Volvo RWD 700 Forum

INDEX FOR 1/2026(CURRENT) INDEX FOR 12/2002 700 INDEX

[<<]  [>>]


THREADED THREADED EXPANDED FLAT PRINT ALL
MESSAGES IN THIS THREAD




  REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

What are the advantages between a 4:10 gear ratio vs a 3:91, 3:31 I need to possibly replace my 4:10 rear axle? 700

posted by  someone claiming to be 747 on  Wed Apr 7 08:48 CST 2004 [RELATED]

Greetings:

What are the advantages of me replacing my original axle for my 1988 (1of4)740 GLE Wagon, with anything other than the original 4:10 ratio. The car has 235,000 miles on it. I will be double checking it today to see if it is the rear axle for sure. Should it be, I would prefer the original swap, otherwise what would be the trade offs, should i not replace with the original configuration? Would I lose any torque upon doing so? I kind of like the Volvo truck like torque that the car has. In addition might the binding that i am getting be the U-joint. When I try to reverse the car just seems like it is trying to run over some huge boulder or something? However I can still kind of good forward. When the car is in neutral it can't even be pushed back! One other thing is it possible that my transmission got damaged, because when i try to place it in park it seems as though the tranny and or rear axle is still cycling, so when the tranny is placed in park, whine and or clunking noises are very evident. My apologizes for such a long thesis, but inquiring minds want to know. Thanks in Advance!


Best Regards!








  •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

    Check your parking brake, may be preventing reverse. (separated pads/shoes) 700 1988

    posted by  FitzFitzgerald on  Wed Apr 7 15:45 CST 2004
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Wed Jun 25 23:15 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    Before swapping rear ends, I would first remove the rear rotors and check that you don't have a parking brake that's malfunctioning. If one of the parking brake pads seperated from a parking brake shoe, it could bind up in the opposing pad (there's two in the drum of each rear rotor) and lock the wheel under some circumstances. Also check that the shoes are functioning properly, not dragging, and all the actuating hardware is properly adjusted.

    I recently ran into this problem on a friend's '90 240 where cheap parking brakes shoes were used and one of them delaminated. For awhile, the car could drive in reverse fine, but no forward motion. A few days later it couldn't move at all. The seperated pad had finally lodged itself into the opposite pad in such a way to prevent it from moving.

    God bless,
    Fitz Fitzgerald.
    --
    '87 Blue 245, NA 236K








    •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

      Check your parking brake, may be preventing reverse. (separated pads/shoes) 700 1988

      posted by  someone claiming to be 747 on  Thu Apr 8 05:35 CST 2004 [RELATED]

      Thanks so much! Good point. I had this happen to me years ago with one of my old cadillacs, whereas the rotor got chew and the brake pad caliper interlocked.


      Thanks Again!








  •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

    What are the advantages between a 4:10 gear ratio vs a 3:91, 3:31 I need to possibly replace my 4:10 rear axle? 700

    posted by  someone claiming to be Al on  Wed Apr 7 10:36 CST 2004 [RELATED]

    With your .69 OD do not go below 3.73 rear end. The 3.90 would be a nice set up and should help your Highway mileage by 1 to 2 mpg. With anything below 3.73 you would be lugging the engine at 55 - 60 mph. Don't go below 1900 RPMs at 55 mph. The acceleration will be terrible and you would be putting un-due stress on the OD in the transmission. After you run the program and get the MPH per 1000 through 8000 RPMs. Just take 55 mph divide by the the 1000 rpm "MPH"
    multiply by 1000 and that will give your the RPM's at 55 mph
    55 mph divided by say 26.75 mph = 2.05607 X 1000 = 2056 RPM's at 55 mph.
    Here is a link to a gearing calculator just plug in the numbers.
    http://pw1.netcom.com/~sgalaba/mph.htm
    Just remember your auto box has a .69 OD so use it for transmission ratio.








  •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

    What are the advantages between a 4:10 gear ratio vs a 3:91, 3:31 I need to possibly replace my 4:10 rear axle? 700

    posted by  MarkD in NJ on  Wed Apr 7 09:06 CST 2004
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS] [RELATED]

    Not sure your problem is w/the rear, but here are the pros vs. cons: With the taller gears (3.xx), the car will accelerate slower, but turn less RPM at highway speed - this should increase your fuel mileage and reduce wear and tear on the motor. The disadvantage of this is that the drivetrain (engine/trans/rear) were probably designed to work well with the 4:10 that came with the car - the entire drivetrain was designed and engineered as a complete package. You'll be turning less RPMs on the highway so the engine might not be in its optimum power band. Transmission (or you) might have to downshift more often when going up hills or passing. Just some thoughts.








  •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

    What are the advantages between a 4:10 gear ratio vs a 3:91, 3:31 I need to possibly replace my 4:10 rear axle? 700

    posted by  Kane on  Wed Apr 7 09:02 CST 2004
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS] [RELATED]

    Lower ratio = taller gearing = better milage = slower acceleration.

    It's all a matter of choice, really.

    -- Kane
    --
    Blossom II - '91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles - '74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup - '86 245GL/AW70 ... The Wayback Machine - '64 P220/M40







<< < > >>



©Jarrod Stenberg 1997-2022. All material except where indicated.


All participants agree to these terms.

Brickboard.com is not affiliated with nor sponsored by AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. or Ford Motor Company. Brickboard.com is a Volvo owner/enthusiast site, similar to a club, and does not intend to pose as an official Volvo site. The official Volvo site can be found here.