Hey all, I've continued my search for an older turbo volvo. I found a pretty decent deal on a 745 from 1987.

My research is telling me that the 87 didn't have the bells and whistles that came out on later models, but would anyone tell me not to get this car for 500$? It is a manual which I like, and other than than I don't know too much about it. The pictures make it look like it's still in pretty good shape for 120K miles.

So If you you think it's worth my time to wait and find a newer (93-95?) 940 or 740 let me know.

Thanks for all the help everyone is around here.

 

is it a nice car? for $500 it's cheap, what are u getting? how's the wiring? lots of '87 have rotten wires... it all depends on the condition... later 940 are more $.

 

Get it it is cheap unless the car is a mess. The only problem I can see is what lev had said. The wiring harness is probably rotted out. Also this engine has smaller rods than the 940 and later 740's. If you plan on making some real horsepower with the smaller rods you may run into some problems.

I also own an 87 745 turbo with manual tranny and it is alot of fun. Got the boost up to 11 psi and the car scoots pretty good.

 

So the guy that has it got it because someone owed him some money and they ended up just giving him the car. It's not starting at the moment, his dad owns a auto repair shop, he thinks it's a dead battery. It had a new clutch and tires put on it before he received it. Other than that he doesn't have too much history on the car. I'm going to check it out this Saturday. I'll let you know what my inspection revealed. Other than the wire harness should I be suspicious of anything else? And how are hard are those harnesses to replace? I've heard it's a very tedious job, but possible. True?

I'm not looking to turn it into a racer, just wanted another daily driver with a little extra umph.

 

wow, I had no idea how much wire harnesses were. I'll have to check that out before I get it. I do not have 3-500 dollars to replace some wires. Yikes. It looks like they are getting pretty rare as well. Anyone know a good place to get a good used one?

 

Besides the wiring harness check the o/d and make sure it is functioning correctly. also a very thorough search of the car top to bottom because from the sounds of it you might be getting yourself into a can of worms. I got my harness from a local shop in sacramento ca that deals specifically with salvaged volvos and parts. It cost me a little over one hundred bucks and took me a two hours to remove and install the new harness. Pick and pull will also be a source for a harness.

Dave Barton's website can also help give you info on the harness and what years were the ones with the bad wiring. The harness I put on my car was from the same model car but a later year when they fixed the problem. The only issue I had with my wiring was a blinky oil light on the dash that I traced back to crumbling insulation on the oil level wire. My Idle control wires were also rotted but other than that the rest of the harness was good. Check out his website. There is good information just scroll down and read through it. http://www.davebarton.com/volvoharnesses.html

Oh and yes those harness are becoming very rare. You are almost looking at either used or brand new from the dealer.

Dont worry to much about the harness at this point try and get that puppy started so you can make a decision on purchasing or not.

 

Thanks, the davebarton website is where I found out how rare wire harness are becoming and the prices for those puppies. now, the OD? How exactly does one test that on a manual? I've always associated the od with an automatic.

Anyone got a good list of stuff to look/listen/feel for while doing a volvo test drive? Especially with regards to the turbo, I've never owned or dealt too much with turbos. I'd hate to get home and find out there was something I should have checked while I was with the car. It's about an hour away.

 

The biodegradable Volvo harness issue was solved by 87. Still, all turbos are hard on the passenger strut harness as the heat from the turbo really does a number on it. The manual OD will only engage when in 4th gear. There's a button on top of the shifter. Just push the button when traveling 45 mph or more and it should shift into 5th. Pressing down gently on the clutch pedal when engaging or disengaging makes the shift smoother.
I certainly would not pay a penny until I was able to drive it. Checking a turbo is as simple as removing the intake from the air filter box where it enters the center portion of the turbo. There will be some oil residue; pretty normal for an old turbo car. What you don't want to see is a lot of fresh looking oil. With the engine off of course, reach in and grab the impeller shaft. Wiggle from side to side and in and out. A tiny bit of side to side play is acceptable but there should be NO in and out shaft play at all. On the test drive, try to get to a fairly open road and do a decent 2nd and 3rd gear pull. The stock motor should pull very strongly to 5k...if you hear ANY detonation back off immediately. Lots of people don't know the turbo cars thrive on premium gasoline. Detonation will destroy a turbo motor quickly. When doing the pulls, keep an eye on the rear view mirror for an oil plume. A little brown smoke is just carbon from it sitting up but any sort of blue smoke means issues with turbo or motor. Black smoke means it is over fueling and that is generally an easy fix and not always a bad thing. Assuming it passes the basics, I'd buy it. Turbo cars are TONS of fun...and at $500, you can still get your money back by parting it out!!

 

Thanks Swift.

I'm hoping everything checks out tomorrow. I don't know if you saw the pictures, but it looks like the wagon/rear door was replaced. I'll have to look into that. Very interesting about the OD as well, I had no idea about that. thanks for the heads up.

Does the fact that the car has been sitting for a while add a significant detonation threat?

 

No, but sitting up for significant periods of time is not good in general. Pumps can die, fuel lines can clog as can injectors...

 

I'd buy it just for those Gemini wheels and all the other spare parts if the thing didn't work.