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General 850 Questions; prepurchase

posted by  MHoza on  Wed Dec 28 03:05 CST 2005
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last visit: Tue Feb 10 05:10 CST 2009
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I am thinking about trying to find a good used Volvo 850 wagon and I have a few questions befor I start. I have owned only one other volvo, a 1984 240DL.

What years was the 850 offered?

I am looking for a base (non-turbo model)with a 5 speed manual transmision.

In general are these cars easy to maintain and work on?

Are there any serious problem areas?

What should I inspect on a used 850?

Is the blower motor easier to replace than on the 240!

Is the 5 cylinder the base engine or is was 4 cylinder offered on the US?

What fuel economy can I expect (highway at a staedy 65 mph and city or mixed driving) What octane fuel is required?

What can one expect to pay for a well kept 850? Can I find a dependable 850 for under $3000?

How difficult is it to replace the timing belt ( I assume it uses a belt)?

What maight I pay a shop to replace the belt?

Do these cars have any corrosion problems? If so where?

Thanks in advance.

Mike








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    General 850 Questions; prepurchase

    posted by  the kick inside on  Wed Dec 28 04:45 CST 2005
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    last visit: Thu May 17 09:58 CST 2007
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    general replies only because im in the UK...

    What years was the 850 offered? - from '92 onwards here I think, revisions in 95

    I am looking for a base (non-turbo model)with a 5 speed manual transmision. - easy in the UK both in the 2 ltr, 2.5 ltr models - reading posts on her e i understand manual's in the US are rarer han rockinghorse droppings...

    In general are these cars easy to maintain and work on? - yep!, hada 940 and the 850 is as easy IMHO although i think a clutch/rear seal would be worse..

    Are there any serious problem areas? early autoboxes (in fact even later ones) - but my personal theory is this applies mainly to turbo cars and cars that havent had the fluid changed. Loads of reports on ABS units failing (although again i think this seems to be confined to the US - heat related possibly??) Maintenance history is cruicual - as with any volvo!

    What should I inspect on a used 850?

    Everything! - dependant on milage you can expect the following issues as needing doing at some point! Rear main seal (oil dripping from joint of engine/gearbox), clutch, antiorollbar links (front), top motor mount every 40k or so, rear motor mount, suspension top mounts (front), lambda sensors, MAF (perhaps), cambelts, brakes (they are HEAVY on brakes), autoboxes should have fluid changed evry 20-30k, leaking heater matrix (seen some reports), aircon unit leaks etc...

    that said i have had mine 40k, its now done 100ik and its jsut been are and tear items on mine - but it had a full service history and perhaps i have been lucky!

    Is the blower motor easier to replace than on the 240! - dunno never done either!

    Is the 5 cylinder the base engine or is was 4 cylinder offered on the US?
    as far as i know only 5 cylinder - which is a good engine - dont let anyone tell you otherwise!

    What fuel economy can I expect (highway at a staedy 65 mph and city or mixed driving) What octane fuel is required? - i would look to get mid 30's with my autobox at steady 65, mid to low 20's rtound town (thats english mpg)

    What can one expect to pay for a well kept 850? Can I find a dependable 850 for under $3000? - cant say im in the UK!

    How difficult is it to replace the timing belt ( I assume it uses a belt)?
    does us a belt, i had mine odne and i suspect its local market pricing - worse tthan a b230/b20 i would say because of its postion, but people certainly do do them at home....

    What maight I pay a shop to replace the belt? - cant say it wil leba US price for you.

    Do these cars have any corrosion problems? If so where?
    Mine is 10 years old and NOTHING showing, never really seen a corroded one either! i would check rear arches/boot(trunk) underside anyway - typical positions on any car!







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      General 850 Questions; prepurchase

      posted by  someone claiming to be ksg on  Wed Dec 28 07:09 CST 2005 [RELATED]

      Timing belt - dealer quote in Chicago area US$375 without water pump or tensioner - I did it myself - easy using instructions posted on Bay13. Interference engine - damaged if belt breaks unexpectedly.

      Blower motor - much easier in 850 vs earlier models. DIY - again see Bay13.

      5-speed very rare in US.

      A/C evaporator leaks common (I've heard 30% incidence). Dash has to be removed. I did it at home but VERY time consuming and you can't drive the car meanwhile. Many other brands of car also require dash removal for evaporator and/or heater core repairs, so nothing special there.

      Trim pieces, electrical contacts, relays and other little items may occasionally get loose, fall apart, glitch or quit - not due to corrosion, though.

      Important to maintain crankcase vent (PCV) or rebreathing system to limit the chance of blowing out oil seals.

