1974 Volvo 164 E 3.0 six cylinder

Summary:

Much less refined than a Mercedes 280 from the period

Faults:

The fuel injection system was a mystery to most service technicians at the time.

The Borg Warner 35 auto transmission was utterly mismatched to the engine. A turbo 350 or C4 would have been better choice.

Suspension bushings were a constant problem.

The air conditioner wasn't reliable.

General Comments:

Despite problems, I have fond memories of this car. It was quick enough to smoke an 82 Camaro with either V8 Chevy offered that year.

17 MPG combined was acceptable to me, but service techs screwed it up after replacing and adjusting injectors - never got better than 13 after that.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th July, 2015

2nd Aug 2015, 03:36

Good to read a review on one of these. What problems did you encounter when you wanted to replace the Borg-Warner 35 with another transmission?

1973 Volvo 164 E 3.0 inline 6

Summary:

Awesome Volvo

Faults:

Burnt points & trigger points.

General Comments:

I always loved these cars, and when I had a chance to buy a low mileage, rust-free West Coast car, I jumped at it.

Crappy gas mileage, but who cares? Automatic is a dog; I am going to put in the M410 this winter.

I think I own the only one in my city, and I always get lots of smiles and people asking me about the car.

Very comfortable car.

I am very surprised more people didn't hang onto these. Someone I talked to knew of one that is still going strong at 1.4 million miles.

I prefer the looks of the earlier cars, but it is still an awesome looking car. I will never sell this car unless someone offers me silly money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th July, 2015

12th Jul 2015, 02:32

These are great cars.

Question: are the "Trigger Points" for the fuel injection system?

In reply to 12th Jul 2015, 02:32

12th Jul 2015, 19:33

Probably meant contact points.

In reply to 12th Jul 2015, 19:33

19th Jul 2015, 04:09

Thanks for responding :) I was thinking that too, but seem to remember something about Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection system needing trigger point replacement.

1975 Volvo 164 E B30E

Summary:

The Volvo 164 shows you've arrived!

Faults:

Around 180K.

New water pump and clutch fan.

Vacuum hoses replaced.

New radiator.

New fuel filter.

New alternator.

Engine burns lots of oil, and I'm putting in a newer B30E with 55K. So it will be like new again!

General Comments:

Very luxurious vehicle. Body is straight with almost no rust after 35 years. Interior is excellent and very comfortable. Has 6 speaker system now (4 AFS Kriket speakers in the door and 2 S40 Volvo speakers in rear deck.)

I also added a dash speaker, which is hooked up to a GPS.

Car handles perfect, very smooth on the interstate. Have been commuting daily with it, averaging about 60 miles a day. Had it almost a year now, and love it!!

(It's currently getting its new B30E engine!) :)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st December, 2010

8th Dec 2010, 11:25

Thanks for your comment! I was just checking today out of curiosity to see if anyone would comment it. Very awesome you had one of the first! :D. I wish I could have but I'm only 19.

I've had the same problem during the summer during rush hour when traffic comes to a stand still on Dodge Street. (If someone lives in Omaha you will know what that means), LOL.

As far as I know I'm the only one in Omaha with a 164. I have yet to even see one in Nebraska/Iowa.

I love my 164! I've had to dump quite a bit of money into it and will continue to. It's well worth it. Its extremely comfortable and safe.

Also I agree! I hate the newer cars they all look the same! Too bad volvo changed their designs. :(

What ever happened to your 164?

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1974 Volvo 164 3.0 liter

Summary:

A beautiful, classy car and a joy to drive

Faults:

Car hadn't been driven much, so had to change all fluids, replace water pump & injector hoses and sort out fuel injection a bit -- manifold pressure sensor, temp sensor (lots of fun to pull into a garage and ask if anyone knows how to work on Bosch D-Jet)

Replaced old shocks with Bilstein HDs (hee hee).

General Comments:

A beautiful car and a joy to drive. Previous owner was a serious Volvo aficionado who added IPD sway bars and lowering springs, and replaced the ugly safety bumpers and grill with better-looking 1972s.

Lots of torque at relatively low rpm mated with 4-spd manual plus overdrive -- keeps pulling great at highway speeds, too.

Best seats Volvo ever made.

Suspension mods made it drive like it was on rails (though a bit harsh on DC roads).

Classy, classy lines -- several people insisted it had to be a Jag or a Benz. Never saw another one in three years of driving.

Panicked and sold when gas crested $4 gallon (got about 15 mpg around town/21 highway). Would snap up another one if I could - - only with 4 spd/overdrive combo though.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th August, 2009

25th Jul 2015, 18:41

I had a 74 back in the early-mid 80s with an automatic. I remember when the injection was working more or less properly, I'd get around 17 MPG on average, dipping down to 14 when I stuck my foot in it. It delivered around 21 on the highway.

I would have loved to have performed the mods that your car has, but at the time there wasn't much of a performance market for that model, or at least that I was aware of. I drilled a bunch of extra holes in the air cleaner lid, bumped up the timing, and replaced the muffler with a straight pipe. It was probably good for a mid 15 quarter, and would definitely give some of the factory performance cars a run for their money if I launched at 3000 RPM.

One thing is for certain; they didn't make a lot of 164s, and there aren't many around today.