Hi everyone,

I'm a new member so look forward to speaking with you all.

I am picking up my 'new' 1988 'F' reg 740 turbodiesel automatic estate on Tuesday bought for the princely sum of £400.

I would like to ask what sort of MPG I can expect from it - both around town and on a run. What is the best/worst I can expect?

I currently have a 'C' reg 240GLE 2.3 auto saloon which while being a cheap purchase and a high miler (£100 and 215000 respectively) has proved itself reliability wise beyond all reasonable doubt - for example it went throught the MOT recently just needing a brake light bulb and a length of brake servo pipe!

However my only gripe is that the mpg on the petrol is a bit crippling hence I have bought the 740 turbodiesel. The majority of my driving is around town and would also like to know of any other areas to check/be aware of on the 740 turbodiesel.

The new car will be needing a new MOT within the next month and I will be getting it serviced incl. cambelt (if it has one) at this time also.

It seems sound - 212000 miles, recently serviced and starts first time according to the seller. Interior is a bit grubby and headlining has been removed but sponge is still there - I can live with that.

Only fault is that fuel gauge indicates full all the time - is there a cheap/easy fix for this - what is involved?

Any advice will be much appreciated

Kind regards

Stewart

I would first check the wiring.
Then check the sending unit.

Thanks for that.

Would anybody like to have a stab at what the MPG the turbodiesel does?

I'm curious as to what to expect.... :57:

Just found out that the fuel gauge problem is a bad earth....

Would welcome any answers on the MPG issue for the turbodiesel

I wish I knew there is not alot of the turbo diesels here in the U.S.

No worries - I pick it up today so will soon be able to let you know :D

I reckon I'm loking at somewher in the 30's MPG average.

Will upload a pic later so you can all have a look.

It's previous owner was a farmer and over here in the UK farmers are notorious for just working their vehicles hard and although keeping them serviced, they end up getting knocked about a bit.

I've seen pics and this one looks quite tidy however - I like to think I am offering this one a 'retirement' home !!

Speak to you all later

Stewart

Can't wait till you post the pics.

CONGRATS!!!

I'd like to know about the gas mileage and any problems you encounter too, I have an '89 745 and I'd like my next one to be a diesel but info on them is hard to come by. There's a few here in Canada, but all I 've been able to find out is that it's a VW straight 6 engine. I'll try not to think in Kilometers and Litres. :)

Just got the car and drove it back 75 miles last night. Turns out the radiator has gone or there is a split hose. Managed to get back home with regular stops to top up the water as it kept overheating due to losing water. I put some 'Radweld' (radiator sealant) in halfway home and that slowed the loss of water considerably.

I managed to get a hundred pounds knocked off the cost of the car because of this so that will pay for a new radiator!

My question is, however, the guy I bought it from said that because Volvos are nigh on indestructible - you could drive them with no water in (I assume he meant for a short distance and not all the time) and you'd get away with it. This sounds like a bit of a tall story to me, I don't think I'd like to put it to the test! Can Volvos take that sort of abuse - I know you are not supposed to do that, but was just wondering, anyone got any similar stories?

Mind you the other cheap Volvo I bought I drove 150 miles home without realising that there was no oil in the engine. I managed to get home fine and it didn't blow up ha ha ha!!! :D

Apologies for the mechanical ignorance shown - but hey at least I want to learn! :thumbsup:

well not even volvos can run without cooling

now I hate to rain on your parade but I bet farmer joe never used coolant but just water [and probably hard water in UK] so it is possible that whole block is what my volvo agent called "porous" [ie rotted out]

mine did another 10,000 after I bought it but finally after 20 bottles of rad weld pistons filled with water and it died

anyway as I say I got to put in a new engine and after 110,000 km in 13 years it is hardly run in

but as I also said I was amazed that old engine with probably 500,000 plus km did not use a drop of oil in the 10,000 km which is a real triumph for volvo engineering

so hope it is just radiator or better still just a hose leaking :57:

please let us know

I have seen them engines overheat so bad and lock up that the timing covers melted to the engine.The plastic covers that is.They had to be smashed with a hammer to be taken off.
The engine was junk.

Hi all,

Have taken the car to my friend who is a mechanic. He said the problem with the radiator is that it has come uncrimped at one end hence the leak. We are going to buy a new rad and fit it just for peace of mind rather than mess about with a second hand one that may not last very long. We checked the tranny oil and that was clean as was the engine oil - so it's all pointing towards it being a nice example. As I said inside and out it's been a bit knocked about a bit but I haven't bought it to win prizes but as a functional useful load shifter.

Speak soon,

Stewart

Have you got any numbers on the gas mileage yet?

Stuart,

On Speeking to a new aquaintance who owns a volvo spares yard, you should expect around 27 - 30 mpg depending on whether your engine tunning is correct.
and also how much you kick ass with the turbo.

Regards
Simon

Ha ha thanks for that Simon!

Must remember not to try and cane the turbo too much then.... ;)

Apologies for the delay in posting but have finally got the car back from mechanic friend who has furnished her with a brand new MOT. New radiator - (my gosh aren't they expensive? - apparently Volvo UK said the rad in the 740 TD is different to the one in the petrol as it has to cool the auto box and do something else too??? They wanted £350 coupled with the attitude that 'if you want it we're the only one's who've got it....' -managed to get a new one independently for £175 :D

Steering rack was gone - so there was another £110. Still, I just take the view that I was a bit unlucky having two expensive things picked up on the MOT that had to be done.

It's only money isn't it.....

I'm off on holiday soon so will be able to update on my MPG figures then.

Thank you to all those who've replied with suggestions on MPG forecasts.

The only niggly fault is that fuel guage is still not working. My mechanic friend confirmed that the sender unit on the tank is faulty and needs replacing. I will get a unit from a scrap yard (breakers). Is this a job I can tackle on my own does anyone know? I am a modestly competent DIY mechanic with plenty tools I just wouldn't know where to start. Will I need any special tools? I have a Haynes manual for this vehicle so that will tell me how to go about it - it's just having the confidence! :57:

Look forward to hearing from you all

Stewart

Hi Stewart,

Like you I'm also on going on holiday, so we can swap notes when we come home.
although like you my fuel guage is faulty only mine is sticking at a quarter of a tank. Your 740 being a deisel should get better miles per gallon than mine on long distance as mine is a 2.3 turbo (petrol).

Have a good holiday.

Simon :thumbsup:

Hello Stewart!

I am a new member too. I managed to drive with my "new" 740 turbodiesel
(engine is VW production) about 2000km before I got trouble with
automatic transmission cooling system. During this I intensively measured
fuel consumption. My result is 8(+0.1/-0.2) l/100km, approx. 15% is city driving and 85% is highway. I am really sorry but I do not know how to convert this to miles/Gal since I found in the i-net at least 2 different types of miles and few different gal types! I hope this can be useful.

with best regards

/Normunds