      I don't know if others would agree but my 850 has been one of the easiest cars if not the easiest car to keep up I've ever had. Total out of pocket per mile driven or per year owned has been lower than typical or average values often seen. Dealer maintenance would make all that advantage disappear in a hurry. People on this website will help you with most all of the potential difficulties.








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        General 850 Questions; prepurchase

        posted by  MHoza on  Wed Dec 28 07:34 CST 2005
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        last visit: Tue Feb 10 05:10 CST 2009
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        >Important to maintain crankcase vent (PCV) or rebreathing system to limit the chance of blowing out oil seals.

        I was about to be terribly disappointed in Volvo for designing a rear seal that tends to leak but if but if it is an owner maintenance issue and well maintained 850's go a long, long way without needing a seal then I am satisfied. I assume that a well maintained 850 would have no rear seal problems.

        Problems with ABS is a surprise. I assume one can disable/disconnect the ABS easily and drive on without cost.

        How fragile are the auto boxes? How much replace with a rebuilt unit?

        Mike







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          General 850 Questions; prepurchase

          posted by  someone claiming to be ksg on  Thu Dec 29 05:25 CST 2005 [RELATED]

          I think oil seals are very likely to go on any brand of car and any engine if excessive crankcase pressure builds.

          If the rebreathing system is maintained so pressure is controlled, I think seals will still just go time to time, though probably infrequently.

          My examples: On a 240 I lost a camshaft seal shortly after buying the car used from a dealer who had sold the car new and serviced it. It was clear that the rebreathing system had never been maintained (at 64K miles). I don't recall if I ever replaced a main seal or not on that car (200K miles). On my 850 I have carefully maintained the rebreathing system and flame trap. In 132K miles there has been no sign of leak at main seals. However I replaced the rear camshaft seal on exhaust side, which was leaking very badly. The seal when I inspected it in place was cracked, very brittle and dry.

          On other cars I have seen what appears to be seepage from main seals but never lost enough oil to do anything more than watch it occasionally. Of course your level of concern will depend on your need for absolute reliability, for instance driving in remote areas.

          Some earlier posts indicated a design change was made in the 850 rear main seal but I have not looked into that.

          No direct info on gearboxes - my 240 and 850 both use(d) Aisin gearboxes with zero trouble except for PNP switch (gear position sensor) in both cars. Fluids changed at 60K intervals or so.

          My impression from watching neighbors with cars stuck in snow is that some drivers will try very hard to shorten the lives of their automatics.







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            General 850 Questions; prepurchase

            posted by  the kick inside on  Thu Dec 29 10:49 CST 2005
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            last visit: Thu May 17 09:58 CST 2007
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            yeh i agree all seals go eventually - maintianing the PCV is key but it WILL eventually go and when it does it IS a bigger job than b230/b20...

            the tranyas are definatly week in the auto mode, BUT i still say this is due to the turbo kicking out 250 or so ponies (my 2.5 20 valve kicks out 170)... i just dont think the box is up to it...


            i agree its down to maintenance and driver...

            all this said havign owned a 940 and a 850 and worked on both i think the 850 is actually (for the most part) as easy or easier, seems to require less maintenance and is nicer to drive....the plastic seems less brittle too...now this IS jsut my opinion and i may have got a good one...







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      General 850 Questions; prepurchase

      posted by  TimeToBakeTheDonuts on  Wed Dec 28 06:11 CST 2005
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      last visit: Thu Aug 29 16:10 CST 2013
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      Echo all of this. Available '93 to '97, and the subsequent S70/V70 series is similar. Many people say they aren't looking at turbo due to reliability. Many people who work on these say the turbo is extremely reliable. The three (5 cylinder) engine flavors are normally aspirated, light turbo (GLT) and turbo. I use regular unleaded gas, accelerate moderately on back roads and occasionally heavy to pass on the highway. I have had no noise or performance issues at all, but there are some here who swear by higher octane. Look for a car with a service history, since there are high ticket items, you want to know what has been done, and these cars require regular maintenance. There are some issues confined to certain years, from what I have heard. I believe the ABS module problem is for years after mine ('95), while the air conditioner condenser goes more in the earlier cars (according to my indie - this seems to be controversial). I believe from what Vic has written that the ABS modules that fail were engineered poorly and have some undersized components (hence the heat issue mentioned). My first reaction when I got in the engine compartment was "this is really tight". Since then I have worked on several items (but not the timing belt) in the engine bay and I have gotten used to it. The car is built well and is actually, shall I say, fun to work on?







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