Volvo 740 lockdown fettle/ fuck up...

[aldo135]

This is actually a very belated introduction, been waiting since last August to put a thread up! I wanted to get it running properly before I started waffling but I'm still not there yet so here goes...

 

A 1989 Volvo 740 2.0 auto. Bought from a certain blue forum for £450, it looked solid and ran well enough. It was in March, Cambridgeshire, but my Mum lives not far from there so got the train down on a Saturday, picked it up, had a few beers with family and drove it home to Edinburgh on Sunday. This went well and I was really pleased with it. It has the kids seats in the boot and this is a great help as I am a childminder now and the bigger 2 love sitting there!

 

A few days later I went to our local meet and it went down well with the SVM, although Dave noticed the kickdown cable was disconnected and told me this was bad news, the chap had told me it didn't really matter as you could change manually and I stupidly believed him...

 

I booked it in for a new cable with my local mechanic but it started playing up before I even got it to him, and ended up needing a new 'box. There is a specialist breaker not too far from here, but they wanted £300 which seemed a lot given what I paid for the car. It had sat for a couple of weeks while I decided what to do, when Ian (spiny Norman) spotted a suitable gearbox for sale on the Volvo forum for £75. Emails were exchanged and "foggyjames" delivered it from Lincoln to Edinburgh for the asking price, as he was working up this way. Top man! I had to wait a few weeks for it to be fitted as it was mates rates but it worked a treat and flew through an MOT afterwards, even getting the classic "cleanest one I've seen in years" from the tester.

 

Three whole weeks of trouble free motoring followed, before it started running really rough and seemed reluctant to change gear. It went back to the garage where they did their best to ignore it for another couple of weeks before diagnosing vacuum hoses as the culprit and thankfully not the replacement 'box!

 

This time I got a fortnight of trouble free motoring before similar rough running ensued, and this time the coil and leads were replaced. I didn't even get a day after this, it's much stronger/eager to go this time but it's like "kangaroo petrol", even at idle it can be jumping 500 revs up and down, and misfiring when revved. The ignition switch is worn and sometimes the car will run but the wipers heater etc all die, but that wouldn't cause the poor running would it? The exhaust has now snapped before the back box so makes it sound even worse! Looking on the Volvo forum there's loads of info, the radio suppression relay might be worth a look next. My SVM friends Dave and RML Adrian reckon the dizzy/ hall sensor is worth checking. Any other advice/commiserations/slagging off/cash offers to make it go away much appreciated!

 

https://vimeo.com/154790892

 

 

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[cms206]

The Council Estate does the whole no radio/wipers/heaters/headlights thing but I can't comment on rough running 'cos mine has never not ran like a cow. I just fiddle with the key to get electrics back. The only other gremlin I have is the electric windows occasionally take up to 90 seconds to come to life.

[aldo135]

Although it doesn't look a complicated fix the £79 to £84 quoted for the switch means I've learned to fiddle with the key as well!

[garethj]

That seems an amazing run of breakdowns for one of the most reliable cars ever made.  It looks peachy from the outside so hopefully it will treat you better soon.

[mouseflakes]

advice/commiserations/slagging off/cash offers to make it go away

 

You seem to have had a terrible run of bad luck there. Car looks very tidy though.

[tooSavvy]

Given the steering lock actuator being 'on the column'... Is there any reason you cannot bypass the shroud lock location and just have all electrics reliably installed in/under the dash front? Big rotary switch, like.

 

Not MOT issue?

 

TS

[aldo135]

 

Forgot to update, finally got round to looking at this and found the wiring to the hall sensor was loose and causing the roughness. Scaryoldcortina Andy is gluing this back together for me and fixing the exhaust, then it will be time to decide what I'm keeping, as I can't afford to keep the 4 cars I seem to have accrued over the last wee while! I really like the roffle Rover but it depends how much of a pain it will be to get it changing gears.

 

 

This is the stepmothers old Ignis, was ready to sell it to a fellow 'shiter but my sister wants it. It's a really good wee car and is covering for the Volvo just now but it's too small for me long term I think.

 

 

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[Bear]

Plastic arches - 4Grip?

 

Those little Suzukis are remarkably good and unloved.

[eddyramrod]

Those Suzukis are brilliant!  When MrsR decided she had to have a "brand new" car and nothing less would do, that's what we bought.  An entry-level 1.3 Ignis 5-door.  What a superb little motor it was.

[danthecapriman]

Love the Volvo. They really are fantastic cars, it looks very tidy too. Sort it's niggles and it'll be a brilliant car.

 

I miss my old one, I shouldn't of sold it. Best car I ever had easily.

I'm really tempted to just buy the next one I see for sale that's a 2.3GLE auto!

