Hey guys this is my first post and first volvo. Just picked up a 1995 850 Turbo Wagon silver, and it is sweet. approx estimated 250k miles by the last owner. The cluster says 220,027 but it stopped working. I am guessing it has some sort of plastic gear that attaches to the tranny, is this common? What repair is needed?

Another thing is he hasnt had the timing belt changed in 100k miles so i am to scared to drive it until i get the work done tommorow morning.

Rear shocks are blown, and at the dealer they asked if they were self levelling or not? I sure hope they arent for my wallets sake. Any way to tell?

thanks for the help =)

 

1. Welcome

2. To fix your cluster issue take a look here. http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-850/Inte.../p-72-158-406/

3. If the Volvo dealership you are taking your car to doesn't know if your shocks are self-leveling or not I would run far far away from them.

 

Welcome to the forum!

To fix the odo, you need to replace the odometer gear (it's pretty common). s70 looks to have found you the correct link.

Get that Timing belt fixed NOW! If the TB snaps, you might as well just junk the car.

FCP Groton is a very good site for OEM parts.
http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvo850shocks.htm - Link for the shocks.

I hope you got this car for less than 1 grand, because it's most likely going to need a lot of work. The cars last a long time, and can hit 300,000 easily, but it's really a matter of maintenance and how you treat the car.

Edit: Just curious, does anyone know if when you replace the Odo gear, would the odo autmatically adjust to the correct mileage?

 

hey guys, thanks for the prompt responses. here is the thing, i got it from this guy who was the first owner, bought it for $1100, and i got every service record back to day 1. Even the window sticker. He only took it to volvo dealer for every service. Its in awesome shape as far as i know.

He replaced 6 O2 sensors, 3 starters, all outside trim peices 3 times!! Damn thats crazy to me.

Wheni asked about the self levelling, that was at the parts dept, and i didnt have the VIN # handy, not looking to buy OEM either, i would rather go with some bilstein HDs.

The quote i got at an independent VOlvo shop quoted me $825 for timing belt, water pump, idler pulley, tensioner. DOes that sound fair?

I better get to fixing that gauge cluster so i can manage all future services.

 

^You can get your VIN if you look in your front windshield.

It should be located on the dash on the drivers side.

 

Welcome to the forum,

$825 for all the work isn't a rip-off at a dealer/specialised shop. Water pump on 850 seems to last forever, though I had to replace mine at approx 140,000 miles/12 years, as there was a slight coolant seepage. You can check this by yourself, by removing a 12mm bolt that is holding the timing belt cover in place and lifting the cover. At the same time you can inspect the timing belt to see if it's safe enough to drive to the dealer. If you seeeven the smallestcrack on the belt, I would consider towing the car to the dealer to be 100% safe.

Bilstein HDs seem to give you too harsh a ride, I would go with either Sachs (OEM) or Bilstein Touring (I went with Bilstein T).

The odometer probably does not wind back to the actual miles, as it is a mechanically-driven device. But the actual mileage is stored in the ECU.

O2 sensors (Bosch) seem a bit too fragile as compared to Japanese mfgs (Denso, Hitachi, etc...) but it's typical for Bosch and other brands are even worse. (Turbo has two O2 sensors).

This will give you some ideas as to the cost of the parts:

http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvo.htm#850

Good luck,


JPN

 

Got some seepage from the pump itself and cracks in the belt. I shouldnt drive it, but its only 2 mins away. I drove the car 30 miles here from where i bought it. GOnna cross my fingers on this one but ill kick myself in the face if i have to pay $100+ to drive that short of a distance.

Are you able to pull the actual mileage out of the ECU with a scan tool?
Click here to upload!



[IMG]local://upfiles/10099/470D4F17568143428132FBF178E1D3E4.jpg[/IMG]

 

Here's the instruction (no scanner required):

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/cha...pic.php?t=6731

>I shouldn't drive it, but its only 2 mins away.
Remember, Murphy's watching you, ready to bite[8D]. Can you push the car to the dealer safely with 2 people (Volvos are too heavy to push by one person, unlike Japanese economy cars)? If not, how big/bad is the crack on the belt? If slight, it may be ok but if not, I would give up some $ and tow but that's just me. Do you have AAA membership? If not, it's a good investment.

Some basic/routine maintenance questions are available at:

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

It looks like the silver wagon is too good to be junked. I would TLC it.

Good luck,


JPN

 

If the car stalls, do NOT try to restart it. If the timing belt breaks the damage is done by cranking the engine. It's very hard to not try to restart a car when it stalls, but since you know the belt has cracks in it, you would think it broke causing the car to stall. How could somebody chage the body trim three times, but not change the timing belt for 100k?

 

Go ahead with the HDs if you want your teeth to fall off. Since I installed them the dash is really noisy, might have cracked dash mounts. Our roads here in Argentina are really horrible and I made a very bad choice.

 

it made it to the shop. murphy was watching but when he turned his back i was already there. =)

should be done today unless they find some other probs.

 

Great! Let us know how it goes.

 

Good job on beating Murphy.


JPN

 

right on, got the belt, pump, idler pulley, tensioner, new coolant, thermostat. hit the sport button and took off.

he said my passenger side motor mount is collapsed, rear shocks and mounts are toast(knew that). also that the fuel filter may be original because it has some cover over it or something like that? i have been looking throguh the service records and i cant find a fuel filter on there, even though he only took it to Marin Volvo.

i cant beilive it, but i have to change it sooner then later.

