I just purchased a 96 850 w/ 28k original miles. Have enjoyed the car now for a week and just today the check engine light came on. The previous owner had the car serviced for the check engine light and the garage that serviced the car replaced a 02 sensor the evap pump, relay, and sensor just a few months ago. Now its back on. The car has not been driven much and I suspect age and intermittant driving may haveaffected some of the emissions components. Should I take the car back the mechanic that did the original work or should I take the car to the dealer for a thorough inspection?Or is this something I can do myself. I understand autozone can read the codes for me. I guess I should have stated up front that the car runs fine and has good acceleration and smooth idle. Its just that the light came on this afternoon and I noticed no difference in performance.

 

Wow! That is a very very low mileaged car....

However, how did so much stuff go wrong if they're only 28k miles?
You can go to autozone and try to read some of the generic codes (the port is located in the center console, behind a coin holder), but if you're not getting anything from the autozone one, you might have to take it to the dealer or buy whats called a Volvo Scan Tool.

First try to reset the light w/ the autozone one and see if the light comes back.

If you're not getting anything then, I guess you have to go to the dealer, but they will charge you a lot of money. Their labor around here is $105 an hour compared to the $60-80 at some of the other independant shops..

Just curious though, how much did you get the car for?

 

The car belonged to a friends mother who is now in a nursing home. The car was driven off an on by her until she was no longer able to drive. After that I suspect the car was only driven when someone thought about moving it for whatever reason. I am doing the same thing with an 86 cougar that belongs to my mother-in-law. Anyway I had the car inspected, by the dealership and they couldn't find anything wrong with the car except for two dirt dauber nests on the gas tank and one on top of the shock tower. Other than the dirt and dust on the paint surfaces, the car is in excellent condition. I gave 4200.

 

^WOW. STEAL OF THE CENTURY!!!

Is it turbo?

 

Standard model, cloth seats with manual control, plain vanilla but comfy.

 

^Cloth seats? Hm......I never knew volvos had them lol.

Aren't these supposed to be a "luxury" car?

But even so, it's quite a steal.

Edit: Did a search and I guess that Leather seats were an option. I never knew that...I just always thought leather was standard.

 

Greetings,

Some transmission-related codes can also trigger CEL. If CEL is on, there should be a code and the dealer may have missed it.

A decent scanner should be able to retrieve codes, description of the trouble and reset/clear CEL. One example is Actron CP9175 (MSRP: $179.99, was on sale at AutoZone for approx $150):

http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16309

When I lived in Chicago, a local AutoZone had this scanner and it was able to access engine & transmission ECUs, but could not access other systems such as ABS, climate control, etc...

I am curious as to which brand's O2 sensor was installed. Volvos don't seem to like non-OEM parts.

This may be of some use as well:

https://volvoforums.com/m_48928/tm.htm


JPN

 

The car is quite clean with the usual paint marks from age and such. I believe most will buff out, I think they owned cats judging from the wheel stains and tiny paint scratches that come from being lept upon about the hood , roof, and trunk lid. Hopefully the CEL is only a minor deal. The only other thing that I know about is the cruise control doesn't work. I believe it hasn't worked in a long time. The receipt from the first CEL light indicated they attempted a repair to the cruise contol but was not able to repair....the receipt didn't give a reason why...just that $30 labor was spent looking at it. What I know about the cruise is that there is no response from the switch and there is no indication that it is on or off. It isn't really a big deal but eventually I would like to see it repaired.

 

The receipt doesn't give a name brand for the parts that were replaced..but $239 was charged for the 02 sensor w/o labor...that seems excessive. I replace the 02 sensor on my wifes t/c with a bosch for $60 from autozone.

 

^FCP Groton lists Bosch ones for $149.

 

As long as the engine performance is fine, it is probably something minor (EVAP-related, etc...). I have attached 2 pics for possible codes; as you can see there are quite a few codes. If your local AutoZone/parts store could not retrieve codes, you may have to visit a dealer.

$30 diagnosis was done at non-dealer I believe? One dealer in Chicago wanted $120 for Engine & ABS code retrieval only (luckily my 850 was '94 so I could access codes without a scanner).

