Welcome to the board.

I have an 85 TD wagon, somewhat less than mint, but a nice work car. I think you paid a good price for a running car, and the stick is a big bonus in many ways, I would consider paying $500 extra just for that. I have found I have to spend a lot of time reconnecing/tightening nuts and wires, but not much need for expensive parts. Timing belts and the many cooling hoses must be kept up to date, while the radiator and oil cooler become suspect with age.
Most of the special tools for working on the diesel engine are also used on the VW/AUDI diesels, and the valve shims/tools interchange with gas VW as well. Look at Ebay as a possible source. I am sure LA has some VW diesel experts who cold help you out.
I have a dent, headliner sag, brittle plastics, cracked dash, ground connector degradation, and the passenger door comes unsealed(noise) at 70 MPH, but no regrets. Can't knock the Toyota Corrola economy in a safe comfy good driving car! It siuts my needs well, and runs on recycled vegetable oil which helps with smell and carbon buildup.
Enjoy

Congradulations on the new arrival.
How many miles are on it?
Definately pay attention to the timing belt, do you know when it was changed last ( if she didn't have any records, look around the car and on the door jams for service tags from a mechanic in her area who might have done the work on it to find out what has been done when) 50,000 miles max on the t-belt or it'll be all over but the crying.

I strongly recommend a treatment with auto rx ( www.auto-rx.com ) to clean up the rings and improve performance and starting, it's costy, but it works.

Drain the fuel tank completly and refill with fresh fuel ( this really should be done every year or so ). There may be a drain plug on the bottom of your tank, if not you'll have to hook a pump to the fuel line and suck it out. When you refill , it's a good idea to add some Kill'um or other diesel fuel algae killer to get rid of all of the growing things in your fuel system.

Most of the parts are available from www.alloemvolvoparts.com
Dealer specific stuff, if your local dealer claims aren'tmade anymore, or are just too expensive, go to www.borton.com

tools sources
www.baumtools.com for all factory tools ( most expensive )
www.etoolcart.com ( best price on a timing dial gauge )
www.samstagsales.com
www.vwdieselparts.com

these are not difficult engines to work on, but they are very unforgiving of not following directions. there are no shortcuts. you need the special tools, and the green manual. I got both of my diesels after qualified mechanics screwed them up monkying around without the proper tools.

If you aren't wanting to work on it yourself, you'll need to find a liberal minded VW diesel mechanic.
--
-------Robert, '93 940t, '90 240 wagon, '84 240 diesel (she's sick) , '80 245 diesel

Hi Erik:

There are a few of us, on the Brickboard, that own Turbo Diesels. I own a mint 1983 760 GLE TD like yours. There are some real knowledgeable people here. I'm sure they'll give you a shout. I'm doing my maintenance myself and haven't found it too hard. I learned from this board and the Green Book.

Here's my two cents:

(1)- Special tools are required to work on this engine. Invest in them, they are a must. One of the first things you need to do, without question, is CHANGE THOSE TIMING BELTS. If an old lady had it in storage for a while, guaranteed, they haven't been changed in a while. When the front one breaks, BYE BYE engine. I bought tools from ZDMAK, on the internet, and made some. Around 6 special tools are needed just to change the timing belts and time the engine. Don't skimp here, invest in those tools or make them. I don't think there are many mechanics out there with the tools anymore, except Volvo.

2- Replace the Water Pump & Idler Pulley when doing the belts. They run off the front Timing Belt.

3- Invest in the Volvo "Green Book" for the D24T (Turbo Diesel). The chiltons manual for the 700 series has some diesel info too but is kind of sketchy.

4- Change your oil often. At least every 3000 miles. Use a quality Oil Filter, made specifically for the D24. Like a MANN.

5- Use the FAQ's on this board and swedishbricks.com. They have alot of useful information.

Now for the car:

This is one of the nicest cars I've ever owned. Even at 20+ years old it amazes me. It's absolutely straight down the road and handles like a dream. The diesel engine is incredibly smooth and quite responsive. And it starts every time, even in the cold. Like any volvo, if you take care of it, you should have it for quite a while.

Some of the things I don't like are:

Drooping Headliner, my diesel is ok but it's coming down in my wagon. This is a 700 series thing though, they all do it.

The engine wiring harness has a problem on this vintage volvo. It's bio-degradeable and likes to shed it's insulation, so check it out. The diesel harness is alot simpler than the gas and I was able to repair it.


Brittle plastic interior pieces (Another 700 seies thing). You'll be fiddling with something and it will break. Thank god it's only cosmetic pieces. Nothing to do with the controls.

Cracked dashboards, mine's cracked in 3 places. So what, just ugly, they make a cover for it if it bothers you.

My wife doesn't like the diesel smell or the diesel clatter. But I do and I tell her it's mine. Seriously; it's not that bad for a diesel, I've seen worse.

Finally:

Parts aren't that expensive if you buy from the internet. There are many sites out there that sell Diesel Parts. Volvo prices are out of sight. Buy from them only if you must.

Good luck with your new (old) Turbo Diesel. I love mine!!

Warren

Welcome to the Sweedish addiction!

Sounds like a good deal. I'm in the market for a turbo D 745 or 245 myself. No luck as of yet though. The learning curve on the Volvo is quick, so enjoy your car :)

Welcome to the Brick world. The best info here on this site is in the FAQs. Top of this page, click the down arrow next to "features", then down to 700/900faqs. Tons of info. Lots of online parts stores available, much more reasonable then the dealers prices. Sounds like a good deal. How many miles? Got any services records? History?

One other tip for this site if you're new here. Above the months index: Extended index options: If "show" is here, click it. Then under the year groups, select modified. This way any posting that gets answered, will be at the top of the page. Lots of folks lose their posting and repost.