Hi guys and gals.
Ive got a very nice 850 tdi in red with only 63k genuine miles on the clock but i fear its coming to about that time where a few things are coming to the end and are going to need sorting out. Also the previous own was a bit of a muppet i think, first reason that lead me to think this was, he had the car for sale at 400 pounds, when i met him to trade cars (as we had agreed a swap vehicals) he didnt seem to know much about 850s and did the usual thing trying to tell it was this and that was that......but anyway, i managed to find out from him its origin and the car was bought by an old couple and it was only resently that they had sold it so i knew that it had been looked after up until thus bloke had got hold of it which was only for a matter of weeks but this was long enough for him to do a couple of thing that have left me abit puzzled etc, so ill put each question seperately.
First thing is, theres obviously something going on with the front suspention, i suspect a ball joint as it seems to want to pull abit on heavy braking and i dont feel very confident when going round corners, it just doesnt feel very good at all but i have this problem in hand. my isue is the front tyres are wearing on the inside but the rear tyres are wearing on the outside. now i would normaly have guest that the bloke i had it off couldnt be bothered so when he noticed the wearing on the front he just changed wheel front to back and carried on driving it but im not to sure with them not being the same side. so does any one know if theres a bush or mount on the rear suspention that could have gone causing the tyres to wear on the outer edge. its funny really cause the wheels look to sit out wards if anything....any ideas.

Secondly should i have soot marks on the intake manifold coming from the little holes on the egr, at first i thought i had a leaky gasket but on a closer look the soot marks are only small about the size of a penny and are inline with the little holes on the egr so do you know if this is normal.

Which leads me to my next question (i hope this isnt getting to much now :-)). i have a hose just hanging round, a vacuum hose that comes from the little unit far right if your standing head on to the car. it obviously goes some where but i have looked and looked and i cant find where its ment to be going. All the other connectionds are in use, none seem to be missing. i downloaded a diagram which showed where these hoses should go but when ive gone to have a look they all seem to be ther apart from this one hose. it comes from the same unit as the one that goes from the top of the egr the the unit, hope this isnt to confusing.

Last one for now. i have a tapping noise coming from what sounds like inside the timing belt cover. when cold its quite loud, loud enough to here it in the car. but when it warms up it quiets down abit. it isnt one constant tap, now and again it will miss a beat so to speak ie. tap tap tap........tap tap.........etc. i know this isnt a great way to explain but i hope you get what i mean. could this be the tensioner, the speed of the tap does sound like it is going at the rate of the belt turning and doesnt sound like it crank noise. i have read somewhere that the timing belt doesnt need changing till 80k but i dont want to risk the tensioner going if thats the noise.

So these are just a few of the bits and pieces that i need to do. hope you can help.

Regards
dan

 

The vacuum hose if it hooks up to something on the very far right may be one of the cruise control vacuum hoses. it plugs into a vacuum pump directly under the battery tray. Have a look there.

 

Cheers mate ill have a look at that

 

The loose hose, where does it go to on the other end? The cruise one should go right around the engine bay and into the drivers side passenger compartment, just under the brake booster.

 

Oh sorry, I read your post again, it isnt a cruise hose. If it comes from the vacuum tree it could be part of the PCV system or it might have something to do with the turbo. Does the turbo gauge work? (I don't know if the diesels had turbo gauges, we never got the TDI here in Australia.)

 

Hi mate it comes from the tree in the top right corner of the cluster, theres three pipes coming from it and it the one from the right as your facing it. do u know what affect it would have on the turbo if it was from there.
Thanks again mate

 

Hi Dan, welcome to the site.

It would be best if you posted your issues in separate threads, that way we don't get fixated on 1 or 2 of the problems and forget a out the others.

First thing first... if you hear noise from your timing belt path that quiets as it warms up, it is likely a roller about to fail and destroy your motor. You need to deal with that like yesterday. You can pull the serpentine belt and see if the noise goes away. If the noise remains, turn the car off and don't start it again until you replace the timing belt and associated parts. Not worth the risk.

Suspension, yes control arms, which have the ball joints integrated, have bushings that wear out and cause pulling during hard braking. Mine actually felt like I would hit a small patch of ice. Also, the rear does have bushings that can wear out and cause problems, even shock mounts.

Vacuum problems are common with these older cars. Elbows split, people take things loose and not remember where they go and on and on. You will likely have to find someone with a model like yours and hope they have their stuff connected properly and compare. On my car I have lines going to the air box (to help warm the MAF I assume), one or two go to valves attached to the fan shroud and so forth. If the car has a PCV system you should replace that system.

