Volvo 740 & 760 Forum

Feature my ride Mark forum as read and return

My right side tail light was dessimated on our 740 wagon. I ordered a replacement assembly from ebay. The new light has 5 connectors instead of 6 and to make matters worse the way my honey marked the wires has come off.

Is anybody out there willing to take a picture of their wiring connections? Does anybody know where I can find a wiring diagram for the tail light? (The wire colors for the left tl are different than the right tl)

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Hi i have a 740 gl 1989,with only 147 000 km,anyways i cleaned out the motor with some product,i didnt spray it with water,and as soon as i started the car the check engine light came on,the light has been on for about 2 weeks and always stay's on,i also noticed that its taking up alot of gas. I also have an other problem,my right wheel in the front is sort of blocked,i can use the car,infact it goes well, but something is jammed in the brakes,and they are still good(70%),but it seems to skip,and i have no abs,when i turn on the right side,my wheels just spin for a while,its as if the car is forcing leading the back wheels to spin,anyways if anybody could give me some advice id really appreciate it alot,thx

I have a 1990 740 Turbo Wagon that after a 2200 mile round trip (CA-CO-CA) started overheating like mad. It rapidly looses collant as well but not a lot on the ground or inside cabin. I'm not sure if it smokes more now. (it's been parked since Sep 05)

A mechanic suggested that it may be a blown head gasket or perhaps heater core. Both are evil to me, money and time wise. How do you isolate these issues? The two manuals that I have (Chiltons and that other one) are worktless. I'd appreciate any input.

Thanks,

Risho

BIG SUPRISE!!! A newb without any questions. I purchased an 89 760 gle for $600. 158,000 miles and runs like a champ. I read quite a bit in the forum and every question I had was answered. I LOVE IT!!! So, for now, NO QUESTIONS FROM THIS NEWB! Thanks for all the informative posts!!

I have lost all power to my mainline fuel pump on my 89 740 wagon . All fues OK Fuel pump relay changed. Fuel pump tested out as working fine . Ques. the 2 leads from the pump go through the floor and then where? I don't have a wiring diagram. Where do these two go? Is it some diabolical setup? Can another source of power be picked up and hooked to the fuel pump or must it follow original source? Is there any place I can get a wiring diagram? Right now the car is a 2 ton anchor.

Really confused and frustrated

Corny

Hi all.
Just got a mint beyond mint 1991 745 wagon. I have had a 142S and 144 in the not-too-distant past and did all my own work so I hope I can be of help to anyone with problems with those cars.

Greg

P.S.
The tape deck/stereo sounds awful and the right front dash speaker is dead. I want to keep the std factory stereo for authenticity but perhaps new speakers and amps will help.
How do you remove the speaker panels? There are special fasteners that I cannot figure out. They turn, but in no rotation do they allow for removal, so they are not keyed fasteners. I thought that in one position they might allow the panel to just lift up but no....
Thanks so much for you help.

I have a 1986 740 Turbo, and until recently its run beautifully. A few days ago it started having a strange problem while starting up: the car would start up, then die unless I pressed and held the gas pedal down, and even then it would still die often. When it was running the RPM gauge was reading a little less then 1 while idling, but would run fine otherwise. Also, when I put the car in reverse, I have to floor it and switch to drive immediately after braking to a stop to avoid it dying.

I poured some fuel injector cleaner in with a full tank of 89 octane gas, and now it starts fine, but still has the problem with reverse and while idling. I think it could be that the fuel filter needs to be replaced, but that wouldn't explain the problem while in reverse. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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Hello,

I am in need of assistance...My wife was stranded because the car acts as though it was out of gas..It will turn over but it would not stay running. I was guessing that it would have something to do with a sensor of some sort but I haven't a clue as to where to begin..Any information would be truly appreciated

Hi.

I have a 91 740 Wagon with a malfunctioning speedometer. It works only intermittently. At other times it fluctuates up and down between 25 and 45 mph. The odometer only works when the speedometer works which is only 10% of the time.

Any experience in removing the trim over the cluster? I tried pushing on the bezels on both the left and right sides through the square holes and pulling with a small screwdriver but the trim won't budge. Suggestions?

Also does it look like the speedo is bad if it acts like it does?

Thanks.

I have a problem with my 1990 740. If I hold it on a slope with the footbrake for a length of time, eventually the pedal starts sinking and the car rolls. I fitted new brake pads as they were all worn, but the problem persisted.

I took it to my local garage. They are nice lads but not pros. They said it was fine - no leaks - but I should have replaced disks when I replaced pads. I thought this was a bit weird but trusted them.

