Hi all,

a reckless driver demolished my 91 240 and I now own a 95 940 wagon with identical engine/tranny.

any well-known quirks/flaws with the 940 that I should know about or address ASAP?

thanks in advance.

mm

Great car. Ours is '94 with third seat.

Over the years I have found that ball joints do not stand up well, although they are inexpensive to replace. Do them both if one needs doing, to save the alignment in another six months. Maybe just do them when you do the front strut rod bushings, which you will need to do.

The big Girling front brakes are great until a slider pin siezes and the caliper stops floating properly. Warped rotors and badly degraded braking quickly follow. Check the calipers for freedom of movement at least every six months, and have no mercy on a pin that seems sticky, or a torn boot. Replace, there is a kit at the Volvo dealer.

Rear shocks make all the difference in the world to ride and handling. Replace cheap or worn shocks with good ones at the earliest chance.

The plastic splash pan under he front of the engine will fall off soon, if it hasn't already. You can fix or replace.

Good luck.

Check the FAQ for a good listing of things to look for when buying this vintage Volvo. All previous suggestions are valid but I would add checking out the Throttle Body to make sure it is clean. You didn't mention the mileage or service history but if it over 100k, the timing belt and tensioner would need replacing if not done so yet. The suspension bushings should be checked, especially the front trailing arms and sway bar. You will be happy w/the 900, it is a more refined, comfortable and dependable car than the 200 series IMHO.
--
Bob Kraushaar '94 945T, '91 940T(back from retirement), '88 240, '84 242Ti, '94 F-150, '88 300TE, '89 560 SL, '68 Shelby GT-500 KR

Dear mm,

Good p.m. and may this find you well.

The radiators on 940s are a weakpoint, specifically, the points at which hoses connect. OEM 940 Radiators are plastic and metal combos. The plastic is on the sides, where the upper hose attaches. Plastic embrittles with time. You may - or may not - see a premonitory crack in the plastic. If so, replace the radiator at once. Others on this site point out that an OEM radiator seems to last about 8 years.

The heater valves are also prone to fail. They, too, are plastic. They, too, get brittle with time.

Some of the relays - e.g., the overdrive relay - tend to go intermittent, as solder joints deteriorate. Most of the relays on the 940s are behind the ashtray (the overdrive relay is in the second row on the passenger side of the row (it is tall and white).


I infer that you are a long-time Volvo driver, so at the risk of laboring the obvious, check the flame trap, to be sure that it has been cleaned/replaced recently. If this has not been done - no tools are needed - get it done urgently. A plugged flame trap will cause excess crankcase oil pressure, displacing front and/or rear seals.


Hope this helps.

Yours,

spook

I think you own the best Volvo ever made!!!
'95 was the last year Volvo made "Volvos".
IMHO the current lineup is lackluster, at best.

Just my 2 cents -- arguably worth that!

Jeff Pierce
--
'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ), '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece)

I don't know if this is typical or not, but the 240 HVAC vacuum controls are more reliable. At least in my case it's that way. 700-900 series are known for having cheap vacuum servos fail and labor is a killer. There is an 'easy' fix in the FAQ, but my 274k miles, '84 240 HVAC controls work like new.
Also, I think the 240 was more solid car.
Just my opinion.
Mark
--
'94 940 Wagon, '84 240 turbo sedan