Well i purchased My 855 wagon about 8 months ago. i have basically been driving it to work and back (a whopping 3 miles round trip) well i have put 5k on it and destroyed a set of tires. well now its time to decide if i want to repair the car or trade it in and get something else.
Problems with the car

• bad tie rod ends shop said passenger side inner and outer so they wont align the car because of the play(its a bad ball joint not tie rod end)
• bad strut mounts up front/cheap struts..all were replaced before i bought the car but with cheap parts( after checking parts are OEM volvo)
• oil leaks not sure from where will find out when its time(oil Return Line)
• Timing belt needs to be replaced its been a while

• exhaust leak

Those are most of the problems with the car. I have totaled everything up to get it fixed except the heating and cooling problems (Hopefully some one has a fix idea for them).



What do you think i should do

 

The question you have to ask yourself is - do you need a car at all?

If you're just going to sell this one, and buy another used car, then it's not worth it - just fix the current problems.

If you don't need a car at all (3 mile round trip? I would walk to work, if I were you) then sell it.

 

yeah i do need the car. im going to start walking to work but i still need the car for other things. doing the work isnt the problem i can do the work so no labor is involved but the parts add up and they add up quick

 

I just finished rebuilding my 96 turbo; engine (down to the mains), turbo, full suspension, all tie rod ends, radiator, heater core, rebuilt power steering pump, plan on making new seat skins and recarpeting why? because I love the 850. It has just enough technology (but not too much), it's safe, very comfortable, reliable and sporty.

If you're like me and get satisfaction by doing the job yourself and knowing in the end that it's done right while learning more about your car? Well it makes the decision easier.

My advise (see my recent posts) for the heater core, only go with the Behr. Struts are easy, tie rod ends are easy. Don't forget the front end alignment.

I like to go in and get the job done so I'd look at the ball joints and axles at the same time, nothing lasts forever.

Sounds like the AC compressor needs to be replaced, or rebuilt. mine acted the same way, I replaced, bought a vacuum pump and gauges for about $150 and now have a freezer. The 850 has the very best AC I've ever experienced. Our 01 V70 just can't even come close.

 

Well your post has helped a lot. I am going to start the rebuild process soon and add some fun go fast parts into it. A engine rebuild may be in the works for next year but for now ill start ordering parts and getting to work. I may even make a progress thread for it.

 

Good news and post some pics. Myself and others here like pics. Don't know how far you want to go or what you want to buy but I used this kit

http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exe...ategory_id/181

Just had to add inner tie rod ends and rear springs(my car had Nivomats and I wasn't spending to replace). I like the stock Sachs struts and shocks. They have a nice balance between stiffness and comfort and from my experience they last.

 

I dont think my car has nivomats but that is the kit i was looking at for the suspension.

Inner tie rods

timing belt and water pump kit

and the brake kit.

Then From IPD
samco silicon hoses
Ipd egg crate grill
msd coil
ipd wires
Ipd tune up kit
trans flush kit.

And new tires. im not sure if i want to go 205/50/16 or 205/55/16 the car came with the 55 series tires from the factory.

 

only other thing im worried about is the ac.... i may take it to a shop and have it looked at

 

what you need to do is bring the car over so i can get your third row of seats

 

I just put 205/55/16's Goodyear eagle GT's on and I love them, can't speak to the wear yet. They are quiet, grippy and the price was right.

 

going to stick with the 205/55/16. Looking at the bilstein touring shocks and struts with the kilen springs.

 

for the OP how many miles are on the 850?

 

The car has 168K on it.

Took it to the shop i do all thew work at. Tie rod ends are fine no play at all in the tie rod ends. Ntb tried to charge me 490 dollars to replace the passenger side inner and outer tie rod end.

We found out the play is coming from the passanger side lower ball joint.
While the car was in the air we went over every thing. I have a oil leak from the oil return going into the block it looks like. also a leak from a oil line near the turbo and a leak for the oil line going to the radiator. Radiator mounting tab on Drivers side is broken alowing the radiator/intercooler/to sag. Very crappy weld job was done on the exhaust so its leaking out of a bunch of different places.While the car was in the air we drained out the oil and trans fluid.

Ok now with the car down we decided to pull the plugs and wires and also do a compression test. Filled the fluids back up and then pulled the plugs. plug #4 was very loose with alot of carbon buildup on the spark plug boot and spark plug itself.

Ok results of the compression test itself
going from 1-5
156.5 156.5 148.5 141 145

Only issue with number 4 is thast we took a first reading and theat netted only 107.5 but we think it was due to all the carbon buildup the tester didnt seal. even on the 2nd test it still seamed to not seal due to all the carbon.


Now on to the verdict. im still shopping around for a s60T5 in the under 6000 price range with about 100k on it. if nothing worthwhile comes available im going to spend the money on repairing the 850.

 

And photos of wagon...

 

Bobec, did you install the FCP Groton kit yourself? My '97 850 has just over 200K miles and I'm sure it's still sitting on the factory parts. I'm pretty handy under the hood but I've never done suspension or steering work. Do you need any special tools for installing this kit?

 

I'm pretty sure the factory size is 205/50/16.

My car had the 55's Goodyear Eagle GT's when I got it, and I got some bad rubbing at or near full lock.
I then switched to 205/50/16 Falkens and the problem is gone.

If you decide to stick with them, avoid turning at full lock - it will break your wheel wells.

 

My cars tire size is 205/55/16 thats factory according to the sticker

 

I don't have any rubbing problems with the 55 series. I did have a lose sway bar link that made a noise on one corner but once tightened no problem. I heard that Volvo started with the 50 series but changed to 55 after customer complaints.

The suspension is pretty straight forward. You'll need a spring compressor that you can rent from autozone for full refund on return. Make sure you know how to use it properly, look for utube vid. It can be dangerous if not used right. The spring has to be compressed so no spring pressure is on the top mount.

Remove the lower control arm at the subframe first (learned this one the hard way my first time) then drop the ball joint out. If you're replacing the axles I've had problems twice getting the axles out on the drivers side and even getting one back in right side is easy.

The only other tricky thing is the sway bar links. The space for holding the studs from turning when you tighten the nut is very narrow and close to the boot a standard open end wrench is too wide and pushes the boot of the stud seat when tightened. I used a thick sheet metal thing with a cutout that was a bit sloppy but worked.

 

I am keeping the wagon. going to rebuild alot of it and drive it till it hits 300k at the rate im putting on miles it will take a long time

 

Bobec, thanks for the handyman details. I'll order that kit and plan on some weekend fun!

Cheesecake, where did you take your car? I'm down in Glen Ellyn and looking for a shop to help with the tough stuff - and I'm done with stealerships. I'm guessing since you take the car there, you'd recommend them?