I have a chance to purchase a 1993 Volvo 940 turbo. It has a perfect body apart from some sun fade on the upper surfaces. It looks like it has been sitting a while and the seller states 'it needs a fuel pump'. It has 225k miles on it. How difficult is it to replace the pump on a 940 turbo? What other things might be needed on a 940 that has been sitting a while?

 

any car thats been sitting a year+ should have its brake fluid flushed, if its been several years it might need new brake calibers. oil, coolant, transmission fluid should be replaced. any gasoline in the tank may have turned to varnish.

any car thats been sitting for a long period could have rodent damage to the wiring, hoses under teh hood. the tires could be dried out and cracked.

any car you can't test drive could have all sorts of problems, ranging from steering and suspension, to heating/ventilation/airconditioning, to transmission, to engine.

specific to that car, you have two fuel pumps, one in the gas tank whihc is a 'feed' pump, the other under the car along side the fuel filter, whihc is the main pressure pump. Before just replacing pumps, I would verify they are getting electricity (volt meter, etc). you can jumper the fuel pump relay to force the pumps on, so you can verify they are/aren't spinning, and that they are delivering fuel. I would first drain everything you can out of the gas tank and put 2-3 gallons fresh gas in it before even trying to mess with it.

 

Problem with that is, unless you do the work yourself, you gonna pay a couple of grand for all those fuddy duddy services the car may or may not need.

Unfortunately many sellers come up with easy diagnoses to get you to buy. Unless you know your way around a Volvo, don't buy a non runner! You'll get it cheap but after that the costs are gonna mount fast!

 

Thanks for the good advice. Someone beat me to the car anyway. I've been looking for a red 740 or 940 for a while they are hard to find.