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I may be getting 94 GLT wagon tomorrow 850

posted by  paddling brick on  Sun Oct 17 14:53 CST 2004
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last visit: Sun Jun 3 10:28 CST 2001
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I have been looking at a high mileage (over 200k) 850 wagon that I need to just drive around town in, nothing too flashy. Is the 850 know for the longevity that my 240 and 740 are known for?

I guess I should have come to the board first before sort of committing to buy. However, I am wanting to know specific problems with this type of car. I am use to 240 and 740 Volvos and have never owned an 850. Everything on this car seems fine expect the air conditioner isn't blowing cold. the paint looks good except for clear coat flaking on the roof. the manual transmission shifts great and the engine purrs like a kitten. the leather interior is fine as well. it does need tires which isn't a problem. the reason I bought it was because it was cheap. I truly believe the car will satisfy my needs (which aren't very great). Can anyone give me an overview of what else I should look for. Oh, the car appears maintained by the original owner.

One more thing, I am use to changing the timing belt myself. I have the special tool necessary for the 2 and 740 cars that IPD sell. Would this tool work on the 850 or is the layout different?

thanks for your comments.








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    I may be getting 94 GLT wagon tomorrow 850

    posted by  bob weber on  Mon Oct 18 04:20 CST 2004
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    last visit: Sat Sep 24 07:35 CST 2011
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    Hey Padding!

    I went the 850 route this years after years of 140s, 240s and 740s. The timing belt on the 850 is much more difficult than the b-230. It can be done, but I consider myself a fair to good Volvo home mechanic, yet I had my local garage do the belts on our two 850s. Your counterhold tool will not work. And if you make a mistake on the belt you could toast the engine!

    The good news is that a manual trans might be a good bet as many early 93 and 94 850s had auto trans failures. I would look for the rear main seal and clutch being done at least once on your car. If the air does not work it could be the ac evaporator which is very expensive to fix as the dash comes out to gain access.

    I got my current 93 850 for $900 and put $2000 in parts in it to make a really nice car. It still needs some front suspension work (you should check for that too) but I did the t-belt, water pump all tensioners, hoses, belts, tune up and all brakes, It has 171K but previous owner put a trans in at 160K - I flushed that too!

    Depending on the price you paid it sounds like a decent car!

    Bob Weber
    Hamilton Ohio Battleground Ohio eco depression state
    59 Volvos since 1979
    93 850 171K Dusty
    94 850 103K Ruby Redhawk
    88 740 175K Ella Blue
    86 240 147K Woody







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      I may be getting 94 GLT wagon tomorrow 850

      posted by  850 owner on  Mon Oct 18 07:22 CST 2004
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      last visit: Sun Sep 2 21:30 CST 2012
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      Sounds good if you're getting a good deal, you're not expecting a new car at 200k which is nice. Only concern I'd have is to check when the timing belt has been replaced. On a B230, you break a timing belt, you're just stranded...on the 850 you can bend valves and ruin things big time if that belt breaks. One of the best cars I ever had was an '88 244 with a broken A/C...wasn't a big deal. It might be a cheap fix (like something electrical), then again it could tbe the evaporator. Good luck!
      --
      '94 854 N/A.







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