1987 Volvo 740 GLE Non-turbo Crankshaft Bearings Knocking

OK, the mechanic told me that the crankshaft bearings are knocking. I have 196,000 miles and he will:

Remove engine, remove crankshaft and bearings, replace or repair crankshaft, replace bearings, fix front and rear oil leaks (replace seals), replace front transmission seal, replace timing belt, re-install engine: $500 labor

How likely is it that I only need bearings and not a new Crankshaft? If I need a new crankshaft, how much new or used?

Thanks!

Reply to
jamiebabineaux
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Tell him to take a hike!! Crankshaft bearings rumble or growl, they do not knock. Connecting rod big-ends knock. Ask him for the proof of his diagnosis. Can you hear a deep thumping knocking yourself? If you cannot hear such a sound then there is no need to strip down the engine and cause, more problems.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper, Volvo Owners Club (UK).
Reply to
Peter K L Milnes

Thank you for the reply. I have to be diplomatic because this mechanic is actually a friend of my neighbor who does car repairs as a hobby. He is retired and I am told does really good work at really good prices.

I surely don't want a mis-diagnosis, but I am sure if an error was made, it wasn't on purpose. This is why I am doing so much research on the Internet - to learn for myself and to be sure we do the most important thing- fix the problem.

Thanks again!

Reply to
jamiebabineaux

I suspect that someone is trying to screw you. First it was the knock sensor and now it is the crankshaft bearing "knocking" He isn't even using right terminology. Just what symptoms do are you experiencing?

Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things)

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void _-void-_ in the obvious place

Reply to
Boris Mohar

Hi, I think my lack of knowledge might be the main cause of the problem. I bought the car last week for $500 bucks, never even haven driven the car. It was an Professor's car - single owner, 196,000 miles, always serviced. I spent the first week cleaning the hell out of the car and degreasing oil off the engine from a front and rear leak.

I changed the plugs, wires and air filter. In the process of removing and replacing the breather box and flame trap I broke the wire off the Knock Sensor and repaired it, then replaced it. I haven't run the engine much at all because at first it wouldn't run well, then when it ran it was leaking oil so badly I was afraid to run it.

So, last night the guy replaced the distributor and rotor (I think), he said they were so worn he was surprised it ran at all. Then, when he test drove the car he said it knocked and he's sure it's the main bearings.

I don't want to take risks to I want to get into the engine and see for sure.

Thanks! JAmie

Reply to
jamiebabineaux

A rod knock is bad. It won't go way as the motor warms up, it will get worse. Drive it for a while longer and a rod bolt will break and the offending connecting rod will come through the side of the motor. Then it will be easy to diagnose the problem. $500 seems really cheap for what amounts to a lot of work.

Bob

Reply to
User

Mebbe he knows and mebbe he don't. I recently bought a 240 of the same vintage for $100. The mechanics at the gas station said that the bearings were noisey. It had a bad water pump. Sounded real bad until you looked at where the noise was coming from, and you could see the water pump flange wobbling a lot. New pump no noise.

Bob

Reply to
User

Amen to that! I'm all about going for the obvious first. Thing is, I want the engine and tranny solid so that I can move on to getting this car back in shape. The local mechanic wanted $250 to drop the tranny and fix the rear main seal leak. Then he wanted another $225 to change the timing belt, replace the cam and crank seals up front.

My current mechanic, whom I like a lot better, is charging the same price to do all of the above, plus take out the engine and see what the deal is with the crank and bearings.

$500 to pull the engine, replace all the seals front and back, change the timing belt, check compression, replace the rotor and distributor cap, check the shocks, struts, ignition wiring, the whole 9 yards - is A-OK in my book. This guy is retired Air Force who just does this because he loves it. He's not in it for the money, so I can't knock the guy, I just want to help and to learn.

Thanks all!

Reply to
jamiebabineaux

That's very unusual for that mileage, what's it sound like? Personally I'd drive it until the engine dies, if it ever does, and then drop in a good used motor, they're easy to find and shouldn't cost more than a few hundred bucks.

