Hello, I have purchased a 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo T-5 Wagon around 6 months ago, and It has never stopped with the repairs. I currently have taken the vehicle to a performance shop to do a complete diagnosis, and am now more puzzled than ever.

Pictures will be up soon, but here are the items that were replaced or repaired:

OEM Valve Cover
Bosch Gas Filter
Mobil 1 Oil Filter with Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil
Distibutor,
Cap
Rotor
Spark Plugs
Spark Plug Wiring
MAF Sensor
Vacuum Lines(I think 2 need to be done in the back)
Starter
Battery
Battery Terminals and Wiring
Turbo Hose and Transfer Pipe
Ignition Coil
And a Few More.

I have been diagnosed with:
P0410-Secondary Air System
P0413- Secondary Air switch solenoid-Open Circuit
P0108- Manifold Pressure Sensor Circuit High
P0120 and P0123- Throttle/Pedal Sensor circuit switch A signal High
P0453- Evap system pressure sensor circuit high
P0447 evap vent circuit high
P0112- intake air temp circuit high
P0730-Transmission Gear Ratio Incorrect
P1038- Accelerommeter circuit signal bad

Backing Plate for the left front brake is rotted and scraping on brake disc
Right Side lower engine mount is bad
Rear lower control arm front position bushings are bad
Oil cooler tubes on the engine adapter need to be resealed.

The vehicle has around 180,000 miles because the speedometer broke at 177,718
No previous information is known about the vehicle from the previous owner.

Timing Belt is questionable. Incorrect Gear Ratio, But Transmission shifts great. Fluid could use changing.
Vehicle Runs Great, but today after mechanic it died 3 times on the highway slowly, like the fuel was gone. I also lost 4 gallons of gas in 10 miles. Is the car worth it? What about the longevity of the vehicle? Also what parts are some of the codes here?

 

Have you seen the shop manual at Volvo 850 Maintenance And Service Documents

Diagnostic procedures there would cover all of these, or maybe all but one. however, fixing cars takes a while, and you can buy another 1994 volvo cheaper than you can pay a guy to work on one. Financially, you really need to be figuring on fixing it yourself.

I admit I would be out of my league. With this many sensor high alarms, you'd think there's a common problem that's setting off a lot of high voltages. A good way to try to diagnose that would be to check voltage independently on a bunch of these circuits using a breakout box, but you're not going to have that sitting around the house. You can get the wiring diagrams from the link above and at least scratch your head and think about it.

 

I actually do the work myself, It's gotten to the point of I'm tired of putting money into it. I have thought the same thing that there must be a short in the system, but unfortunately, there are not. I have seen the how to guides, but the T-5 is a different species, and it doesn't help that mine has some 1995 parts mixed in. The parts aren't expensive, The question I'm asking most people is have they seemed similar codes usually related to a common problem, or a major issue.

 

Look you're talking about a car that's 20 years old and pushing 200K miles (if not over). 90% of that stuff were normal maintenance items; obviously the PO didn't keep up on maint, so you're paying the price now; hopefully you got a good deal on the car...

These cars a quite awesome (IMO) when they're properly maintained and (on the turbo models especially) there are little tweaks one can do to substantially increase engine and handling performance; that's why they're so popular.

But if you're not a DIYer, you better have a fat wallet, because low maint toyotas they are not..

 

It's a used car and it's going to need repairs.

A lot of the stuff you mentioned is just maintenance. You're still under the $$$ I spent on just my exhaust and my car is a 300 dollar hail damaged beater. Just the front struts cost as much as the whole car did. But I really like it and I've been rebuilding it with needed parts.

What you need to do is what you need to figure out. Do you like the car and if you dumped in the money to fix it up would you be happy behind the wheel or do you feel the need to put it up for sale and buy something you'd be happier putting some money into. Almost any used car is going to need something it's usually the reason it's for sale

Pay me now or pay me later ??
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