1994 960 Opinions needed - should I buy?

johnny volvo · Post by **johnny volvo** » 27 May 2014, 06:06

Calling all with opinions! (You know who you are!)

In light of a number of repairs that have to be made to my 1989 240, I'm considering buying a 1994 960. From the pictures, it looks good, and the ad says it's a "daily driver." But, of course, I still need to drive and inspect it.

I have two major concerns:

1. What issues specific to the 1994 960 should I be looking for?

2. Given that I have to do as much of the work on my car as possible, I have always enjoyed the "basic" nature of my 240. Is the 960 going to present more obstacles to being able to do parts replacement and maintenance myself?

Any insights, as always, are appreciated.

Post by **precopster** » 27 May 2014, 08:12

I do miss my 960. Erik the new buyer called me the other day to tell me what a great ride it is and how he sorted out most of the gremlins.

A couple of points about the 960. They are an interference engine just like any 850 (same engine plus one cylinder) so they like to have newish timing sets. They are an incredibly smooth engine and will cruise all day long at or above any state limit.

The four speed auto is an adapted Toyota trans made by Aisin (341E) and very tough however like any trans it should be treated to new fluid every 30-40K Miles.

Radiators can have breached coolers in them allowing coolant into the transmission so check the color of fluids. The trans dipstick is on the driver's side deep down near the floor (bring a 1/2 inch extension and insert it in the end to pull it out)

The '94 wagon was still a live axle. All sedans had IRS and rode beautifully. The front end of a '94 is pretty much pure 740 with the cone bushes which chop out rather early however they're a cheap replacement.

Wiring to the coil packs breaks down with the insulation material in the connectors disappearing and causing misfires. Wiring around the head does get hot and crumble.

Everything is accessible and easy to reach (heater core excluded) and maintenance is simple enough.
Timing replacement allows tons of room between the engine and the radiator. The cooling fan slips out in 5 mins. The '94 timing setup uses the later 850 setup so it's all very easy to source. (there were 3 different timing belts depending on years)

Post by **sanfelice** » 27 May 2014, 09:17

Maybe the 2nd best car I have ever owned was the 1st Gen 960 (a 1993 965). I bought it with 230k miles and only put 19k miles on it (never got it to 250K!) when I finally had to pull the plug because of a gushing RMS that was using a quart of oil per DAY. Insane. But, you know, I miss that car like crazy: easy to work on, smooth as all get out, a real highway bomber, and had an unbelievable 40-80mph rush that was absolutely addictive. Your car would be much the same. Look for a good history of service and maybe (fingers crossed) the RMS has been done. Anything with lots of miles is somewhat preferable to a low mileage 960, IMO.

I still have two wagons of the 2nd Gen 960, but they neutered the cams in these engines, and though the ride nicer with the IRS, they are not nearly as fun.

johnny volvo · Post by **johnny volvo** » 27 May 2014, 16:15

First of all, thanks to both of you for the quick and thoughtful replies.

I do need some clarification on a few points:

Precopster, you mentioned the timing, which has never been my strong suit. Can you explain what you mean by "newish timing sets?" Is that just having the timing belt changed?

If I see coolant in the trans, is that solved by having a new radiator put in and trans fluid changed? Are they necessarily prone to those types of leaks?

Having a problem with suspension on my '89 240, I was intrigued by the mention of the cone bushings. How hard/expensive are they to change?

All in all, both of you seem to highly recommend the car. All of my Volvo experience has been with two 240s, an '81 and my current '89, which I've owned for nearly a dozen years. I bought it with about 200,000 miles on it and it's still dependable. It's just come down to a matter of switching out may be quite a bit less expensive than fixing the problems.

Thanks again for the responses. Anyone else with some experience with 960s, feel free to chime in!

Post by **precopster** » 27 May 2014, 17:12

Generally you won't see coolant in the trans as the green won't dilute the dark red. If a breach of the trans cooler happens you may notice the coolant going dark with a foam on top. Generally if this happens it will go unnoticed but if you catch it early you can save the transmission.

Suspension is not a problem on 960s. The cone bushes are reachable in around 10 minutes. Cost around $30

By timing set I mean hydraulic tensioner, pulley and belt tensioner as well as the belt itself. Every 80K miles on these or 10 years. The water pump is part of the timing set so if history of all these components is unknown I would change them all out. FCP Euro has timing sets for your car. They're exactly the same as a 96-97 850 for the '94 960.

Post by **sanfelice** » 27 May 2014, 17:39

One rather big correction on the timing issue: on pre-95 cars, the belt is a different design than the Gen 2 models, and is rather narrow, and therefore the change interval is far sooner: 50k miles between changes, IIRC, but you are lucky it's not a 1993 which was only 30k miles.

Post by **precopster** » 27 May 2014, 18:35

sanfelice wrote:One rather big correction on the timing issue: on pre-95 cars, the belt is a different design than the Gen 2 models, and is rather narrow, and therefore the change interval is far sooner: 50k miles between changes, IIRC, but you are lucky it's not a 1993 which was only 30k miles.

The belt on 94s is exactly the same as as 96-97 850 as is rhe timing set and water pump. They use a 23mm 142 tooth belt.

Volvo decided to modify the system with a exhaust pulley dampener (which was fitted at the dealer servicing points) which extended the belt life to 80k miles.
As a result the 30k miles on the 92-93 went up to 50k miles.

johnny volvo · Post by **johnny volvo** » 27 May 2014, 18:42

Thanks again for the quick responses.

Mike, as I said, I've never done anything with timing. Can I replace the water pump and the timing belt and get it all back together without a timing light, or is this something better left to a mechanic?

I am little concerned about the transmission cooling breach. Is this something common? If it happens, what's the remedy, assuming it's caught in time?

Thanks again to both of you!

Post by **precopster** » 28 May 2014, 05:42

The cooling system breach is usually when the original radiator is in use. Once it's replaced the risk goes down. Just about all modern cars run this risk when using the radiator as a trans cooler. It's more or less advice for all high mileage automatic car owners.

The timing job requires basic tools and the MVS repair database which contains a step-by-step tutorial which you can use. It's basically the same as an 850 apart from the extra space you have in the 960. Timing marks take care of the positioning of the cams relative to the crank. Timing is adjusted by the engine computer. No light needed.

johnny volvo · Post by **johnny volvo** » 28 May 2014, 07:36

Thanks again, Mike, for all that input.

I'm relieved to hear that I can change the timing belt and water pump by myself. It's a job that I've always been skittish about, but the internal adjustment feature solves that.

Ever since I discovered this forum, it's provided me with answers I can't get anywhere else. It's been such a great help in thinking things through.

I appreciate the help very much!