Hello Mike:

I have an '89 760GLE with the B280F with 152K mi on it. I am quite happy with it, and I would consider buying another one in the future. These vehicles are excellent value because of the undeserved poor reputation of the late ('87-90) PRV v-6. There have been several reports on Brickboard of these motors going 250K mi or more before giving up the ghost.

Potential weak points:

1) cam cover seals can leak

2) water pumps aren't the strongest design (at least on the B280F the intake manifold doesn't have to come off for a replacement like on the B27 and B28!)

3) rear main seals will leak with high mileage (also true of the bulletproof B230!)

4) sometimes the threads in the block come out with the bolts-- di-electric effect of dissimilar metals.

5) tune-up parts are extremely expensive! Cap, rotor and wires will run $200 for this engine.

One problem I have encountered is finding mechanics who want to work on these beasts-- either do it yourself or take it to the dealer ($$$$). Like all Volvos it is not a low-maintenance car (the PRV actually needs valve adjustments-- it has solid rather than hydraulic valves!), but properly cared for it will last a long time.

I really like my 760GLE-- it is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. I recently drove a friend's '87 Chevy Caprice and could not believe the difference. It had spongy brakes, vague steering and bench seats with no support!

My advice would be to buy it-- you will get plenty of miles out of that car for less than 1/10 of the original purchase price!

Contact Jeff Wickersham about getting those aftermarket bars, but do it QUICK. He organized a limited production run thru IPD when we got enough people together, but go time is pretty much here so it may almost be too late. You're getting a good enough deal on this car that you can afford 'em :)

-Jon '91 Coupe 150K "Gustaf"

He's the master on this stuff.

BTW, the 760's have Nivormat self adjusting shocks. If they go bad, the rear will drop and replacements are expensive. If the car has the live axle, ie non IRS, replacement is as simple as using 740 rear springs and shocks, for about the same price as one Nivormat.

The B280F is a thorough renovation of the earlier motor (B27/B28).

The heritage of the first V6 was that it was designed as a V8 and when the Arab oil embargo happened they (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) did a quick change and modified it to be V6 The cylinder bank-bank angle is 90 which makes the shared rod journal crank have odd angles between cylinder firings. To cure this the engine had a mild cam grind on one bank and a radical grind on the other so the firing before the long span would be strong and the firing between the short span would be weak in order to hide the unequal interval shakes at idle.

Okay. This leads us to the B280F V6 in the car you are considering.

It has a crankshaft with "splayed" rod journals to make the firing intervals be an even 120 degrees apart. The heads have oil troughs which the cams dip through and get oiled before the oil supply reaches the rodker arms and drips off to oil cam lobes (No more short cam life).

The fuel system is an electronic fuel injection that is a version of that used on the 4 cylinders with good reliability. The bottom end of both iterations of the V6 is bulletproof. The timing chains seem to have a lifespan of over 250K miles. The front cam chain cover gaskets can leak as can the front crank seal. Neither of these items is any different from any other timing chain OHC motor.

There are very few interchangeable parts between the motors so don't let anybody scare you with stories they've heard about somebody who had a V6 Volvo and how bad it was. The 87-90 motor is a whole 'nother story.

Hey Mike, 3,000 for the whole car? Are you crazy, buy the car quick!

My 88- 760 has 186,000 miles on it. I have a bad oil leak at the front of the motor, a trans leak at the bushing and seal, a clunking intermed. drive shaft bearing, two bad nivomat shocks ( 250 ea. from ipd )no supports for the trunk lid or hood, bad front shocks ( the rear shocks are so bad that I have to buy used tires every month because the edges wear to the steel ). $2,500. worth of repairs.

I drive the car 40 miles at 60mph every day. The v-6 is great, super power.

(Screw the turbo)

Hey, for 3,00 you're a player. Get mooving!

They are infinitly better than the early ones, mostly due to improved top end oiling, and moreso to the magic of electronic fuel injection. They are still not as good as a 4cyl, but if you can put up with some idle fluctuations and worse gas mileage, and the car has been well maintained and is less money than a 4cyl model, go for it.

I have a 760gle (89 aug build date, 160K kms (100k miles)), it is a great car with powr, comfort etc. I was also concerned when i was deciding 2 years ago. There are 2 things about this car that i am neurotic about based on the horror stories ive heard about the pre 88 models. They are:

1. put the best oil you can in the car and change it ever 3k miles. I use mobil 1 synthetic 5w 50 (we dont have some of the other exotic synthetics you guys have, here in perth downunder)

2.I tap off 3 litres of the coolant every three months and top up with three litres fresh 50 50 coolant and distilled water.(I have never been able to find the full drainage plugs).

Other than that, you may have trouble with the fuel pump relay ( i soldered mine over a year ago and no problem since)

Hope this helps

Alex

That car has the best V-6 Volvo ever put in a car, the B230FT.

I think the improvements were in the camshaft lubrication area where these engines suffered. Wait for some more info though. You could get a front swaybar but I don't know about the rear.

Rene