Hey all, I was looking around for a repair manual for my 740 and was hoping you guys could suggest which would be best to order or if any aren’t useful enough to bother with. I know of Haynes and Chiltons being a thing, but didn’t know if there was a better one for Volvo. Thanks!

 

there isn't really... Hayes had one for the 740 but its been out of print for ages afaik, and I believe only covered up to around 87, so probably didn't have the 89+ LH2.4 stuff in it.. if you can get your hands on the VCOA-distributed 740 series DVD, its got a lot of the factory service docs in it, including detailed and accurate wiring diagrams for each year, but its mostly written for professional mechanics rather than shadetree/driveway wrenchers... catch-22, the files on it are heavily copy protected, and I don't think they are selling it as a disk anymore, rather, you access it via a web account.

 

ah I see that’s unfortunate. I haven’t found as much online as I’d hoped regarding torque specs and photo guides to some things. Oh well thank you for the info

 

Volvo Green Books are the best if you can get them, Bentley is good but is only available for 240. These days just about any info is all over the internet... Hardly ever would fail to find what you are looking for Volvos, and various Volvo forums are great source.

 

Thank you for the information. I have found a good amount of videos and things online for references even though some are for the 240 i figure a lot of the engine things seem
similar. I just thought having a paper book to reference while I was working would be handy. Mostly worried about doing the head gasket without making a huge mess of the car.

 

89+ 740's have the same engine setup as a 240 except the camshaft mounted distributor, but prior to 89, the LH 2.2 cars had a completely different ignition system. Of course, then there's the Regina 740s, but I've never actually seen one myself. and the turbo 740s, the 240 turbos were phased out when the 740/760 were introduced.

the transmissions and drive shafts are basically the same, although the 740 has a more robust center bearing on the driveshaft.

the suspensions are similar, but the 740 has a nicer setup for chassis isolation of rear end vibrations, and has an alternate setup for the lower control arm, with extra bushings and an radius arm

the electrics are considerably different in a lot of details, while the 240 put its relays all over the place behind the dash, and used the old ceramic euro fuses with the fuse panel on the far left kick panel, the 740 has a centralized fuse-and-relay panel behind the ashtray, and uses ATC 'spade' fuses.


there's quite a compendium of knowledge on this FAQ which is largely specific to 7xx/9xx cars.
https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/FAQIndexNew1.htm

 

Thank you very much for that knowledge. It’s good to know a lot of things are indeed shared. Do you happen to know how different the DOHC head I head is from the majority of the engines? Is it particularly more problematic an engine?

 

the head is completely different, and further, the DOHC engine is a 'interference' engine in that a broken timing belt WILL result in bent valves, while a regular B230F will just coast to a stop, new belt, and you're good to go. the rest of the engine is basically the same.... LH2.4 EFI, EZK116k ignition, etc.

the DOHC engine is also fairly unvolvo-like in that it requires high RPMs to make power, and doesn't have a lot of torque off the line. its mated with a AW72 gearbox that has lower gear ratios to compensate for this

I've never owned a DOHC 700/900, although I did have a 850 but thats a totally different engine, and currently have a couple mercedes 3.2L 6 cyl DOHC cars, also completely different.

 

this is good to know. I have to figure out this whole setting the timing things before I tackle the head gasket. I’ve never driven a Volvo 700 series before and I bought this one having only drove it onto a trailer. I’m excited to see how the engine performs.

 

as far as I know, the B234F DOHC/16V engine was only used with LH 2.4 EFI.... and LH 2.4 cars have digital ignition timing, based off a crank position sensor, there are no adjustments at all for timing.

now, sure, when you remove/replace the timing BELT, you need to setup the camshaft timing correctly, but that's as simple as ensuring the engine is at TDC for cylinder 1, and the intermediate shaft and camshafts are all lined up with the corresponding markers.

 

That image will be a great help showing me what pulleys to look for. My biggest worry is what to do when I get the head off. I feel like it’s going to be a mess, but hopefully not damaged

 

oh, when I did a bit more reading on the B234F (remember, I never had one), I discovered it has a second belt for the counterbalance shafts, this also has to be timed correctly, but you can remove/replace the timing belt without touching the counterbalance belt.

apparently the counterbalance shafts are prone to leakage, and people sometimes just ditch that belt, but then the engine is buzzier at high RPMs.

 

ah that’s quite interesting. I wonder if that’s the weird shaped belt I saw under the hood and wasn’t sure why it was there. I’m traveling right now so I can’t stick my head in the engine bay to mess about. All these things you’re finding just make me worry more because there’s more to go wrong haha. This engine does sound delightfully quirky I hope it’s reliable(for a 29 year old car anyway)

 

If you want to talk and get more info you might want to look up this guy , Mike at Swedish auto. Swedish Motors - Volvo, Saab, & Mini Repair in Poughkeepsie, NY

 

wow that’s awesome thank you. I didn’t know that his shop existed and it’s only about 20 or so minutes from me. Definitely a good potential resource. Hopefully the guy likes questions 😁

 

fyi, that counterbalance belt comes off the crankshaft pulley, on the exhaust side, and at a slight angle downwards. I think the drawings I saw showed /two/ counterbalance shafts on the same belt.

blue belt shown here...



it should all bbe covered up by the timing cover.

that image is from here, which includes details on servicing these belts.
https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/B234Ftimingbelts.htm