Im thinking im going to try and take my 940 from Maine to Denver this fall to head back to school. I bought it for 350, got a tune up, was told the oil was leaking through the turbo, timing belt should be changed soon, and rear part of exhaust fixed. Im doing the exhaust this weekend, going to see if the turbo leaks, i dont think it is bc the oil is still staying where it should, and then do the timing belt. What other Things should i be checking, fixing, changing, in order to make a long trip like that in 5 days. Around 400-500 miles a day. Tires are all in great shape, car exterior is rust free, underbody very clean, not sure mechanically what could break next, or need fixing.

 

Get the turbo checked or check your self. that would suck to be on the road and have it fail.

You just got an oil change so your good on that.
Don't push the car and it should be fine.

Wait for the experts to get on...

 

It would scare me death to go on a 2,200 mile trip in a $350 car I just purchase.........even a Volvo.

But that's just me..............I'm a scaredy cat

 

hmm, probably the brakes and wheel bearings re greased, suspension checked (they can do that while it's on the lift) all fluids changed out, maybe just a drain and refill on your trans. I'd have the coolant and all hoses checked, crawl under the car and look for anything hanging, loose, or otherwise suspicious. Change your belts. Make sure your water pump is good (just do that with the timing belt, it's only a little extra time/labor/money) and carry lots of tools and a flashlight (carry an extra 10mm socket and open end wrench.) seems my 240 is built with those. Say your prayers, add a liberal dose of holy water to the car, don't sin too much before you leave, kiss your loved ones, and vaya con dios! and have a blast. I drove from New Mexico to LA in a 71 plymouth valiant that I paid 50 bucks for. I even made it back! Most fun I've ever had dressed.

 

haha sounds good. How do i check the turbo? I know it still spools up and so far its holding oil in the dip stick. but besides that, what else should i look for as for the turbo failing? I have to replace the exhaust from cat back, and im getting the timing belt all done when i know the turbo isn't leaking. As for the other belts, how hard are those to replace? Do i have to have them all lined up or anything?

 

I'm pretty lost??? What kind of car do you have? The best thing to do is make sure it has it's recommended service, other than that you should be fine unless you know of other problems like the transmission is slipping or you have an oil leak, brake leak, tranny leak, etc.

I purchased a 850 last year and flew to NYC to pick it up. We all know, if you are going to get ripped off, it will likely be from someone from NYC. (No hard feelings, just the city slicker humor). I had the used car salesman meet me that the airport with the car and I immediately drove it from NYC to Little Rock AR, about a 1,500 mile trip which i made in 36 hours.

I believe that any car that will start and drive 50 miles can drive 3,000 miles. A car doesn't know if it's been running for 30 minutes or 14 hours. Just make sure you have good belts, tires, and fluid levels and you should be good. When driving old cars, things are like time boombs. A fuel pump or relay can go at any time and there is nothing you can do to dodge the bullet. I'm not sure how to check the turbo for leaks other than parking in a clean spot or putting something under the car and seeing if it is leaking on the ground after it sits for 3 or 4 hours. I believe I heard a few people say that a turbo with an internal leak will blow smoke out of your tail pipe. Even then you can always add a little oil. The only think I would worry about is the timing belt and a radiator leak.

Drive and enjoy the trip. If you can afford it, talk a friend into taking the drive with you and have them fly back. I love road trips. I have driven my 740 GLE 4,000 miles in 4 days before. Loved most of it. The think I usually try to do is avoid going through big cities during rush hours. Traffic jams suck during long trips. Take main highways unless you have a good reason not to. I don't recommend speeding but I try to make my gas stops fast. You will gain more travel time by not wasting much at a gas station. That should be a 15 minute stop max, not 45.

Have a good trip and again, enjoy.

 

Don't touch anything that is working fine. Service the car, check brake pads for correct thickness, jack up the wheels, give them a good shake to check for play in bearings, steering or suspension linkages.
If you think the transmission needs it, give it a fluid change (for god's sake, not a power flush).
Ensure the timing belt is not way past it's service schedule.
Failures in mechanical systems statistically occur much more frequently after maintenence due to human error.
Every car I've ever owned has run better, much better, after a nice long road trip, so just service the car and let it run, hell, throw some fuel system cleaner into the tank for the first tank of fuel. Something may break, something may not, but pulling the car apart beforehand is unlikely to find the problem before the fact.

Regards, Andrew.

 

RSPI: I have a 940 turbo, my fault for not stating. i like your thought process. As far as I know, the turbo doesnt leak, and there isn't any leak coming from it, only small drops around the oil filter, and at that is minimal, no drops on the ground usually. The exhaust needs to be changed from the cat back, im ordering the parts this weekend and doing it asap once they arrive. As far as the timing belt, im scheduling that in a week or so to be done. That is the only thing im unsure of, and know its over due. Besides that, the tranny doesnt slip but soemtimes shifts hard, the brakes are all in good condition, could use new ones probably by the end of the trip. I have until august to fully see how the car runs before i run it out to Colorado, and Im taking my girlfriend along with me.... not sure how well thats going to go..But im Excited. The only things that i hear while driving is: The louder exhaust, a small rattle in the engine, but not to concerned, it is 185k mile car after all. The powersteering wines a little, but plan on getting all fluids flushed and changed before the trip, and the turbo spooling . Thanks for the help guys.

 

Also whats the best type and weight of oil to use? I just looked at my receipt from the garage the other day, and they also said steering rack was leaking...

 

10w/30

 

That's too light an oil, especially in these older engines. Mine showed a definite improvement going to 20w/50, less blowby, much quieter. These are big bore engines, they need a thicker oil, I actually think the Volvo recommendations for oils are a little too thin.
Get the steering rack replaced, it's a fairly cheap/easy job and that can fail at any time.

Regards, Andrew.

 

Like Typhoon said, NO FLUSHING! I don't mind a fluid change but flushing these old cars can cause stuff to come loose into the system that may clog something else a week or four down the road.

As for brakes, I don't think you need to change pads for a road trip. You will wear down brake pads more, driving around town for 3 weeks (200 miles), than you would driving across county in 3 days. More braking around town than crusing down the highway. Brakes wear from braking, not driving.

As for the oil, I guess a compression test would be the best judge. Never done one myself but if you are not buring oil and the previous owner was running 10w/30, then that might not be bad. But if you are buring a little you may want to change to a little thicker oil. The manual says use 10w/30 but I use to run 10w/40 in my 740 non turbo. https://www.customers.volvocars.com/...940_18.htm#8.7

I like it a little thicker for warmer weather but I'm alway a little scared to change to much in a turbo.