OK, so I'm not a mechanic at all. I just bought a 91 Volvo 740 wagon (non-turbo). Around 160k miles (odometer stopped worked at 153k so it's a best guess). I've been scouring the web for a reason why my Volvo does this and haven't found solid answer yet. So where better to ask than here right?

While I was driving yesterday I discovered if I put my toes under the brake pedal and lift slightly it clicks up and then the brakes are activated. Not very hard but hard enough that I'll slow down from 60 - 0 before to long. I can push back down on the brake until I feel it give a bit and then it disengages and it's back to normal. Any clues?

 

thats a pretty optimistic guess, unless you specifically know the date the odo stopped working, and how much its been driven since. our 87's odo stopped at 250k about 15 years ago, our best guess is 400K. my 92 740T wagon has 220K on its clock (and is still working).

re your brake pedal, um, best I can suggest is, DONT DO THAT can't say I've ever lifted my pedal so I have no idea what happens there. I could see that damaging the brake light switch and who knows what else.

 

Regarding the odometer - I am going off the honesty of the previous owner. I do know that it purchased by him in October 2010 with 109k miles. (Vehicle history report). He said the odometer quit working a few months ago and he guesses it's around 160k. I'm only the 3rd owner and the car is in very good condition.

For the brake pedal I don't lift it on purpose. It happened a few times by accident before I realized what was going on. After consulting with a mechanic friend of mine I've determined that it is NOT supposed to happen but does not seem to be a big deal. I'm wondering if something is just loose and pops out of place when the brake pedal gets lifted to far. In any case I'll probably rip it apart sometime here and try to find where it's happening.

Thanks.

 

well, I'm looking at the parts diagram of the brake pedal. its hinged on a rod that goes through a 3 piece 'box' (2 sides that the pivot go through are bolted to a 3rd side thats bolted to the firewall. about an inch below the pivot, there's a pin through the brake pedal arm and a clevis thats on the push rod into the brake servo and master cylinder assembly, this activates the brakes.

if that 'box' thing that the lever pivots on isn't bolted tight and shifts, all bets are off. its probably not good to pull on the push rod from the power brake vacuum servo, you could damage the seals in the master cylinder, and even possibly cause a brake failure..

 

Also, when you START your thread with the statement I'M NO MECHANIC... you might want to back away from the braking system.

The last time I seen a car that had 123,000 on the clock and the owner said it had a little more, I checked the ODO (you can check on the 850's) and it had 225,500.

 

Sounds like the dyslexic safety brake pedal to me.