High mileage engines

Hi all, I've just joined and have read quite a few threads - seems to be a very informative site.
Have recently bought a 940 and although it seems to run fine I have one or two questions.
The engine has done 105,000 miles but the previous owner used it for towing a caravan - there are the beginnings of a few rattles, no knocks and nothing that sounds fatal as such, I'd say the engine just sounds a bit 'tired' but it starts, runs & stops perfectly with no smoke from the exhaust etc. I've read about Volvos doing starship mileages and as mine has 'only' done 105k should my engine still sound like it did the day it rolled off the production line, or is it normal for them to sound a little tired....yet they still go on for thousands of miles more? I'm a little paranoid I guess!

[Peter Milnes]

Could probably do with a little fettling, such as checking tappet clearances, making sure that the cambelt was changed at correct interval(s), IIRC you should be about to or just had changed the belt for the second time around. It is not worth missing out a belt change as there is the possibility of engine damage occurring. Is your car auto or manual? Yours is by no means the highest mileage car amongst the membership. Mine has done over 165,000 since late 1995 and even that is only just about run in. Have you registered your car with the register keeper?

All the best, Peter.

Dear "High Mileage", Remember that the 940 was never a race horse of a car. However, it is one very good work horse of a car. It sounds like the previous owner may have taken good care of the car but you may want to consider doing the following if you have not already done so:

1. Check to condition of the air filter
2. Check the condition of the spark plugs and gap spec.
3. Check the resistance across each of the plug wires to be sure they are still within Volvo's specs.
4. I WOULD DEFINITELY DO THIS:Change the transmission fluid and filter.

Collectively, all of the points stated above can contribute to lack-luster performance.

Courtneay
Boston, MA

http://www.volvocars.us/Volvocars.We...ACHEHINT=Guest

[classicswede]

I am asuming you have done the No1 job when you get a new car. Oil and filter change Don' forget a oil filter with a non return valve is very important.
We have found if a car is never driven hard performance and economy suffers. Take it very a VERY hard drive to free it up, drive it on the red line and hold it.
If you want to beef it up a bit stick on a sports air cleaner and free flowing exaust.

Dai

Hi, thanks for your replies. I did change the oil & filter but the filter isn't a Volvo one and nor was the one I took off! I put a Champion filter on, the one I removed was a Coopers. What's this no return valve you speak of and why don't the aftermarket filters have it? My car drives great, the only quibbles I have are the power steering makes a screeching noise on full lock and the engine sounds a tiny bit rattley. Will the fact it has a tow bar mean the engine has been strained?

Dear "High Mileage": This was taken from the following website:http://www.drivewire.com/volvoparts/oilfilter.html

The Volvo oil filter is used to clean the oil as it is being pumped thru the engine. Most cars have an external oil filter to help keep the engine oil clean between oil changes. For vehicles with external oil filters, there are two types used. The first and most common on domestic and Japanese cars is the spin-on oil filter. This is where the entire oil filter is self contained and can be removed and properly disposed of when you do an oil change. These Volvo spin-on oil filters are usually made of metal with a paper-filtering medium inside that traps metallic shavings and dirt that end up in engine oil. Some Volvo spin-on filters will have an internal check valve to keep oil inside the Volvo oil filter when the engine is off. This helps the engine get oil faster when it is just started up. Another feature some Volvo spin-on oil filters have is an internal bypass. This allows unfiltered oil back into the engine if the filter gets clogged because dirty oil is better than none at all. The second type of Volvo oil filter is used mostly on European vehicles and is a cartridge type oil filter. This is where a reusable housing is used and you only change the paper-filtering medium inside. These are usually sold as Volvo oil filter kits where you get the paper filter oil filtering material and the associated rubber O-rings that seal the paper inside the housing. You should always change your Volvo oil filter ever time you change the vehicles engine oil. There are some newer vehicles that suggest you can change the oil filter every other oil change. Drivewire does not subscribe to this thinking, and for a few extra dollars at the time of a Volvo oil change this is just good common sense. Volvo oil filters on most vehicles today have been downsized to account for the reduction of space in the engine compartment, and yes cost is a factor! So smaller Volvo oil filter equals less filtering capacity. So it is Drivewires recommendation that the Volvo oil filter be changed along with the oil every 3,000 miles or six months. The Volvo oil filters job is to remove solid contaminants such as dirt, carbon and metal particles from the oil before they can damage bearing, journal and cylinder wall surfaces in the engine. The more dirt and other contaminants the oil filter can trap and hold, the better. In time, though, accumulated dirt and debris trapped by the filter begin obstruct the flow of oil. The Volvo oilfilter should be changed before it reaches this point, which is why the filter needs to be replaced when the oil is changed. Drivewire recommends trying to always use the oil filter that is Volvo OEM (original equipment manufacturer) quality. This means the same Volvo oil filter that you would buy at the car dealership. Make sure the Volvo oil filter you are replacing has the same tolerances as the factory Volvo oil filter including filtration level and anti-drain back valves etc. So try to avoid cheap oil filters, because in this case better is typically more expensive.