Reply to
James Sweet

I suspect he's just not experienced with Volvo, probably does a lot of work on domestics and is biased by the mileage, at which point most American motors would be about worn out.

Reply to
James Sweet

Well, that's encouraging, but it's going to cost me about $360 to replace the front and rear seals + timing belt, so for $140 more I get the engine removed, inspected and if there's internal damage, I pay for machining the crank and maybe new bearings.

It would be nice to drive it till it dies, I'm just afraid of where I'll be stuck if/when it dies.

:-)

Reply to
jamiebabineaux

I'd be nervous about ALL the bearings, given the history of a bad oil leak.

The engine only holds four quarts, and if most of it leaked out, the bearings will score.

Consider having this fellow do a complete rebuild.

New rod, main and cam bearings.

Disassemble, hot tank and resurface block and head.

New oil pump.

Check, turn and polish crank.

Valve job.

New water pump.

Just do it.

Reply to
zencraps

Better still, obtain as good an engine as possible and ask him to swap it in. Should cost less than $500 to do that (straight swap, not a lot of labour).

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper, Volvo Owners Club (UK).
Reply to
Peter K L Milnes

It's not worth it to do a full rebuild unless the car is pristine or collectible. Volvo engines are easy to find in good shape, they're usually the last thing to wear out on those cars unless abused.

Reply to
James Sweet

Depends on how cheap the mechanic will do the work for.

A tear down and rebuild is pretty straight forward, some outside machining, sure, but with a good labor rate the total shouldn't be much over $1600 or so.

But yeah, it assumes the car is otherwise in good shape, otherwise forget throwing much money in it at all, just dump it and buy one in better shape to keep and refurbish.

Reply to
zencraps

This car is pristine, for all accounts and purposes - which is why I am interested. It was a single owner car, the body is immaculate - no dents, dings or scratches and perfectly straight. The only exterior blemishes are where there is some fading on the hood, roof and trunk paint. I plan on repainting these. I need to replace weather stripping and each of the headlight doors, or moulding.

The interior upholstery and carpet are immaculate. The headliner needs to be replaced. It's a gold exterior and interior that REALLY shines when polished. Oh, the dash has I think one crack near the passenger side.

I'll have pics when I get her back. She has owner service records every year from 1987 until I think about 1995, or 150,000 miles. That's where I need to ask a few questions, because it was the same owner, a college Professor who couldn't work on cars but could drive to the dealer and pay to fix something when it broke. I really wish he wouldn't have left the car with those oil leaks.

fingers crossed.

Reply to
jamiebabineaux

I don't know about there, but there's a couple local yards here where I could go pull a good running B230F for $150, I just can't see it being worth doing a full rebuild unless the car is *pristine* and you plan on driving it another 300K.

Reply to
James Sweet

I bought my 244Turbo from a private party about 6 years ago, because the body was straight (not perfect) and the interior was good.

The engine was tired.

My plan was to keep it for the long haul, which necessitated a tear down and rebuild, including lowering springs, rebuilt suspension, rebuilt engine etc.

Taking a chance on a junkyard engine was, frankly, never a viable option, as the car is my daily driver.

But that's me: this fellow may just be looking for something to tide him over for awhile, in which case I'd say "Why not?" to a junkyard engine: spend a few hundred, do the R&R and roll dem bones, what the heck.

But if you plan on keeping it indefinitely, if you want a reliable rig, and if you can afford it, rebuild it.

Reply to
zencraps

Turbo is a bit different, the 240 Turbos are special cars, there's not a whole lot of nice ones around anymore and the turbo motors get worked a lot harder as well as it's a lot more difficult to find a good used one. It's worthwhile to overhaul one if the car is restorable and once you have a real solid motor you can upgrade it to get a lot more power.

Reply to
James Sweet

The thing about these cars is, they're well made, "classic" in design, comfortable, good steering and handling: they're a good product.

Safe, too.

So for one third or so the price of a new Camry, you can buy, rebuild, and restore an old Volvo.

You pays your money and you makes your choices.

Reply to
zencraps

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