Need some advice! A lot of it!

I drive a 89 Volvo 740 GLE 16 Valve, 228.6k miles. I'm not very mechanically inclined but I try to do what I can and research a lot to have a basic understanding of things. I've only successfully changed the thermostat once and alternator belt twice myself. I check fluids weekly and get new tires replaced as needed. Oil change every 3k miles too. Pretty much basic maintenance, but I feel like I've learned so much in a year!! Then I quickly humble myself and realize there's a lot more to it. Haha.

-I have a cut and leaking trans cooler line held together by a fuel line hose and clamps. Don't know where to start to find this replacement line so I'm constantly checking it to ensure no leakage. I believe I have a part number written somewhere but not sure if right.

-Brake master cylinder is dead and car almost skids for sudden stops. Driving with 2 car spacings to ensure enough time to stop smoothly. Bled brakes and had a flush, didn't work so mechanic assumes brake master cylinder is bad.

-A few lighting problems; broken turn signal reflector, headlight, and taillight. All bulbs still function. Found some 4x6 Lumen headlight h4 sets high and low for cheap, not sure if reliable. Would prefer to get round euro style with LEDs but couldn't find them. Any idea where to get some?

-AC blows warm, good for winter and sucks for summer. Is there a way to know if it still works without spending too much?

-02 sensor code that doesn't go away after 2 attempts of fixing and failing. Replaced myself and cleared code, worked but came back after a few miles. Mechanic attempt and failed to fix?? Not sure how that happens. Said something about I put it in the wrong hole. Heyyooo. Lol. Didn't bother to go back out of anger because I found out he didn't replace o2 sensor and all he did was reset code and charge me 115. Really need this to pass smog and register vehicle. Is it a specific one? I've seen a few different ones with regina or Bosch or something of the sort. I still have original o2 that first failed a month after I bought the car.

-I might need a new water pump soon as it looks that it's starting to leak. Or are there any seals that could be worn out? Last changed 2 years ago.

-Also need to change the timing belt asap (3k miles late, last changed at 175k.) Read 50k to be safe, how far can I go before needing to change?

-Left tie rod needs replacement. Different styles apparently, any way to find out myself which one I have?

-Was also told at current mileage suspension needs work too. Front suspension noisy due to lower control arm rod and boot. LF/RF lower arm and radius arm bushings torn. Sway bar end link bushings torn. Does it need bushings and rods and control arms? Is that part of tie rods? Or is this all included in suspension and strut upgrade? l was also told it's super expensive for this car to go oem route to replace suspension and struts. Are there aftermarket parts for cheaper yet as reliable as original?

-Shift linkage bad?

-Small oil leak at front engine and distributor. Replace cam seals and plugs and distributor seals?

-Exhaust leak from manifold. Tried to tighten this, not sure if done right.

So much to do, I don't know where to start or if I'm making the right choices. As mentioned earlier I hardly know what I'm doing and most of this is getting fixed in shops. Is it worth the repairs? Definitely timing belt, brakes and o2 sensor first, but what should be next? Will a tune up fix some of these problems? Should I fix this engine and try to make it faster someway? Or should I strip it and start a new project for a v8 conversion? Just wanting a reliable, affordable, decent speed daily driver. Any recommendations welcome! Bought vehicle for 1250 about 12k miles ago and spent 750 for stereo. Tried to fix o2 sensor and trans cooler line but only got temp fixes for 350... Brake fix attempt costed another 120. About 2500 into car now. I really love this car and it has proven to be a tank on wheels. Having previously flipped and totaled a 05 scion tc, I've come to love how safe I feel in this. Just want more speed!

Before anything else, get a timing belt immediately. Also an oil pump pulley bolt. Tensioners also if you can. See https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/B234Ftimingbelts.htm
After the expected lifespan, it's completely up to luck when it snaps and destroys both ends of the motor.

iamrolling said:

Before anything else, get a timing belt immediately. Also an oil pump pulley bolt. Tensioners also if you can. See https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/B234Ftimingbelts.htm
After the expected lifespan, it's completely up to luck when it snaps and destroys both ends of the motor.

