Hello,

I've been looking for my DD and I found another volvo 850r.
It seemed in good condition. the owner (2nd owner) has maintenance records from day 1, although I didn't really see major work records.
I test drove it, and it ran good, no rattle, no strange noise. Brake was good, handling was good.
He repaired abs, ac, serpentine belts, starter, vacuum leak, etc.
No visual oil leak. No stain under the hood.

Here are some issues.
It has 138k miles but the timing belt is original.
Odometer just broke when I was test driving lol.
It needs paint.
After I drove it, I opened the hood and I saw little oil around oil filer cap, and the bolt right next to it. <----is this normal?
Some dings and scratches....that's about it.

How hard is replacing timing belt? When do I have to change it?

Thank you.

 

Replacing the timing belt is that difficult. And you should change it ASAP, 138k miles is about double the recommended change time. If there's oil around the filler cap, that's most likely from the cap gasket drying up, it's pretty common.

 

Thank you for the reply.
The filer cap was replaced, and it still has oil around it...well it's very little so I don't think it's serious...however, there is a bolt for valve cover right next to the oil filer cap, and there was oil around the bolt...I don't know whether the oil is from the filer cap though.



One more thing, after I test drove it, I could see the coolant was going into the top hose....should I concern about it? Maybe the owner overfilled the coolant?

 

I meant to say that the TB iisn't that difficult. My mistake. The coolant reservoir has a max and min on the side of it, so when the car is off, just check on the side of the reservoir to see where the coolant is at. And there's oil around a bolt on the valve cover? Is it separate from the filler cap? I mean, is there any oil between the bolt and the cap?

 

When the car is fully warmed up, the coolant should not be above the max line. As for the TB, that is a pretty easy job and relatively straight forward. If you do a search, you can find a how to to help walk you through the change.

 

I could see small amount of oil around the filer cap, and around the bolt. It was kind of hard to tell whether it was from the filer cap, or from the bolt. Well but the amount of oil was very little so it didn't look serious. I was just curious.

 

I guess the owner over filled the coolant then. The coolant level was top of the reservoir and the coolant was going into the hose that connected top of the reservoir.
I did search about TB and I found out that tensioner, pulley, water pump, thermostat, and TB need to be replaced at 120~140k miles....
Is this correct information?
Some members are saying that water pump could last longer than 140k miles...
Any advice on this?

 

Timing belts are supposed to be changed every 70k or so. Water pumps typically last longer. My car has 214k and the water pump still works. I would recommend changing the water pump every other timing belt change. So for you, if your going in there and changing the timing belt assy, I would just do the water pump as well. I would also do the serpentine belt, especially if that's the original timing belt.

 

The owner changed the serpentine belt recently so I guess I will just change TB and water pump.
If the owner has been changing engine oil regularly, the pcv system should be good, no? Should I change the pcv system too while I am working on TB? or maybe I can wait a bit...?

 

I would run the car for a bit, and then check the dip stick tube while it's running. If you have any smoke coming out the tube the it would be wise to change the PCV system.

 

The oil filler cap has a rubber gasket that gets hard and can leak oil, especially if you have a plugged PCV system. Oil changes do not extend the life of the PCV system. Not sure what can.

The timing belt change does not aid the PCV system change.

 

These problems sound fairly minor. But be sure to check under the car for leaks to see if they are really bad. Gravity sends it all downhill. ;-)

And get that timing belt done ASAP.

 

When I checked the car, there was no oil bottom of the drive way,
I used a flash light to see bottom and rear of the engine, and it was very dry. All the pipes in the engine bay was all dry too.
I could only see small amount oil around the filler cap area.

If regular oil change doesn't solve pcv system....then what do I have to do?
Does the pcv kit that sells online will solve the problem? How often do I have to change the pcv system?
Around what mileage it got clogged?

 

Nothing really increases the longevity of the PCV system. It's just a part of the car that needs to be replaced every so often, there is not exact mileage of when they go bad.

A pcv system is an external system that is used to remove crankcase pressure, so yes, removing the old one, cleaning out the ports into the block, and then replacing it with a new one should remove all of the clogged areas, granted you did it correctly.