asimba2's 850 Turbo thread

Post by **asimba2** » 09 Jan 2012, 15:23

I picked up a 1995 850 Turbo in December 2011. The intent was to have a cheap commuter car, but as it turns out, the car is nice to drive. It needs some things, which I will chronicle here.

The car was very dirty inside and out. I did some cleanup and was amazed how nice the car was underneath all the accumulated debris stuck to the paint. Honestly, I would have paid more for the car the previous owner at least made an attempt to clean it up prior to sale.

Her loss.

After MUCH cleaning, here is the result:

Mechanical repairs coming up...

Post by **asimba2** » 09 Jan 2012, 15:26

Made a few recent improvements.
-fixed broken brake light switch
-replaced the burned out instrument lights
-replaced the burned out switch illumination
-replaced trunk struts
-leather lotioned the seats (front seats need new skins though)
-thoroughly cleaned door jams and engine compartment
-fixed broken ECU lid and replaced ECU vent tube
-stripped roof rails and coated with Plasti-Dip

Post by **asimba2** » 16 Jan 2012, 22:58

I was able to knock another repair off the list, replacing the inner and outer CV boots on the driver's side. This is a job I was very much not looking forward to as I always seem to struggle with ball joints. It didn't particularly start out well as I was unable to remove the axle nut without stopping by a friend's house and using his impact wrench. And of course I did struggle a bit with the ball joint, it didn't want to separate until I used the 4' pipe breaker bar to pry between the knuckle and the A-arm.

I do not recall the writeups mentioning the need for a CV boot tool or Oetiker clamp tool, so off to O'Reily's for that. The final productivity killer was the Empi boot kit came with the wrong clamp for the outer boot--it was far too small to fit around the boot. That left the car on jackstands for a few days until the correct clamp came by mail.

This is the first time I have worked on anything other than a Japanese vehicle, so the repair wasn't without a learning curve. Now I am more prepared for the work I still have remaining.

I also took the opportunity to drain as much transmission fluid as I could to begin the "drain and refill" type of trans flush. After draining, refilling, going for a short drive and getting the fluid to the correct level, the trans ended up taking most of the 1 gallon container of fluid. I will drive it 100-200 miles then change it out again.

Finally I used some scratch remover and wax and finished cleaning up the outside. I can't believe how nicely the car has cleaned up...the car had a lot of build-up on the paint from infrequent cleaning/waxing by the previous owner. Much of the little scratches are now gone.

I didn't mention earlier that I will be taking this car on a several thousand mile trip this summer, so I'm trying to address all maintenance items well before the trip.

Post by **jblackburn** » 17 Jan 2012, 00:48

The paint looks beautiful (and I don't even like white cars)!

I'm glad to see an good old 850 getting the TLC I'm sure it needs. Keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll have a keeper for many years to come

P.S. Your garage is WAY too clean. My parents can barely fit the one working car they keep in their 3-car garage in without a bit of maneuvering. Judging by the amount of stuff I've accumulated in a townhouse, mine will probably be similar when I end up with a house too

Post by **asimba2** » 17 Jan 2012, 08:46

The garage does appear to be clean, however you can't see the cr*p stacked up everywhere. I was one of those people that said I would never clutter my garage, then you become a homeowner and it instantly fills with yard care equipment, scrap wood, tools, bikes, car repair stuff, etc. It's amazing how quickly you can fill a garage!

This car was literally headed to the scrapper. There were several repairs needed that exceeded the value of the car, so I was able to get a really good deal on it. I will be doing the PCV job in the coming weeks, then the major repairs left (that I know of) include the dashboard mount repair and trying to find some new leather skins for the front seats.

Black cars sure look beautiful when they're clean but they are so difficult to keep them that way!

Post by **xHeart** » 17 Jan 2012, 09:44

Wow!!!

Post by **matthew1** » 17 Jan 2012, 11:30

Beautiful, Asimba! I'm in full agreement with xHeart: WOW.

D_V_ENT850R · Post by **D_V_ENT850R** » 17 Jan 2012, 17:04

Very nice looking find! I'd say makes sure the PCV system doesn't get overlooked also when you change the oil get a oil cap seal. Common leak misdiagnosed or just missed completely! Should be changed every other oil change or every one if you decide!

Post by **chill75** » 17 Jan 2012, 19:11

It certainly cleaned up nicely, huh?
In case you didn't already know, skins are available from elwoodindustries.com;
$180 for the seat bottom, etc. I believe there's a thread here on the MVS site.
Upload some interior pics when you finish it?
chill75

Post by **asimba2** » 25 Jan 2012, 13:56

chill75 wrote:It certainly cleaned up nicely, huh?
In case you didn't already know, skins are available from elwoodindustries.com;
$180 for the seat bottom, etc. I believe there's a thread here on the MVS site.
Upload some interior pics when you finish it?
chill75

I bookmarked that site, thank you. The passenger's seat might be repairable with the leathermagic kit. There is one 3" tear but I've seen worse that was successfully repaired. The driver's is beyond repair, so if I can't find another skin that is repairable I will probably go with the elwood one.

The stains on the floor mats cleaned right up.