Haha, thats awesome. Umm, I'd recommend doing it when the engine is nice and hot. Should only take 30 seconds to pop the hood and remove that elbow.

 

was waiting to run out of 87 to put shell v-power gas in her - I'm gonna let that run for a few days to see if it helps, and I figure it requires premium fuel anyway.

I'll post back with results!

 

i would still run the water or seafoam soon anyway specially if your carbon is that bad. running premium for a few days is not gonna make up for the many months of cheap gas you've ran lol. Personally i would not run regular in anything above 9:1 compression. My 67 imperial has a 440 with a 10.1:1 compression and it barely gets by on 92 octane, it likes 104 lol. I personally will only run premium in my 960 and only plus and above in my 850 turbo. my parents ran regular in the 96 850 NA and it didnt like it much and built up a lot of carbon till they started using plus and above. Best of luck, i use the seafoam every couple months or so to keep my engines clean

 

Sup? Now I have no idea if you have done this yet, (dident read all of the threads) but sea foam it through the vaccum line from the brake boster. Its way worth it, and you can watch it blow out all the carbon build up through the exhaust after

 

sorry it's been a while - I've been running shell's v-power (I think it's 94 and has detergents in it) and did the water treatment as described, but I think my transmission controller (i don't think it's the trans itself) is causing me problems - Also, the noise hasn't gone, and I'm beginning to think my timing is off - could that cause a rattly-rumbly sounding engine? these bosch are sohc, right?

I find that I get the noise whenever the throttle moves towards open - if I keep it steady then it's quiet. Like, I put it in N or D and rev it, it gets noticable from the cabin, but if it's idling or steady at 3krmp then I can only notice it from the engine bay with the hood open (I can hear it a bit with it closed, but only because I know what I'm listening for).

Any thoughts based on this new perspective? Do I need a couple tanks of seafoam in the fuel? Do I need a new car? (lol)

 

I have had Volvo's for the past 23 years. I have run 87 through 93 in all of them. The ones I currently have only get 93. I have tested my MPG in all of them and the price is they same because the get a little better milage with the 93.

In my 960, when I tried running it hard, I was getting 21 mpg in S mode (driving with a lead foot, pretty agressive). Driving it light still in S mode, I'm getting 23 around town and 27 on the freeway. I was getting 32 mpg in New Mexico on I-40 with a tail wind going about 63 mph. You will get the BEST mpg at 63 mph.

As to your problem, I would have the car checked for codes. I have know of people that actually pulled the CEL light bulb out. Do you see the CEL when you turn the car on before it starts? Did you try to see if it's missing by unplugging the ignitors 1 at a time with the car running? It is also possible that you have an o2 sensor bad, if it has one. One other thing I think you should check is for a clogged exhaust, like a bad catty.

 

Thanks for the input there! afaik the cel is still in the dash (it comes on as "Service" as well as "Check Engine" and I know service is for oil changes and I don't have the tool to reset the light myself haha)

I don't know if it's possible for the o2 sensor to get detatched from the system, of if the car is "chipped" or some nonsense (it came from police impound auction - I think I learned my lesson - only get honda's and fords from auction - so I can fix them easily! HA)

the o2 sensors are pricey, so to get one and have it not help would suck - I suppose I could get a custom exhaust with a high flow cat and have the volvo growl around town breathing more freely... but I don't think that would flow well with the classical radio stations I listen to ;-) (I'm a cellist, leave me alone!)

as far as 32mpg - the highest I EVER saw in my honda civic was 34, so I'm impressed (but I had no tailwind, and the road was a touch twisty)

I did not pull the plugs one at a time to check for power drops, and I didn't even check the injectors for the "click" to see if one is stuck (open or shut...) but really - could this *potentially* be caused by off timing? The belt might be due for change anyway....

 

The service light should not need a tool. Check here:
https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-260-760-960-28/1996-960-service-engine-light-how-do-i-turn-off-46889/

The timing is set electronicly, so it's not off, unless you have a bad computer. Get the codes pulled ASAP. That will tell you what the computer thinks is going on with the car.

