I'm a long time visitor to the 900 forum of the board ('94 960 132k miles) but new to the 700 forum. I've just purchased (sight unseen) a '90 740 GLE 16 valve car with 200k miles. This car will become primary transportation for a struggling single mom with no knowledge of cars. I know nothing of the maintenance history, but am told that the oil pan leaks.

I have several questions about the car: If I have to replace the engine, can I easily swap this 16 valve with the 8 valve engine with no modifications? Performance is not a consideration for this application, but dependability is.

How hard is it to replace the oil pan gasket? Can the pan be removed without lifting the engine or removing any other components, or is it more complicated?

What is the bare minimum maintenance I should do on this car before I give it to the new owner? I'm assuming the timing belt and oil pulley bolt should be replaced, and the oil changed. Radiator flush? Flame trap? Other?

Thanks for your responses and opinions.

Robert

My local Volvo salvage yard thinks the wiring harness may differ between the eight valve and sixteen valve engines. He also said that a low mileage sixteen valve engine would be hard to find. That being said, I'm wondering if I could find a relatively low mileage eight valve engine and use the block and just reuse the sixteen valve head from the original motor. Are the blocks the same? How much of the original engine would I have to transfer to the replacement block?

Yes, the wiring harness will be different. As well as the engine computer. For the prices they're going for, an 88-89 740 8-valve is a much better choice. Sorry you've already made this purchase, because the history of these 16-V cars, esp in the hands of someone "with very little knowledge of cars" is poor. Timing belts *MUST* be replaced every 40K miles. Oil seals *MUST* be replaced when these are done. The two belts together cost over $200 vs $22 or less for the 8-V car timing belt (which is rated 50K, lasts 100K).
The bill for a repair should the belt break is >$2000. The best thing for this one may be to simply part it out on Ebay or in a trader newspaper. That "good running" head is worth $300 minimum, and much of the other stuff can fetch a decent price. I've worked on a LOT of Volvos... these are NOT the car to give someone with limited resources, and who likely will be dependent on it daily, for work, kids transport etc.
With oil leaks already manifest, I'd say this car's likely to drive another 15-20K TOPS before it needs either the $800 "going-over" or the $2400 top-end engine rebuild.
I'm sorry, I don't like to bad-mouth Volvos but these cars were a mistake and a nightmare to many many people. It's like getting a surprise bank-breaking medical bill if one of these cars breaks a timing belt.
Trade it, sell it, whatever - it's the wrong car to put your friend in.
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Rob Bareiss, New London, CT 86 244, 87 244, 88 744

Rob,

Thanks for the input. It sounds like you know what you're talking about. I have some follow-on questions:

It looks like I can get that parts I need for routine maintenance (T-belt, hoses, filters, tensioner, etc.) for around $300 online prices. With a DIY service job, that should get the car going for the moment. The long term solution probably would be to sell it and get a Camry or Saturn or something for her.

I'm curious about what you mean by the remark about the "$2400 top-end engine rebuild". I guess I assumed that with 200k miles the most likely problem would be worn cylinders and crank bearings. Are you implying that the limiting factor on the life of this engine is more likely to be something in the heads? If so, what would be the likely cost of having the heads reworked by a machine shop if I took them off? Surely less than $2400? (Unless it's like my 960).

And what do you see as being included in the $800 "going over"? Is that just the maintenance I'll be doing with the $300 in parts for the T-belt, tensioner, seals, water pump, and misc. belts, hoses, and filters?

Thanks again for your input.

Robert

Ok, just so you know I'm not full of hot air... I was the service manager for an independent Volvo shop here in CT for a few years. I fielded all the calls, got the frantic side-of-the-road calls, etc....
The single main problem with the 89-90 740GLE 16V and the 91 940GLE 16V is that the timing belts are subject to failure. Premature failure. When a belt breaks, it means the pistons keep moving, but the valve train has stopped. This means that *at least* 2 intake valves and 2 exhaust valves hit the pistons and get bent in the valve guides. This is what's called an "interference" engine. The regular B230F and FT (turbo) engines with a single cam and 8-valves, are NOT interference engines. If you break a B230 timing belt, your engine quits running but there's no damage to anything. And the belt is $22 from Volvo, less elsewhere. The belts for the GLE are $120 + $80 or so (2 of them). Plus extra seals, and probably the tensioner.

The timing belt job on this car, including the oil seals (ESSENTIAL!) is probably $500. For a regualr 240 or 740 8-V, it's more like $200. And if the usual things happen, i.e. the cam seals leak, soaking the belt with oil, weakening it, and it breaks at 35K- 45K after replacement, then the repair bill is AT LEAST $2200. That was at our shop- we didn't charge a dime over the machine shop charges for replacing the bent valves and resurfacing the head. IF you do it yourself, you'd probably be able to get out the door for $900 in parts. Maybe.

So anyway, that's why my conclusion that the car is not going to be reliable long-term (maybe not short term either) and if anything happens to it, it's right up there with the value of the car. It's worth what? $1500? $1800 with those miles if it's *really* clean? Maybe on a dealer's lot for $2995- because they'd have to warranty it if it's over $3000.

I just found a good old 88 240 wagon for a friend, cheap enough, and I know with minor, regular maintenance, it's not going to let her down. Even with 230K on the clock. Long term, there are very few engines more trouble-free for basic problems than the B230F. The B234F 16V has been the source of a lot of heartache.
Regards,
Rob
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 88 744GLE, 91 244: 808K total

Well, probably 99% of the time if there is a problem with the 16v engine where it needs to be replaced, it's a problem that includes the head (usually a broken timing belt).... As for the maintenance, make sure you check the balance tensioner aswell... there is an older one (the bolt holding it in uses a hex-cap bolt) which has a plastic wheel to it, and there is a new improved metal one ( has a regular bolt holding it in)... the older plastic one i hear would deteriorate, and if the balance belt fails, chances are it will get in the way of the timing belt and interfere there too... The original design one on mine was pretty sloppy, with under 80,000 miles on the car!

Oh, and the 16v head will attach to a 8v block, but there is no way to attach the original timing belt tensioner.. you can see how it has to be modified with the tensioner at www.ovlov.net

Cliff Scott
89 740 16v

I'll leave engine substitution to someone with precise knowledge but as for maintenance I'd recommend, as a minimum:

Oil and filter(good one eg Volvo) every 5k
Plugs every 10k
Flame trap annually (for 10-15k) annual mileage
Check brake hoses, pads annually
Check steering annually
Cambelt 48k (use a good make)
Fuel & air filter as required

BillB