Anyway today I was holding the car in traffic and the pedal started sinking again, quite fast. The the lights changed and it was time to go. I pulled up outside my house, which is in a slope, left the engine running and held the car with the brake real hard while timing it. Within ten seconds I could fell my foot getting lower. 30 seconds lower still. Then suddenly at 45 seconds it went ALL THE WAY to the floor and the car started rolling. I had to pull the handbrake. Immediately I released the handbrake the brake pedal was back to normal biting height. There is no fluid loss.

Any ideas anyone?

Thankyou.

Hi, anyone know where I can get a manual for an 89 760 turbo? The current Haynes manual only goes to 88 and the 89 and newer is significantly different on several issues. The only other manual for the 760 starts at 92 and newer. Seems they left the 89 out. Anyone have a CD copy of the factory manual they would like to share?

Fellas:
does anyone have a secret for getting the heater tube off of the water pump. What turned into a simple pump change, just got annoying............

my back seat behind the the drivers seat will not go down the latch seem broken any way to doit manualy ?

Hi there,

I was browsing in the net and encountered your forum. After reading some postings I decided to join your community and ask you for advise.

I have no previous experience with Volvo but I know it is one of the best cars. Today, I found a Volvo 740 Turbo (1991) fully loaded. This car looks perfect. I couldn't find a single scratch on it. It has only 164000 km. It seems to have only one owner. This car has all technical records regarding maintenance and check ups. The dealer is asking for 6500 Canadian dollars ( I live in Vancouver, British Columbia).

Now my questions:
1) Is the price reasonable or too high?
2) What is the fuel consumption for this car?
3) What should I ask, or look for when I next time pay a visit to this particular dealership?
4) How different is the cost of repairing by shop compairing to other cars?
5) ... and many other questions which would you have as a serious Volvo buyer. :-)

Your posts are very important to me, because based on your opinion I have to decide (until Monday) whether I will buy the car or not!

Any help and suggestion is appreciated.


Thanks many times

Felix

i have a 1991 740 non turbo i changed the head gasket about 6 months ago and it was running fine about 2 weeks ago it was hard to start sometimes it didnt start at all so i changed the wires plugs had it running today but the engine shakes when it idles it takes about 5 minutes before it idels on its own drove it around the block and there was no power it woulndt go over 15 mph now it wont start



please help

i recently noticed that one of my fuses were really hot. the fuel pump/engine control fuse, 30 amps, is really hot. i'm wondering why this is. any suggestions?

Decision time! Have a 10 day delivery registration plate on my soon-to-be-retired much loved 89 740 16valve wagon with 500,000km. Am dickering on an 88 740 wagon with 340,000km on it - the garage wants $1500cdn, will certify emissions, safety cert. It needs a trunk latch, sunroof switch or motor, and a rear engine oil seal. Cars appear identical. Shocks appear soft and some corrosion on the steering control arm. Are there any critical parts I should remove from my 89 before delivering it to the scrapyard that would fit the 88? Thanks.

How's it going? I'm new to the board, and man it's about time I found a place like this. So here is my problem: Car runs smooth enough, cold of hot start no problem. The only problem I am having is that anytime I go over 3000 rpm the car stalls or hesitates until I let off the gas completely for about 2 seconds (at which point it feels like it shifts gears) then I can accelerate slowly until I get back up to 3000 rpm and it stalls again. The same happens if I try to accelerate too quickly. I will floor it and it will accelerate for about a second or two and then stall or hesitate. It is extremely annoying as I make frequent trips from Houston to Huntsville on the highway and I can’t get over 65 mph on account that I can hardly accelerate. Any help or ideas of what it could be would be greatly appreciated. One more thing, when it does stall of hesitate I can hear a squeek come from the engine like two pieces of metal rubbing together, obviousely part of the problem but as I know only the basics on cars I don't have a clue what it could be.

Hi, new to this forum. My parents kicked me down their old 1989 Volvo 740 GLE, and everything was great until a couple of weeks ago. Everything was running fine, then I woke up to go to school, and the car didn't start!!

I diagnosed the problems, and it was getting fuel, and it was getting spark. The fuel pump primes when i turn the key, and I checked spark by grounding the wires, and it was getting spark.

I parked the car and didn't touch it for 2 days. I then gave it a crank, and it fired right up, like nothing. However, there is a very loud ticking noise coming from the engine/head. First assumption is that it jumped a tooth on the timing belt, which was replaced 30k ago. I used a timing gun to check the timing, and it is at around 11-12 BTDC. What is the stock setting, and what should it be at?

