I just bought my first "modern" Volvo - a 1989 740 Turbo Wagon. It was owned and driven by a little old lady (really) for 97,000 miles until she parked it in 2001. She recently agreed to let it be sold and her son had a mechanic get it running.

I bought it, mainly because the body and interior are in really great shape. I have admired the 700/900 wagons and hope I can sort out the mechanical problems with this one. I have built and fly a homemade airplane and done a mechanical restoration of a PV444 (just starting the body work) but have never done any work on late model cars. This is going to be a learning experience.

With a Haynes manual and the 700 Series FAQs on this board I have started. Have changed oil and filter, flushed the automatic transmission, power steering pump, brakes and cooling system. That went fine. It was satisfying to fix stuck caliper pins in one front wheel which I expect will fix the pulling to side on braking I noted in test drive. Tomorrow will order parts and tools for timing belt, cooling hoses and accessory drive belt changes.

Now my questions. I see three lines running into the intake manifold that appear to be vacuum. The middle one goes to what I think is the relief valve on the turbo. It is very spongy for the last six inches and I plan to replace it. My questions are about the other two. The bottom one goes from the manifold to the extreme left of the firewall. It is very deteriorated where it clamps onto the intake manifold and has to be replaced. Can someone tell me what its for before I launch into this task? Same question for the top line. It goes to a tank low and in front of the radiator. The line looks OK, but I am curious as to what its for.

On the test drive the cruise control did not work. I see the vacuum line is entirely off what I believe is the servo (by the throttle cable) and is off what I think may be a vacuum pump (on the left fender inner panel). Any idea why someone would have disconnected both? Neither has a clamp.

KeithJ
Moline, IL