Drove the 97 855 GLT today I'm interested in. Not a peach, but in pretty nice shape for 184K. Has a rear end clunk which I'm not too worried about. Sounds like the shock mount could be the problem, as noted in another recent post.

My real concern with this car is an oil leak. Didn't have time to investigate today, but it appears to be coming down from the front of the engine compartment, driver's side. Didn't check to see if it is tranny or motor oil. That is the side with tranny, so I'm guessing it could be the dreaded 850 rear main seal leak. What do you guys think?

BTW - The price is right so that's why I'm considering the car.

Also, I will take it to my mechanic to get it checked out if I get serious about it....

Any help is appreciated!

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90 244DL 267k :)

Hi there,

It is sure that 184K miles sounds alot but a good compression test on the engine will tell you more than anything else about the car. If the engine is in a fairly good condition (i,e: good compression), the rest of the car should be in the same condition, wich means the car has been properly maintained through the years.

Is the engine turbo or non-turbo? To be within the manufacturer specs, the compression should be at least 150 lbs for a turbo and 180 lbs for a non-turbo. Dont crank over than 5 compression strokes. If possible, record all strokes readings and let me know. Note that the compression should build up quickly in a healthy engine. Low compression on the first stroke, followed by gradually increasing pressure on sucessive strokes, indicates worn engine and the rest of the car will be without much doubt, in the same condition.

At least with that info, you will be able to make up your mind on it.

Keep us posted !
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Ken

The rear main seal is an expensive repair to start with on a low resale car like the 850 that allready has 184K miles. Unless they're giving it away or you can make the repairs yourself I'd wait for another deal. You're probably also looking at a new camm belt, tenshioner assy and water pump.

It is a one owner car - good - and there is a Volvo sticker under the hood stating the water pump was done at 136K. However, don't know the repair history so that does make me a little nervous.

If it is the rear main, I'm definitely going to pass on it. I know that is about a $1000 repair.

OTOH - The money lowdown is they are asking $2200, so I think I can buy it for maybe $1500-2000. If I can buy it for $1500, then maybe a rear main seal repair isn't the end of the world. The body is pretty good and the interior is good except for the worn leather on the driver's seat.

Probably a thumb's down, but I'll think about it...
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90 244DL 267k :)

Maybe a rear main seal leak. Not uncommon. I just had our 97 GLT Turbo done at 89K.

Fixit pretty much called it out, but if you can steal the car it might be worth your while if the rest of it is in decent shape. The 850 sure does not rack up the miles like the old 240's do that is for sure.

Mark

You absolutely got the 240 part right! :)

Nothing against 850's, but I haven't seen any 850's with 300K, 400K or 500K+ miles yet.
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90 244DL 267k :)

324,000 miles on my '93!

Lilitchpin,


Is your '93 850 an automatic or 5-speed? Almost all '93 850s with automatics will have had some sort of problems or failures by now.

I was telling Claude earlier that I have a '96 850 that just turned 73,000 miles yesterday. I may be more meticulous than most other members here on the Brickboard, because I wash it twice a week whether it needs it or not and store it in the garage once the snow and salt come to Vermont.

Well my AC is dead this year - needs a compressor. I think that might be function of time/miles and not model year.

Story of my automatic tranny 850 - about 125 mile tranny went, 1st owner donated to charity, local volvo dealer picked up, repaired tranny and wholesaled it to a used car lot who put it on ebay where I got it. No problems with tranny until at 285k miles, my son was driving and upper hose disconnected - the retaining clip had rusted through! Pumped out about 1/2 of the fluid on the way home. I refilled and prayed. Shortly after that, 4-5k miles, tranny slipped and it died. Now running on one that came from a 93 that had an engine fire at 140k miles. Yes I gambled on a used tranny but $1200 installed vs about twice that for rebuilt.

So my feeling is basically if a 93 is still running it has either had the tranny issue or it isn't going to unless fluid isn't changed or something happens - like loss of fluid.

You mention washing when salt out - I'm in mountains of NY and don't get to was that often. And niether of my 850s have rust (the other is a 94 manual 855 with 208k miles). One thing Volvo did right is rustproof!

BTW - wife is itching for a new Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV so I might have to get rid of one of the Volvos - and even with it's issues (currently need parking brake & struts & AC compressor) I think I'd rather keep the 93!

Am I nuts or what!

Breadboyy who posts here is over 400K I believe and I hope he makes it to half a million. He doesn't even do basic maitenance on time so it's very strange, but proof that these cars last too. To me the reason the 240 racks up miles is due to their age and long production run. With many, many used 850's out there that people are now buying up at reasonable sales prices, I believe we'll see more and more of them make it to very high miles...but you have to remember that they were only made for 5 years. How long was the 240 in production?
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

You make some good points!

I guess time will tell with 850's.

The 240's ran from 1975 - 1993.

No question that 240's are cheaper to run over the long haul though. Parts are cheaper and less maintenance is needed.

850's do drive nicer, of course!

my 1994 855M has just hit 324,000 one owner miles and has been hands down a more reliable, better performing car than past 240, 740, and 940's I have owned. Heck, it still has the original exhaust!

Don't let people scare you away from the 850, just be aware of the potential pitfalls. I think the manual tranny ones were overall more reliable, but that's mostly based on my own experience.

My rear main seal did not leak till 256k mi. at which time I figured it was a fitting time to replace the clutch so I was not too bummed about the expense.

Big ticket items: rear main seal; A/C evap, auto tranny (if they go bad). I have not heard of any of the engines going bad (unless poorly maintained) Mine still gets 28+mpg and burns a qt of oil every 1500 miles, just like when I bought it new!

Good luck,
Claude

Hey Claude,


You just hit 324,000 miles? Gee, my '96 850 automatic just turned 73,000 today (no that's not a typo, 73k original miles). I do use the car a lot on long trips during the summer, but once the snow starts falling I put it in the garage and do not expose it to salt! I'm also real anal with how many miles I put on it in a given week...

looks like we're at opposite ends of the spectrum. The last time my 850 saw a car wash was probably 8 years ago and it has never been stored inside, in spite of the Maine winters and salty roads. I am just now seeing rust develop on the rear tailgate and on a few other small spots. I have used the car to haul big stone blocks for a wall, tons of pressure treat for decking, you name it. It has held up to the worst sort of treatment and just keeps on ticking. Though I must admit I am right now in the middle of replacing the rear suspension trailing arm links, and that's going very slowly!

Keep babying your 850 and you'll be long tired of it before it wears out. Me, I just use it like I would a truck!

BR
Claude