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Volvo 260 —
first served

The very first PRV fitted under a bonnet went into a Volvo 264, in October 1974 — the Douvrin lines had been running since January. The pioneering series: 264 and 265 saloon and estate, 262C coupé bodied in Italy, from the carburetted 125 bhp B27A to the K-Jetronic injected 155 bhp B28E.

1974
October: the first PRV V6, in a 264
125
→ 155 bhp · from B27A to B28E
6
Volvo codes · B27 and B28
3
Volvo manuals in the Library
Engines

Six Volvo codes, two displacements

At Volvo the Douvrin V6 is called B27 in 2,664 cc and B28 in 2,849 cc — PRV engine codes are only ever Peugeot, Renault or Volvo. The letter tells the fuel system and the market: A for carburettor, E for K-Jetronic injection, F for the American versions with compression lowered for local fuel and emissions rules.

Volvo 260 264 · 265 · 262C · 1974 — 1983 Every known code →
B27A125 bhp
2,664 ccCarburettor12 valvesB27 engine file →
Volvo 264 — the engine of the very first PRV fitted in a car, in October 1974, and the least powerful PRV car of the whole family.
B27E140 bhp
2,664 ccK-Jetronic injection12 valvesB27 engine file →
Volvo 264 GLE — Bosch mechanical injection, the same as the Renault 30 TX's, the Alpine A310's and the DeLorean's.
B27F140 bhp
2,664 ccK-Jetronic injection12 valvesUS marketB27 engine file →
Volvo 262C and 264 for the United States — and an engine that is not tested like the other Volvo V6s, says the manual.
B28A126 bhp
2,849 ccSU-HIF6 carburettor12 valvesB28 engine file →
Volvo 262C — the Italian-bodied coupé, with an SU-HIF6 carburettor.
B28E155 bhp
2,849 ccK-Jetronic injection12 valvesB28 engine file →
Volvo 264 and 265 — the peak of the 260 series, before the 760 took over.
B28F130 bhp
2,849 ccK-Jetronic injection12 valvesUS marketB28 engine file →
Volvo 264 for the United States — with, in 1981-1982, the CIS constant idle speed regulator.
The first car in the world

October 1974, a 264

At Douvrin the lines went up in summer 1973 and everything was running by January 1974; the first PRV officially fitted under a bonnet was a Volvo 264's, in October 1974, with the carburetted 125 bhp B27A. By the end of 1975 at least five PRV models were on sale. And the genesis of the 264's engine — why it opens at 90° and not 60 — is told in the Journal.

« Why is the PRV V6 a 90° engine? » — and 970,315 engines later, the last PRV V6 left the Douvrin lines on 15 June 1998.

1974
OCTOBER · VOLVO 264 · B27A · 125 BHP
90°
THE V-ANGLE
5
PRV MODELS BY END 1975
970315
ENGINES IN ALL
The 260 series

Saloons, estate, coupé and state limousine

The 262C coupé

The 260 series coupé, bodied in Italy: 126 bhp B28A with SU-HIF6 carburettor, or 140 bhp B27F for the American market. The 780 would repeat the formula at Bertone, in Turin.

264 TE, the state limousine

Stretched by 70 cm and bodied by Bertone, the 264 TE became the official car of East Germany's leaders — Erich Honecker rode in one. Two open Landaulet versions were built for parades: one is kept at the DDR Museum in Berlin, the other in a museum in South Korea. The full story is in Pop culture.

Three Swedish manuals

The Library gathers the three Volvo booklets for the 260's B27 and B28 (1975-1983): engine repair and maintenance — 172 pages, removal and refitting, timing, heads, liners and pistons, lubrication, cooling —, reconditioning of the engine on a stand, and the CI K-Jetronic injection in 136 pages. The Swedish view of the engine Renault, Peugeot and Volvo designed together.

After the 260

The 760 succeeded the 260, at first keeping the K-Jetronic B28, then moving to the 156 bhp electronically injected B280 — the highest output the PRV ever reached at Volvo.

In the workshop

What the Volvo manuals say about the 260

Eight answers drawn from the three Volvo booklets — the FAQ has dozens on the B27 and B28.

