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Volvo 760 —
the two ages of injection

The 1980s flagship succeeded the 260 and crossed the two ages of injection: mechanical K-Jetronic first, like the 260, then the B280 with LH-Jetronic electronic injection — 156 bhp, the highest output the PRV ever reached at Volvo. It is the car the 960 replaced in 1990, taking its V6 to Japan and Australia.

156
bhp · LH-Jetronic B280
155
bhp · K-Jetronic B28
1990
the 960 replaces it
0
V6 in the 740, its sister
Engines

Two Volvo codes, one 2.8-litre

The 760 at first kept the 260's B28 with Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical injection — mechanical injection equips six PRV models, including the Peugeot 604, the Renault 25 and the DeLorean —, then adopted the B280 with LH-Jetronic electronic injection, in E and F versions depending on the market.

Volvo 760 The 1980s flagship Every known code →
B28155 bhp
2,849 ccK-Jetronic injection12 valvesB28 engine file →
Early Volvo 760 — the mechanically injected 2.8-litre inherited from the 264 and 265, and the three Volvo manuals in the Library apply to it.
B280 E · F156 bhp
2,849 ccLH-Jetronic injection12 valvesB280 engine file →
Volvo 760 then 780 — electronic injection, and the PRV's peak at Volvo; the same engine, brought down to 145 bhp, ended up in the Japanese and Australian 960.
The sister without a V6

The 740 never had a PRV

The 740 is the 760's four-cylinder sister: it shares its body and platform, never the V6. Its engines are the 2.0 and 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrols — B19, B200, B204, B23, B230, B234, naturally aspirated and turbo — and the D24 in-line six diesel. In the 700 series, the PRV is the 760's — and the 780's.

Every PRV V6 Volvo: 260, 760, 780 and 960 — four files, and the B27, B28 and B280 codes.

156
BHP · B280 · THE PRV'S PEAK AT VOLVO
2849
CC
LH
JETRONIC · ELECTRONIC
4
PRV V6 VOLVOS
The 700 series

From the 260 to the 960, by way of Turin

The 780 coupé

The range's coupé, powered by the same 156 bhp B280 — and the most Italian of Volvos: designed by Marc Deschamps and built by Bertone in Turin, like the 262C coupé before it. 780 file →

After the 760: the 960

When the 960 replaced the 760 in 1990, most markets got Volvo's new all-aluminium in-line six — which is not a PRV. Not Japan and Australia: their first 960s kept the B280 V6, brought down to 145 bhp.

The B280, undocumented

No document specific to the 760 and its B280 is in the Library yet — if you own one, the Contribute page awaits you. The early 760's B28, for its part, is covered by the three Volvo booklets for the 260.

In the workshop

What is known of the 760's V6

The B28 figures come from the 260's Volvo manuals; for the B280, only the FAQ answers, pending a period document.

Volvo 760 The full FAQ →
Codes
What are the B27, B28 and B280 engines?
Volvo's codes for the PRV V6, from 125 bhp (carburetted B27A) to 156 bhp (LH-Jetronic B280), fitted to the 264, 265, 262C, 760 and 780. B-codes file →
740
Did the Volvo 740 have the PRV V6?
No. The 740 is the four-cylinder sister of the 760: it shared the body and the platform, but never the V6. Its engines were the 2.0 and 2.3 petrol fours (B19, B200, B204, B23, B230, B234, naturally aspirated and turbo) and the D24 straight-six diesel. The PRV in the 700 series is the 760's — and the 780's.
960
Which was the last Volvo to get the PRV V6?
The 960, and few people know it. When it replaced the 760 in 1990, most markets got Volvo's all-new aluminium 24-valve straight-six — not a PRV. Japan and Australia were the exception: their first 960s kept the B280 V6. Japanese type approval names the engine in the car's own code, E-9B280: V6 SOHC, 2,848 cc, 145 bhp, on sale from September 1990. Australia lists the 1991 960 GLE at 2,849 cc, 108 kW at 5,100 rpm, 235 Nm at 3,750.
Huile
What oil pressure and quantity on a Volvo B27 / B28?
Warm engine and new oil filter: 0.1 MPa (1 bar) minimum at 900 rpm and 0.4 MPa (4 bar) at 3,000 rpm. Capacity: 6.0 litres excluding the filter, 6.5 litres including, about one litre between the dipstick's min and max marks. The cross-check shows two families, not one exception: Volvo asks 1 bar at 900 rpm and the Eagle Premier 1 bar at 790, while the Alpine A310 guide demands 2 at 800 rpm and the DeLorean workshop manual 2.2 bar at 900. The measuring conditions differ too — 'warm engine and new filter' at Volvo, 'thermostat open, 89 °C' at Eagle, 'at 80 °C' at Alpine and DeLorean. So you read the figure from YOUR manual, never the neighbour's. Volvo service manual, section 2, page 10.
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.
Cames
How many different camshafts did the B27 / B28 have?
Three types, identified by the part number marked on the front end, and their lifts differ: type 1, 5.144 mm on the left and 5.059 mm on the right — the two banks are not identical; type 2, 6.004 mm both sides; type 3, 5.96 mm both sides. The timing check is made on a cold engine with the clearance set to 0.7 mm on the intake valves of cylinders 1 and 6: they must then open at 9° ± 3 BTDC (cylinder 1) and 7° ± 3 (cylinder 6) for type 1; 9° ± 3 both sides for type 2; 8° ± 3 for type 3. That 0.7 mm checking clearance is exactly the one the DeLorean manual uses for the same verification: same engine, same method. Volvo B27 / B28 engine reconditioning booklet, page 8.
K-Jetronic
Which cars have a PRV V6 with mechanical injection?
K-Jetronic injection equips six models: Peugeot 604 (144 then 155 bhp), Renault 30 TX and Renault 25 (144 bhp), Volvo 260 then 760 (140 to 155 bhp) and the DeLorean DMC-12 (130 bhp). PRV engines →

In the Library

For the early 760's B28, the three Volvo booklets for the 260: 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 760 has its own section on the forum — presentations, restorations, questions to members who drive one. Volvo 760 section →

The codes behind the 760

B28 and B280 — the two engine files, and the 780 coupé that shares the latter.

B28 file →B280 file →780 file → All vehicles →