90 Volvo 740 GLE

>
> I don't think we have enough info here to know if the guy is capable
> of doing the necessry work himself. If he can work on an engine, but
> isn't familiar with this particlualr one, he probably can. If he really
> is a newbie, then it is way too big a job...

I inferred that he is a newbie, or at least inexperienced, as he
didn't know what an interference engine is.

It would seem axiomatic that anyone with the knowledge necessary to
replace a 740 headliner, to troubleshoot fuel injection and otherwise
undertake sorting out this beater Volvo would know that salient fact.
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

>
> Are you actually trying to help, or do you just get off by being an a-hole?

I am an a-hole who is helping.

You claim that this newbie can use elbow grease and spend less than
four hundred bucks to turn this apparent beater into "a good, solid
car."

Given that it has NO HEADLINER, and runs LIKE A LAWNMOWER, and has a
beat up body, I say NO WAY.

You are imparting FALSE HOPE there, Mr. Sweet, albeit perhaps
unwittingly; you may not know any better.

In contrast, I tell it like it is.
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

>Yeah, it's actually going to be a gift for my uncle who's birthday is
>in October. So I've got the rest of Spring, and all of the Summer to
>fix it up.



A tip regarding the headliner, remove the windshield to get the backing in
and out. People say it can be done by just folding the seats back, I barely
managed after removing the seats, console, steering wheel, and other
interior parts then flexing it so far I swore it would snap in two. If the
windshield needs replacing then perfect, otherwise it's well worth having it
removed and reinstalled, you'll be pulling your hair out otherwise.
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

He bought the car as a gift for his uncle: I have to suspect he's not
damn-fool enough to give a car to an uncle as a gift if it has NO
HEADLINER!

That is the OP's biggest problem.

As I posted, a headliner repair in a 740 is a major PITA.

Check on turbobricks: it is a loathed job, one that makes experienced
shade tree Volvo geeks cringe and decide to farm the job out.

It is expensive to farm the job out.

You cannot seriously expect someone with little knowledge about Volvo
repair to hit the ground running and refurbish a beater.

Oh sure, I have done it, but I've worked on these damned cars for more
than 20 years and I know a lot about them: were I a newbie I'd never
dream of taking on such a project: it would be the height of folly,
and setting myself up for failure.

Do I suggest that people not repair their own cars?

Of course not.

I simply say this: do not take on projects which exceed your abiltiy.

Just because I could do it, or Mr. Sweet could do it, does not mean
that anybody can do it.

I take great pride and satisfaction in working on these cars, but it
is a skill I have acquired over time.

Start small, and work up: it's the only sensible way to go.
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

Mr. V wrote:

>>Whether it is worth the risk depends on whether you are willing to
>>risk $255 to acquire the car. And then possibly put a lot more into
>>it to fix it up. Many but certainly not all donated autos are being
>>given away because the owner doesn't want to pay to fix some costly
>>problems.
>
>
> He didn't pay $255, he paid $603.27.
>
>
>

I don't think we have enough info here to know if the guy is capable
of doing the necessry work himself. If he can work on an engine, but
isn't familiar with this particlualr one, he probably can. If he really
is a newbie, then it is way too big a job...
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

"Mr. V" <allagoshang.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:aea9c68d-0f24-447c-bf2b-ab68b0f57bc9@h11g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 29, 9:35 am, "James Sweet" <jamessw....RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> Did you expect a mint condition ride for $600? He saw the car in person
>> and
>> obviously was satisfied with the cosmetics. Yeah it's a bit of a fixer,
>> but
>> he should end up with a good solid car for a thousand bucks and a bit of
>> elbow grease.
>
> That is ridiculous, you should know better.
>
> The buyer is a clueless newbie: he doesn't know what an interference
> engine is, for goodness sake.
>
> So how can he wind up with "a good solid car for a thousand bucks and
> a bit of
> elbow grease," eh?"
>
> He's already into it for over six hundred.
>
> Do you seriously expect a newbie to be able to replace a headliner?
>
> I've done it, and it is a real PITA: he'll most likely be intimidated
> by the complexity of the job and farm it out...KA-CHING!
>
> Let's not forget "it sounds like a lawn mower, and (at minimum) needs
> new injectors.
>
> Not a task for a newbie.
>
> KA-CHING!
>
> Unknown maintenance history: did he do a compression test?
>
> Of course not: no telling what the valve train, rings and lower end is
> like.
>
> Lots of problems evident with the body, too.
>
> No, this newbie, or the intended recipient, is going to spend some
> serious coin sorting out this car, Mr. Sweet, your Pollyannaish
> optimism notwithstanding.
>
> Maybe you or I could sort it out and not spend much more than our time
> on it, but a newbie?
>
> Puh-lease.
>

Nothing that it needs is beyond what a reasonably determined amature can
figure out with a bit of help from the group. I've been working on Volvos
for 14 years, but when I first started I knew nothing about them. Through
trial and error, a Haynes manual, and advice from the web I've become very
proficient and donate a significant amount of my time to helping others
maintain their bricks. As far as the engine goes, I wouldn't be surprised in
the least if all it needs is some exhaust system attention or checking the
order and condition of the plug wires. I've picked up several cheap cars
over the years as-is with various problems, it's always a gamble but so far
I've been lucky and it's been little things people overlooked and assumed
the problem was much more serious. When I redid my A/C I knew nothing about
it but found enough info here to figure it out. When I did the headliner I
had zero experience there, but found tutorials online and jumped into that.
Looking at that car, I think a good solid weekend of washing, waxing,
scrubbing, polishing, and vacuuming will have it looking presentable, then
he can tackle all the other odds & ends it needs. Put simply, I'd pay 600
bucks for it without batting an eyelid if I didn't already have more cars
than I need.

