JohnK's Volvo - 740 GL 'E' Reg - Now belongs to JohnK.

[RichardK]

Count the wires going to the ISO connector, also the stereo fader control will be fairly obvious - two icons of speakers with a rotary thing of some sort. Probably on the left side of the dash below the fuel gauge area.

 

Try the head unit front/left/rear/front and see where the sound is. Often if they've bridged something weird, you'll think you've got stereo but it'll behave incorrectly like fading with balance.

 

Correct way to put the ISO in with a speaker fader is to pick up the speakers at the fader itself - or rewire entirely - a lot of them use a shared ground setup too...

[CreepingJesus]

Check if you've got an amp too, that should have its own lead. Dying amps (or badly connected ones) can make some godawful noises.

[RichardK]

And also take a strop when fed with speaker outputs sometimes...

[Guest Hooli]

The average late 80s early 90s car has such a screwed set of wiring for a stereo its often easier to just start again for the speakers - two wires to each, it's a doddle if you keep track of them.

 

I once wired a car with all white wires for the speakers, I put knots in them with the same number at each end to identify them. It made people wibble to see but was dead easy to deal with & worked first time.

[Ghosty]

And is this the era of car where there's a fader lurking outside of the radio

 

Mine has one of those in the switch bank to the left of the steering wheel, doesn't do anything.

[cpjitservices]

Thanks all I may take a look today if I get chance.

Need to find my Autoshite stickers, thats the main job

 

 

ALl taxed and insured - good old Footman James, £150 for the year

[Guest Hooli]

Mine has one of those in the switch bank to the left of the steering wheel, doesn't do anything.

 

Normally at that age of car they used common earths from the fader onwards and modern headunits have a fit & refuse to provide any output to such strangely wired speakers. Hence as soon as a better headunit is fitted the fader is disconnected.

[cpjitservices]

Wiring

[Guest Hooli]

I can't work it out from the pics but you should have/need to have

 

two wires per speaker - so normally eight in total

switched live from ignition fed feed, this provides the power for the unit so 5-10amp normally

permanent live for the head unit memory, this is low ampage

earth

[Guest Hooli]

Oh & check the wires go direct to the speakers.

 

As I replied to ghosty, with that age of car they did some odd things with faders etc. You'll know if something is odd as you either get no sound or it starts cutting out as soon as you turn it up.

[cpjitservices]

I can't work it out from the pics but you should have/need to have

 

two wires per speaker - so normally eight in total

switched live from ignition fed feed, this provides the power for the unit so 5-10amp normally

permanent live for the head unit memory, this is low ampage

earth

 

Cool, well in first pic my radio is plugged into the welded in ISO plugs.

 

There is another set of plugs on the seat which come from behind the glove box - its hard to figure out the wiring as its been chopped quite far back. 

 

I wonder whether the plugs ive plugged my radio in to, i wonder whether I need to plug into the ones on the seat

[cpjitservices]

Oh & check the wires go direct to the speakers.

 

As I replied to ghosty, with that age of car they did some odd things with faders etc. You'll know if something is odd as you either get no sound or it starts cutting out as soon as you turn it up.

Yep sound gets very distorted and cuts out almost immediately turning up volume past 8 which u can barely hear.

[cpjitservices]

Oh & check the wires go direct to the speakers.

 

As I replied to ghosty, with that age of car they did some odd things with faders etc. You'll know if something is odd as you either get no sound or it starts cutting out as soon as you turn it up.

Apparently, there is A fader box somewhere.

[Guest Hooli]

I'd be tempted to just run new speaker wires as it'll be easier than figuring out what's in there. Just keep the positive and neg marked up as putting them the wrong way makes the speakers move the wrong way, which sounds crap & they tend to cancel each other out so you get less sound.

Then you just need a switched live, perm live & earth.

[cpjitservices]

I'd be tempted to just run new speaker wires as it'll be easier than figuring out what's in there. Just keep the positive and neg marked up as putting them the wrong way makes the speakers move the wrong way, which sounds crap & they tend to cancel each other out so you get less sound.

Then you just need a switched live, perm live & earth.

ok, il check it out and try that! 

 

Thanks

[Guest Hooli]

Have fun.

[cpjitservices]

Most importantly...

[cpjitservices]

I cant remember the last time I went for a drive just to drive around, but I've been all over Hull just to go for a drive in this magnificent beast - and by, do people move out of your way lol.

 

Kindly enough people let you out too - also attracted some attention at the filling station 

[cpjitservices]

Also, I've got conflicting info on the interference / non-interference - hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

Engine code is B230K if anyone can confirm....

[Guest Hooli]

Hmm looks like it depends on the exact version of the 2.3 https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?p=392770

[cpjitservices]

Hmm looks like it depends on the exact version of the 2.3 https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?p=392770

Yeah I saw that mines the b230k with carb - looks like its interference

[Ghosty]

That's weird. B230E is non interference.

[cpjitservices]

That's weird. B230E is non interference.

Different heads I think

[CreepingJesus]

Aye, mine's a B230FT which will be lower compression. Should've thought...!

[cpjitservices]

It needs doing regardless, but right now I need to get MOT done in November - see how that turns out.

 

Then will plan for cambelt and clutch

[cpjitservices]

Next task, is to fix the mess of the wiring for the radio, it'll be easier to run new speaker wiring straight to the head unit rather than figure out where the amp is and bypass it. 

 

Good job I have lots of cable.

[davidfowler2000]

Aye, mine's a B230FT which will be lower compression. Should've thought...!

 

Your silver 760 is a B230ET. Turbo version of the one I have and with electronic injection.

[CreepingJesus]

Your silver 760 is a B230ET. Turbo version of the one I have and with electronic injection.

Again you're right. I'd assumed it was the FT at the time of the cambelt incident, but despite being corrected several times, it hasn't sunk in! Senility screening for me I think...

[derskine]

That's weird. B230E is non interference.

 

Questionable. It mentions 530 and 531 heads being okay in that thread on volvoforums but as far as I'm aware, no 530/531 heads had the injector holes for K jet. I was always lead to believe the B200E and B230E were indeed interference due to the higher lift provided by the cam, coupled with the earlier head.

 

Belts are ridiculously easy to change on these, by the way.

[cpjitservices]

Questionable. It mentions 530 and 531 heads being okay in that thread on volvoforums but as far as I'm aware, no 530/531 heads had the injector holes for K jet. I was always lead to believe the B200E and B230E were indeed interference due to the higher lift provided by the cam, coupled with the earlier head.

 

Belts are ridiculously easy to change on these, by the way.

Yes, Ive heard they are fairly easy.

 

Going to get it done anyway, needs a new clutch first and foremost though I think - Bite is quite high. Though on volvo forums the opinion is that this is actually fairly normal as it's not slipping.