PLEASE HELP!! PLEASE GIVE SUGGESTIONS.. IT SUCKS NOT BEING ABLE TO DRIVE THIS CAR, AS IT WAS A DAILY DRIVER. I CAN'T AFFORD TO DRIVE MY OTHER CAR AROUND ALL THE TIME!! THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Just was wondering if anyone has some advice for a sticky ignition on a 1991 740. The key sticks all the way clockwise when starting. I am able to turn it back left 1 notch to the "run" position manually (and the car runs fine).

Is there any way to lubricate/adjust the ignition, or do I have to replace the entire ignition assembly?

Thanks for your help...

Well, I know this is vague but I don't have any way to describe it other than a picture. Click here to see it. Sorry, it's a big image.

So, what is it? It has been kind of running rough lately so I'm wondering if there is a connection.

Thanks alot.

In the middle of my conversion to a 4 speed with overdrive manual transmission, from an AW71 Automatic, I noticed that the hydraulic clutch hose was leaking and had a blister where it was ready to rupture.

Looks like my '88 745Ti is going to have to wait on this for a while.

None of the local auto parts vendors have this part. So I called a local Volvo Dealer who was proud to tell me they could have it overnight to me for $76.00 US.

$76.00 for a foot of rubber hose with two metal bits on the end?

I think not.

I'm now in search of a custom brake line manufacturer that will produce this hose for me, using stainless steel braided hose.

Anyone know a reputable company?

Hi all,
Hoping there might be some good trouble shooting
advice out there.

Just purchased this 85' 740 that was running fairly
well. A bit hard starting first thing in the AM but
we are in Hawaii so its not an issue of temperature.
Recently however its gotten much worse. Need to crank
it for 20 seconds or so before it will start. Once
started it smokes(blue) a ton, then drops off but
never goes away completely. These are all new
symptoms.

A little history.
Right after buying the car 2 months ago I noticed that
it would put out the classic black smoke screen when I
would step on the gas for quick acceleration. I went
to the web and found this oil additive product called
AUTO RX thats supposed to clean the inside of the
engine. I put it in after an oil change about 300
miles ago and things have steadily gone down hill.
The other thing that has changed is that I have
started running biodiesel in it. I changed the fuel
filter of course and the air filter as well. Im
pretty sure that the turbo is working from looking at
an installed gage, plus it is not making any strange
sounds, but Im not expert. I have yet to check my
glow plugs but its strange that they would go out
right as I did all these changes.

Any thoughts on this problem of hard cold starts and
smoke would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Stephen

i have a 89 volvo 760 turbo that i got for my second car, it isnt the best car but i have had it for about 3000 miles without to many problems. But today i was driving it around when it started idling slow, around 250 when u werent moving and anywhere from 1000-3000 when i was, it would shurge then like u would be driving and then it was like the motor ran out of power u could have your foot to the floor "pretty much what i had to do to keep it form dieing" and it wouldn't die. Also when it starts doing this when u try to give it gas it will make this knock and shurge foward, now it wont even start and run for that long. Do any of u know what might cause this. This might have been hard to understand but its hard to explain what it does. Bottom line its undriveable until i figure out what is causing this.

I was wondering if any of you guys know where I can get a bigger turbo for my 1990 760 Turbo. I think Garret's GT2560R turbo would work, but I'm not sure. Also, if anybody knows where I could get a vehicle specific large-core radiator then lemme know, cuz otherwise I'm gonna need to get a universal one, or do you think the stock intercooler would work fine? And if anybody knows how much psi the stock turbo and intercooler can handle, then that would also be welcome information. Thanks!

Hey all -
A little over a year ago my OD relay had to be fixed. "He" would throw himself into overdrive whenever he felt like it. I am thinking ever since it was fixed the cigarette lighter hasn't worked. I didn't realize until a little while later when I purchased a car charger for my cell phone. I have looked at the fuses. All seem okay in the panel box.

Does anyone have a suggestion of where else to look or an idea of why it may not work now?

I'd love to listen to my iPod and charge my phone while in the car.
Thanks!

I feel like an **** trying to find this...Shouldnt this becoming out of the MAF box?
I see pictures of the unit online but cannot find in my car...

Trying to fix some issues with the 740..especially after discovering nest in the MAF.

Hi,
First post here, hope ya'll are kind to newbies.
So my problem(well one of my problems) is that about 30-40% of the time when i get in my 1990 Volvo 740gl Turbo and turn the key to start nothing happens. I have eliminated the issue as being a starter motor.

Troubleshooting i have done.
When I put the ignition switch in the "run" position, and jumper a wire from the + battery to the Solenoid on the starter, it will turn over and fire up ever single time. SO it's not the starter motor.

