Hi!

I just purchased a 1995 850 Wagon and, to say the least, it's a wee bit quirky. The driver's door doesn't hold itself open, nor does the rear hatch, and the plastic cover on the inside of the rear hatch is loose. The sunroof whines and struggles to slide open, and it only gets about two or three inches before cutting out. The rear passenger window doesn't open or close from the controls in the front console, though it will work with the switch on its door. The radio doesn't seem to work at all, it lights up but none of the buttons do anything. The angle control on the power driver seat doesn't move anything, but I can hear a motor whirring if I push it. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to go about fixing this stuff, or figuring out the right way to do so?

Thanks!
Alley-Oop

 

Hi and welcome Alley-oop.

Pretty much everything you have described are common issues with the 850's. Try searching the forums for topics about them.

"The driver's door doesn't hold itself open" the metal stay in the door on these have a tendency to fail, and rip out of the door completely.

"nor does the rear hatch" this will be the gas struts causing this.

"the plastic cover on the inside of the rear hatch is loose" There are kits on ebay to repair this - it has new clips and mounts to stop the rattling.

"The radio doesn't seem to work at all, it lights up but none of the buttons do anything" Check the fuse for this.

"The angle control on the power driver seat doesn't move anything, but I can hear a motor whirring if I push it" The cable tends to stretch and disconnect, there is a really good write up on the forum to rectify this.

 

Thank you! Sorry for asking lame questions, I'll look around better to figure it all out.

 

Hi Alley, welcome to the site.

From what I can tell, you just purchased a 17 year old car and want to know why some things don't work well... It's because it's a 17 year old car.

As Brick has explained, those are common problems. The first thing I think you should do, if you plan to keep the car longer than 90 days is read the NEW 850 OWNER thread. It has vital information as to what you need to know to keep your car on the road.

After searching around a little, if you still need help finding the cures to your problems please post back. We don't mind helping you find the threads and links. It may be best to toss 1 problem at a time out there so that people don't forget to help you with all your problems. We have a tendancey to help you with what we know about and others may overlook the other things.

Rear window problem: You likely have a bad switch in the center console. You can try to fix the one you have or purchase a new or used one.

Sunroof: Sounds like your motor may be going bad or you have something in the track. It's best that you stop opening it before it gets stuck OPEN and you leave it open to the weather.

Rear hatch trim: You can find a repair kit or take your rear hatch panel off to see if you have broken clips or panel. It has 4 clips on the top and 4 on the bottom to hold the main panel on (along with the door handle trim).

The drivers door check strap is likely damaged and the po may have removed the bolt so it wouldn't damage the door any more. It's best left alone unless you want to replace the door or get the one you have welded.

The rear hatch not staying up: Has bad support struts. They can be replaced with new or good used ones.

The power seat problem: If you are referring to the recliner, the cable is bad like Brick said, you can fix it.

Some of these fixes are in the HOT TOPICS - DIY thread. If you're in my area and want to swing by for some help let me know.

 

All your questions are valid, just letting you know to search, there is help for almost everything that you've mentioned in the forum, they are all problems that most of us have had before.

If you get stuck, let us know and we'll help where we can

If you are in the US these cars seem to be plentiful in junkyards, so you shouldn't have any problems getting parts for them. If however you are like me and are in Australia, be prepared to constantly have your hand in your pocket, the spare parts for these are only sold by specialists, and they charge like a wounded bull.

 

Hahahaha! I never expected it to be like new, the thing has been through a lot, but I'm just glad to have a car. I'll kick around the forum a bunch more, I didn't look much before posting, probably should have. Thanks for the help!

 

Hi again! I guess I'm just keeping you posted... I did some more digging in the car, and a little tinkering too. All the radio needed was a new fuse and the proper code, so it's working now. The hood didn't close properly on the passenger side, I removed the thingy (Technical!) that is meant to hold the hood and after a little bit of playing it opens and closes just like it is supposed to.
Apparently the switches that adjust the side view mirrors don't do anything, so I'm going to see what I can do for those when I play with the window switch I mentioned before. She needs new coolant, it is almost empty, I'm thinking about picking up a jug of Pentofrost. The A/C doesn't get cold at all, I'm not sure of what to do there. Aaaaaaand....
I'm going to buy some struts for the hatch and swap those in for the broken old ones. The light covers are all cloudy and scratched so I'm going to get a plastic cleaning kit for those. I want the sunroof to work, I'll check the local junkyard to see if they've got a good motor for that. When I'm done writing this I will go and read the new owners thread, any suggestions beyond that?

