850 1996. First car...some questions

playdoh850 · Post by **playdoh850** » 15 Jan 2010, 01:11

Hello. Just bought a 96 850 non turbo sedan with a 131,000 miles on it. It had sat in a driveway from June until I got it a little after Christmas for $1000. The body of the car is very solid with no rust and the engine seems to run great too. I just have a few questions about it.
First, what things should I really check since it hadn't been driven for about 6 months. I already replaced the oil and oil filter and all the fluid levels. Second is there are a few small issues I have noticed while driving, the radio gets terrible FM reception, does anybody else have this problem or know the solution? Another issue I have noticed is that the reverse lights are either really dim or don't even come on, what is the most likely cause of this? When I open the doors no lights come on inside the car making it hard to see at night. The little lights on the door come on and nothing else. Besides these small things the car seems great. I know that the timing belt should be replaced at 140,000 miles, is there anything else that is necessary to be replaced?? I am a full time student and have limited money so the cheapest solutions would be appreciated.
Any help would be great.

Post by **phils94850** » 15 Jan 2010, 01:27

playdoh,

welcome to the site ! first and foremost, make sure the timing belt has been changed. It needs to be changed at every 70k miles. since you have over 130k this time around youll need to probably replace the timing belt, waterpump, tensioner, and idler. The vendors on here sell these parts as a kit. The timing belt is the heart of the engine, if it breaks, you have a 3000lb paperweight.

As far as your radio reception, it could be the radio itself or the antenna. Does the antenna extend all the way up ? If not, try and get it fully extended and it should pick up better. The interior lights are controlled by the switch on the overhead console. The swich has to be over to the right towards the pass. side to make the lights come on when the doors are open. Also check your fuses. hope this helps ya and again welcome keep us posted on your progress..

Post by **jblackburn** » 15 Jan 2010, 08:24

+1 on the timing belt. So yes, assuming the antenna goes all the way up & there is no problem there...pull the radio out (there are little tabs on each side that if you push in will pop out and allow you to pull it out) and check the wiring in the back of it. If that looks ok, check the wiring at the access panel to the power antenna in the trunk.

The lights, I'm betting your problem is as simple as moving the top switch on the roof panel to the 'door' position.

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 15 Jan 2010, 10:13

Great advice from the top posters...TIMING BELT....must be checked.....not something to go lax on...alot of forum members have done the timing belt themselves ...there's a step by step instructions on the forum..if you're interested in doing this yourself just search for it...and SAVE ALOOOOTTT of money.....because hey ..we're all strapped for cash these days of the great recession

I wish you many,10+ =)

, years of happy motoring

osmium · Post by **osmium** » 15 Jan 2010, 12:01

playdoh850 wrote:Hello. Just bought a 96 850 non turbo sedan with a 131,000 miles on it. It had sat in a driveway from June until I got it a little after Christmas for $1000. The body of the car is very solid with no rust and the engine seems to run great too. I just have a few questions about it.
First, what things should I really check since it hadn't been driven for about 6 months. I already replaced the oil and oil filter and all the fluid levels. Second is there are a few small issues I have noticed while driving, the radio gets terrible FM reception, does anybody else have this problem or know the solution? Another issue I have noticed is that the reverse lights are either really dim or don't even come on, what is the most likely cause of this? When I open the doors no lights come on inside the car making it hard to see at night. The little lights on the door come on and nothing else. Besides these small things the car seems great. I know that the timing belt should be replaced at 140,000 miles, is there anything else that is necessary to be replaced?? I am a full time student and have limited money so the cheapest solutions would be appreciated.
Any help would be great.

I've have the exact same problem with the radio on my 850. Sometimes the reception goes away.

I found that if I just pulled the radio out slightly, the reception improved dramatically. On mine I found that the black connector that's on the right side on the back of the radio was/is the culprit. It was a bit loose/stressed. Pulling the radio a bit out restored the connection.

When the weather gets warmer, I'm going to find a way to secure it.

-os

playdoh850 · Post by **playdoh850** » 15 Jan 2010, 12:36

Thanks for all the help. I think the antenna is extending all the way.. but I'm not entirely sure. It seems to come about a foot out of the trunk. Is that the full way?? Ill check some connections later today. As for the timing belt i just started working so I'm going to save and see if i can get that done before fall.

FCPEURO · Post by **FCPEURO** » 15 Jan 2010, 12:51

It should come out more then a foot. It should extend out about 2 feet from the base of the antenna. When you have the radio on, try and pull it out the rest of the way. You may need to replace the antenna mast, it goes from time to time. You can find it here. If you do a search on the forum, you will find a how to to replace it.

As for the timing belt, I would do it as soon as possible. It is not hard to do and everyone here is more then happy to help walk you through any issues you may run into. You can find the kit that was mentioned above here.

playdoh850 · Post by **playdoh850** » 17 Jan 2010, 16:55

Alright. havent got to messing with the radio yet, but I did try the lights and even with the switch set to the right the lights in the car don't come on when I open the doors. Any idea whats wrong?

Post by **phils94850** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:06

look in the door jam, there should be a switch when you open the door it activates. Do the lights come on when you open the pass. side door ? If not, check your fuses also...

Post by **jblackburn** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:11

On these, Volvo decided to be creative and put the switches in the door latch for whatever ingenious reason instead of a normal button like any other car

I'd say check fuses. I'm not sure if the interior lighting is on the same fuse as the red lights on the door...but most likely if they're coming on, the switches in the doors are fine. Do the lights come on at all if you push the individual buttons for them?

I got a penny shoved in my Buick's cigarette lighter one time, and it kept blowing the fuse for the interior lighting and I couldn't figure out why.