'94 850 Turbo. Timing Belt- checking?

[AnnaCB]

Hello again!

Considering some small (as well as some not-so-small) things the buyer didn't tell me when I bought my 850 recently, I've gotten to wondering about things they might have been untruthful about. Barring that, I just want to double check everything they might've been wrong about that they told me.

The most important thing I can think of right now is the timing belt. There's a sticker on the box stating that it was changed out within the last 30k, but I wanted to know if there is a way to check it myself, and what I ought to be looking for in order to determine how soon it ought to be changed out.

Most everything else (especially the stuff that can be seen or gotten to by removing only one or two things) has been checked by either myself or my more experienced amateur mechanic family member. Is there a list of things I should be looking very carefully at in order to avoid anything catastrophic?

Hell, while I'm at it- do 850's actually need premium fuel? I've read it in a few places, and now I'm wondering.

[firekiller75]

Hello again!

Considering some small (as well as some not-so-small) things the buyer didn't tell me when I bought my 850 recently, I've gotten to wondering about things they might have been untruthful about. Barring that, I just want to double check everything they might've been wrong about that they told me.

The most important thing I can think of right now is the timing belt. There's a sticker on the box stating that it was changed out within the last 30k, but I wanted to know if there is a way to check it myself, and what I ought to be looking for in order to determine how soon it ought to be changed out.

Most everything else (especially the stuff that can be seen or gotten to by removing only one or two things) has been checked by either myself or my more experienced amateur mechanic family member. Is there a list of things I should be looking very carefully at in order to avoid anything catastrophic?

Hell, while I'm at it- do 850's actually need premium fuel? I've read it in a few places, and now I'm wondering.

Is the sticker on the vehicle a silver one with a rough diagram of the timing belt? If so, that's a Volvo decal. Perhaps it was changed at the dealer, they would definitely be able to confirm if any Volvo dealer did the work. Otherwise, as far as I know, there's no way to tell by looking at the belt after 30k miles. It would normally have some wear and such. Would definitely recommend changing it if the dealer cannot confirm the work.

I don't think all 850's need premium fuel, but I think it is recommended in the turbos!

[AnnaCB]

Thanks for the reply!

I've been a little paranoid about the belt since I got it. I'll check the maintenance book in the car and see if it says anything, since I've tracked down the last few mechanics that've worked on this car thanks to receipts and such. They did a lot of major maintenance but not the belt.

As far as putting premium fuel in turbos, is there a page anywhere that has more info on that? I'm trying to figure out if it's going to improve engine life, or just performance, or what...

[Ozark Lee]

The turbo will run OK with regular but it is real tough on the exhaust valves. Having to have the head pulled and new valves installed eats up any savings, hundreds of times over, that you might get buy purchasing regular gas.

I get by with 89 octane (mid-grade) in my turbo around town but I treat it to 91 octane on longer trips.

...Lee

[AnnaCB]

Okay, so I'm relatively convinced that premium octane will be the best for me, last question on that note is this:
Do I top it off with premium as I go along? I don't normally wait until my tank is near empty to fill up. Should I do that in this case so I don't mix premium with mostly regular, or is it GOOD to ease the car into it?

[Ozark Lee]

It doesn't matter, the fuels mix just fine.

...Lee