Ok, so I was car less for quite a long time. I live in LA and I chose a nice apartment in a nice area over a car (I'm 26). But some lady was selling her '90 740 wagon down the block for $1400,and after some 3 months with no sale and hard bargaining, I finally wore her down to $900. It has 221k mi, and she told me it has a very minoroil leak in the rear main stay ($300 fix because they have to remove the tranny), but that as long as I monitor oil levels I will be ok for now. There is a constant high pitched squeal that sounds like it is coming from the glove box, the breaks squeek when I stop (I was told that it was due to the aftermarket brake pads she bought instead of volvo specific), and it sounds like the engine has this "pshhhh" sound. The car however starts right up, turns fine, and floats down the freeway like a lead brick. The AC works, the sunroof doesnt, and the interior is just fine for a $900 car. It's missing the grill and thedriver side turn signal(and there is a little crumple damage). The front license plate is held on by a piece of wire (bumper is a bit thrashed). The body is straight, and there arent any dents except for the little crumple by the driver side turn signal. My goal is to slowly replace parts to keep this car in running condition (and maybe take a girl on a date ), but I don't know where to start. Should I ask a mechanic to do some sort of diagnostic? I just don't want to get ripped off.

The first thing I'm going to do when I get paid next week is get some new brake pads as that squeal is driving me NUTS [:@]

 

What are they gonna diagnose? Drive it, keep the fluids topped off. Go to the PickYourPart junkyard for parts. Keep in mind that the1990's frontis ONLY 1990, the grille and assoc. pieces. The bumper is 1990 to 1995.The turn signal is1990 to 1995 NO FOG... i.e. only one big front light as opposed to two. (when you are at the j'yard you'll wonder...) The brake pads don't have to be Volvo not to squeal, but make sure you know what brand you hve when you go shoping for them, could be one of three.

 

Awesome, thanks for the advise. How do I find these junk yards?

 

Oh, and one other thing. The driver side seat belt clip (the femal piece) doesnt work. will I need a whole new seat, or just a new clip? Does it have to be volvo?

 

For sunroof, it's probably the sunroof switch. Go to www.stepbystepvolvo.com for how to replace the switch. High pitched squeal could be fan belts. Make sure they're tight. Squealing brake pads, unless they are godawful, doesn't necessarily mean bad brake pads. Sometimes dirt gets in there. As for "pshhh" sound, make sure your waterpump is not leaking.

 

Thanks fredbyte!

I pressed the sunroof switch, and it started to open, it just wont close. Is that a switch or motor issue?

 

That's most likely a switch issue. The contacts get corroded over time and they have to be cleaned. My website shows you how. Or, go to a junkyard and buy another one for a cheap price. But, the junkyard switch could be corroded too!

 

Not sure if you live in Los Angeles (LA) or Louisiana (LA). Anyway here's a link to salvage yards in SoCal.

http://www.scvcoa.org/page9.html

 

The seatbelt has to be changed, or spray some WD40 in it firrst, depends... Junkyards have them-make sure it's 1990 and later.
The sunroof is sticking and it has nothing to do with the switch. I'd try lubing the tracks, nobody does it and they dry up and stick.

 

Get the bushings replaced and find some 940/960 stabilizer (sway bars) and install them. That will be the major inprovement in your ride.

 

I did that with my wagon. Sprayed some white lithium grease on it and it works great. I know how you feel about getting a bargain. I got a 89 740GL wagon for $675 with only 108K on it. Kid said power steering pump was bad. It was the rack. 90 for a used rack, threw some new brake pads on it and runs great. Even the heated seats work great in the winter. Definitely a keeper car.

 

Volvo seatbelts are designed to be very strong, but they jam easy. You can probably fix it yourself with a pair of needle nose pliars, I fixed mine by just taking apart one of the working ones and taking apart the broken one, it became pretty clear where a little peg had slipped out of place.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys.

How much should it cost to get my water pump replaced, parts and labor?

What about the bushings?

I'm excited to learn that all I may need to do is lube the tracks of my sunroof! I'm just going to wait until it stops raining, just in case.

I live in los angeles.