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Any Opinions/Experience on PRV V6?

volvofan1990

Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2018
Location
Doylestown Pennsylvania
I know of a late 70's 265 gl that has the PRV V6 locally. The car has about 90,000 miles and was parked 10 years ago and it does not run as of now obviously. I heard this specific V6 was a boat anchor. Then, conflicting this statement, others say the engine was a decent one. Would this car be worth the few hundred bucks I could get it for despite the PRV V6? Anyone have any experience with this application?
 
Depends who you ask. From what I've encountered, 99% of Volvo people say it sucks ass and isn't worth anything. But if you ask John Lane, he'll have a different, more positive, answer.

If it's a manual I'd grab it as those were very uncommon even when they were new. Mine is a factory m46.

Also my best friend drives his 81 264 almost every week. 107k on his, runs strong. No issues yet. The shisty part is parts availability is next to none, Volvo wise, but find you a DeLorean dealer or parts supplier and you could have a stout V6.

Btw Mr. Lane built his rally 242 with a stroked out TT 3.4L even-fire monster of a PRV. Just YouTube search for some.of his rally videos. He has since then sold the car.
 
Would this car be worth the few hundred bucks I could get it for despite the PRV V6?

Only if it's in nice shape otherwise (it's probably not). Plan on a long uphill struggle to get a k-jet car that hasn't run in years going again.

Btw Mr. Lane built his rally 242 with a stroked out TT 3.4L even-fire monster of a PRV. Just YouTube search for some.of his rally videos.

I've ridden in John's 262. It hauls ass. There's no comparison between a '70's 260 with a boat anchor B27 and the rocket that John built.
 
Only if it's in nice shape otherwise (it's probably not). Plan on a long uphill struggle to get a k-jet car that hasn't run in years going again.



I've ridden in John's 262. It hauls ass. There's no comparison between a '70's 260 with a boat anchor B27 and the rocket that John built.

Yeah getting kjet to work right again takes some time and frustration. Maybe megasquirt or carburetors or replace everything fuel related
 
The guy that came up with the idea to do a 3.0 version and "built" the internal stuff like the rods from the V8 big block Ford narrowed, ID bored, re-tanged, the J&E forged pistons, , had the machine shop work all done, supplied the 3 disc clutch and the Jericho box was a John, but it was not John Lane.
He was a good trouble-shooter and mechanic.
He was NOT an engine mod guy by any stretch of the word..

3.0 From Eagle Premier, not a stroker...
I'll leave it to you guys to figure out who knows engine internal dimensions and has some original thinking....shouldn't be that hard.:roll:
 
OP you'll have to really love it to justify the effort in getting that PRV six to be something interesting. Other options are readily available that go like hell. LS comes to mind. The B-27 is an all aluminum engine that got a LOT better as the Frenchies figured it out. That said... A fellow could find that Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco from '89-'91, pull the motor complete with engine management.... Sort out what wiring stays, what goes... Replace lower engine case of EP/DM engine (everything below the centerline of the crankshaft + timing cover) and accessory drive with what is in the Volvo or even adapt the EP accessory drive for an even more colorful collection of bits. Use the trigger wheel of the EP (odd 120 degree thing)... Give it a B-280 throttle elbow with Four valve Volvo straight six from 960 throttle body + about a hundred details that get solved along the way. for a 150-160 horse smooth runner. Sounds like a lot of work? It is. I did this and enjoyed it for a few years. I've also used the EP block with Odd-firing heads on it... EP/DM Cams and hydraulic rocker arms (have to whittle off the distributor drive gear from your B-27 and hang it on the even-firing cam. Smooth runner that looks stock.

The engine in the rallycar is standard 93X73 bore & stroke. Volvo B-280 Block with Eagle Premier liners (93mm), and EP 'E' heads for the best intake port... turbo ect ect. Yes, goes like hell. Broke everything 'unbreakable' in Volvo drivetrain. Yup. JVL was involved with internals for that one. Started as a set of forged pistons on stock rods as JVL believed those stock rods to be "plenty beefy" which resulted in holes in a block top, sides and bottom when one of those rods broke. The rest of the stock rods in that engine measured out 1-3mm shorter then when installed. If you are going to go to the effort of getting in one give it forged pistons and H-Beam rods just as we do for every other engine we want to be strong. JVL Scared up a used Jerico trans and Quarter Master three disc clutch too. He is good at finding others used junk. Bill Scribner in Kent made up the bellhousing and the 9" Ford rear end after breaking too many Volvo axles and wheel studs (five studs... All at once) to count. Dave Clark did the Jerico install including modify trans tunnel for external trans linkage. JVL also pushed for installing GP-A Escort Cosworth 4X4 front suspension that "Is good enough for World Rally" that made for a horrible crash due to yet another of his half-baked engineering solutions. Could have had Sellholm's package of front suspension and brakes and been winning events for what I ended up with into JVL's solution that didn't work for sh!t. Again.

I've done a couple of stroked even-firing PRV sixes. They make very nice runners with a lot more torque. Lot of effort. Not for everyone.

My next PRV six will be 96X80 with four valve heads and a turbo.

JVL loves to blow his horn. Beware his engineering solutions. Measure everything/count teeth ect yourself for anything he is involved with. Every critical dimension. Every machine step. 1000 ways to get anything custom wrong. He managed one or more wrong/forgotten for everything he was involved with for me for multiple disasters in my car.
 