I do hear a relay click in the console area when this happens. COuld be that it always clicks but I can only hear it when the engine is not cranking over.

This tends to happen more often after I've been driving around town a bit maybe made a few stops, which made me think it was the starter, but like i said that has been eliminated as the problem.

It is intermittent and so far as I can tell not predictable.

Any advice would help.

My next move is to look into the Safety switch coming from the Shifter on the transmission, on a tip from Bill at Voluparts in Atlanta( www.voluparts.com ).

-Ry

1990 740GL Turbo (boost enhanced)
151,000 miles (40,000 on new motor / transmission)
Alpine CD/MP3
Infinity speakers
Alpine Sub 10" w/ 200watt Alpine amplifier

Hello Everyone, I just joined this website today and hope someone can help with a problem I am having with my volvo. It shuts off at 40mph and sometimes when I am just leaving a stop light or parking space. I have replaced the fuel filter and the reference sensor. Having spent about $300. so far I still have problems with it stalling and now it is beginning to stall at 65 mph. I prevented it from stalling today on the highway by pushing on the gas peddal. It does this in cold and hot weather and when I just start the car and also after it has been running for a while. Can someone help? Therese

Hi. I have a 90 740 GLE wagon. The car was running great untill yesterday. I get no movement of the starter motor. I removed the starter and had it tested and replaced with a new one. Still won't turn over. I ckeched the forum and have no voltage at the blue wire. How do I fix this? I have a new Bosch batt and clean cables. Thanks!

Trying to trouble shoot this issue...has happened 3 times in 2000 miles of owning this car.
I've found that having at least 1/4 tank of 89+ octane and the problem does not come up.
When car is running low on fuel seems to have trouble getting gas into the system or something. Fuel filter was changed when i bought the car.

anyone have any insight?

thanks

D

Hello everyone. I am a Volvo 740 Station Wagon owner since 1992. The vehicle has close to 300,000 miles on it odometer (it is a 1992 model).
I joined this forum because I need an answer to a problem I have with my automatic transmission.
I am using/loosing a lot of motor oil, because my crank shaft seals are shot. I replaced the front seals for crank shaft & cam shaft etc, but not the rear one, because I did not want to pull the engine or transmission to do it. So it still leaks, but not as bad.
Yesterday, after about 20 miles of driving, I lost all of a sudden power to the wheels. The engine was running fine. I turned the engine off and checked fluids. No problem there. Turned the engine back on and was able to drive about 300 to 400 yards and the same power loss to the wheels occurred. After turning everything off and restarting the engine I was able to drive again a short distance. Going through that routine I was able to make it home. I have not tried to drive the car today. It seems to be electrical, but I am no transmission expert and that is why I need some help.

I hope someone will have an answer.

I've a 740 t getting a light footed 10mpg. I need to locate the right sensors to begin tests. Can anyone point me to links to diagrams?

My windows will not roll down. All the controls are not functioning. Everything else still works, even my sunroof. Is it a short in the wiring or is it a fuse? This happened for a week about six months ago and went away, so I think a short. I am not sure though. Thanks!

nvm....i got the solution sorted

Tape player hasn't worked since I can remember. I removed and disassembled radio and, assuming tape player was belt driven, looked for belt remnants. Found nothing. Is this tape player belt driven? And if so, does anyone know for sure the belt size?

Hi all,

Newbie to the forum here! smile.gif
I double posted this onto the 240 forum to get their advice, but would love to get feedback from you 740 owners, as well.

I am an old volvo diehard (760 wagon, 850 sedan, and bro currently has an XC90 T5), but am currently in need of advice for buying a new OLD volvo.

I tried the search, but didn't get much. So if you all can help me, I'd really appreciate it!! I need a rock solid, and cheap running car. Cheap means it is reliable and breaks down rarely if ever, and cheap on parts for typical maintenance/repair. My budget is under $1000, and currently am seeing both 240 and 740 circa 1980-89 models in that price range. So my questions are:

1. Which is more reliable overall, the 240 or 740, all else being equal?
2. Which model's parts tend to be cheaper/easier to find?
3. What are your tranny preferences and why? Is the auto trans strong and reliable?
4. Are there noted weak spots on either of the models? For example, any particular engines to avoid (though I am avoiding all turbos). Cooling systems? Electrical systems? A/C system?

Bottom line is I need a car that isn't going to surprise me with breakdowns or pricey repairs. I am very mechanical and accustomed to working on cars, but starting with a sound model is better than repairing a turd. FWIW, I loved my 760 turbo wagon for its capability, but it drove me nuts with its electrical issues; by contrast my 850 turbo was rock solid. Any guidance here would be very helpful. Thanks, all!!!

Edward