What year is the car, sounds like a '93?

I'm not sure why people assume that older people care for cars, people are people, some care and some don't. I believe that elderly people care less than mature adults because they lose track of time and get more forgetful. I consistently see cars with oil change stickers 2 years old or older. I'm servicing a car now that has a 2-1/2 year old sticker, the car was low 2 quarts of oil (actually looks like crude drained out), one of the wheels is busted, brake pads are totally gone and the caliper pistons are popped out so far the boots are loose (yes the rotors are grinned 1/2 down), and wiper blades have torn rubber. Serviced an S70 last month that only have 2-1/2 quarts in the motor out of 6-1/2. PCV was totally clogged and it had other issues I was able to deal with, hopefully before permanent damage occurred. Then you have those that let the local guy down the street put lawn mower parts on them. You really have to be careful with purchasing cars from the elderly. Between them forgetting to service, thinking things are fine, and not being able to see curbs and other road hazards, the car can be more abused than normal.

 

Hi mate thanks for the info, great stuff. it a Preg so 1996 i believe. im hoping its got the separate ball joint because i can get the bolt on ones for 12 quid a pair and im told the last year they had them was 96, is that right do you know. i have had that cringing thought of an all of a sudden stop and gut wrenching noise of my cam belt going. But because i wasnt 100% that it wasnt just the aux belt tentioner getting dry or something like that ive taken the chanse as i only go local in it at the moment but now ive had some other input im defo not chancing it because i really do love my car and it would break my heart if something that bad happened because i wouldnt be able to afford to fix it....wel at least i wouldnt this century :-) and im 99% sure i wouldnt be able to find another like it as i really did get very lucky getting it, for years ive wanted a 850 tdi auto in red with the full leather etc and the bonus of the low millage really is the iceing on the cake so to speak.

 

If the timing belt breaks you will not hear a sound, just feel the loss of power as it rolls to a stop.

 

If you're in doubt about the noise you can always take the serpentine belt loose and start up the car and let it run for a couple minutes. Make sure it's clear of the crankshaft pulley so it's doesn't rub and burn but that way you can isolate the noise to the serp or the timing belt.

But if you're in any doubt, do the timing belt and be done with it so you don't have to worry each time you hear something.

 

How hard a job is the timing belt change. found a continental belt kit at £50 and free postageand its not off ebay either...... :-). What is the belt running on the right of the block as your facing the car.
Thanks again for all the help

 

Look through as many articles as you can find to make sure you feel comfortable that you have the time, tools and skill necessary to accomplish the job. If these aren't enough try Matthewsvolvosite.com , Volvospeed.com or do a browser search. If you haven't done it it would be nice to find a buddy who has to give you a hand.

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...hp?f=1&t=33863

Volvo 850 Timing Belt and Water Pump Replacement | Happy Wrenching

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...ng-belt-28851/

How to Change a Timing Belt on a Volvo 850 | eHow.com

Volvo 850 C70 S70 V70 L5 2 3 2 4 Timing Belt Tensioner Idler Kit Continental | eBay

Volvo 850 Timing Belt Kit - Free Shipping - Dayco, ContiTech, Beck Arnley

 

Hi mate id give it a good go as im pretty sure confident i could do it aslong as its not an engine out job. it doesnt look like it is, looks pretty easy to get to ones the alternator belt is out the way.
Whats the belt hidden away on the right of the block (if facing the car), all i can see of it is a tensioner spinning and thats it.

Could do with a heynes or service manual realy. anyone know where i can download one for free.
Thanks again.

 

Give this a shot.

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...pic.php?t=8018

Right and left are determined from sitting in a car. It's a small thing but it keeps people from getting confused or making mistakes. Your battery is on the left. That way we all stay on the same page

Not sure what you're talking about with the belt. There are only two. The exposed serpentine belt that runs the alternator, power steering and AC and the cogged timing belt that runs the cams and water pump. That one should be under covers and you shouldn't be able to see it. Well, unless someone took them off and didn't reinstall them.
If you look through the instructions it should have pictures of both.

 

Yes, do read links that people refer to you. It's annoying when someone tries to help you and you ignore their help and ask a question like... Where Can I DL A Manual. I have done 5+ belts on these cars and I promise you, the instructions on these sites are more than what you need.