearing problem has been there for quiet a while. About a year ago the car was overheated. I had no clue then as to the implication of such an event. However, I had it checked by a mechanic and had the thermostat replaced. He said that there was no damage done. A few months ago I have had I had a fuel injection related problem, the engine idle was very erractic. Got a IPD tune up kit and did my first real work on the car. The problem dissapeared for a while only to return in another form - that brings us to beginning of this thread. I have dealer appointment next monday. Meanwhile discovered this guy who rebuilds engine for european cars. Got talking to him and he seems to come across similar problems and rebuilt 740 engines. The 700 series is apparently notorious for overheating.
Now my question is, should I keep going to the dealer till they discover what the real problem is ? By then they will have replaced half or most of the FI system and missed out on the real problem . Or should I believe this guy and have the blown head gasket replaced.
Do dealers have very specific tests to identify a problem like blown head gasket or do they infer this by checking smoke, spark plugs etc.
There is a greenish white deposit on the spark plugs.The coolant is not leaking out from the radiator or any of the hoses.
That was quiet a long story! Like to hear from you, Mark. Thanks
Re: Volv 740 turbo 1990[ALL/1998] posted by Mark Klein on
Thursday, 12 June 1997, at 10:03 p.m.
The 700 series is no more prone to overheating than any other car on the road.
Sounds like you have a blown head gasket. There is a simple test which CAN (but might not) pinpoint it as the gasket. There is a device which you can set on the coolant reservoir which gets a small amount of a blue test liquid. Then run the car. If there is any combustion gases present in the coolant reservoir, the liquid turns yellow. This is called a "block test" (even though it really doesn't trace block problems exclusively). If the liquid turns yellow, this can be taken as proof positive as motor problems of one type or another (9 out of 10 times a blown head gasket). If it doesn't, this does NOT mean the gasket is ok. It just means there is no combustion gases in the coolant reservoir.
Hope this helps. Keep us posted.
Re: Volv 740 turbo 1990[ALL/1998] posted by Robert on
Thursday, 12 June 1997, at 11:16 p.m.
Shobhan, The most reliable method I have used for diagnosing head gasket problems is with a pressure gauge. Connect it with a T fitting in the hose between the radiator and recovery tank. Use a long enough hose to run the gauge into the passenger compartment. Start out with a cold engine and make sure the coolant cap is tight and you have no leaks. Drive the car hard, especially on acceleration, and watch the gauge. The pressure should rise in porportion to the temperature of the coolant. Once the coolant reaches normal opperating temp. the pressure should stop rising. This is usually around 50 - 75 KPA if you started with a cold engine. If the pressure continues to rise after the temp. gage quits rising, this is an indication that pressure is being introduced into the cooling system from another source, such as combustion gases via a blown head gasket. In some cases if the leakage is large enough you will see the pressure rise with each hard push on the accellerator pedal, just like pumping up a tire. From what you have said, it does sound like you have a blown head gasket. I agree with Mark that Volvo is no more likely than any other car to blow headgaskets, but the turbos are more likely to develop this problem due to the higher combustion chamber pressure generated by the turbo charger. I also agree with Mark that you should correct known problems before spending time and $$$ looking for other possible problems. Good luck, Robert