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Should I gett this 87 760 TURBO?[740-760/1986] posted by Nathan Rivers on
Wednesday, 8 April 1998, at 5:17 p.m.
Does anyone have any comments about if an 87 volvo 760 Turbo 4 door Sedan with 102k. For 3150 is a good price. Also, are there any 760 info sights that you can point me to or any generic problems that occur with these cars. What engine do they have? Does somebody have any ownership experiences? The add says that the carr needs some minor interior work, so that could account for the low price.
Re: Should I gett this 87 760 TURBO?[740-760/1986] posted by Steve Seekins on
Wednesday, 8 April 1998, at 8:39 p.m.
I would recommend looking for 88 or newer for several reasons. THe 87 may have engine wiring harness problems depending on when during the 87 model year it was manufactured. The wiring harnesses can run as high as $1000 for the part! Also, you would wnat to be sure that it has the later B230 engine with the larger bearings and stronger rods. Check out the Turbobricks site for details on how to tell which engine it has. I know that 88 and newer have the better engine. In 1990, Volvo made significant improvements in the engine management and turbo systems.
Otherwise, some general problems that are easily corrected are radius rod bushings on front suspension, fuel pump relays, hall effect sensor in distributor.
If this car has IRS and/or Nivomat self leveling rear shocks, make sure that the shocks and suspension are in good condition. On the IRS, you are stuck with the Nivomats which are expensive to replace (~$250 each), and there are no alternative springs to convert to standard shocks. If Nivomats and live axle rear, you can get springs from 740 turbo and use standard shocks - much cheaper in the long run.
Volvo Club of America
Re: Should I gett this 87 760 TURBO?[740-760/1986] posted by Robert Mohr on
Thursday, 9 April 1998, at 7:01 a.m.
Hi Nathan,
I've been on a quest, looking for a mid 1980's 200 or 700 series Turbo for about 6 months now. I've looked at a lot of them, still haven't found the one with my name on it.
Steve makes some valid points, but I'll add my two cents. The turbochargers on the 700 series were changed to water cooled units halfway through the 1987 model year. If this car has one (and you'll be able to tell by looking for the coolant line to the turbo) it makes the car much more desirable. Water cooled turbos tend to last much longer than their air cooled counterparts. The turbo noise you described is probably normal for this model, if the turbo is really on its way to "snail heaven" it makes a screeaching noise. Blue-grey smoke from the tailpipe is also a dead giveaway for bad turbo seals.
Most of the postings that I've read on the degrading engine wiring harnesses indicate that the chances of having this problem decrease greatly in the 1987 and later model years. Open the hood, and look at the electrical plugs coming into the engine compartment from the passenger compartment. Look for insulation damage there.
My Volvo buyers guide indicates that the Nivomat shocks were installed when the rear suspension was upgraded in the 1988 model year. Your 1987 model shouldn't have this problem.
There's a lot of argument about the longevity of the B230 engine in the 1985, 1986 and 1987 models. The engine does have a cast crank and thinner connecting rods, but there doesn't appear to be a history of engine failures associated with this design (based on the research I've done on the net). Just don't go fiddling the boost pressure.
Problems? Well, make sure that the headliner is in good shape (a lot of the mid 80's 700's start to droop). That automatic climate control system on the 760's can be a pain, so make sure that the A/C and heat is operating flawlessly. The price on the car is pretty good, given the miles and the 'momo's. Drive it and follow your heart........
Mohr
92 245 130K
Re: Should I gett this 87 760 TURBO?[740-760/1986] posted by JohnB on
Thursday, 9 April 1998, at 12:56 p.m.
We bought an 87 764Ti w/50k on it in '92 and it's been a money pit.
Make sure the brakes have been upgraded to the 11.25 in dia two piece/hub/rotor.
It should be ABS...make sure the ABS works or it's several thousand US $ to fix.
The ACC is a weak point...check compressor operation.
Check fuse block for heat damage...ours had the telltale signs and eventually I had to replace it...only $60 for the part and I did it in 4 hours...the dealer wanted $400 to do the whole job.
Dash cracks tend to be a problem...$125 to cover up with am piece, $700 plus labor to put in new dash.
Airbag was option in 87...if you have one on this machine it needs to be serviced/replaced every 10 years...will cost anywhere from $300 to $1200 to replace.
Suspension also needs to be rebuilt, front struts, front strut bearings (ok, you can probably clean them), rear nivomats (if rear sags and doesn't level out in 1/2 mile of driving and hold for couple hours when you get out of car, nivomats need to be replaced at $350 each or springs and standard shox, about $200 both)front bushings, etc.
Power window switches are problems...probably need to replace all 7 of them @$30-40 each.
Power driver's seat switch...same thing...$200.
Rear Volvo bookshelf speakers on ours are paper cones with midrange/tweeter...unobtainium replacement, dealer book says they don't exist, I've repaired them (magnet comes unglued, need to find a better epoxy).
Oil seal problems are typical with turbo engines, you can re-O-ring the oil filter gallery and the turbo-engine sump lines yourself. Typical B230FT engine woes...watch out for vacuum line failures, especially on turbo control.
Worst problem was the engine wiring harness...if the insulation has flaked off the ground wires on the intake manifold, the injector harness, the alternator lead, the ignition primary wires, etc., the harness will need to be replaced and if it causes other damage I have heard of $2000 to fix the entire mess, including replacing ECU and/or other damage. The engine wiring harness I had replaced cost $563 for the part and 4 hours labor. Volvo covered $500 as goodwill, but you can't depend on that.
Re: Should I gett this 87 760 TURBO?[740-760/1986] posted by Nathan Rivers on
Thursday, 9 April 1998, at 3:10 p.m.
I have read the postings and since I cant really test drive the car before I buy if I get it I will look into other cars such as a very nice 91 volvo 240 se. Thanks for the input. My main concern about the 760 would be reliability and I have heard enough things that are not so good about the turbos and the 760 series in general.
Thanks,
Nathan Rivers
natrivs@sover.net
Re: Should I gett this 87 760 TURBO?[740-760/1986] posted by Tariq Hamid on
Friday, 10 April 1998, at 1:53 a.m.
Just to confuse you-not really, I have a friend who has an 89 760 Turbo with 200k on it and it has pretty much been trouble free. He certainly has not put more than 2k into it since he bought it at 100k a while back. Most of this has been things like shocks, struts, warped rotors, warped wheels, one power window, tires-you get the idea. Pretty much general service stuff. After his experience, I would not hesitate to buy a late 89 or later 760 or 940 turbo myself. I should mention though that I have a 92' 240 wagon which I love and I'm sure you would be happy with that 91' 240 SE as well. The 7 series and the 240 series are very different animals as far as ride, feel, ect. and you would do well to test drive both before choosing.