Click to expand...

Any idea of the cost of parts for everything? And hours of labor expected? Better to go oem belt or aftermarket?

Going by eBay prices, $15-20 for the timing belt and $30-40 for the balance belt. You need both for the B234. Don't go with OEM or you'll blow nearly $80 a belt. Tensioner set, $80. If you need tensioners. If they were replaced at 175k you're probably fine. Oil pump bolt (M10x1.5x30mm, grade 10.9) probably somewhere between $2 and $5. You need this bolt, and it needs to be grade 10.9. Check the link I posted for more information. It will probably tell you more than you need to know, which is good because doing this wrong would be disastrous. I guess it would take 2-3 hours, since the guide says it's about twice as difficult as the B230 belt and the B230 belt takes me about 1-1.5 hours. But hopefully someone who actually has a dual cam car can give better information.
The water pump looks to be the same as the B230 pump. It has 3 gaskets that can fail: one between the pump and cylinder head, one on a tube connected to the block, and the surface seal. The pump with gaskets should run $30 to $40, whether on eBay or in a parts shop. If you don't have coolant pooled in the top of the casting, it's probably one of the lower seals leaking.

I'll post more things to check. Look at the harness side connector for the oxygen sensor. Does the metal look clean, or is it corroded? The error might also be caused by the exhaust leak, if it's a big enough leak. The B234 uses different exhaust gaskets than the B230 so make sure you get the right ones.

Check FCPEuro, they have great prices, and usually different options on a part.

Fix the brakes first! Then worry about the motor and other stuff. If your master cylinder isn't working you are very dangerous to other drivers.

Edit: A V8 swap is going to be very difficult to pull off at your skill level, and even though you may see people say they are doing it cheap, I guarantee you it is not, those who pull it off "cheap" have many years of practice, skills and hardcore tools. Plus supporting mods are also expensive, such as brake and suspension upgrades.

Do both the brakes and timing belt at the same time. The brakes are a more dangerous situation, but crunching the engine on the highway doesn't sound too safe either. 2turbotoys is right about the V8 swap, but don't worry about it. The redblock is a very good motor even if it's not the fastest thing out there. After you learn as much as you can about the motor and have it running optimally, there are upgrade options. You could do a turbo or stroker build for probably $3-5000 if you plan the whole thing out ahead of time, in great detail, before you start buying anything.
Here's a good page if you want to start learning more about the B234. The images gallery should be helpful. http://www.nuceng.ca/bill/volvo/b234f/b234f.htm

So I've called around to a few local shops for quotes on a timing belt change. Good and bad news. I only trust Volvo specialists to work on my car, as every other car mechanic almost always makes a mistake and the Volvo gods laugh at me. Lol. So 2 of the shops don't have the special tensioner tool required for the job. Another shop has it and quoted about 1100 or more for the 2 belts (not sure which ones or if he meant the timing and other 2 belts, but I believe its 3 total?), tensioner, and water pump. I think he may have mentioned oil pump bolts too. Also mentioned it would be a bit more if the idler pulley or anything else needed more work. I know the B234f engine is an interference design engine so it would be a complete disaster to the pistons and valves if the timing belt, cam or balance belt were to ever break. Because of this, I want to ensure I get him to do everything the best way possible and not save a penny here and there. I'm willing to dish out some money as I live in the car and consider any costs as rent. I figured the water pump has a leak already, so I might as well change it with the timing belt. I definitely want to replace anything in the process so I won't have to come back to a similar problem and pay again on the same labor. Oil pump bolts noted. And there are 2 tensioners, correct? Anything else I'm missing or should focus on? Are cam seals something I should consider during timing belt fix, since I have a leak anyway? I see camshafts can be replaced or upgraded but jacks up the price and maybe I should consider it in the future if it makes it to 275k. Unless you guys believe it's good to do it now at current mileage since I have a leak there? I have 1200 in hand and a bunch of OT for the next 2 weeks to help with costs. Only thing I'm worried is that I'm pushing this belt further and further and it makes me a nervous wreck. I planned to do the brake master cylinder and o2 sensor and maybe tie rods at the same time after I do this fix. I drive about 2-15 miles at most a day so brakes aren't a priority at the moment. Then I'll probably do a tune up afterwards. Not sure if cam seals are a part of tune up process either.
As for the o2 sensor, I haven't checked the harness and will asap. Recently I killed the battery on accident and charged it up with my battery charger and the ce code is gone for now. Currently waiting for it to come back, but wondering if I should try smog retest since it's free and ce light is gone at the moment.
I wanted to take the time and thank you for the great help you've all been so far. Thanks again and be safe Volvo brothers!