 

^Fuel filter is a simple job and it's 18 bucks to get a filter if i remember correctly...

That is a very very long time to go w/o a fuel filter change. You'll definetely see an improvement in the car once you get that changed.

The motor mount should be changed ASAP. My top mount/rod snapped, so I just recently replaced that. Apparently, when one isn't working right, there are added stresses to the other mounts from acceleration and deceleration.

I don't know how hard a side motor mount is to replace, but I'd recommend just going to a junkyard and getting one there instead of new...i'm not sure you want to drop a ton of money into the car and get it back to perfect shape...I think so long as it runs, you should be pretty happy lol.

Edit: Look at the service for the 60k/120k/180k. Fuel filters should be changed every 60,000 and if he got one of the Volvo 60k maintenance packages, fuel filter should be included...

 

>hit the sport button and took off.

Of course, well done!

The pax-side mount has a mechanical wear indicator. If it's shot, go with a new mount, I wouldn't recommend getting one from junkyard. It's not that expensive and is well withing DYIer's capability to replace but you need to put the front-end on jackstands and universal joint/socket & floor jackare a must. Check your VIN too to find the correct mount.

http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvo850mounts.htm

PN: 9135178 (side mount)
Price: $28/$38 + shipping, depending on model year/VIN.

Procedure, if you're interested:
http://volvospeed.com/Repair/front_mount.php


Fuel Filter (Bosch):
http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvo850tuneup.htm

Price: $18 + shipping

One dealer tech at Bay-13 noted that 60,000 miles is too long and I personally agree. I would do it at every 30,000 miles/3 years (may seem overkill for some so it's just me). The original unit is covered in undercoating. Here's an instruction if you want to know how it's done:

http://volvospeed.com/Repair/fuelfilter.php

For your happymotor life, I would highly recommend that you buy a Haynes manual & owner's manual (unless the car came with it, it seems like it did).

Good luck,


JPN

 

JPN thanks for the info. definately need to change fuel filter, cheap and easy enough to do, i should do it asap.

this guy seemed to only get 30k services not 60k, maybe he was trying to save a buck. he says he never drove it hard. who knows. if i had driven a turbo car 250k miles it might not be so lucky.

 

Hello,

Fuel filter is one of the items that gets neglected often, as well as PCV valve (no PCV valve on 850), etc... So it was probably just forgotten by all.

Judging from the exterior of your wagon, I do believe the previous owner took good care of it, at least "above average" service. It was rather surprising that he didn't do the timing belt, however.

I would also check the condition & level on all fluids. Although 850s are noted to go over 200,000 or even 300,000 miles, the engine is very sensitive to quality & proper oil levels. The same goes for transmission fluid (Dexron-III/Mercon).

Here's a maintenance interval example of fluids. Note, however, that I'm really meticulous when it comes to maintenance and this may appear overkill to others. Also, this is for turboed 850.

Engine Oil: Every 3,000 miles/4 months. I use Valvoline synthetic blend (Durablend) 10W-30.

Transmission Fluid: Every 30,000 miles/3 years. Dexron-III/Ford Mercon.

Brake (clutch) Fluid: Every 3 years. This item is neglected way too often in the States, since most people don't do repeated hard braking on extended downhill. However, brake fluid is hygroscopic and it keeps absorbing moisture, which decreases the boiling point of the brake fluid. It also loses corrosion protection over many years. Make sure to use DOT-4.

Coolant: Every 30,000 miles/3 years (may be stretched to 60,000 miles/6~8 years for extended-life type). For North America, 50/50 or 55/45 (45% water) mix will do.

Electrolyte (Battery): Check at every 10,000 miles/1 year. If low, add distilled water only, just enough to cover the top of the plates. If overfilled, it will spill out and corrode peripheral components. For maintenance-free type battery, no maintenance is required as its name implies. I personally recommend Interstate Battery for its quality, warranty & added services (free jump start within the warranty period). They are not cheap ($100 plus) but well worth the money as far as I'm concerned. I would definitely stay away from franchise/cheapo.

Fuel: I add Techron fuel system cleaner once/year, as well as dry gas (fuel line antifreeze to remove water. The main ingredient is isopropyl alcohol). You won't have problems by using 87 Octane fuel, as the ignition system adapts to different fuels and retards ignition timing accordingly. However, I personally would stick to 91 or higher as it is specified by the owner's manual.

Also, hear others' opinions and then decide your own interval.

Happy driving!


JPN

 

Careful changing the fuel filter, it's easy but the hoses can be tough to get off. I broke the line from the tank to the filter once and had to replace the line which cost me about $70. Not saying to not do it yourself, just be careful pulling the lines off. Use a pair of needle nose pliers between the filter and the line and just work it lose. Don't just pull the hose with a pair of vice grips, like the dumbass who did mine did.

 

changed the fuel filter. it had the original undercoating that was sprayed on when the vehicle was new. when i removed it, black gasoline was pouring out of the prefilter side. made a huge difference obviously. most noticably the car shifts smoother and more accurately. cost me $42 for the filter at the local Lawrence Volvo. used the needle noses to pull the clamps off, worked like a charm.