Has anyone come across a worthwhile substitute to the "halogen" sealed beam quad headlamps ? They don't throw a hell of a lot of light, and I'd like to get something brighter on my son's '89 740 (168K).....we're not out to sink $500 in the headlamps, just something with a little more illumination.

I'm also looking for a Haynes manual for that car. The Haynes list shows the manual for 740's going up thru '88 only. Is there another one out there that goes thru the '89's that is any good ? If not, will the Haynes that goes up thru '88 get me most of what I need for my '89 ?

I'll second the recommendation to scrap the sealed-beam lights & get the E-code replacements. They're the same size / shape as sealed beams and will fit without modification. The 55/60 watt H4 & 55 watt H1 bulbs will go right in without additional wiring; to use the high-output bulbs, the additional wiring & relays are necessary (additional cost is only $25 or so - less if you have materials on hand).

I'm partial to Cibie lights - I use them in my '86 740 with 80/100 watt H4 and 100 watt H1 bulbs; separately wired with relays, of course. I went a step farther and got a Volvo OEM driving light switch for the dash and use the H1 lights as separately switched driving lights; don't often need them, but with all 4 lights on (H4 high beams & H1 driving lights) I can light up road signs over 2 miles off! (Great for those dark rural highways in eastern Colorado...)

IIRC, Volvo still has the driving light switches available - different graphic than the fog light switch, and a blue indicator light on the rocker. I think the parts book lists them as a "spot light switch"; got mine 3 years ago from Nils Siefelt Volvo out of Houston. VW/Audi have a 40 amp relay which works well - p/n 0-332-014-156; while it may be seen as sacrilege to use them, they're the only 40 amp ones I could find (most others are either 20 or 30 amp), are readily available in wrecking yards, and they are of northern European origin, so your Volvo won't reject them. ;) (E-mail me if you want more detail on my installation.)

Dan Stern is good to do business with, also - I've had excellent dealings with him, and the tech info on his web site ( http://lighting.mbz.org )is excellent. Also, make sure the lights are properly aimed - you'll get maximum benefit without blinding oncoming drivers even with the high-output low beams.

While the initial cost ($275 or so) may seem daunting, it's well worth it, given the price of peace of mind and safety (miss a deer, rock, car, pedestrian, etc. you would otherwise have hit, and they've paid for themselves...). I've used Cibie lights on every car I've had for the last 25 years - on some cars, they were a large fraction of the value of the car, but they've saved my butt more than once...

As to the manual, I'd think the differences between the '88 and '89 aren't vast, and the Haynes should do for you. (Of course, the "Green Books" are the "ne plus ultra", but I'd only get them if needed for a specific task.)

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Tom Harper ('86 740GLE)

If you buy E-code rated replacement headlights and use the standard 55/60 watt lamps you will get much improved headlights. Both Cibie and Hella make these, as well as other manufacturers. Expect to spend $50-60 per light. A good place to buy is Daniel Stern's Lighting Site. For even better lighting, install headlight relays which will put alternator output voltage to the headlights. I have installed the E-code headlights and the lighting relays to three of our 700 series cars, and they have outstanding headlights.

The headlight relay installation is covered on Stern's site, and it is also on the Vclassics site.

Could you list the addresses for both those sites ??

Thanks a lot...........

If you put your mouse pointer on this, and click, you will go to the site, just as if you had clicked on the Daniel Stern's Lighting Site above (but not here).

If you click on this, you will go to the vclassics site on headlight relays.

Sylvania makes "Cool Blue" sealed beam headlights that are a whiter shade of light than regular sealed beams, my brother replaced the lights in his nissan truck with them and I had an older nissan 240SX wich I put those lights in and noted a nice improvement in lighting. The light is not even close to being blue, so don't worry about that.

I'd also try aiming the headlights, that can make a big difference also.

good luck.
Andrew Woods
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My Volvo Page