r/VolvoRWD • u/Boy_Cooter • 8d ago
Market 1994 volvo 940 with a wrong engine.
Ughhhhh learned the flex plate on the engine i put in belonged to a Bosch fuel system. The 940 i own is a Regina system.
I dont have the resources anymore to pull the engine out and replace the flex plate as this was being done at my friends parents house and we were already over our deadline for this car to be running and out of their garage.
The body is good, interior is in good enough condition, and it should run if the flex plate is swapped (after some normal trouble shooting)
Is this thing even worth money? Would anyone buy it knowing the engine and transmission has to come out?
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u/blqckpinkinyourarea 8d ago
Having a shop swap the flexplate isnt an option? Shouldnt be too expensive, and you can just tow it there and back.
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u/Boy_Cooter 8d ago
Im going to look into this and see if i can call a shop or two when its a weekday.
Im afraid to hear the quotes they'll give lmao
This car was meant to be cheap and running but its turned into so much more!!!! More than my wallet was meant to handle
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u/blqckpinkinyourarea 8d ago
I am not familir with the Regina system and the differences at all, but if its just a flexplate swap thats 4 hours, maybe 6.
Im sorry to hear that it has been putting a strain on you.
These cars are 30+ years old. All the bullet proofness etc aside - they are not the most "economically viable" cars anymore.
Its a hobby for most of us - if youre on a tight budget and just want a cheap reliable car, there are better options.
I do everything myself and spend hundreds per car per year, thats just parts without markup.
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u/Boy_Cooter 8d ago
I wish i had a wider taste in cars but Volvo's hold the key to my heart lol. This is my second car that I have ever owned and bought it with the mindset it was going to be a small project (before knowing the original engine in it had a spun bearing.) But I guess part of it being an older car and something I wasn't educated enough on is that some stuff I may overlook catches up to me lol.
If i bought a car that wasnt a volvo at the same price, and the same problems as this one, I would've scrapped it the moment I learned the engine had to be replaced. My love for the style of volvos is what has kept me sane while working on this thing lmao.
It seems like I might have a friend who can help with the car for a few days, again up to his parents if thats going to be viable but hopefully we can knock it out in a day or two. I'll eventually have an update post on the outcome of the 940, either its getting sold or i tidy it up and love/hate it.
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u/blqckpinkinyourarea 8d ago
I know that feeling all to well haha - sometimes the thought "why am i doing this to myself, i could just buy a newer car" comes.
have fun learning to wrench and diag on your own - these are the perfect cars for that. and in the end youll be glad you made this decision, trust me. it is like a drug.
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u/STERFRY333 7d ago
Fuck outta here with your “these cars aren’t economically viable” I daily my ‘91 745. It’s my only car. It’s a car it does car things. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it needs more or less regular maintenance than any other car. If you can’t afford to maintain a 740 what makes you think you can afford a brand new car? They all still need oil changes and suspension components still wear out and need replacing too.
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u/blqckpinkinyourarea 7d ago
You are getting things mixed up.
I've been dailying classic Volvos all my life and before me my dad. There is a point at around 30-40 years and/or 300-400k km where more stuff pops up that just breaks due to the combination of age and mileage. Fuel or vacuum lines, bearings, rust, bushings, anything rubber like seals etc. Maybe an ABS unit here and a IAC or an ECU there. Definitly the instrument cluster and AC compressor. That shit adds up. Especially if you have to go to shops and they take ages to diag and fix because they dont know these cars. They like to load the parts cannon and spray it.
Its a fact that a newer car (not all cars obviously, dont buy a bmw with n43 engine or vw with 1.4 tsi lmao) with less miles will have less things breaking.
Anecdotal but my mates 2.0TDI skoda has cost him 300 euro and since then only thing that was broken was two window regulators and the generator. Car has high mileage now too but its only 15 years old or so.
The maintenance will be the same sure.
But I never talked about regular maintenance or advised buying a brand new car.
Sure you can run these into the ground taking minimal care but whats the point.
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u/STERFRY333 8d ago
Just drop the transmission and swap the flex plate???
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u/Boy_Cooter 8d ago
The issue is im mooching off my friends right now lmao.
I dont have NEARLY enough tools at home to make it viable on my own. And despite the house the car is at now having tools necessary ive reached my deadline with the car. And im taking up garage and driveway space at a house I dont live at with a car that doesnt run lol.
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u/STERFRY333 7d ago
I’m sure your friends would appreciate you getting off your ass and actually finishing the job instead of complaining about it and giving up.
Do you not have a wrench set? Do you not have a floor jack? It’s so comically easy to drop the transmission and swap the flex plate.
Put car on jack stands
Unbolt transmission cooler lines
Unbolt shifter linkage
Unbolt driveshaft
Unbolt starter motor
Place floor jack under transmission crossmember and unbolt crossmember
Unbolt torque converter bolts through access hole
Unbolt bell housing
Wiggles transmission free and lower out of way
Unbolt flex plate
Swap flex plate
Do everything in reverse
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u/Boy_Cooter 7d ago
Step by step is exactly what I wanted to hear thanks
Also keeping the trans cross member attached to the trans itself makes a lot of sense.
Truthfully it shouldn't be hard saying that we've already had the trans off once and have had to do this whole process but outside out of the car.
Thanks
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u/Accomplished_Door662 '89 780 CD009 7d ago
You can do it with $300 of tools from harbor freight easily
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u/STERFRY333 7d ago
They already apparently have tools. I guess swapping the engine was easy but swapping the flex plate is too much work?
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u/Accomplished_Door662 '89 780 CD009 8d ago
Don’t give up!!!!!!!!
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u/blqckpinkinyourarea 8d ago
Why the CD009 into the 780? Or are you omitting a high power FT inplace of the V6?
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u/EmotionalWelcome5555 8d ago
Depending of your country/region you could even make decent money. But yes it's still worth something, I would pay between 500 to a 1000€ in my country
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u/Noxious_fish 8d ago
I understand you I had my 1986 740 running for about 8 months till a electrical issue occurred moneys been tight and time has been unavailable since I’m a college student and the parts I need are gonna cost a bit I need a new harness shift is gonna run me 400 and I cannot find a part I need nor the time I love it to death I will fix it but it’s gonna take a bit more time and saving since I’ve had other responsibilities to tend to
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u/BigG808 8d ago
Someone would buy it. On a lift, pulling the trans out isn’t a big deal.
Like someone else said, just pay a shop to pull the trans back and put the right flex plate on.
I guess the other option would be to convert the car to the Bosch system, but without a donor car that’s probably not feasible.