Hey Guys and Gals:

The "check engine" light came on in my 850 and I need to know how to turn it off. It just turned 85k and the "engine service" light came on for about 100 miles, but it would always turn off in about 5-10 minutes, and now the "check engine" light has joined in. I meticulously maintain all my vehicles so I know it's for the people that don't. Rather than pull the light can anyone tell me where the reset is for both these instrument lights.

Thanks!!

Henry

82/260gle, 84/240gl(long gone),85/740gle-350k (in central america),92/940gl-230k (brother just bought it),97/850-85k, 98/S70-82k.

You didn't mention the year of your 850, but you have several options and some of them won't cost you a dime.

For early models, go to www.volvospeed.com and check out the instructions in "Bay 13." This is under the repair section and not only contains instructions for reseting the light, but how to read the codes. This works 93-95 850s.

If your 850 is 1995 or newer, you can reset the check engine indicator with an OBDII scanner. You can check to see if your's is OBDII compliant by looking for the sticker under the hood, or the connection on the center console. The conection is hidden under the coin holder labled OBDII. I have a 1995 850 and I use the Actron scanner that I purchased for $139 at a local auto parts store. It reads and clears codes on ANY OBDII compliant vehicle. This means I can use it on my wife's 2004 GMC as well as our 1996 Chrysler T&C.

Your other option is to visit your local auto parts store and ask them to read and clear the codes for you. Most of the national auto parts chains now offer this service at no charge. This can be helpful if you are dealing with a stray code that popped up once, but isn't an indicator of a real problem.

Thanks to all for all the great info!!!

Henry

The Harbor Freight one also resets the codes if they don't stay with the first four readings. I have one ($39) and it works just fine. It will not reset the service light but my dealer will do that for nothing.

The CE Light is on because the ECU computer has detected a fault(s) in (usually) an emission related component or possibly ABS, tranny or SRS system. You need to have the system "read" with a code reader to find out where the problem is and repair it.. It probably has nothing to do with routine maintance items. The "service" light just reminds you that it's time for an oil change etc. Resetting it requires a ~$150. additional tool. Sorry. The cheap was is to buy some black electrical tape at Home Depot and cover it or pay a mechanic to reset it for you. They got ya.

bl

Thanks for the info. Do you know where I can buy the tool.

H.

My "Check engine" light has been on for 4 years (96, 850). When it first went on I took it to a Volvo dealer and he told me it was one of 4 EGR sensors that "may" be bad. I asked if it was something I should be concerned about and he said it will have no influence on the cars performance or the engines reliability - and thats comeing fro a dealer! I checked with 3 other shops that specialize in Volvos and they basically said the same thing. I have not had a problem. One thing to note - dependeding on where you live, annual state inspections require that the car passes emmission levels and can not have a "Check Enigine" light on. A simple fix - disconect the battery and reconnect in 10 minutes. This erases the memory for about 200 miles - the "Check Engine light goes away for a short while - long enough to get her inspected (and figuer out how to re-program your radio). Good Luck!

If you have access to a laptop (basically most any PC will work) you may want to look at Alex Peper's OBD II software. Your car must be 96 or later and be OBD II compliant. The 96 850 had an OBD II hookup in front of the shift lever on the console under the coin holder. This software reads your CE codes and does a lot of other stuff as well such as displaying real time engine parameters. You sound like you're really " in to" taking care of your cars so you may like this package that sells for ~ $130. I think which is less than a lot of the higher end scan tools. With his system, you buy the connector and cable from him and download the software from his site. OBD-2.com

bl

If your 850 is OBD II Compliant, You can pick up a simple scanner at Harbor Freight that will display the error codes and let you clear the error codes for $49. If you want a scanner that can also give you sensor readings, plan on spending about $200.

Auto parts store,ebay