Hi all

As an 850T5 owner, I am mighty pleased to have bought a 740T sedan (1989) in well, reasonable shape for AU$1000 I suppose. There's about 194K KMs on the odometer.

I just drove it home in the rain and the engine seems to run pretty well. It's bloody remarkable how smoothly the car picks up speed. Very impressive indeed. I do now feel I am driving an authentic Volvo 'Brick'! With the high seating position, I feel like I am driving an armoured car of sorts.

Here's the bad:

1. Log books show that the car hasn't been serviced at a proper workshop since 1997! (But given that the car was in continuous use till June this year, it's unthinkable that no maintenance at all has been done on the car for ten years. I could be wrong of course!)

2. Door pocket on the passenger side (it's a right-hand drive) completely smashed to bits, the one on the driver's side is in bad shape but all the pieces are there.

3. Remote central locking doesn't quite work (a motor in the driver's side door makes a corresponding sound when you press the remote clicker though so I am hopeful it's an easy fix)

4. Tyres are mismatched - front two are the same; rears are different - though all the wheels including the spare are original (2 with missing hub caps). Mind you, there should be a reasonable amount of thread left since the car on the whole passed a must-do inspection 2 weeks ago, for local re-registration requirements (of course I am assuming a dodgy workshop didn't do the inspection - the pass is from an approved workshop for such tests).

5. Seat heaters don't work

6. Overhead light sits loosely - one bulb blown.

7. One bulb in a rear brake light is blown

8. Both fog lights removed but I have them both though the brackets for both are broken.

9. Gearshift (it's an automatic) fairly loose. I get a slight jerk when I shift from D to N to R, when I get to "R". The whole gearshift assembly moves around.

10. Handbrake is a little loose.


11. Some weather seals have come loose (and it's been raining like crazy too)

12. Chip in windscreen.

13. Missing speaker grille on driver's side. Only rear speakers work.

14. Fuse box cover completely loose

15. Glove box needs to be repaired - very loose

16. Fuel cover door doesn't lock when car doors are locked!


The good:

1. Engine sounds good and runs pretty smooth! Boost comes on strongly, most surprisingly.

2. Just some minor scratches on the body. No dents.

3. Brakes are good.

4. The Volvo emergency triangle is there, as is a spare wheel with original rims. Emergency jack is some horrendously large non-original one that weights a tonne!!!

5. Leather seats are in excellent condition with no tears nor sags.

6. Airconditioning and heater appears to work ok.

7. Power windows and power mirrors all work ok(!)

8. Radio antenna works!


Haven't yet checked under the hood - it's pouring cats and dogs here in Sydney.

Now the car is NOT going to be my daily driver. I bought it because it's cheap. Maybe a once-a-week car (I am getting a solar recharger to trickle charge the car battery). I am thinking that the following is my immediate to dos:

I am thinking "TYRES" right away but hell, these are costly relative to the price of the car. In the rain, I'll drive my 850 T-5 with Goodyear F-1s......

So, here's my list in order of priority:

1. Replace engine coolant

2. Change engine oil and filter (and maybe AutoRX the engine)

3. Remove passenger door pocket, maybe even the driver's side one!

4. Tighten up gear shift lever (if at all possible)

Questions:

What else would you guys suggest I do as immediate maintenance tasks? I will be speaking with the previous owner again since I didn't have much of a chat when I picked up the car.

I am thinking that this car will be a low-key hobby project of sorts that I will leisurely fix up.......

BTW, I can't seem to locate a cruise control. Would there be one on a 1989 740T?

Also, the manuals and books that came with the car has a Volvo "Turbo + supplement to owner's manual" that somehow suggests that there's a special turbo controller kit installed in the car that helps the engine deliver 180HP (134kW) instead of the 158HP spec from the manual for an 1989 740T. I have not read of a 740T with such a kit before!



Thanks in advance
Lucast

Good luck with your new (Armoued truck)Wheels!
IF you have a cruise constrol it would be on the signal switch mounted on the left side of the steering wheel!

You might want to drive around with access to the relays. Determine if any feel way too hot. I melted a socket once (headlight relay) and I think the theory is that corrosion gradually increases resistance until the pins become little space heater coils. On my 740 I disconnected my seat heaters since I didn't want those doing about the same thing. Oh yea, my wire engine harness insulation has deteriorated so I did some splices to get some fresh copper where I could. Of course a new harness would be better than splicing.

Hey guys, thanks for tips! Keep 'em coming.

It sounds like you've found a good car, that needs a lot of detail work, which is about par for the course. Prices of such vehicles here in the States are pretty similar, as is their usual condition, only we never got the Turbo+ version. Here are some comments related to your specific points:

2. Door pockets are fragile, particularly the tan ones. Good used ones can be difficult to find. the same is true of all the hard plastic interior trim. The door pockets cover the clips that hold the bottom edge of the panels in place. If you remove them, the clips will be exposed and are easily broken or dislodged.

3. It sounds as if part of the linkage has come apart inside the door. Probably an easy fix while you have the panel off to replace the pocket.

6. The interior light mounting is also easily damaged. The light fixture sits in a molded hole in the brittle fiber headliner board. There is also supposed to be a white plastic clip across the opening to hold it in place. Is this missing?

13. The speaker grills are removed by sliding them forward. They also help hold the door panel in place. The original stereo has a fader control. Is it set all the way to the rear? If you have an aftermarket stereo, it could be the fader, or it could have been installed incorrectly. Note that the original radio has a separate amp that must be eliminated for a replacement to work properly.

15. The facing of the glove box door often comes unglued. I used contact cement in a spray can to reattach mine. It has held just fine for over a year. It is necessary to take the glove compartment out of the car and remove the latch mechanism from the door to do this successfully, without making a mess.

16. The fuel filler door does not have a locking mechanism. It is held closed by a spring in the hinge. If you are concerned about theft, get a locking cap.

B.C. has already provided a good list of things to do right away, to which I would add checking the differential fluid, if not changing it, as it may not have been done since the car was new. Make sure to get the right type of oil, especially if you have a limited slip.

Think it's an armoured truck now? See what happens if you ever get into an accident. I was sideswiped by a truck Friday night and waxed out the damage Saturday morning.
--
The Breadbox - 1989 740 GL Wagon in White

Wow, that's quite a laundry list.

Somewhere on this BB was a "Zero Mile List" which was things to do on a newly acquired brick if nothing is known of the maintenance history. The list grew too large, seemed there was always something to add.

Important things first, I suppose.

All fluids drain and flush and renew. Engine oil, tranny fluid, engine coolant, brake fluid, maybe (check the colour) the power steering fluid.

Belts, all of them.

From your list - loose tranny shift. Just last week I spotted a tranny linkage problem on my 1997 965. There are bushings on the ends of a long connecting rod. The rod connects the lever on the tranny to the bottom end of the shifter rod.

On my 240s, loss of a bushing meant the rod would fall out, and then whatever gear you were in, you stay in. The 965 has a fail-safe, so the rod didn't fall out, it's just sloppy loose.

New bushing was US$3.75, at a dealer only. Next is installing it. Found the problem while car was up on a rack for oil change.

I will look at your list again later.

Good Luck,

Bob