I was walking (this morning) for exercise through this posh neighborhood and finally seen the home owner (house on the golf course) that has (had) an 850 R in his driveway. Well, he was blow drying his '11 "is F" Lexus so I got his attention. I quickly asked if he had ever thought of selling the R. He said, funny you ask bla bla bla, then said he had called the local pick and pull to come get it. Said his son ran over something and ran it out of oil. Kept driving till the car would not run any more so I could have it if I gave him what the yard would give him.

That was a no brainer so I paid the money, have the title, and dragged it 3 blocks home.

 

Nice, I recently picked up a black 96 R that had been sitting in the Texas sun for 3 years. Wasted most of my extra money changing fluids, belts, brake pads and such only to find the compression is bad. 4 in 90's and a 100 in the center. Got any advice on rebuild vs replacement? I'm trying no to let it turn into a money pit but really want to get it back on the road.

 

Nice! The wheels alone are worth more then what you could get scrap for the car. I think you did well. Give it a good wash job and post some more pics, I would love to see it.

 

Good save Robert!!

 

tooo bad you are located down south. would love to give a helping hand at fixing this beauty up. Good job you saved it from these junkers. those wheels looks Good when washed. mine looked the same in this picture above. Got me some fantastic all purpose cleaner and sand paper. looks like new from factory. didnt pay a dime for refinishing. will take pictures and post it up tomorrow when l get the chance.

 

I had a set of the Volans on my yellow. These wheels are in great shape, even have a full size spare. Tires are near new and I need a set of tires. The last time I needed a set of tires real bad I found that S70 with these Volans and new tires. God really has mercy on me.



Interior is in great shape. Exterior, needs a hood, passenger finder, passenger side marker, paint job and maybe a motor. I have 2 people wanting to buy the car already. I'd like to fix it first so I know it won't get trashed. I won't get to try to crank it till Wednesday.

 

Are those cold numbers? I've seen cold numbers before. Does it start? Is it missing? If not, run the numbers hot.

http://www.atthetipwebs.com/technolo...ssion_test.htm

 

that wheel is in great condition. my wheels look like that now but has some lil scratch on it cuz l hit curbs. but l got the baked brake dust off them.

 

Yeah, those are cold numbers. It will drive fine for about 20 miles then start to misfire and have idle problems. The spark plugs look black after 20 miles. The guy at my local shop. (not a Volvo Shop) said he hadn't seen numbers that low before. Thinks the rings are gone. I've got parked for the time being while I save money and work on the rest of the issues. Just fixed the broken dash yesterday. The AC just flashes and no air so figuring that out is the next problem.

 

Deal with the motor first. It it won't run right the rest is mute.

Get the tell up, 5 minutes of driving should be plenty, do the compression test hot then wet and post the numbers.

 

Awesome find! If he ran it out of oil and drove it until it stopped,I doubt there is much help for that motor except complete rebuild. But, I'm sure you could find a good used motor and swap it in a weekend (or one day if you're super motivated).

I would like to watch the progress of this car!!! I have wanted a black 850R for quite some time.

 

l doubt Robert will use this as parts. l am hoping he will find an engine and swap it, and get it back on the road. Robert will you be able to do an engine swap down the road?

 

Thanks for the input, I'll will to post hot and wet numbers but it may take me awhile, got it parked with storage insurance on it for the next month. I found a motor with matching 58 in the vin. It has 65k on it for 1200. Might just swap it out.

 

Any 57 or 58 motor will work, they are the same. I can get a motor for $150 around here.

 

Wow, that's cheap. I've seen some pic n pull places where they wanted 400 for them but I'm not sure if I'm buying the same problem I already have. I'm not much of a mechanic, can do some basic stuff, put RIP Kit and my V70, change spark plugs, things like that. I've never swapped out or rebuilt an engine. I'd give it a try if I had a garage and more tools. 57 and 58's are the same, can I use engines from different years? That would broaden my search. Thanks for the info.

 

What's the current status on the "R"?

 

I'm pretty sure all of them from '94 through '98 will work as long as they are T5 motors. Straight up swap, no mods to worry about.

 

Well, I got a flat a few days ago so I pulled the spare out of the trunk and installed it on my wagon. LOL

Other than that, I went to check on it about 2 hours ago and went to pull the drain plug to see if there was ANY oil in it. When I reached for the bolt I seen a hole in the bottom of the pan right in front of the bolt. About the size of a quarter. So, I'm going to plug it with a plate and some JB Weld tonight and I'll fill it with oil in the morning and crank it.

Some guy is considering buying it from me for $1,100. I told him that I could have the thing up and running well for about $400. It would be worth about $2,500 then. It would take some of my time but it could be done.

That's where I'm at with it.

I went and looked at a '94 wagon today, NA, with 88,000 miles on it. It has a little body damage but would be nice to get. The guy wouldn't give me a price, it's been sitting almost 2 years. He claims that he parked it because of a bad CV axle.

 

Wow!

Please keep us up to date on the progress

I found a sweet 1 owner '96 850r wagon with low miles today . This will be going to my wife's brother who is super excited!

It will be fun to have another 850R in the family. I have two other people wanting me to find them clean 850R's as well. I have given up finding a factory airbox (why are they so expensive), so I'm placing an order from IPD during their anniversary sale.

I can't wait for my Pacific northwest trip to get Lucky

 

What's the story on the airbox? Are they specific to only the T5-R? I'm going to be scouring some local yards soon, so I can keep my eyes peeled.. if I know what I'm looking for