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Hi:
Porkface said it very nicely. Get a compression check, if you can. 180,000 miles is usually the upper limit on these engines. The rings and bores wear. They loose compression and won't start. The Volvo Green Book says 348 to 528 psi. But I think 348 is too low. A fairly good check for low compression is excessive blowby. Run the engine until fully warm. Pull off the crankcase vent line at the turbocharger inlet. You will see some blowby on a healthy engine. If it's poring out of there, it's likely you have low compression. It should start immediately, hot or cold. And run on all cylinders, with some smoke at startup. This should go away quickly. If it does all this, you probably have a healthy engine with good Injectors and Injector Pump.
If you buy this and are going to do your own work, be prepared to shell out about $400.00 for special tools and the Volvo Green Books. This engine absolutely needs those special tools. Don't even consider working on it without them. I wouldn't consider this car if you are going to have a mechanic maintain it. Volvo rates are outrageous. A good volkswagen mechanic would be better, as the engne was made by VW. You will pay more for maintenence than the $600.00 car.
The first thing that needs attention is the Timing Belts. They should be changed at 70,000 intervals. If you don't have a record of this CHANGE THEM NOW!!! If the front belt breaks while the engine is running, massive damage will result. Special tools are required to change the belts. Everything on this engine is expensive if you don't do it yourself.
All this might seem dismal, but I own two of them and absolutely love them. They are so smooth and vibration free. The turbo gives them quite a kick too. It's not a B230FT but it's no slouch. And how does 30-40 mpg sound?
My 1983 760 GLE has 183,000 and is still going strong. It was run on Shell Rotella T all it's life at 3000 mile change intervals.
My 1986 740 GLE has a little over 100,000 miles and is sick with low compression. Probably lack of maintenance here, no records.
If you buy the car and it has good compression with no oil leaks. Switch over to Synthetic Oil and the large MANN Oil Filter. There's a guy up in Maine that repairs these engines. He's a great mechanic and swears by them. He's got documented proof that synthetic oil really extends their life.
Good luck with your diesel. Let us know how you did.
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