Wayne,

Grinding noise when turning - check the metal plate behind the rotar, sometimes it gets bent and will rub. Esp. if someone was poking around in there and didn't realize they bent it. Or it could be your rotor. Check on your year in regards to turning rotor, two of my rotors DO NOT get turned - a "gualified" mechanic made the mistake of turning them once, even though they where new - he had to replace them at the company's cost. Pads are very easy to replace, don't go cheap on them.

Books- I have a Haynes for my 1986 740t and have gotten plenty of use out of it over the years. It has been very handy! I have replaced, manifold gaskets, starter, water pump, blower motor, etc. anything I have ever needed to know about has been in there except a good trouble shooting reference.

Exhaust - It is pretty easy to do, I am little so I can crawl underneath without jacking up car but other wise I would recommend having the car up. Makes instillation 100% eassier. You will have to seperate the muffler at the cat as well as just befor the over the axle exhaust pipe. You can not get it off any other way (at least on mine) I usualy use a compressor (a small compressor and comp. tools come in handy for many tasks not just fixing the car)and have a blow torch handy. I would wait to replace exhaust if they engine is running rich or not up to par. Your gas mileage is pretty bad, well as least compared to my car. I always keep a couple of spare rubber mount bushings handy just in case one gets torn befor the muffler goes, (spray them with lube when you put them on and it will be eassier to get them in place), which has happened.

Suspension - Unless you have all the tools or plan on getting them I would leave that one up to someone else. (struts and shocks)

engine - Do what you feel comfortable doing, esp. if this is your first volvo, then I would suggest that you bring the car in to get tuned up, timing belt etc. by a qualified volvo mechanic. Get it up to par first, you will notice a big difference in performance! Then when you get used to the car, sounds, etc. you can keep it running in tip top from that point on.

Oil leak - well that is nothing new in and old volvo, at least not mine... behind the radiator,to the upper left of the water pump there is this thing ( forgot what it is..)black, the gasket goes often and will leak oil. I have 362k on my car and do not use anything but 10w 40 now, don't know if that is wrong or right but I do it because there is an oil leak that I can not figure out where it is coming from yet. Check the oil cover on the engine, wipe engine and see if oil comes back, if so change the rubber gasket for pennies...oil filter on correctly? It is worth keeping everything as clean as possible, makes it very easy to see trouble areas now and down the road. Spend the time to get all the oil off hoses etc. not only functional but makes you feel better when you go to work on the car.

Exhaust manifold gasket/intake manifold - I have replaced mine twice, it will cost you a pretty penny if you pay someone and the gaskets are only around $18 or so. Just have someone else handy if you do the exhaust manifold gasket, the return pipe to the oil pan is tricky to get back in ( don't forget the rubber gasket in there ) while you lift the manifold back into place, turbo etc. kind of heavy and awkward, with someone underneath quiding the pipe back in all goes well! I did it by myself once and learned the lesson the hard way!

Keep an extra fuel relay on hand, I always do, this way I am never left stranded. I know some people feel comfortable fixing them but I don't. The car usualy hints to you that it is going to go ( mine does) and then one day you just get into your car and it will not start. It has done this two me a couple of time. The first time I wasn't prepaired...now I always am.

I still have the original turbo on my car and I don't have any oil problems with it. I have seen in the F&Q about the kits but am not sure what they are all about, you may want to check that out.

Check your engine mounts, they are worth getting done at some point. Otherwise down the road you will find you are replacing your air intake hose more then you would care to, it is one of the more expensive hoses, dealer part only. It is a somewhat big expense if you have someone else do it but it will do your engine, hoses etc a great deal of good.

Good luck with your projects. Hope all of this is of some use to you. I have had my car for 11 years, and yes even though I am a women, I love to work on my car because I love my volvo! Having the right tools has been a key to accomplishing almost anything I have set forth to do. Little things have a tendency of breaking while I repair something else. I keep a little list of things I want to grab next time I am running around a junk yard, which I actualy think is fun! I recommend using bosch when ever possible, the only time I do not is when I just can not afford the dealer parts and have to go after market.

Best Regards...