I have always owned 240s (81 & 84 245s) mainly because they are so Easy to work on myself. I have never found a decent, trustworthy or affordable mechanic here, so I resorted to fixing everything myself. Last week a 940 wagon came up for sale for $3900 and I considered trading in my wifes minivan for it. It was unfortunetly sold before the ad even came out in the paper. My question is just how much work can be done by a DIYer who does not own any computer diagnostic equip. My brother-in-law bought a KIA which is not user friendly. You can't even give that thing a tuneup without a $50 computer diagnostic check. I know a lot of the basic mechanicals have evolved from the old 740 which evolved from the 240. This is one of the last RWD "B" motors, how much has changed? Should I just by another 80's era 240?
Ben

This from a former (and still occasionally) Volvo shop mechanic:

The 940s are AS EASY as 240s to work on. They have things that are more difficult, and they have things that are a lot easier. All in all, it is an even trade. The cars themselves are great, and have a lot of nice features.

Every 940 should have standard ABS brakes, driver's (and passenger 94/95) airbags, AW71 or AW71L trans (depends on model) SIPS 92-, many have locking differential, and some have other little niceties. Good seats too. Electronic gizmos, typical of Volvo, tend to fizz out after a while, most are an easy fix. HVAC on all but 940SE is a breeze to work on compared to 240. Distributor parts on rear-mount are more expensive, as are the Regina injection parts (many 940s to 94). In my opinion, they are the top of Volvo's RWD lineup.
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a Brickboard.com Expat

Hey Expatriate,

Since you use to be a volvo mechanic, how hard is it to change the seat warmer switch on a 91 940 se? do you suggest getting a used switch or go ahead and buy a new one at the dealer?

Also, my car has been running with dino. oil..it has a turbo and i want to change it over to full synthethic..do i have to flush the engine or could i just drain the old oil and replace it with full synthethic..thanks.

xallenx

You could probably pop the switch out and clean it (be careful for the little parts). They usually get coffee and other garbage in them, and stop working. Sometimes the switch isn't the problem, but I'm assuming you've isolated it to the switch.

With respect to oil, I use synthetic in two Volvos. I have used synthetic in MANY cars before those. Personally, I don't flush the engine, but I'm not an oil expert either. I have had good luck simply converting, but keep in mind that I am very particular about changing oil with dino oil too, so no engine I've converted has had much sludge and junk built up on the inside. I've torn down parts of my engines run on dino oil, to find that they were as clean as I could hope they would have been -- even cleaner. If your engine looks clean inside from what you can see, try replacing the dino oil with synthetic.

Other people are far more qualified on oil than I am.
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a Brickboard.com Expat

Thanks for helping out Xallenix and also for the advice. My opinion is Synthetic oils may be better, but they cost a lot more. I pulled the cam cover off of my 84 245 last year to replace the gasket. Over 210,000 miles and no sludge inside at all. I guess if you change oil often there's no need for synthetics. I may end up converting it to synth someday. For now Kendal or Castrol GTX seem fine as long as I keep it clean and changed.
I once bought a Mercury Marquis from my brother for $50 that had a rod knock. When I pulled the heads and intake off I was horrified. The inside was caked with about an inch of black sludge and soot. This had been an old company car that had been "well maintained". Yea right. There was no record of any recent oil changes and I doubt if there ever was. I pulled the motor, sold the car for parts and bought a Volvo 245 with twice the miles on it.
It now has about a quarter million miles on it.
Ben

I agree with you on that: If you use good quality oil (Castrol is my favorite dino oil personally) you are good to go. If you drive short trips, change oil a lot more often. If you drive highway miles, you can go for longer.
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a Brickboard.com Expat

I am not a mechanic, but I have disassembled 240 seats before. Is the switch in the on the side of the seat or on the center console? This may be a question for a 940 owner. If you can get a switch from the junkyard really cheap try it. Hopefully it's just the switch. If both your front seats have heat, try stitching the switches with the pass. side. I reupholstered the drivers seat in my 240 using an extra passenger side material. The seats come apart pretty easily on the 240S. After cutting the hog rings underneath, the material just comes off. You can then access the seat heater inside if it's bad. I believe IPD sells replacement heaters and switches. To reassemble you can buy a "hog ring" tool and rings, or use wire or zip ties. But Like I said this may be a question for a 940 owner. Also, synthetic oils tend to purge out petroleum oil after one oil change. Read the synthetic oils container and see what they suggest. I have always used the regular petroleum based 10W40 and never had any problems. My 84 has 220,000 on it and burns no oil and the 81 has quarter million on it and does not burn oil either. Both have leaks, I guess that just comes with age.
BK

I have little to no serious experience working on cars except what I have done on my 1995 945T. It is very USER FRIENDLY. No diagnostic tools needed. It has an on-board LED light system (the OBD) that doesn't require tools to read. Just push the button and count the lights.

With my limited experience, I have:

Replaced radiator
Replaced coolant reservoir
Changed oil and filter numerous times
Replaced RPM sensor after OBD told me it was the problem stalling my car
Flush brake fluid
Replaced cat-back exhaust system
Replaced fuel filter
Installed new anti-sway bars
Replaced brake pads
Replaced exhaust manifold gaskets
Cleaned throttle body
Replaced various light bulbs
Replaced air filter
Replaced spark plugs and wires
Replaced distributor and rotor
Replaced aux belts
Installed boost gauge
Installed air/fuel meter
Lots more I can't remember

Just buy a good manual, have a good set of hand tools, floor jack, and jack stands, and you are set.

Chris Wilson
1995 945T