Hi. I am trying to figure out how to retrofit a Cabin Air Filter for my wife's 1995 850T. Read all about bay13's instruction, if I'm not mistaken, on the older 850's this is not really a "Cabin Air Filter" per se. Bay13 calls it a "Pollen Filter" verses a true "Cabin Air Filter" equipped on the newer S80 & S40 models. The difference is the S40/80 "Cabin Air Filter" is located inside the car under the passenger side dash, and all the air from the blower filters through it regardless of the recirc mode, while the 850/S70 "Pollen Filter" lies under the hood and only filters the outside air entering the blower A/C system, and it would be totally bypassed when the "Recirc" mode is selected. Can you experts out there confirm is this true for all the 850's & S/V70 series? Is there a way to put in a real Cabin Filter for the 850/S70 series?

Anyway, following the Bay13 steps, I opened up the hood, checked the cowl at the bottom of the front windshield on the passenger side, and sure enough there's a empty space for the filter. And beneath the empty space, there's plastic piece on top of the blower, with part number 6802305. Can someone with a parts list tell me what this piece is? Is it the filter housing? Or do I need to buy something to hold the new pollen filter? What confuses me is according to the Bay13 pictures below the filter does not seem to have a casing, just a clip/fastener. FCPFroton sells two parts for "850 Cabin Air Filter", "9171296 ACC Cabin Fresh Air Filter $15.00 Made in Germany" & "9488525 ACC Cabin Filter Retainer $15.50 Genuine Volvo", while someone selling a retro kit for 850 Cabin Air Filter on Ebay are including a casing and a filter for about the same price. Help! Do I need the retainer/casing/housing? Would someone who has experience with the filter retro can clear this up please, much appreciated.

Rick 1995 850T 82K

P.S. Here's link to the retro kit for sell on Ebay "VOLVO 850 CABIN FILTER RETROFIT KIT, OEM" http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33547&item=2451285208

Thanks for the help. Will go ahead and buy one of the retro kit. The A/C EVAP on the car was replaced in 1997 under warranty, but in the last couple of years seems to need often freon refills (once per year). I guess that's still "normal" for a six year old system. Hopefully the filter will prolong the EVAP life, in additional to the benefit of fresher air.

1995 850T 82K

Rick you need both the new retainer and the new filter, both those pieces listed there at FCPGroton.com under their tune-up section for the 850. The plastic piece you found in there already will come out and be replaced by the new retainer. That plastic piece you found is simply a water shield to keep rain or car wash water from free flowing into the air inlet and getting everything soaked. Both pieces from Groton should run you about $30 total. I think its common to normally run the A/C in the Recirculation mode, so you're only cooling the internal air of the cabin instead of forcing the A/C to take in outside air and cool it and force out the cabin air. So the Recirc light is normally ON when only cooling the recirculated cabin air. I think the only time you flush out the cabin air is after somebody farts anyway or your car interior stinks for some other reason.

Mike

You are correct about the recirc mode and the filter in the 850. When in recirc, the filter is bypassed.

There is one other potential thing to know about. A few years ago, Volvo changed their filter design for the 850 to include an activated carbon element in addition to particulate filtration. This newer design helps to eliminate exhaust odor intrusion, etc. But it is a slightly different size and costs more. Just make sure the housing/retainer you get conforms to this later design.

Gerald C

Rick--I installed a cabin air filter in my 97 850 wagon some years ago. At the time, I ordered both the retainer and filter from Volvo. When I pried up the black plastic surround on the passenger side to see what was there, it was the oval shaped retainer. It popped right out, the rectangular one popped back in, and the filter snapped down into the top of the new retainer. Absolutely no problem.

Then, two years later, I learned about the carbon filter. Because the activated charcoal in the later model filter removed a lot more contaminants than the regular filter, I decided to spring for one. And, I ran into the whole mess of a different size retainer, etc. etc. I phoned numerous Volvo dealers and had parts people say the carbon filter was bigger different smaller and you needed a new retainer, and other parts people saying it was exactly the same size. I finally said to heck with it and told the parts people to send me both a carbon filter and a retainer to fit. The retainer was only a few bucks, the carbon filter considerably more. When they came I popped the hood, lifted up the plastic on the passenger side, and Lo! the expensive carbon filter was an exact match for the older pollen filter I took out. Now I have a spare retainer kicking around in my basement.

If you're really worried about the fit, just tell parts you want the retainer that will accept the carbon filter. The carbon filter was a 70 series accessory and Volvo did not go to any trouble to change that retainer when they upgraded the 850 to the 70.

The 850 I shipped to Norway to my wife for her 2000 year present. The highways in southern Norway (and most other places as well) are nothing but tunnels bored through moutains every couple of miles . You can really tell the difference between the standard pollen filter and the carbon filter when you run into a tunnel with a gray haze on the inside. Only on very long tunnels, those around two kilometers or more, did I detect any noticeable odor inside the car with the carbon filter installed. With the pollen filter you noticed it almost immediately.

By all means spring for the carbon filter. It will even take care of the rotten egg smell from the burned out catalytic converter on the car ahead of you. Dick

The only filter type available for an 850 goes under the hood in the spot you found. If the hole is square shaped, you just need the filter. If oval, you need the adapter too. The filter is rectangular and just drops and/or snaps into the retainer. There was a size incompatibility issue some years back, so the kit is your safest bet.