Are you actually trying to help, or do you just get off by being an a-hole?
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

"Mr. V" <allagoshang.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:71b09d4c-73a4-4c80-9f14-b883fbdeb5c0@e6g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>
>>
>> Are you actually trying to help, or do you just get off by being an
>> a-hole?
>
> I am an a-hole who is helping.
>
> You claim that this newbie can use elbow grease and spend less than
> four hundred bucks to turn this apparent beater into "a good, solid
> car."
>
> Given that it has NO HEADLINER, and runs LIKE A LAWNMOWER, and has a
> beat up body, I say NO WAY.
>
> You are imparting FALSE HOPE there, Mr. Sweet, albeit perhaps
> unwittingly; you may not know any better.
>
> In contrast, I tell it like it is.
>

Good solid car as in a reliable runner that won't win any beauty contests.
I've done it, I've seen others do it, it's not rocket science. My friend
bought a beat up 240 for a few hundred bucks that was barely running,
replaced a vacuum hose that had cracked off, did a tuneup with new plugs,
wires, cap, rotor, changed the fluids and it's been a dependable driver.
Another got one that didn't run at all for a song, swapped out the fuel pump
relay, fired it up and drove it home. I bought my daily driver 8 years ago
for 500 bucks, it ran poorly and had water in the oil, I thought the engine
was shot but I did a tuneup and 80K miles later I'm still driving it, I
never did find out how water got in the oil but it never happened again.
Another friend picked up a Saab 900 that "was loud, had no power and the
electrical system was shot" for $250, well the downpipe had a broken weld,
so it was loud as hell. It turned out that the power was fine, and the
electrical system, well both headlights were burned out. The point is it's a
gamble, but 600 bucks is a trivial amount of money to spend on a car, you'd
throw away more than that the moment a new car is driven off the lot. If he
decides to give up on it, I have no doubt he could sell it to someone like
me and recover most if not all of his investment. The 16V cylinder head
alone is a rare part worth a few hundred bucks to guys who put them on turbo
motors to get 300-500+ HP.

No headliner and beat up body in no way affect the drivability, they're
strictly cosmetic. I would fix them personally as time permits, but a lot of
people don't care about that stuff and just want dependable comfortable
transportation. In my extensive experience, the running like a lawnmower is
usually something simple, sure it could be a hole in a piston, dropped
valve, or some other serious damage, but that sort of problem is rare.
Usually with these motors someone has put the plug wires on in the wrong
order due to the weird distributor cap design, vacuum leak, cracked
downpipe, that sorta thing. Most of the parts are cheap and plentiful, no
special tools are needed and the logical layout and spaceous engine
compartment makes these cars a joy to work on. Give the guy some credit,
don't assume he's an idiot just because he's a newbie. He seems willing
enough, and with help from this group I'm sure he'll manage and either way
the education will be worth something. Just because you are unwilling,
incapable, or un-interested in taking on this project doesn't make it
pointless for someone else to try. He's already bought the car so unless
you've got something positive and productive to say, there's no point in
saying anything at all.
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

On Mar 1, 8:46 pm, "Mr. V" <allagosh... DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> > Whether it is worth the risk depends on whether you are willing to
> > risk $255 to acquire the car.   And then possibly put a lot more into
> > it to fix it up.  Many but certainly not all donated autos are being
> > given away because the owner doesn't want to pay to fix some costly
> > problems.
>
> He didn't pay $255, he paid $603.27.

Did he or someone else pay $603.27? I wasn't clear on that. The
difference is only $350.00 and not really significant. The bigger
issue is whether he has the skills and tools to do the work himself or
the pocketbook to pay someone else. It may be back on the road with
$2k paid out. But since the car was apparently driven with no
headliner that is a very good indication that it was driven with other
significant probles as well.
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE 

>
> Did he or someone else pay $603.27? I wasn't clear on that. The
> difference is only $350.00 and not really significant. The bigger
> issue is whether he has the skills and tools to do the work himself or
> the pocketbook to pay someone else. It may be back on the road with
> $2k paid out. But since the car was apparently driven with no
> headliner that is a very good indication that it was driven with other
> significant probles as well.


He posted that he bid on it and got it, and posted a link to the e-bay
listing for the auction: sale price: $603.27.

From the link: "Up for auction is a 1990 Volvo 740 GLE that was
recently donated to a national charitable foundation and is being sold
with NO RESERVE.
This vehicle appears to run ROUGH AND IS NOT DRIVEABLE ON THE ROAD."

So, the seller bought a beater, a car that is not driveable, rough
body, no headliner, and which was GIVEN AWAY by its prior owner, who
was probably savvy enough to recognize a tax break when he saw it.

I will call a spade a spade: I think the purchaser made a bad bargain.

Let this be a warning to others who hope to find a diamond in the
rough; do not let your grasp exceed your reach.

Still and all, he has until Fall to learn how to repair a headliner,
perform body work, trouble shoot fuel and electrical issues...it will
certainly be a learning experience, IF he buckles down and does it,
instead of giving up in frustration and kicking himself for having
bought this beater.
 >> Stay informed about: 90 Volvo 740 GLE