hey guys im looking at a 1990 Volvo 240 it has 192k on it but starts and runs great. the exhaust makes a little noise when pressing on the gas but goes away after letting off. this isnt a huge problem in my book because im planning to replace it after buying it. the guy is selling it for $750 im only concerned about the high miles but i know lots of people with them with over 300k so whats your opinion ?

 

With these cars my concern is always with the transmission more than the engine. If the engine hasn't been overheated and the oil has been changed once in a blue moon than you shouldn't have a problem with it. The transmissions on the other hand are often over looked and neglected. It is recommended that the transmission fluid been drained and replaced every 10,000 miles but that is rarely done.

 

I've never heard of a 10K ATF flush, I'd say its fine to go 30 or 50k per tranny service, or replace it when it smells burnt.

the engines go forever as long as they aren't totally abused,neglected, its the little things that drive you nuts, like corrosion on wiring harnesses, hoses rotting, etc. alternators wear out. fuel pumps wear out.

our 87 240 has 400K miles but has recently developed the 'mondays' where it got increasingly erratic on cold/damp mornings. its finally gotten bad enough that we can start diagnosing (trouble reports from teenage girls are less than 100% useful, and I could never reproduce the problem, it would be perfect each time I test drove it). so far its looking like wiring harness issues, next week will tell for sure.

 

192K is nothing if the rest of the car is ok... What's more expensive to fix are plastic pieces, pockets, bumpers, etc...

Every 10k tranny fluid change is a little much. They used to say 20k, now it's 30, many don't do it at all... But, yeah, I'd worry more about the transmission than the engine...

Many shops don't bother with P/S fluid, Volvo used to say it's "for life"... Good idea to change it now and then.

 

It is not a flush, it is a drain and fill. You only change 1/3 of the fluid every 10k miles when you do it this way so it will take 30k to change most of it. On an older transmission that is the way to go. Transmission flushes can create problems.

 

Just know that any $750 car is going to need some TLC. I agree with the other posters...the engine is not to worry...it's the trans....just like the toyotas (same trans)...the engine will run forever but the tranny is the weakest link. If the rest of the car is solid(no rust) I'd say go for it. Mine was a $500 Volvo and I have about $1,000 into it right now, I repair for longevity (New parts when suspect) But living in the Caribbean it is hard to find a rust free anything and my car has one penny sized surface rust spot.

 

standard procedure is to drain the 1/3rd you can out of the transmission body (you might actually get half if you wait long enough), then top that back off, disconnect the return line from the transmission cooler, and put that in a jug, run the engine long enough to pump another quart out, replace that, repeat until it comes out clean. this way you're changing 100%.

the change a 3rd thing doesn't actually ever give you clean ATF...

if you change a 3rd, you have 66% old. now mix that all up, and change another 3rd, and you have 0.66 * 0.66 == 45% old. now mix that up and change another 3rd, and you have .45 * .66 == 33 % really old, 33% fairly old, and only 33% new.

 

It's not a even third that drains out of the trans, may be a 1 1/2-2 quarts out of 8, will come out of the bottom of the pan.

The Standard Flush that works on the Volvos is a great way to change fluid in an auto transmission, wish more cars were like that: Connect the hose to the top radiator return line, put the other end in a measured container on the ground, start the car, and while the trans is pumping the old fluid out, you pour the new fluid in through the filler. I like to run 10 qts through. The "pump out" rate is about as fast as "the pour in". The measured container is good since you don't want to overfill. All that, after the "drain and fill", the 1-2 qts replacement.

What you want to avoid is a Power Flush, when a machine forces fluid under pressure through the tranny, THAT may create problems in an older, neglected trans...

 

I don't know but I did a regular drain and fill the other day and I ended up with around 3 quarts of fluid in the drain pan.

 

hey thanks for all the info guys i bought it today and just drove it home about a half an hour and nothing went wrong at all so I'm very happy i got it and i will get a mechanic to look at the transmission when i bring it in

 

the AW7x automatic transmissions on 240/740/940 cars is really a rather reliable and robust transmission. its mostly that its 20 years old and high mileage that leads to problems. get it nice and warm (drive 10-15 miles) and pull the tranny stick while the engine is idling, sniff the fluid, check its color, and reinsert/pull again to check the level. if its dark or even medium brown, and/or smells at all burned, do a transmission fluid flush like Lev describes above.