Model Year Changes and Features. Back in prehistoric Volvo time, the factory badged cars with numbers defined as Series +Cylinders+Doors. Hence, a Volvo 264 was a 200-series car with a PRV-6 6 cylinder engine in sedan format with four doors. A 142 was a 100-series car with four cylinders and two doors. A "5" at the end meant five doors or a wagon. This began breaking down when the middle digit was used for the 760 to refer to trim line instead of cylinders, e.g., a 764 sedan may have a turbo-four or six-cylinder engine, but has in both cases a more extensive trim package. In later years, the factory stopped badging the cars in this way and only the owners refer to their cars so. Hence, a "940" sedan is unofficially a 944; a 960 wagon is in the eyes of owners and mechanics a 965. this system was formally abandoned with the newer five cylinder front drive cars in 1993.

Bosch or Rex-Regina Systems?

[Inquiry] How do I identify my fuel injection and ignition system? [Response: Chris Mullet/Chris Herbst] Many 1990+ non-turbos have Rex/Regina systems; most turbos seem to have Bosch. Between 90 to 92, all non-California non-turbos were Regina cars. There were some 89s and there were some at least until 1993 if not later. The Regina cars are anything but rare. Regina systems are characterized by:

• Only one fuel pump which is in the tank, without a pre-pump; and this fuel pump is not as high a quality as Bosch
• Ignition coil is a wierd sort of amplifier-looking thing on the LH strut tower, versus a standard looking cylinder-shaped coil.
• Uses an intake air temperature sensor and a MAP sensor, instead of the mass airflow meter.

Vehicle Identification Number Coding.  The VIN number (stamped on a plate next to the driver's-side front windshield) for the 700/900 series cars can be decoded as follows:  (those listed are common in US and Canada applications)
A. 740/  
 

Product Plate Number Coding.

The Product Plate is located on the passenger's side of the front radiator cross brace and has the following additional information in the five lines on the right of the label

Service Label Number Coding.

The Service Label is located on the driver's door

Other Identification Locations.

Other identification labels are located as follows:

• B230 and 234 series have labels on the timing cover and stamps in the left block below the head.
• B280F have stamps on the block, either between cylinder banks toward the rear (early) or on the right front between inlet manifold and water pump.
• B6304F have labels on the timing cover and stamps in the left block.

    Transmission:    Metal plates affixed to the left-hand side of the transmission, just above the pan

    Rear Axles:       Labels on the left side of the axle housing, as follows:

• 1030:  Standard rear axle
• 1031:  Heavy-duty version of standard solid axle with limited slip mechanism
• 1041: Heavy duty solid axle with automatic locking mechanism
• 1035:  Multi-link rear axle
• 1045:  Multi-link rear axle, with automatic differential lock

Transmission Model Information. See this list for automatic transmissions used in recent Volvo RWD cars:

FOR REFERENCE ONLY - USE TAG NUMBERS FOR POSITIVE ID

List of Paint Color Codes

[Tip from Volvoworld]  See http://www.volvoworld.com/ for a comprehensive list of paint codes

Volvo Maintenance FAQ for 7xx/9xx/90 Cars