I live in illinois. It has cold winters and hot summers. What oil should I use on a 96 850 Turbo Automatic. Its got 66k on it. What gas should I use? Id assume 92+. Would a better air intake help? Or what would help?

Also, what does an old vs. new timing belt look like? I checked it out and it has no frey off the edges or cracking. Any tips? Thanks guys!

 

Hello againJollygood,

My 2nd & 4th posts in the following threadcontain a load ofmaintenance tips and I keep updating them:

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

Here's my personal opinion:

FUEL: Premium; 91 or higher (some people use regular 87 and they never had any trouble).

OIL: Synthetic/Synthetic blend 10W-30, both summer & winter. Any name brand's oil would do, I used to use Valvoline synthetic blend Durablend 10W-30. They now have one for "high-mileage cars", not sure about the differences, though. But using regular oil wouldn't hurt anything either. If engine gets harder to start in winter with 10W-30, you can try 5W-30, but should you decide to go with 5W-30, I would go with full synthetic version.

TRANNY FLUID (ATF): Dexron-III/Mercon, any name brand. If the level is proper and does not have burnt smell or discolouration (should be clear red), it may not need servicing. If it was never serviced, it may be better just to leave it & keep an eye on the fluid level & top off when necessary.

COOLANT: 50/50 mixture, any name brand. I would replace it asap unless replaced recently. Coolant replacement is neglected way too often.

POWER STEERING: Same as ATF. Usually doesn't need servicing unless there's a leak.

BRAKE FLUID: DOT-4, any name brand (I like ATE's products).

Fuel & oil selections are more of personal preference than scientific facts.

Old timing belt hasfine cracks at the roots of the teeth. With a strong flashlight, carefully inspect the roots of the teeth to see if you can locate any sign of cracks/deteriorations. If the car does not have a maintenance record and if no one is sure about when the belt was replaced, I would do it anyway asap. Unless there is a definite record of recent replacement, you may forget to replace it until it's too late. I usually make my own remainder label and put it directly on the timing belt cover.

Better intake may or may not make much difference, as long as you use OEM air filter (MANN, or K&N if you prefer).

If you plan to do some maintenance on your own, here's a good vendor for OEM & high-quality aftermarket parts that some of us use & happy with them:

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

BTW, I worked & lived 10 minutes from O'Hare from March 2006 till Feb this year. I like winter so it was ok, but the summer was as bad or worse in Japan. Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was a good place to buy some Craftsman tools. I graduated from Southern Illinois University's aircraft mechanic school in 2005.

Anyway, I'll let other experts add other tips I may have omitted.

Good luck with your new machine.


JPN

 

Addition:

Fuel Saving Tips:

1. Ensure PCV system is in good shape.
2. Dump a large bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner into the tank once/year.
3. Change oil & filter at every 3,000 miles/4 months.
4. Keep good tune-up.
5. Keep wheel alignment within specs.
6. Keep good name brand tyres & keep correct pressure. Rotate at every oil change.
7. Remove excess cargo.
8. Avoid hard/rapid accelerations & decelerations as much as possible.
9. Keep the transmission in "Economy" mode.
10. Keep the tranny fluid at proper level & in good condition.

TLC is the key to keep 850 going for a long time.


JPN

 

IIRC it was 5000 for turbos and 8000 for n/a. Is this correct?

Regards

 

Good morning Axel,

You may be correct, the numbers I listed was based on my personal opinion-means it is on the conservative side.

I personally do the oil & filter at every 3,000 miles (4,800 kms) or 4 months for turbo. For N/A, I do it at every 4,500 miles (7,200 kms) or 6 months.

Have a good day, I'll be back after work, means at about 4:00-5:00 a.m your time, zzz.


JPN

 

Personally, I change at 3k miles which averages every 3 months (as I drive about 1k a month) and use regular 10w30 dino oil (Penzoil). I also put in a bottle of injector cleaner every oil change. As for gas, I always go to the Sunoco near me and get their 93 octane as I will average 28mpg with the high octane and have better throttle response. If I use the 83, I will average around 24/25mpg and the throttle will feel a bit sluggish. My '93 glt now has 235,xxx miles and my mechanic is asonished how well it runs. I'm shooting for 500k miles and fully expect at LEAST 300k before anything real major needs to be done.

 

I also change my oil and filter every 3,000 although sometimes it gets closer to4,000 before I get it done, but NEVER more than 4,000. I use 10W30 and just switched to Valvoline High Milage Blend. I also do a drain and refill on the transmission every 20K.That way you are actually only changingless than half the fluid every 20K. If it looks real black and smells burnt change it three times in a row to do a flush of the system.