I've been traveling a lot lately due to visit ill parents and most recently, a funeral. 1400 mile trip last week, with a one-day turn around to a 1200 miler. Now I'm looking at the 1400 mile trip again in a week. (round trip numbers)

The 855T is not holding up well. Leaving out the headliner that needs replacing, I'm now facing the following with little time for DIY and no desire to pay for the repairs.

Starter failing, (grinds on after starting)
Control arms, (ball joints shot)
Struts, mounts, seats, etc.
Dashboard mounts broken,
AC compressor died (might be fuse? Hope so)
Smoking during prolonged idling. (Just passed inspection too)

The smoking became very noticeable during a long 11 mile backup on I-40 for an accident. Creeping along I noticed a cloud of oil smoke in the mirror that cleared up once underway. Also had a burned oil smell in the cabin. Did not overheat.

The AC wasn't working well during a trip this week so I recharged with a couple of cans of R134. They had the "stop leak" stuff in them so the system could be plugged. ??

The car has 183,000 miles on it and frankly, isn't worth what a shop would charge for all the above work. I can DIY but don't have the time. Still looks good, drives great, but might be time to unload it and go for a mini-van since we're now 3 adults, one with a new hip and our two 5'11" kids.

I might have to make time for overnight repair sessions before finances allow for a replacement vehicle.

For traveling I see the control arms, oil smoke and AC as mandatory. I'm in I'm in the south. Opinions please.

Erwin

Hmmm It's the devil you know vs the devil you don't know.
How many miles in a minivan before it's ready for the dump?
Will they make 80-100K miles?
You pay either way.

Sometimes people just get "new car fever" and need to swap cars because
the windshield wipers wore out.

Time and money, items that are often scarce. Control arms first, the most important of your punch list. Give yourself a couple of hours and you can replace them - but they are not cheap.

Starter is not as hard as it looks, just make sure you pull the ground off the battery. Get one from a junk yard, 1994-2000 850/70 5 cyls.

Smoking exhaust while idling, forget about it! Most likely your valve stem seals are worn and the intake vacuum is pulling up oil fumes. Not a 'real' problem and the only fix it to pull the head. Let it smoke!

Shocks/struts. If you go the cheap route and use OEM shocks/struts, get XC90 seats, find a spring compressor, figure 2-4 hours to replace. Plus an alignment afterwards.

The AC: I suggest your compressor clutch is worn. The 'bread clip' fix really does work. If you don't have 3 bread clips, make some from an old credit card or very thin sheet metal. Just glue them to the clutch plate and you will be cold again in no time. About 45 minutes total time - take a while for the glue to set.

Dashboard mounts. Oh well, that does take a lot of time and is frustrating. A shop will charge you a lot for that. Just make sure that the two lower bolts, one on each side are tight and avoid the expansion bumps!!!

Klaus
--
My name is Klaus and I am a V ♂ lv ♂ holic

For safety I agree that the control arms are first. I sure would like to do the struts, seats, etc, at the same time and not pay for two alignments.

Smoking, I figured it was guide seals. High vacuum at idle, classic symptom. I've done the job on other engines but don't want to pull this head and deal with the valve springs and sealing the top half over the camshafts. Maybe a U-pull-it head if I can find a low mile donor.

The smoking is going to kill the Cat so this car is on life support as far as I'm concerned. It may be partially plugged now as I notice that the engine feels as though it's pulling a heavier load. Not as zippy. 80mph cruising at about 2800rpm but more throttle is needed than I recall.

It's also time to check the turbo plumbing. I notice going to full boost when passing from 60-80mph, but with a steady throttle, the pressure, while remaining positive, drops a bit then recovers. By full boost, I mean that the the gauge goes to within about 1/8" from the end of the scale.

I'll check the AC clutch. Sounds like a junk yard visit tomorrow for a closer look at one.

Kroger has plenty of bread clips. ;^) Good thing tomorrow is grocery day.

Thanks as always,

Erwin

Doing both control arms probably does not require an alignment, unless you had it aligned with worn bushings already.

Getting a head from a junk yard is just as much work as removing yours and getting it refurbished. Lots of new bolts and RTV to put the 3 pieces back together. Quite a lengthy job.

When I did my compressor clutch, I first measured the gap with a feeler gauge. It was around .040 and should have been closer to .020. The thickness of the bread clip is about .020-.015, so that becomes perfect. My car was missing the splash shield/air guide, so sliding under and looking at the clutch was very easy. The clutch pushes in quite easily at each post.

You perception of 'harder' to maintain speed might just be a balky and hard to move throttle cable. My cable touched the hood and created a small rusty hole in the seathing, I guess the cable itself also got a little rusty.

--
My name is Klaus and I am a V ♂ lv ♂ holic

Last time I had it aligned they had to use a camber kit, aka eccentric bolts, on the lower end of the struts, to pull it in. I suspect now that they missed the ball joints or bushings going south. My front tires have always worn the outer edges faster than the inner, which I try and manage with frequent rotation. It could have something to do with my cornering habits. ;^) Leigh, my wife, frequently assumes the crash position when riding with me. 8^0

I'll report back with any other information after I get a closer look at things.

Cheers,

Erwin

My 850 was also eating the outside edge of its tires.

My alignment shop discovered that the rear was out and that apparently was the cause. If you end up having it aligned do the rear too.

A shop would charge around $3,000+ for all that work. With the commute mile you should consider something more reliable and less expensive. Our 850 is 19 years old and, yes I love it, but I know nothing last forever. I'm now second guessing all the money I put in over the last three years. It did extend the life, but I know something will fail again and then I will go through the "should I fix it" head game. Good luck.