I have had my 1996 Turbo wagon for a little more then a week and totally love it. Will be doing oil change this weekend and wanted to know whats the best? I used Mobil 1 in my old car and it seemed to worked well, any other suggestions for oil usage???

Plus i think we are going to go to Volvo to get tune up or just get it checked out completely. Any suggestions that i can look into myself, places of interest in the engine or things i my be able to notice.

Is it a good idea for aVolvo to do tune up? or just waste of money if its running good?

Thanks again
Matt

 

https://volvoforums.com/m_14927/mpage_2/key_/tm.htm

Read through this post about tune-up stuff pretty straight foward.

For other stuff browse through the 850 section.

 

What's your mileage? But getting a tuneup is good pretty much anytime if you have the $$ (Dealers are expensive).

Whatever oil you use, I highly recommend Synthetic 10w-30. Synthetic is very very good for turbo cars.

 

miles 159,562. My father inlaw has been a volvo mechanic for 20+ years, i want a turn up but sometimes he can be lazy. What exactly does a tune up include.

List of stuff i want done so far:
Sparkplugs + wires
Oil Change
Transmission fluid changed

What other stuff would you recommend?

Matt

 

^Timing Belt for sure, if you haven't had it done. Volvo recommends every 70k miles.

Possibly the water pump also. Ask your dad. The pumps on the volvos are supposed to last forever, but I think I remember reading that the 96-97' were different...

 

Hello Matt,

Greetings from Vermont, just a bit north of you.

I'll copy & paste my previous post, or you can view the same stuff at:

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


---COPY---

ROUTINE TUNE-UP ITEMS:

1. Spark Plugs (Genuine Volvo or Bosch Platinum is a good choice, I use Bosch Platinum).
2. Plug Wires (French Bougicord is the OEM, Bosch makes them as well but I went with the OEM).
3. Distributor Cap & Rotor (Bosch is the OEM).
4. Air Filter (MANN is the OEM).
5. Fuel Filter (Bosch is the OEM).
6. Tyre Rotation (watch out for the rotation direction arrow on the sidewall).
7. Exterior/Interior Light Bulbs.
8. Checking for Transmission Fluid Level (Dexron-III/Mercon).
9. Checking for Power Steering Fluid Level (Dexron-III/Mercon).
10. Checking for Brake Fluid Level (DOT-4).
11. Checking for Coolant Level (must not be at MAX mark when cold, it has to be about the middle between MAX & MIN). Should you decide to replace coolant, use high-quality coolant and avoid cheap/generic brands. I use Prestone, as Volvo genuine coolant was $20/gallon.
12. Checking for the Condition of Battery (Do multimeter test & S.G test).
*13. Replacement of serpentine accessory drive belt (Continental Tech is the OEM)

*Get the longer belt, there are 2 different lengths for 850. The longer belt has more contact area with the alternator.

---END OF COPY---

If you're not able to perform these yourself, I would have them done at Volvo dealer/shops that specialise in Swedish/European makes. The reason is, working on Volvos is a bit tricky and a lack of attention/up-to-date info can lead to screw-up. Also, you don't know what kind of parts would be used at generic shops.

Good luck,


JPN

 

Where is the best place to buy volvo parts, can i get these at a autozone or something? mainly Fuel filter and such.
Matt

 

^For Mobil 1 synthetic, Costco.

Fuel Filter you can get at Autozone probably. There is a sticky w/ all kinds of links in the FAQ. Check out FCP Groton. They carry a nice stock of OEM parts...

Edit: I think Ebay has timing belt kits also..

 

Whenbuying parrtsfor Volvo, stay away from AutoZone/generic parts shops, except for oil, transmission fluids, diagnosis with OBD-II scanner, renting tools, etc... Most of the parts they sell are made in cheap-laboured countries and quality may not be on par with Volvo's standard. When servicing Volvo, always try to go with OEM or of higher quality parts. I used to buy parts for the trucks at work (Fords) and they wereok for Ford, but I wouldn't buy parts for Volvo.

My primary parts source is FCP Groton:

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

They have good parts illustrations that no one else seems to have, and they usually have the exact parts you need, and you can call them for OEM nuts & bolts as well. Or shop around and you may find a better place.

Good luck,


JPN

 

Took us 3 hours. Changed oil,tranny fluids, coolant. Replaced turbo return line, had oil leakage, turbo looked great, nothing seems wrong with it. I had major oil leakage, oil cap oring was gone and had oil leaking out all over spark plug area and into 2 spark plugs. That was draining down back of engine. Plus all oring and washers got replace, they were very brittle. 80% of hoses were real loose, tighten everything down. Changed timing belt.Did spark plugs and wires. Scrubbed the whole engine and parts. Replaced cabin and air filters. Rear main seal looked fine, thankfully.

Still need to do fuel filter. But i would say it make a huge improvement, car feels great and looks great. Hopefully nothing will leak out tonight. but we will have better idea since its so clean.

Matt

 

Glad it all went pretty easy for you.

 

I can now sleep peacefully


JPN

 

Wow, only 3 hours? It took me like 1-2 hours just to change my t-stat. LOL.

Was it a hard job to change everything? Specifically the timing belt? I'd like to do some of that stuff, unforutenetely don't really know how...

 

I was only assistant pretty much. But i was shocked to see all the hoses so loose and the oil spillage.

Matt