760 V6

[patjoseph]

I have just bought a 1990 760 GLE V6.....When i showed this car to a friend of mine who has owned several Volvos,He laughed,called me mad,the told me to get shot as soon as possible..........Telling me with this engine it is the worst Volvo ever.....Comments please?

[charlotte001]

Hi that's utter rubbish the V6 is no better and no worse than any other volvo engine. The worst engine was the one in the 340

I have a V6 which has 162,000 on the clock so I don't agree.

Charlotte

[Grizlyadams]

My mate v6man has a v6 760 with 180.000+ miles on it, just regular oil and collent changes are the key to a long life on that all alloy engine i belive.
Griz

[Alec Dawe]

I always understood that the only problem with the Volvo V^ was that some of the oilways (especially to the cam?) were a little small, and if oil changes were neglected, then they could gunge up and lead to problems, BUT that if the oil was changed properly, and decent oil used, then the engines were fine.
So its a user and maintenance issue, rather than a problem with the engine

[patjoseph]

Thanks for your encouraging replys people....I will change the oil asap

BTW Its done 182000

[penninepullman]

Bought our 1988 760 GLE nearly 9 years ago (remember it well; it was the day before Princess Diana died). It was a 9 year old with 184000 on the clock.

The engines do need some TLC; regular oil changes (6 months/3000 miles) and ensuring coolant is maintained at correct level and changed every 2 years. I always use deionised water (not tap water) to dilute the antifreeze to a 50:50 strength. The impurities in our hard tap water I prefer to keep away from this all aluminum engine.

The problems with camshafts etc. afflicted the earlier B27 & B28 engines, but these later B280 engines do not seem to suffer these problems.

Our car now has 244000 on the clock, but I changed the engine at 238000 for one from a car with 174000 on clock, as a result of head gasket failures.
This seems to be one area that needs to be watched; checking oil and coolant for cross contamination, and compression checks.

You just have to remember that these are now high mileage cars, in their late teens (16 to 18 years old), so need that regular check with some TLC.
Over 9 years of ownership have had to maintain/change quite a few things. The ones to watch for are:
Radiator failure. I had the transmission cooler in it fail, so coolant got into gearbox and ATF into coolant. Fortunately I find it quickly and a new rad was fitted (after flushing cooling system) and the gearbox flushed 3 or 4 times with ATF. This was quite expensive on fluid, but a lot cheaper than replacement/overhauling g/box, which would have been necessary had I not discovered it quickly (Water and the g/box brake bands are not a good mix).
All hoses. There are lots of them! If you are not sure of their condition replace them; they will fail when you least expect it. Unfortunately most, due to their shape, have to be the expensive genuine Volvo ones. The hoses are: top and bottom rad, 2 on water pump (1 to each head), a further 2 at back of water pump (under inlet manifold), 2 heater hoses at back of engine (1 is in two parts either side of water valve), and finally the 2 hoses that live in an extremely hostile environment (heat and oil) at the oil cooler behind the oil filter.

[foggyjames]

The 340 1.4 engine is remarkable for what it is. It makes more power than many comparable 16v 1.4s, returns outstanding fuel economy considering the size of the car it is installed in, and if you look after it can last to record some remarkable mileages. By the time I arrive back in Derby later tonight it will have rolled past 187250 :)

There's no doubt at all that the PRV is weaker in many ways than the redblock series of engines, and indeed the newer aluminium 'whiteblock'. Having said that, it's nothing like as bad as its reputation would have you believe, and as stated above, the B280 is far, far better than the B27/28 which suffered cam oiling problems.

Look after it, and there's no need to worry. Good luck with it!

cheers

James