Hello everyone! I'm the recently new owner of a 1989 740GLE with the 16 valve motor. Black exterior, dark red leather, power sunroof, and only 92k miles. Recent timing belt and oil pump pulley bolt. It's my first Volvo and I love the car, but it has a few peculiar noises that I'm hoping you can help me identify and hopefully resolve.

1. Clackety clack on the top end. It sounds like the lifters, which I understand are not solid and this is a common issue. It's much louder when cold, moves with the RPMs, and seems to have no impact on performance. Is there a solution to this, short of replacing lifters? Does a certain oil brand or oil weight quiet them down?

2. At idle while in drive - never park or neutral - the car vibrates excessively. When cruising/accelerating it's fine. I suspect a transmission mount. Is this a normal failure item? Is there an easy way to test this diagnosis?

3. The oddest sound of them all. The alternator is making a loud click noise. It sounds like a metal on metal "thump", and it gets more rapid with an RPM increase. The alternator seems to be working fine. Is there a fix to this short of replacing the alternator? Replaceable pulley or bearings perhaps?


I thank you for your time. I look forward to years of easy cruising after fixing these niggles.

Doug