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Hi everyone.
New to the Volvo world after buying a 90 740GL sedan. We are parking our Boxster for the winter, and my wife will be driving my ML320 this winter. So.. I needed a winter car.
After about 2 weeks of looking at this company and that manufacturer.. I settled on a Volvo.
I come with a background in older Alfas, BMWs, and Mercedes. (Just took a foray into Porsche this summer with a 98 Boxster). I do all my own maintenance and repairs. I come from the old school of auto mechanics. I tear down the old part and fix it before buying a new one. Sometimes it saves me money, sometimes i find what killed the part and end up buying a new one anyway. LOL
About the car..I bought it from a used car dealer. When i stopped to look at the car, he said that he just took it in on trade and knew nothing about it.
Look hard at this car. While doing a walk around, i looked in the trunk. Slammed the trunk lid and the car bounced for 20 seconds. Shocks for sure..(adding up the repair tally) Move to the front and shoved down on the pass. side fender. Same thing. Go to the driver side.. No bouncy. 3 out of 4 shocks are roasted.
Start the car up, which took a few attempts. Idled well, seemed a little lax on the throttle input. Turn the wheel, and OOF! no power steering. (add new item to list) Put it in reverse and it rolled back with no clunks or noises. Put it in drive same thing rolled around the lot and stopped well.
I started haggling. The dealer haggled back. I haggled again he says no. I say "It looks like I dragged that tow dolly all the way here for nothing. Any place to get a sandwich?" By the time i got back to my truck, he relented.
I have picked up a near new rack and pinion because the one in the car leaks so bad when i filled it... It was empty before i started the car. (both ends of the rack). New shocks came in yesterday, and i bought a Haynes manual on eBay yesterday. Need a few parts as i go so the search continues.
I downloaded an owner's manual and tomorrow I will be wrenching and getting the 740 ready for winter.
PS.. Anyone else from North east Ohio??
Tim Timko Warren, Ohio
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See the 70/900 FAQ for lots of tips.
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See the 700/900 FAQ at the drop-down menu above right.
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Welcome !! You should feel at home here , lots of members to help out , and excellent references ( FAQs) If this is your first Brick let me say that you wont be peeling tires from the get go , but for a good solid , quiet ride , at least mine is ,it cant be beat. There are some useful features on my 91 that are lacking in some of todays entry level that i find it hard to give up. Manual adjustable drivers seat , lumbar also ,Headlights auto off when ignition is turned off , dual piston calipers.,4 wheel disc brakes "real "bumpers to name a few. Excellent visibility all around. I recently taught my son to drive in my brick and since acquired a Civic for him. The first thing he observed was the obstructed view caused by the window pillars. My shocks are a bit stiffer than stock and even then the ride is nicer (even with ipd sways). It seems you have quite a bit to do and if you need help we are here to assist ! You did not mention how much you got it for but obviously it must have been a great price for you to want to put so much into it! I hope your efforts will be rewarded. Once again welcome and good luck!
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If I wanted performance out of a Volvo... I'd buy a new one. LOL
I paid Just a little less than $700 for this one. There is hardly any rust on the body, but man... The maintenance was sure ignored.
Yesterday i changed the oil and filter, spark plugs were sooted up, so I guess a temp sensor or a new O2 sensor is in order.
Front calipers are dragging so a rebuild is in order, Speedo doesn't work..
And the rack and pinion replacement will start this morning before i got to work. A Poster child for whatever ails a Volvo 740 i guess. but It deserves the love.
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"...so I guess a temp sensor or a new O2 sensor is in order."
If it's not a turbo, then you probably have the "Regina" FI by Bendix-Siemens (France). Regina is very reliable, but its O2 sensor is unique and long-lived. The Bosch Zirconia type will NOT work. You'll need a Titania-based one by NTK/NGK (#25002). See AMAZON for a good price.
"Front calipers are dragging so a rebuild is in order,"
It could be just stuck slider pins, often tough to free up and lube if the car has been neglected, but worth some effort if it avoids a caliper rebuild/swap. Check for procedures in the 700/900 FAQ feature (drop-down --more-- menu at top right).