There's the accessory V-belts outside the timing housing, but the belts your mechanic are concerned with are the timing and balance belt. Both are under the timing cover. Might as well do the water pump at the same time, since the belt and pulley will be coming off anyway. There are two tensioners. You will need a set with a manual tensioner for the timing belt. Later cars used an automatic tensioner, but it won't fit. A timing belt change is the right time to replace the seals on the cams, intermediate shaft, and crank, since everything will be off anyway. At that point all you have to do is pop off the gears. The engine will probably last way longer than 275k as long as you maintain the timing system and don't beat it to death.
You could buy every single tool you need and all the parts for a few hundred less than $1100. And you can probably figure it out after re-reading the links I posted a few times. But since you live in the car, I would just take it to the shop until you learn enough that you can confidently do the job. If it goes well, the car starts right up and goes another 50k. If not, the engine can be ruined in under a second. On that note, if you're living in the car, you also don't want to mess with cam upgrades or other performance parts. You definitely want to go more Irv Gordon than Jeff Gordon.

Yes, I'm currently not comfortable or confident enough with doing any major repair work myself. Extremely interested, yet lack of skill and tools. Being this is my only car and also my home, I can't risk anything. Good to know not to upgrade at the moment. I've kept everything oem as I trust volvo parts more than aftermarket. Thanks for all the help!! I need this checklist so I can see what he's doing already and add anything he may have left out, that you have recommended to do.

Since it sounds like your life depends on keeping the thing running, you should learn as much as you can about it. Fortunately these cars are very well documented. Read all of the FAQs with information about your car, even for systems that haven't broken yet. If you have time, also read the parts that don't apply to your car. You'll be very happy about having a 4 cylinder after reading about the B6304 and PRV motors.
Here's where I started: https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/FAQSummary1.html
There's also this one: http://www.swedishbricks.net/700900FAQ/FAQSummary1.html
I recommend reading both. There's a lot of overlapping information, but one might have sections that the other doesn't.

I just found out there are also seals on the balance shaft sprockets, and removing those requires a counterhold tool or other method of temporarily jamming the engine. I'm looking to see if I can find at least a picture of this tool now.

Get rid of the balance belt all together.

"Special tensioner tool" is a vice and 2 inch piece of thin steel wire... Any mechanic that's done B234F enough times should be able to get timing done under an hour. I don't know about usual prices ih the US, but 1100 dollars seems unreasonable expensive.

Can you explain the symtoms of failed brakes?

Are you sure it's oxigen sensor fault? You read it, or just was the "oxygen sensor light" on the dash?

Thanks Hiperfauto. Looks like you could just wrap the old belt around each balance shaft pulley and give the socket wrench a good hard hit to release it instead of tracking down tool 5362.
And the tensioner tool sounds like about the same thing you need for the single cam tensioner. I've done it with pliers but that really takes a lot out of you.
Will disabling the balance shafts accelerate wear? I never understood why the B234 has them and the B230FT does not, despite the turbo motor being very slightly more powerful.

B230FT does have a balance shaft. If you pull the shaft out it has a small lobe on it.

Balance shafts are just to make the engine run a bit smoother for the soccer moms. Any in line engine has one, they may cause a minimal amount of wear after removal, but you wouldn't ever notice it.

Having said that, I wouldn't go thru the trouble of bypass it, just do a standard belt replacement.

I'll be damned. I am finding mentions of balance shafts on the single cam engines. Where's the weight, though? Is it on the intermediate shaft? Crap, I think I purposely installed the belt with the intermediate shaft way out of time, just because I could.