As for an o2 sensor, I usually get mine from the yard. Check the part numbers and cross them with other cars. Google might tell you that 8 cars use the same sensor and when you go to the yard you may find one more easily (grammor). I picked one up about 9 months ago for $25 for my 850's rear position. Yesterday I pulled another one for the front $25. That sure beats $225. I'm hoping the guy that wrecked the car I pulled it from had it replaced a year or so ago .

As for MPG, I'm actually surprised when I see a new car commercial, and they brag about getting 33 mpg. You know that's the best they could achieve or they would say more, like 43 mpg. Most 850's & the 70 series get that with no problem on the freeway, at 63 - 64 mph. Unless you are driving 200+ miles, 7 mph is not going to save you much time but will cost you about 25% in gas $$$.

There is a chance of you having a bad knock sensor or poor compression. I would check those things LAST. After you GET THE CODES PULLED!!! What's the deal with you engineer guys anyway??? Over analizing everything and taking forever to do step #1. You design and build the space shuttle but can't change a dang tire on your car without stripping a lug nut or something??? LOL Just kidding, I almost had my mechanical engineering degree before I decided that good sales people have more money (that really has not worked out for me - the sales person thing).

As long as the engine isn't trashed from bad compression or something like that, I think you'll get it worked out. They are very nice cars and run well with a good set of tires. Worse case is that the engine is fouled up and you give it to some poor college kid or a single mom. I think 15 mpg is better than $400 per month car payments.

 

You can use a generic Bosch 4-wire O2 sensor - just need to cut your plug off the old sensor and re-wire it to the generic sensor. As RSPI above said, ignition tining is set electronically, but there is the possibility of cam timing being off. If cam timing was off, it would make the same sounds all the time, regardless of load or rpm. Have you tried doing a simple compression & leakdown test? I also agree with him, GET THE CODES PULLED NEXT, lol.

Odd the water trick did nothing for the car. Does it run any differently at all? Did you notice any carbon coming out of the exhaust when you did it?

 

BTW - the Bosch p/n for the generic O2 is 15725, and can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-15725-Ox...dp/B000BZL07G/

 

HAHA oh, but you're so correct there - people I work with wander around the office for 5 or 10 minutes cursing and blowing steam out of their ears looking for a marker for the white board, and it's being squeezed in frustration in their left hand the entire time - and when I visit my father at work, we see the top dogs wandering around outside on the mesa (northern arizona) looking at the skies and then they trip - not because they weren't paying attention to the ground, but because their SHOES WERE ON THE WRONG FEET!

It's a whole different world, and you're right - half the time we'd rather design a new engine than do a swap, and we'd rather do a swap than spend 15 minutes changing a spark plug when it's spitting =D
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That being said, this car is not OBDII, and it has some proprietary looking volvo plug jack near where I assume the computer would be (under the hood and up by the VIN plate in the dash) - is the OBD where you pull codes? and isn't it pretty easy to wipe codes as well? (or would they have re-thrown in the past 11 months of owning her?) Do I still get info if I'm not throwing any CELs?

 

But you DO have a OBD-II port, it's next to your hand brake on the right side. It has a little cover over it. I can post a pic if you need me to. Sometimes you do get messages even though you don't have a LIGHT lit. Does the light come on when you turn the ignition on? I have heard of people pulling the bulb to trick people in a sale.

 

the bulb is not pulled - and I have OBDII in a 95? should make my next state inspection (PA) cheaper!! Cool!

 

I'll look for it - if I can't find it I'll come back crying ;-)

 

jclark - you're right, a '95 won't have an OBD2 port. OBD2 is '96-up.

 

well, que-que. Oh well - I am OBDI then - so I get a tail hose and they smell my gas. Good for them - do I still have a computer that stores codes so I can read them? And will a place like advanced auto parts still do it for free? Or do I have to go to volvo?

 

http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/EngineOBDCodes.html

 

KenDog, I had a '95 960 for a few years, right before I got this '97 and it did have an OBD-II port. My '95 850 also has a OBD-II port. 1996 Was the 1st year it was manditory.

 

Strange. My '95 doesn't have one :shrug Yours may simply have just been a late-model '95, like a month or 2 away from actually being a '96 then. Do you remember production date by chance?

 

I have the VIN somewhere. If I run across it I'll post it.