1991 Volvo 940 GLE from UK and Ireland - Comments

This car has now covered 93,000 miles and has never given trouble.

I cannot fault this car on reliability grounds, I feel this car will go on for ever. I am planning to drive to the south of Spain this year and have no worries on the car making it. In its lifetime I have only had to change the obvious service parts. Timing belt at 52,000 miles, one battery, tyres, exhaust and brakes. With regular servicing I feel this car has many years left.

I own a 1990 940 GLE 2.3 16v (Rare).

At 103,000 miles all I have had to replace are tyres, brakes and bulbs.

Motorway performance is excellent but it's a little bit unresponsive off the mark, even in sports mode.

If you can find one, go for leather. It makes up for the box jokes. It's a pity that in 8 valve you get air con as standard but in 16 valve it was an expensive optional extra.

There are some dodgy ones about so make sure if you're buying one it's got a FSH, preferably from a main dealer. Panels are expensive so don't crash it.

For the little ones, integral booster seats are a real plus and they disappear when not in use.

I have owned a 1991 940 GLE since 1994 and have enjoyed the car greatly. Until this week when the balancing shaft pulley broke (right side of motor, connected to timing belt) and I took it to my friendly independent Volvo repair shop and he told me it would cost $2800 USD to have it repaired. That is about half of the car's current value. So, this is a warning to 16V owners: replace the balancing shaft pulleys when you do a timing belt replacement and it will save you a great deal of grief later on. The part was about $50 USD. I hope that I can remove the head myself and replace the bent valves and get this jewel back on the road.

1991 940 GLE 120000 miles

New (used) FI computer about a year ago, $500.

Expensive to keep on the road, should have bought a turbo!

CA, USA.

I have a 1991 940 GLE with 139,000. My high school age daughter drives it and it is safe transportation. The car has been in our family for about 40,000 miles and has had no mechanical problems at all. However, we are meticulous about maintenance because our Volvo mechanic has advised us that skimping could prove very costly.

Great car if taken care of properly.

I drive a Volvo 940 Polar Estate 2.3 LPT from 1998. It's a great car for excellent driving and a lot of space. Maintenance is expensive, but you drive a Volvo and that is always expensive, but you enjoy every penny you spend on it.

PS, Holland.

My partner has a 940... keeps stalling... our Volvo mechanic is stumped... we replaced the warm-up regulator for $1000... still stalls... now there is a problem with the ignition computer... another $500... the list goes on... wish she'd bought a Toyota...

I test drove a 2.0 litre 740 SE auto, it had no guts in it at all. On the same day I also test drove a 940 SE 2.0 litre auto, this was a little better on performance. I know it's a heavy car, but my 2.0i auto Granada is very quick! The Granada has more room and just as many (if not more) extras. Sorry Volvo owners!

Hello,

I have a 91SE turbo estate. I am having a number of problems. I will list these, and would be grateful for any experience based advice.

Intermittent cutting out...this is during travel... total loss of power, all warning lights, snap on.

Won't hold charge... new alternator and battery.

Could the above be due to electronics perhaps...?

If I fail to start first time, it seems to flood... and won't start for some time.

Help! billbray91@hotmail.com.

I have a 1191 Volvo 940. It has been a good car, but have had many "weird" mechanical problems. For anyone with stalling or hesitation problems with engine, here are some remedies I have found. If you are driving and the engine just shuts off, and you have to restart or wait and then restart the engine... your problem is more than likely a bad RPM meter cable. It sits in the back of the engine toward the bottom and is almost impossible to see. It becomes hot and cracked over time and needs to be replaced. If it stalls, it could be a bad fuel relay. To check it, locate it with your fuses... it is a big white rectangular relay in the fuse box area in your dash console. If it is hot... then it has gone bad. Costs about $50 USD to replace the part and pop it in yourself. The RPM cable (not correct name, but parts person knows it), costs about $90 USD, and you need a mechanic to replace it. No problems with oxygen sensors or any other sensors. I have 218,000 miles on my 1991 that I bought used in 1994 with 44,000 miles on it. I have had the heads replaced twice, gas tank once, brakes several times. Warning... Replace timing belts every 50,000 miles... It is expensive repair that will tear up your engine if the belts break. Only let Volvo replace them because the tensioners will mess up your engine if the belts are not properly installed. Avoid aftermarket repair shops that specialize in Volvo. I used to deal with some, and had more problems. When the Volvo dealer works on my car, no problems at all. E-mail me at ejbjkc@yahoo.com if you have any questions about 940 problems.

I have a 91 940 GLE that jumped time and bent several valves. The cost to repair the engine was more than I wanted to spend, so I purchased a 91 turbo parts car in running condition and converted the GLE into a turbo modle. All you need to do the job is a whole parts car and some time on your hands to swap all the computers, all the harness foward of the front doors and the engine cradle. One thing I have not worked out is the high RPM's at 70 mph because of 4.10 gear ratio rear end.

My Friend has a Volvo Estate in blue an H Reg UK plate it is a 940 GLE 16 valve? Catalyser, Automatic, and petrol. In a previous message it was said to be RARE, what makes this car rare can anyone tell me?

On 16 valvers: Most 2.3L "red-block" engines were single-cam, 2-valves per cylinder (B230F & FT). Volvo tried to improve this engine series with the B234 series which had dual-cams, 4-valves per cylinder. These engines are significantly more rare. And while smoother running and better performing, they tend to be quite a bit more fragile than the standard B230. Regular maintenance is a must unless you have deep pockets.

All in all the 700/900 series cars are almost indestructible if cared for. Although regular maintenance can include some things not on most people tick-lists, most basic repairs can be done for less than $50 and online resources are easily found. Google or Yahoo: Brickboard.

On the 16v models, one of the causes of engine failure is the balance shaft belt breaking and being chewed up by the cam belt, which also breaks and causes bent valves. One solution to this is to remove the balance shaft belt completely. The balance shafts are only there to make the 4 cylinder engine as smooth as a 6 cylinder, it was an experiment by volvo. If the balance shafts are not spinning it won't cause any damage though vibration (don't let anyone tell you otherwise) I have recently cut my balance shaft belt off as if it failed the car would not be worth repairing. No ill effects, and one less thing to worry about!

Hi from Seattle Washington. Have had a 940 GLE since 1993. Replaced with new engine under warranty at 75k miles. Now car has 160k. Misc. sensors replaced, computer, brakes, etc. Getting ready to do timing/balance/misc. belts. Individual caught my attention when they suggested one doesn't need balance belt. Comments on this appreciated. thanks.

I've run my 1991 945 GLE without the balance shaft belt for the last 7,000 miles with no issues. Before I pulled the belt (when I did the timing belt) I researched it on the brickboard and turbobrick websites and came to the conclusion that it was a NVH feature and not a mechanical necessity. BTW, since we're on the topic of the 16v motor, to compress the hydraulic timing belt tensioner, put it in a vice and compress SLOWLY. There are holes in the housing and piston that will line up when you get it compressed and you can use welding wire (or a piece of wire coat hanger) to keep it compressed and that will make fitting the timing belt much easier.

Cheers,

scott.

I have owned my Volvo Estate 945 since new in 1996.

It now has 222,000 on the clock.

No major problems. Serviced regularly and apart from tyres bulbs, filters etc. no major expense.

Fantastic car!