Volvo 260 The full FAQ →
Compression
What compression should a Volvo 260's PRV V6 give?
0.8 to 1.1 MPa, that is 8 to 11 bar (114 to 156 psi). And the manual boxes the conditions, without which the reading means nothing: warm engine, throttle fully open, and a starter turning speed of 250-300 rpm. Precaution before starting: disconnect the cable from terminal 15 on the ignition coil. Plugs go back in at 12 ± 2 N·m. Volvo service manual, section 2, page 29.
Soupapes
What are the valve clearances on a Volvo 260's PRV V6?
Careful, there are two different clearances and it is the model year that decides, not the engine type. Type 1: intake 0.10-0.15 mm cold (0.15-0.20 warm), exhaust 0.25-0.30 cold (0.30-0.35 warm). Type 2: intake 0.20-0.25 cold (0.25-0.30 warm), exhaust 0.30-0.35 cold (0.35-0.40 warm). The manual's table: B27A 1976-1979 type 1 · B28A 1980 type 2 then 1981-1982 type 1 · B27E 1975-1978 type 1, 1979-1980 Sweden and Australia type 1 but other markets type 2 · B28E 1981-1983 type 1 · B27F 1976-1979 type 1 · B28F 1980 type 2, then 1981-1982 type 1. The same B28F therefore changes clearance from one year to the next. Volvo service manual, section 2, page 6.
Culasse
How is the cylinder head torqued on a Volvo B27 or B28?
In ten stages, the last of which is done with the engine warmed then cooled: 1) 10 N·m · 2) 30 N·m · 3) 60 N·m · 4) wait 10 to 15 minutes · 5) slacken the bolts · 6) 15 to 20 N·m · 7) angle-tighten 113 to 117° · 8) warm the engine to operating temperature · 9) cool the block 30 minutes · 10) slacken then retighten the bolts one at a time in sequence, repeating stages 6 and 7. The torques assume oiled bolts: a degreased part must be oiled before assembly. Compare with the other two manuals in the Library: the Alpine A310 does 6 m.daN, slacken, 2 m.daN and 115°; the Eagle Premier does 60 N·m then, bolt by bolt, full slacken, 40 N·m and 180° ± 20°. Three methods, three engines — and a final angle that is remarkably alike. Volvo service manual, section 2, page 9; reconditioning booklet, page 12.
Injection
What are the CI injection pressures on the Volvo B27 / B28?
Line pressure: 450 to 530 kPa (4.5 to 5.3 bar). Minimum rest pressure: 150 to 240 kPa (1.5 to 2.4 bar). The control pressure, though, depends on the regulator fitted — and there are eight types by engine, model year and market: 005, 018 and 038 on E engines; 004, 018, 021, 029 and 066 on F engines. The identification number is stamped on top of the regulator (the last three digits): that is what you read before opening the table. For the 004, for instance, the warm control pressure is 345 to 375 kPa. Volvo CI fuel system booklet, section 2 (23), pages 6 and 7.
CO · ralenti
What CO content and idle speed on a Volvo B27 / B28?
It all depends on engine, model year AND market, and the manual gives two tables. E engines, no catalyst: B27E 1975-1977 Sweden and Australia 1.5% (check 1.0-4.0), other markets 2.0; 1978 to 1980 and all B28E: 2.0% (check 1.0-3.0). Idle 900 rpm — 1,000 with automatic transmission. F engines, catalysed: B27F 1976 1.7% (1.4-2.0) with the air pump disconnected; 1977 USA California 0.7% (0.4-1.0), USA Federal 1.0 (0.7-1.3), Canada and Japan 1.7; 1978, 1979 and B28F: 1.0% (0.7-1.3), Lambda sensor disconnected — and once the sensor is reconnected the CO must drop below 1.0%. Idle 900 rpm, 950 on the 1980 B28F. Two general rules: automatic transmission in neutral with the parking brake on, and if the CO is within the check values, do not adjust, even if it is not on the setting value. Volvo CI fuel system booklet, section 2 (23), page 5.
Démarrage
Why do some Volvo 260s still inject on a hot start?
Because they have an impulse relay in the start injector circuit. On 1981-1983 models, “the start injector is also controlled by an impulse relay so that the engine receives additional fuel during warm starts”. Its rhythm is specified: it engages the injector after about 1.5 seconds, then 0.1 s injection, 0.3 s pause, 0.1 s, 0.3 s… — enough to prime without flooding. And the manual notes it may have been retrofitted to 1979-1980 B27Es, 1978-1979 B27Fs and 1980 B28Fs: on a used car, look for it before diagnosing. A testing consequence: to check the start injector and thermal time switch alone you must unplug the impulse relay's connector, otherwise you read the relay's rhythm instead of the switch's timing. Volvo workshop manual, section 2 (23), CI fuel system, pages 10, 25 and 26.
Pompe
Why did Volvo 260s gain a pump inside the tank?
Against vapour lock. “A tank pump was introduced in 1977 to improve fuel delivery — it was also installed on some earlier vehicles. It supplies fuel to the main pump under constant pressure and incorporates a non-return check valve which minimises the risk of vapour lock”. A suction pump drawing hot fuel ends up pumping vapour; a pump that pushes solves it. It draws only 1 to 2 amps, against 9.5 A maximum for the main pump, whose output rises from 100 l/h (1975-1979) to 120 l/h (1980-1983) at 500 kPa. Two further changes to the same circuit are worth knowing: a new pressure regulator arrived in 1978 which “blocks the fuel return line when the engine is switched off” — better rest pressure retention — and, the same year, the two pump relays gave way to a single electronic relay. Volvo workshop manual, section 2 (23), CI fuel system, pages 11, 15 and 82.
Chauffe
A Volvo 260 is overheating: where does the manual start?
Not with the radiator. Its list of possible causes begins with the system itself — coolant leakage, expansion tank cap opening pressure too low, radiator blocked by insects, air bypassing the radiator, air guide beneath the radiator missing (it was not standard in 1975) — then moves to the settings: ignition too retarded, which raises combustion temperature, CO content too low, which does the same, and idle speed too low. The pressure test goes between radiator and expansion tank: cap opening at 65-85 kPa, and the pressure must not drop noticeably in 30 seconds. Belts: they must deflect 5 to 10 mm midway between pulleys, and the water pump is torqued to 15-20 N·m. Volvo service manual, section 2, pages 143, 145, 149 and 150.

In the Library

The three Volvo booklets for the B27 and B28, readable page by page: Volvo B27 / B28 — engine repair and maintenance (260, 1975-1983) · Volvo B27 / B28 — engine reconditioning · Volvo B27 / B28 — CI (K-Jetronic) injection

On the forum

The Volvo 260 has its own section on the forum — presentations, restorations, questions to members who drive one. Volvo 260 section →

The codes behind the 260

B27 and B28 — the two engine files, and the 760 that followed.

B27 file →B28 file →760 file → All vehicles →