If you wish to have the cruise control repaired, I would have it done at a dealer/a shop that specialises in Swedish/European makes. The diagnosis/testing procedure seems involving.

Regards,


JPN

Courtesy of Volvospeed.com

http://volvospeed.com/Repair/a2.html

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/41E7C5F7A0084FA8ADE503A861B4D054.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/C228C06DAC4A46A086422D30CAF861AA.jpg[/IMG]

 

I went autozoneafterwork and they retrieved the code for me "P0440".When I asked about clearing the code the guy told me company policy dictatesthey are not supposed to clear codes but he fat fingered the button and the light went out. He said "Dangit! I hope you wrote the code down." "Accidents happen". He told me the code indicated itEVAP valve leakage....I suspect my gas cap. He said it was probably so or it could be a vacuum leak..drove home 14miles and the light never came back on...so I am going with the gas cap theory. By the way, thanks for the helpful info...The guys at Autozone were really decent and even they told me that the code reader was no replacement for a proper diagnosis and I should get it checked out if it repeats itself. Who knows I might need a new gas cap.

On the cruise control what can I check my self to at least determine if the switch on the column is doing its job. Is there a indicator light on the dash or somewhere else to let you know the cruise has been activated? From some of the other threads I at least know the vacuum pump is attached to the battery tray and to look for rotted hoses..should I be able to hear something from under the hood if the cruise switch is turned on or would the vehicle have to be moving before the pump would activate?

 

When I livedin Chicago, I used to go to AutoZone to get parts for the company trucks I used to maintain (for Volvo, I used FCP Groton of Connecticut). The sales people at this AutoZonewere very knowledgeable in modern electronic systems, but I was most impressed with their conscientious services that were unparalleled in any services I know of. Yes, clearing emissions-related codes without having it repaired is technically illegal in some states, but I am rather impressed with the person who "fat-fingered" the scanner. As long as it does not affect safety or immediately threaten the environment, I don't think it is an act of evil to clear codes (and in the case of Volvos, the codes appear way too often for trivial reasons).

Regards,


JPN

 

Cruise Control Check:

Visually inspect related components. As for "Vacuum Testing" in the control unit socket, a basic knowledge in electrical system testing is required, or component damage may result. If you're unsure about the testing procedure, I would have it tested at a dealer/a specialised shop.

I hope this helps.


JPN

 

The last half of the Cruise Control Pics.


JPN

 

EVAP system check reference.

I've attached a pic (2nd pic) that shows EVAP system, which is actually based on Turbo engine, but I checked FCP Groton's parts illustration and it seems that non-turbo engine also has EVAP purge valve. Check to see if your engine has one, and if it does, then that may be triggering CEL.

Good luck,


JPN

 

I appreciate the pics, I will look at the cruise this weekend and inspect the EVAP components for cracked hoses and bad connections. I am sure alittle dialectric grease can go a long way on this car since it has set for so long. I am expecting little things like this to show up. I should probably to to FCP Groton's and buy an assortment of those vacuum elbows and the appropriate vacuum lines and start changing out little by little. Volvo plastics appear to be a little on the brittle side from the looks of things.

I guess I will start with the plunger switches to make sure they are adjusted properly before testing the vacuum servo and pump. Who knows it might just be the relay. I didn't see a way to testunless the relay is what sends the codes. I may have to invest in one of those testers after all.

Thank you very much. You have been very gracious.

 

You're welcome.

I deleted the pics, I hope you've saved them in your PC. If not, I'll post them again.

I agree that some parts for Volvo seem too vulnerable to failure.

Good luck,


JPN

 

Change the timing belt NOW. It's probably 11 years old and that's way too old. They are called for every 70K or five years whichever comes first. If it's never been changed, I would be afrad to drive it. If it stalls, whatever you do, don't even try to start it. That's where the damage is done.

 

^x2.

In fact, recently, there was a guy whose timing belt broke and I guess he's in the process of locating a new motor.

This is VERY VERY important because these cars have interference engines.