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95 volvo wagon 850 fwd 5 cyl. reputation and LR caliper problem 850

hi volvo fwd sages- have a 92 245 rwd, but friend just acquired a 95 850 wagon. curious as hell about the reputation of this car as to durability, etc. seems this model is not too common. went over it on weekend . found mostly ok. LR brake caliper pistons appear to be retracting too slowly or are stuck. brake will operate and car is driveable. noticed something strange- with wheel on hub wheel spins freely. footbrake has normal grab and release.pads are good as is rotor. but when the wheel is off rotor is very difficult to turn. figure caliper is ng. caliper is held on by two mounting bolts. concerned they may bust if wrenched since there is rust. appears the bolts go through the mounting bracket and then screw into the caliper which if correct wouldnt make any difference if the bolts bust off. how about your best advice. is my analysis correct. thanks tons oldduke








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    95 volvo wagon 850 fwd 5 cyl. reputation and LR caliper problem 850

    The 850 calipers are pretty robust and unless it is truely not releasing, I would leave it alone. But do flush the brake fluid! There is plenty of bad fluid next to the caliper. DOT4.

    As to the wheel turning and not the rotor, just the weight of the wheel will do it. Remember, the parking brake shoes are also in the hat.

    The 1995 850 is a great car. The drivers window can rattle when slammed shut because the window rail breaks off. Or the door stay can break. The electronic climate control can be a minor challeng, but the 1995 has OBDI boxes on the right front fender.

    BTW, I have never had a problem with caliper bolts. Those brass brakeline fittings at the caliper are a different story.
    --
    My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat








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    95 volvo wagon 850 fwd 5 cyl. reputation and LR caliper problem 850

    I had rear brake issues for quite a while on my 850 (fast but uneven wear, dragging caliper, wheel hot to the touch) and after a bunch of work the thing that really fixed it was new calipers and new brake lines.

    The caliper bolts are stout and will come off with the application of a torch. I heated mine up, soaked with PB blaster and repeated this process a few times for them to finally break loose.

    I had a 83' 242 Turbo for 6 years/50k miles and it was a great car. I still miss driving it vs the 850 Turbo (8 years 95k miles) but in pretty much every way the 850 has been better daily driver.

    Faster
    More comfortable
    Quieter
    Better mileage
    Better handling (stock vs stock)
    ABS
    Great in snow

    With that said I still miss sliding that 242 turbo around a corner in 2nd gear right as the boost kicked in!








    --
    Zack 94' 850 Turbo Wagon (232k)








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    95 volvo wagon 850 fwd 5 cyl. reputation and LR caliper problem 850

    I have never broken a caliper mounting bolt. They are pretty tough. I'm not sure there is a problem with the caliper. The pads only retract a fraction on their own. The turning disk pushes them back too. After driving the car does the left rear hub feel warmer than the right rear ?

    I think the 5 cylinder motors are pretty reliable. My experience has been that the older cars could have more iffy sensors, which is what you would expect.

    Greg








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      95 volvo wagon 850 fwd 5 cyl. reputation and LR caliper problem 850

      hi greg- answer is no to your question. isnt it strange that the wheel spins freely when mounted, but the rotor is very tight when the wheel is off. never saw that on many brake jobs i have done. 3 car part stores said there are two LR calipers for that model, one has 10mm mounting bolts(2) and the other has 11mm mounting bolts. guessing that was a mid year change. will probably take out one bolt and try to match it up size wise. heads of all 4 bolts take a 13mm socket. car has a turbo. let me know if you have any other advice. thanks tons oldduke







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