techs rev up yer engine while car is in park mode? I know sometimes they have to do it to find out what's wrong with it or for whatever reasons, but I get super jittery when they do it. can this possibly be bad for enging or tranny? this is one reason I hate smog checks. so, is it just me or do we have others who feel the same.

I have an M45 4 speed and a fairly short diff ratio. This means I'm frequently cruising on the highway doing 130 km/h at around 4000 RPM, which the B21 will happily do for hundreds of miles. (true I did blow a head gasket once, but it hasn't happened since). If my motor will take prolonged high revs pushing a 245 with a full load of stuff in the back, yours will be just fine being revved up a bit in the garage.


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Drive it like you hate it

I hate smog checks too, but here they only rev it to 2500 rpm for 60 seconds, which is not all that high. Shoot, it revs at 3200 at 75 mph on the Interstate, albeit under load. I wouldn't worry about it.

Sure, it drives me nuts... BUT, the good news is that the ngine is NOT loaded and can not develop much manifold vacuum or power that way. Noisy, yes; scary sounding, yes; dangerous (to your engine's health)- in small doses, no.

I kind of cringe when they rev it up to more than 4000 rpm. In my 31 years (between my dad and me) with my 144, you could count on one hand the number of times that car has seen above 4000rpm, which is why it is still on its original tranny and motor (except for that pesky fiber gear!).
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1974 144DL Euro specs ( Single Zenith Carbs!)

>>with my 144, you could count on one hand the number of times that car has seen above 4000rpm, which is why it is still on its original tranny and motor <<

Engines are designed to operate at all speeds below redline, with maximum horsepower usually generated a few hundred RPM shy of redline. And designers build in a little cushion as well, so running a car up to redline is not harmful.

Now, running in a lower gear than necessary all the time does provide needless wear. If you are running in an autocross event or during a spirited run up a fun mountain road, running it to redline is where you're going to get the most out of your Volvo or any other car for that matter.

Granted, non-turbo Volvos have a pretty flat torque curve, i.e. they make a substantial percentage of their peak torque at lower revs, and it's not all that annoying to keep the revs down as it would be on other high-strung engines, so I can see how you could easily stay under 4000 RPM as a rule. Volvo engines aren't all that rev-happy, meaning that they don't make a LOT more power near redline, but you can be assured that's where peak horsepower IS made. Other cars, like Toyota MR2 or Honda S2000 ARE rev-happy and happiest when being revved. I wouldn't drive my Volvo like I would drive one of those.

I am a recent Volvo owner with a $200 '81 DL wagon purchased a few months ago. Since it's got 286K on it, I don't run it clear up to redline, which is 6500, but it has seen 6000 on more than one occasion. Jeez. The thing can't get out of its own way when pulling into heavy traffic. I don't think I'm doing any harm to anything, but you have a point about increased wear since my pistons are moving a lot more than yours are in a given mile (around town, anyway.)

So, you can be proud of the longevity, but I think it's a shame not to have used the vehicle to the potential the designers built into it, especially since it has a "GT" designation. Seems like there was a lot of fun to be had in that car that has been wasted. But this being a free country with personal property rights, a man can do as he wishes with his property, and there's nothing wrong with that regardless of another's opinion. Enjoy driving!

yes, but not as much as Volvo mechanics cringe when i tell them I own a six banger or unmodified first generation turbo. Thing is, both cars are well cared for, so theyre outlasting many later model NA 4 cylinder cars that are being neglected. HA!
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80 262C Coupe- (FSO black, M46, original) 82 244GLT- (auto)