Hello Everyone.

Just bought my second Volvo; a bit of a project I think.

It is a 1989 740 Turbo (4 speed Manual with Overdrive) - black on black.
only 230,000 km. Body is super straight, and has no rust / original paint. Best part is I paid almost nothing for it.

Just wondering what sort of things should I look out for / do as preventative maintenance as I don’t have the service history of the vehicle. She seems to be running rough/idling a little funny, but I’m thinking an oil/fluids change + plugs, cap, might make a big difference. Also, how would I access the sunroof drain pipes; they must be clogged (Water in footwells). Car sat for some time, and all other rubber seals had lots of pine needles in them.

Thanks!

 

Cool! Being a turbo, you'll want to take special care with the vacuum hoses. They carry negative AND positive pressure and w/ the additional heat from the turbo fail in no time causing idle issues and small missing. The front sunroof drains run through the A pillar, if clogged, it's best to use water to unclog. Clean out the under car drains first. Avoid compressed air as it can cause the hidden hoses to burst and they are a righteous pain to replace. The trunk leaking generally means the rear drains are clogged. If the floorboard moisture is confined to the passenger foot well, it's quite possible the water is leaking in past the blower motor.

 

Thanks swiftjustice44 - Really appreciate the fast response. I’m getting idle issues right now with missing (drop in rpms and strange jumps - I hope it isn’t the Turbo). Although, the car was sitting for quite some time, and the plugs / wires + oil filter, and even the engine bay look pretty dirty worn.

I have water in BOTH the footwells and trunk. Cleaned out all the pine needles that had built up around the seals all over the car... hoping that will make a difference in the trunk. Would the water leaking through the blow motor be from buildup of crap in the front rubber seals + drains?