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OP you'll have to really love it to justify the effort in getting that PRV six to be something interesting. Other options are readily available that go like hell. LS comes to mind. The B-27 is an all aluminum engine that got a LOT better as the Frenchies figured it out. That said... A fellow could find that Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco from '89-'91, pull the motor complete with engine management.... Sort out what wiring stays, what goes... Replace lower engine case of EP/DM engine (everything below the centerline of the crankshaft + timing cover) and accessory drive with what is in the Volvo or even adapt the EP accessory drive for an even more colorful collection of bits. Use the trigger wheel of the EP (odd 120 degree thing)... Give it a B-280 throttle elbow with Four valve Volvo straight six from 960 throttle body + about a hundred details that get solved along the way. for a 150-160 horse smooth runner. Sounds like a lot of work? It is. I did this and enjoyed it for a few years. I've also used the EP block with Odd-firing heads on it... EP/DM Cams and hydraulic rocker arms (have to whittle off the distributor drive gear from your B-27 and hang it on the even-firing cam. Smooth runner that looks stock.

The engine in the rallycar is standard 93X73 bore & stroke. Volvo B-280 Block with Eagle Premier liners (93mm), and EP 'E' heads for the best intake port... turbo ect ect. Yes, goes like hell. Broke everything 'unbreakable' in Volvo drivetrain. Yup. JVL was involved with internals for that one. Started as a set of forged pistons on stock rods as JVL believed those stock rods to be "plenty beefy" which resulted in holes in a block top, sides and bottom when one of those rods broke. The rest of the stock rods in that engine measured out 1-3mm shorter then when installed. If you are going to go to the effort of getting in one give it forged pistons and H-Beam rods just as we do for every other engine we want to be strong. JVL Scared up a used Jerico trans and Quarter Master three disc clutch too. He is good at finding others used junk. Bill Scribner in Kent made up the bellhousing and the 9" Ford rear end after breaking too many Volvo axles and wheel studs (five studs... All at once) to count. Dave Clark did the Jerico install including modify trans tunnel for external trans linkage. JVL also pushed for installing GP-A Escort Cosworth 4X4 front suspension that "Is good enough for World Rally" that made for a horrible crash due to yet another of his half-baked engineering solutions. Could have had Sellholm's package of front suspension and brakes and been winning events for what I ended up with into JVL's solution that didn't work for sh!t. Again.

I've done a couple of stroked even-firing PRV sixes. They make very nice runners with a lot more torque. Lot of effort. Not for everyone.

My next PRV six will be 96X80 with four valve heads and a turbo.

JVL loves to blow his horn. Beware his engineering solutions. Measure everything/count teeth ect yourself for anything he is involved with. Every critical dimension. Every machine step. 1000 ways to get anything custom wrong. He managed one or more wrong/forgotten for everything he was involved with for me for multiple disasters in my car.

Thanks for the thoughts and input John. From my time on this forum it seems from all I hear about you that you are a Volvo demi god. Hopefully the '77 works out for me, if I can get the car for 500 or less the PRV V6 revival process may be a worthy pursuit
 
I'm no god. I just got bit by the Frenchie bug decades ago and followed it to the illogical end.

Your odd-firing six may well start up after replacing fuses or re-attaching the pipe that goes from the airflow sensor housing to the auxiliary air valve. More often then not it was a very easy to fix failure that got a car parked. Be sure to drain the fuel tank and give it a fresh fuel filter before getting it running.
 
Those PRV motors make good boat anchors. Yeah, you could throw lots of money at it and make some power, but why? Not Volvo loyalty- that was a turd Peugeot motor. A GM LS V8 could make a lot more power with stock parts.
Best bet is to swap a red block turbo- bolts right in.
 
I'm in the Lane camp on this one. Those early PRVs were dogs. Smooth as glass, yet, dogs. If you can get it to fire right up a run good, run it. If it needs parts to get it running again, just save yourself a huge ongoing headache and swap in something else. I bought a 76 262 for my son when he was 15. We worked on it summers when he came up to visit. It had been sitting for several years. After a gas tank, in tank pump, fuel pump swap it came back to life. All the fine rust in the system blocked up the fine mesh screen in the fuel distributor. A friend sold me a fuel distributor for $20. With that installed it came back to life and ran great. My son drove that car until he was in college. A PS line failure motivated him to switch to a 1982 242 Turbo his mother gave him. They aren't terrible engines. The early engines had an oiling problem that made them lose cam lobes. The later B280s run great and don't have any of the early engine's inherent problems. It was too late for that engine by the time Volvo got it right. The reputation as a bad engine persisted.
 
The early engines had an oiling problem that made them lose cam lobes. The later B280s run great and don't have any of the early engine's inherent problems. It was too late for that engine by the time Volvo got it right. The reputation as a bad engine persisted.

The oiling problem being a combination of crappy lubricants available in '70s-'80s and Volvo suggesting oil changes every 7500 miles. Using current synthetics I see clean engines that don't plug up oil passages if cared for reasonably.

Roy I'm in the market for a nice B-280 when you happen upon one + a core with a good block and crankcase. :wave:
 
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The cylinders had seals on the liners that would go bad and mix oil and coolant. They idled rough even when new. Not Volvo’s finest moment.
 
The oiling problem being a combination of crappy lubricants available in '70s-'80s and Volvo suggesting oil changes every 7500 miles. Using current synthetics I see clean engines that don't plug up oil passages if cared for reasonably.

Roy I'm in the market for a nice B-280 when you happen upon one + a core with a good block and crankcase. :wave:

I have that same engine your customer wanted awhile back. The one I sent you video of it running. It's listed in my FS thread here. I also have another one in an 87 780 I'm parting. That one had good compression, however, I never could get it to start. Make me an offer on both and come get them.

https://forums.tbforums.com/showthread.php?t=338081
 
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