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Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.
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Ok.. What is the quickest and easiest way to tell if i have Bosch injection, or Regina?? The O2 sensor looks like a Bosch, the injectors look like Bosch (Yellow) and the Mass airflow sensor is a 2 wire.
VIN break down??
Model year break down?
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"the Mass airflow sensor is a 2 wire."
That's the Regina's inlet Air Temp Sensor, where the Air Mass Meter (AMM) would be with Bosch FI. Regina also uses an inexpensive MAP sensor, mounted under the left strut tower brace.
Though the O2 sensor looks like most other 3-wire sensors, its wire colors (also unique) are Black, White, and RED.
"VIN break down??"
According to this 700/900 FAQ Entry, a "3" in the 8th digit position means:
"Alternative fuel/ignition system". The Ignition is known as Rex, to match the FI's Regina.
The Model year breakdown (off the top) is '89 and up non=turbo 740 and any non-turbo 940 up to '95 I think. The FAQs may have it specified somewhere.
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Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.
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http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/ElectricalIgnition.htm#BoschorRexReginaIgnition
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Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.
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Thank You!! Regina it is.. Another injection system to learn. LOL
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"Thank You!! Regina it is.. Another injection system to learn. LOL"
Regina and Bosch are more alike than different, and 95±% (a guess) of the wiring is common to both.
Different FI and Ignition ECUs use some different inputs to control the same outputs, but share other things like the Engine Cooling Temp sensor and operating specs, such as hp and torque. Rex has a different coil and amplifier but uses common wiring to control spark timing to the same criteria as the Bosch EZK.
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Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.
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Welcome to the wonderful world of volvos!
That being said, welcome to the place to find all the corrections to the Haynes manual. You will definitely want to check out the FAQ from the dropdown box next to the red car icon.
It has all kinds of good stuff in it.
I know you already bought the shocks, but I'll put in a good word for the KYB Gas-A-Just shocks I have in the rear of my 740 turbo. And a word against the Boge Turbo-gas shocks in the front. Ironically, the "turbo gas" shocks are not recommended for turbo-equipped cars.
I haven't heard of problems with the rack, especially leaking.
What do you mean lax on the throttle input?
Welcome to the forum and Happy Bricking! (Yes, we call our square cars Bricks)
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1990 740 Turbo, on its way to stock specs, maybe beyond
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Thank you for the welcome and the tips. I had very good luck with KYB struts on my BMW 320i, so I hear what your preaching. Boge stuff basically only works well on Mercedes. I have Eibach sport springs and Bilsteins on my ML320, and i think we'll classify the current shocks on my 740 as air shocks, since that is all that's inside.
I've been a Volvo fan for years, but this is my first. One thing i like about them is the simplicity compared to BMW and Mercedes. But the durability remains the same.
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Update.
Change the oil and filter, air filter, cleaned the flame trap and hoses, spark plugs, inspected brakes, and replaced the rear shocks.
Oy..
The shocks.. well .. They don't like to come off after 20 years. After half a can of Blaster, and 1/4 tank of MAPP gas, I managed to get them off. and in the mean time, I snapped the bottom bolts off. (That'll leave a mark.)
Dug up some replacement bolt and got everything bolted in.
Now to get some time to replace the rack and pinion.
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My all time fave car was my 90. It is a one year only in some respects, mostly small details. It does have an OBD1 which can be helpful.
I'm pretty good with the white KYBs on the back also, but they don't make them for the front. They have the gray ones but they are a two chamber and don't have as much damping. Not sure what direction to go there and need to get something for one of my cars.
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Regina = one IN TANK fuel pump! The speedo can be quite a nightmare..There are lots of info here . I have attempted to repair mine ( replaced all caps to no avail ) When the current one quits I will get an inexpensive GPS unit .
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Hmm The speedo.. Would help if i had wires going back to the differential. Dang it!
Fuel gauge doesn't work either. Maybe the same harness?
I did a lot of work on this so far. The more i run it, the better its getting. There may be hope for this poor thing.
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I have a 90 740 nonturbo instrument panel that I believe to be in working condition, for sale. $60 shipped US
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