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Re: 740 Turbo Opinions[240-260/90] posted by Steve Seekins on
Sunday, 19 April 1998, at 4:19 p.m.
These were the best of the 700 series. Hte Turbo engine is very strong - particlularly if equipped with the Turbo "+" kit. The turbo itself is a third generation (for Volvo) turbo - smaller and higher rpm than previous - very little turbo 'lag' since it spins up more quickly. There are also several changes in the engine management system that make for improvements. IT is also equipped with the OBD I system which allows you to read out engine management system diagnostic 'faults' which are detected and stored in the computer through a connector located under the hood - just need to input the right sequence via a pushbutton and read out the results as a coded set of flashes on an LED.
Suspension is good, though can be improved with ipd sway bars and some better shocks. Wheels should be 16" 5-spoke and can be fit with varoius high performance rubber,
Interior is nice - seats were redesigned in 1990 and are better for those who are tall from the waist up. I have found that the late 700 wagons are pretty quiet and lack many of the rattles that the 200 series have.
Usually the only suspension bushings that you have to worry about are the ones on the radius rods on the front. CHeck the usual things like ball joints, upper strut bearings, steering rack boots and inner tie rod ends.
If manual tranny (very rare on these wagons - if it is manual and you don't want it, I do!) check the conditon of the flex coupling on the drive shaft. Look at the differential pinion seal for leakage. CHeck auto trans tail shaft bushing and seal. Find out when timing belt last replaced and whether front seals were replaced at the same time.
Make sure the A/C works, and if the car is equipped with ECC (Electronic Climate COntrol), these had problems and are expensive to repair.
ENgine is the later design B230 with stronger rods and larger bottom end bearings - they hold up well, though piston slap noise is bothersome when cold and if the engine is worn, may be hard also when warm. Would not hurt to have trusted mechanic check it out thoroughly including compression check and check things like rotor thicknesses, uneven brake pad wear, etc.
--Steve Seekins