Also, I'm in Connecticut, I'm eighteen, and this is technically my first car. It is of little import, but I've yet to name the wagon and that bothers me. The previous owner called it the big green monster, but I prefer to treat cars like a lady. Even station wagons.

 

LOL, how the heck did you end up with a wagon @ 18??? I'm almost 50 and this is my first wagon. Picked it up about a year ago. To be honest with you, I think the wagon is awsome. Especially if it's turbo. Lots of room to haul stuff and it's simply very useful.

Don't waste your time on the tails. A can of clear paint will make them look better than anything else. Just keep visiting the local junk yard and get a set from any wagon 850 or V70 between the years of '94 - '00.

The ac is likely low on freon. Read through the AC thread and decide what you need to do after that.

 

I love older station wagons, the older the better, and this thing was cheap. It's not the dream car, but it moves! Can you believe there aren't really wagons being made anymore? It's kind of sad.

I wish this one was a turbo, is there any way to upgrade?

I'll look at the junkers, there's one around here that keeps meticulous inventory and the prices are decent.

Heading to the AC thread now!

 

"And where is that AC thread?" He asks, concluding with a questioning smile.

I'm not just new to the forum or Volvos, I'm pretty green on cars in general. I have a little bit of know how, tons of enthusiasm, and a great love of tinkering. But, I have trouble with computers, tech is not my thing. I'll go look again.

 

It is sticked at the top of the 850 forum page. "A/C Cuts out". :P

It is too much work to turbo a NA car, because are tons of turbo cars out there that can be had for cheap. However, the NA cars are simpler and more reliable in general, as well as being easier to work on with more room around the engine bay. I'd say it makes a better first car.

Also, until you are dedicated to dropping the interior headliner to access the sunroof motor and track....I wouldn't try opening it. Sounds like it is close to failing.

 

So it is....

I figured it was too much, but it was worth asking. I'd be okay yanking the headliner, I just wouldn't know where to begin after that. With the A/C out and with the summer coming/here, I'd love to have the sunroof. We'll see.

Thanks!

EDIT:
Speaking of the A/C - here's what's up. The light doesn't turn on for it at all. The only thing the system does is blow air, I'm not sure it goes hot either but I'll check that tomorrow. I'm getting some Freon, should that do the trick? And what, exactly, does shimming do?

 

Shimming forces the clutch against the plate. Best way to describe it is the difference between riding the clutch on a manual car and having it all the way out. It reduces the amount of slip the worn out clutch has, gives you extra life on the compressor.

If the light isn't lighting up, again check fuses first, then move on to relays before spending time and money on the compressor.

I also have a N/A wagon, you will find they struggle a little on hills, but she runs like a dream, even after 17 years.

 

It's one of the stickies: https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...uts-out-42326/

 

Yea, wagons are few and inbetween. Most are those cross over looking things.

 

Thanks, I'll go check the fuses right now. If that isn't it, I'll have to figure out how to check the relays.

 

I'll get the hang of the forum eventually! That Hot Topics page is a certified gold mine.

I hate the cross-overs. I'm a classic car guy and those pieces of junk are real abominations. Bleh.

 

The AC light is NOT suppose to come on. It only comes on when you turn the AC off, light goes orange. When you turn the AC on the clutch should kick in (the very front of the compressor turns with the rset of it). If that is not happening it's likely low on freon due to a leak. However, you should check the pressure in the system before adding some. Usually a bad clutch will kick in (work) about 1/2 the time. Get a gauge and check the pressure because if you add to much freon it can damage the system.

 

My AC light has a blue light that comes on whenever the button is pressed. Aaah but I have manual a/c not auto climate control.

 

Depends on whether they have a manual or auto HVAC system.

My NA GLT has the manual system and the light comes on when you select A/C on. And it's a red light.

The auto climate control in the Turbo works like you describe, with the light coming on when you turn the A/C OFF. Confusing much? :P