[aldo135]

It's just a front drive 1.3 but it goes well and has been looked after. I agree they are good cars, this one has been replaced by a 65 plate Swift, my parents 3rd Suzuki!

 

The Volvo is finally on the right track so obviously thinking about selling it now! What's the fun in having a sorted one? Will decide once I get it back

 

 

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[scaryoldcortina]

 

I think I found the problem! The over the axle pipe has snapped, but the boxes either end of it look saveable. Luckily because it's a volvo this is a separate piece and it's only a tenner. New one should be here in the morning.

 

Also, there is blood and feathers all over the underside of the car. Pheasant?

[aldo135]

Cheers Andy. Yeah flattened an already dead Pheasant just over the border, forgot about that!

 

 

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[320touring]

 

I think I found the problem! The over the axle pipe has snapped, but the boxes either end of it look saveable. Luckily because it's a volvo this is a separate piece and it's only a tenner. New one should be here in the morning.

 

Also, there is blood and feathers all over the underside of the car. Pheasant?

he's a pheasant plucker for sure..

[gordonbennet]

I love these and the 9 series, we've kicked ourselves a hundred times for flogging our 940 Dizzler to me sis, who's hubby then used abused and allowed his hooligan dogs to chew to bits, bloody shame that.

 

That looks a decent one.

 

Had one that was a heap, 760 V6 petrol, Jesus that thing could drink and didn't give any poke considering it was the thirstiest car i've ever owned, injection was a bastard on it.

[aldo135]

Got the train to Durham earlier tonight, was picked up in the famous y reg Laguna and now have a much smoother and quieter Volvo! Got home with minimal fuss. All going to plan I will bring it up to Perth tomorrow. Thanks Andy!

 

 

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[UmBongo]

Nice setting for the first picture @Dunsapie Loch.

[aldo135]

I'm lurking on here every few days but rarely post, I bet my last 20 or so are all "2 randoms please mate". So thought I'd update this page even though my news is as usual months old. I still have the 740, it's survived 2 fleet culls since I've had it, seeing off a Zafira and the Ignis pictured above. I had the 740 and Zafira for sale at the same time, thankfully the latter sold first as I didn't really want the Volvo to go. More recently my wife seen an advert for a nearly new Santa Fe and thought we should sell both cars and buy that instead. I was pleased to hear she had been looking at £300 cars, but less enamoured to find out you had to pay £300 every month until the car is worth about £300... The Ignis did end up going as she started walking to work, but the Volvo remained and became our only car and daily driver, amazing considering its first few months in my ownership where it seemed to be the least reliable 740 ever. It's been great though, the kids and I even slept in it last summer and it was down in the New Forrest and parked by the beach at Nairn within the school summer holidays! I really should get that odometer fixed, no idea how many miles I've done in it.

Last October it needed a wee bit welding for its mot and the guy that does it for me was really busy, so I borrowed an 850 off Andy CMS to get around in (thanks again Andy!) I liked it so much I ended up buying it, I think I'm the third or fourth on here to own it so it's a bit of an Autoshite bike. The tape on the wings has had more owners than most cars!

The plan for now is to run the 850 as a daily and let the 740 return to back up/ Sunday best, it still scrubs up really well considering its age and recent daily activity.

I really should have one car that can average more than 30mpg, and 320T Neil's Oxford has me daydreaming of owning something properly old again, but I'm happy for now. Anyway, I might win RobT's Xantia on Wednesday!

[320touring]

YAAAASSSS

 

Which one you bringing on Wed?

[aldo135]

850 I think, it's been whatever has more petrol in it recently! Good old January. Not made one for ages so will be there mate

[320touring]

Nice one!

[danthecapriman]

Good to see your still here! Good to see the old 740's still here too! Still looks great too.

[Ghosty]

We'll have one 740 of every colour at this rate!

[danthecapriman]

We'll have one 740 of every colour at this rate!

As far as I can remember I don't think we've got any repeats in the same colour have we? Maybe we should make a list!

[Ghosty]

We should! Unless David Fowler's and yours are the same shade of dark blue but I'm not sure they are, considering his is facelift.

[aldo135]

Dave would be your man for that, I'm sure he made an SVM list not too long ago on one of his threads

[danthecapriman]

Just thinking, yours must be about the very last of the flat front style 740's being a G reg. you don't see them that late very often, most seem to be E or F reg.

[Ghosty]

That's about right. Six-cylinder's grey 740 is a facelift and that's on a G too. The facelift was 1990.

[danthecapriman]

That's about right. Six-cylinder's grey 740 is a facelift and that's on a G too. The facelift was 1990.

When did the first 940's come out? Must have been about H reg?

[Ghosty]

Yeah, around F/G. It's 1990 as well.