Howdy,

I just bought a '93 Volvo 850, it is in really nice cosmetic condition (off white color with beige leather interior), and seems to run well.

It has (are you all sitting down) 226,000 miles on it. Some of you are wondering what would possess someone to buy such a vehicle... I am a small used car dealer, and do not like to tie up $$ in personal vehicles, and have good relationships with mechanics. I currently drive a 2 door '93 Acura Integra, which, since I have a 1 year old girl seems kinda impractical. Anyway, my reason for posting:

I was wondering what do I need to pay special attention to. I have looked around and haven't seen anything obvious, I of course will be changing the timing belt since I read it is an interference engine, but are there any other pitfalls I should be aware of?

Any help would be appreciated. Anyone have an 850 with more miles on it than me?

I've got less than 80K on my '93 but its been great except for the evaporator last year (common to all 850's). The sway bar bushings gave me trouble with clunkiness at low speeds, but thats all taken care of with an aftermarket solid urethane bushing set. The timing belt belt was not a bad DIY, in fact the routine maintenance is actually pretty easy - visit volvospeed.com bay13 for excellent maintenance instructions. Only people used to RWD will grumble much because its all different. Much easier to work on than my previous Volvo, '82 240 Turbo. People give the '93's a bad rap because of trans failures but I honestly see other years having trans problems at the same rate now that the PNP switch has been discovered as a common fail point. The engines have been proven very durable. The little body hardware and interior stuff will probably be the most annoying, besides the inevitable big bill for the AC evaporator replacement, I'm sorry to say it happens to them all.

Mike H. II '93 850GLT '98 V70

Before you replaced the evaporator, did you explore the possibility of recharging it with a R134a refrigirant kit? I've heard its cheap and reliable, apply 3 times/year and it costs $30 a kit. Have u heard this info, or was ur evaporator too far gone. BTW, how much did the replacement cost, b/c my '93 might need it soon.

I did consider recharging it myself but I got an $80 recharge at a local shop including the dye. A few weeks later I pulled out some pieces below the dash to be able to view the evaporator with a black light and there was no doubt I had a large leak. So, I had the local dealer replace the evap since I intended to keep the car 5 more years. They did the job for $1,000 w/1 year warranty no squeaks or rattles afterwards and a loaner for the few days it was in the shop. All in all a fair deal since I know how complicated the job is. Only thing is, if I need a replacement before 5 years the car will be sold no matter how well it's running.

Mike H. II '93 850GLT '98 V70

I did the recharge kit and also added a sealant that i picked up at ... Walmart.

Might be worth a shot.

Shawn

To do the sealant/recharge yourself how much time will it take for a first timer following instructions. Are there any special tools involved, b/c i'd like to go the sealant/recharge route before even thinking of spending $1000!

Our '93 850 has a lot less miles and yours may have already gone through these problems but here goes. Auto trans is prone to failure late in warrenty period. Sway bar bushings came apart, causing thumping in front end. After 2 replacements early on, there was an updated part. There is a spot in the engine compartment that accumulates water when passing through puddles. This water gets dumped on accessory belt, causing slippage and loss of power steering. Corrected by Service Bulletin. Reverse lockout switch is prone to failure. The 4 bolt wheel pattern is unique to '93. Not a problem, just a PITA to get extra wheels. Again, most of these problems cropped up before 100K miles for us. Good luck

Skip

Thanks, I was wondering what the symptoms were for the Auto Trans failure? Currently the car seems to shift fine, however the little arrow light is flashing, which according to the manual means the electrical part of the trans has a problem. I assumed this was due to the fact that the sport/econ switch was bad (it is obviously broken), but am now not so sure.

Any hints on where in the engine compartment the water accumulates, or what I should look for to check it has been fixed? I will have my mechanic check the sway bar bushings, but it seemed to steer and drive great.

Yeah, heard that there are quite a few things unique to the '93, already have found that the headlight lenses are unique.

Thanks for all the great info.

Ed

Your 93 also has unique bumpers and heater control dials.

I have a 96 GLT with 125,500 on it. Although I like the car, mine has been nothing but a money pit. I have had the rear main seal go, the alternator, the seat heaters, the radiator cooling fan, the ABS control module, a leaky sunroof, bad power antenna, peeling door panels, trim coming lose around windshield, paint coming off roof rails, broken motor mounts, bad thermostat, bad drivers side wiper, HVAC system acts up from time to time, guages went nuts a few times etc. etc. All maintenance has been performed as regularly scheduled and the car is in excellent visual condition otherwise.

This probably won't help you feel any better, but EVERYBODY's roof rails peel. Just a bonehead design.
--
-- Bruce / '82 244 (315k miles!), '86 745, '87 760Ti, '94 854

I LOVE MY 93 850 W/ 94 K ON IT,

I HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING TROUBLE;
ROOF RAILS PEELED
FRONT END FIXED 168.00
AC LEAKS BUT I RECHARGE MY SELF 3 TIMES A YEAR 50.00
THE INGTION TUMBLE CAME OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN 160.00
THERMOSTAT FAILED 160.00
SEAT BACK CABLE FAILED 200.00
HEATED SEAT (DONT WORK) WHO CARES
RUNS ROUGH (NO FIX YET)
STALLS ALL OF A SUDDEN, SCARY!!!
REPLACED TIMING BELT 220.00

DID ALL MAINTANCE LOST TRACK OF THE MONEY,

HOWEVER, WITH ALL THE TROUBLE, THE CAR IS SUPER CLASSY,
MY GOOD FREIND WAS IN A REALLY BAD ACCIDENT,
HIS 850 SAVED HIS LIFE,