97 850R 140000 miles doing work is it worth it?
 

Hi everyone,

Been reading the forum and learning a lot. I have an 850R with 140000 miles.
and some issues:

1. was 2 quarts low on last oil change
2. leaking oil from oil cooler line
3. I am replacing the oil trap and all vacuum hoses will clean ptc has a code for a vac leak
4. Heater core is leaking
5. Odometer stopped working
6. The turbo is whining when engine is cold. I localized the noise using the old socket on an extension trick. The vibration is on the turbo housing. Been dealing with this for 2 years. Just warm it up first then go.
7. Driver side CV boot is torn
8. Just to throw this in. For a $40000 car it rattles worse than an old pick up truck. I tried the hatch anti rattle kit worthless...

I already put in:

1. Timing belt, tensioner, and H2O pump
2. Fuel pump
3. Brakes all around
4. Front wheel bearings
5. Pass side axle
6.Tranny flush

My Question is. Is it worth it to keep fixing this car? What else typically goes wrong on an 850 with this many miles? The car is very cumfy for me and the dogs etc but i do all of my own work and don't want to feed a money pit.

Thanks

140k miles isn't really that many miles at all. That's actually pretty low miles. Wagons are known to have rattle issues, so your not the only experiencing that. If your doing all of your own work, then I guess it comes down to how much time and money do you want to put into it. You fix those issues and the car should last forever if you keep up with maintenance. Odometer not working is a very common problem among 850's, there's a plastic gear in them that breaks and is a $20 fix. Everything else seems pretty simple. If you sell it as is, unfortunately you probably won't get that much for it.

With proper care (this is where 85% or more people fail to do), Volvos can outlast Japanese makes.

It is difficult to tell without actually looking at the car, but 140K is about 1/2-1/3 (or less) of the entire life for an 850.

Judging from how much money you've already put in, I would keep it. When you need technical assistance, you can ask us & buy a Haynes' manual to keep the running cost at a minimum.

Most of the troubles you described can be fixed easily. The rattles are most likely from the front suspension (upper spring seats) and the dash, which is known to rattle as the plastic tabs give away.


JPN

I have a 98 awd, I fixed the rear rattle by insulating behind the trim with real insulation. The clips are cheap, so I just drilled some sheet metal screws in diagonally from the side - it's never been quieter. The door is a little heavy with the insulation, so if your shocks are worn you may have to replace those cause it won't keep open.
The front doesn't rattle, even one year after changing the struts and mounts. However, I got a creaking pretty soon after when I turn the wheel (like a fiberglass boat rubbing up against the pier). I think it's the springseats, so use oem parts just to be more sure.
Like the guys above said, the cars are great if you keep up with it and for the same price I got this used, I could be driving a Chevy Aveo, so yeah, I love it.

I just fixed the odometer gear. It took me about an hour. If I had to do it again it would take about 20 minutes. It was really easy. The hardest part is getting the pod out of the dash. There are good write ups on doing it. Email me with any questions. My front upper spring seats were really shot and it made awful noises. They are new now and the front end is quite. If there is noise from the rear it could be failing upper shock mounts. Those are cheap and super easy to fix too. Seems like the car just needs a bunch of TLC. I would say, do the work yourself and enjoy it. But maybe for the amount of money and time you could buy another volvo in better shape used. The prices have come down a ton on the older 850's and you might get lucky.

Good luck.

It's common on these old Vollvos to put some money into them..... I bought my 850 a year ago ythis month and dropped 2k right off the bat with new timing components and other maintenance stuff....since then, I haven't spent a dime besides oil changes.....once you get the maintenance stuff under control u should be fine..... We have all gone thru this! Great cars though!

Keep it, do the repairs, and in the future stay on top of the needy bits. It's a lot right now because the repairs accumulated. I understand how work piles up - I am in no way being critical of your situation.

I would keep it. However, if you want to sell it, post it in the classifieds here on the forum. I'm sure someone would snap it up

It really does come down to time. If you put the time into fixing it, then it is worth keeping. 140K is nothing on an 850. I have 190K on mine and it is still running strong. Also, I know a guy with a silver 850 with 305K on his and it still runs well.

Anyway, if you fix the car, it will run for a long long time.