760 turbo auto: what should I look out for?

Hi all

I am hoping to be able to buy an E reg 760 GL turbo auto estate in a few days time. I am just wondering if there are particular things I should look out for when I view it. I had a 740 GLE estate for a few years and loved it, but it was neither a turbo nor automatic. Though good with my hands in other fields, I must confess to not being much of a car expert, so any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

edson

Edson,

Don't know about 760GL. 760GLE was the V6 engine, 760Turbo was the 4 cylinder. The V6 had 3 speed plus overdrive auto box. It has a button on the side of the gear selector. The Turbo has the 4 speed ZF box. This box has a lot of bad press but mine is great! Always in the right gear and smooth changes.

Once you have driven a turbo you won't go back!

As to pointers - it depends on service history and mileage. If you buy it, there is plenty of help on this forum and on the Brickboard.

[Peter Milnes]

Bad press for ZF4HP22 gearbox is due to American market. They cannot cope with German design logic which says if you do not need gearbox oil pressure when in Park then disconnect the pump when in Park. This means that you should not attempt to rev the engine when stationary with park selected. You should instead use Neutral or a drive ratio on a rolling road or with rear wheels raised clear of the ground. I am personally very much in favour of this very well designed and virtually bomb-proof gearbox.

All the best, Peter

thanks for the reassuring comments re the gearbox.

The car has about 180,000 on the clock but has only had one owner from new and has been stored in a barn since the owner left the country a couple of years ago. I'm told it has always been regularly serviced and is in good running order. It will be checked over and mot'ed before I get it (with a new battery installed).

cheers

edson

[niloc]

Check for smoke out of the exhaust. Could mean the turbo is on it's way out. Take the turbo intake pipe off and check the spindle for excess movement. If the turbine touches the casing, get a new turbo (scrapper). You may find an oil leak at the rear of the engine, rear crank seal of dizzy cap seal. Also, the 2 oil cooling pipes that come off the oil filter are prone to leaking. Other than that, brilliant cars!

Thanks for the tips. The original deal fell through, but I found another 760 turbo with similar mileage (182k) but G reg. Found the auto gearbox pretty strange at first but now I've got my head round the different response I'm starting to really enjoy the car. It purrs...

edson