'94 850 Wagon Non-Turbo rebuild

[dsawyer]

Hi All - I am about to rebuild my 2.4L engine in my '94 850 wagon (My first Volvo). I am capable but definitely a shade tree mechanic. I stumbled onto this forum while looking for parts, service manuals... etc.

I would like to ask you experts a few questions that do not seem to be readily available on the internet. (or my search tactics are weak)

1. Where is the best place to get parts? I have noticed that Volvo parts seem to be insanely expensive. I would like to find a place/site that will have all that I need (bearings, rings, seals, injectors, gaskets... etc) and keep a little money for dinner and feel confident with quality.

2. Can the non-turbo be converted into a turbo (without changing the engine entirely) or is the turbo engine configured differently? If it can where can the parts be located?

PS I will be pulling the engine and performing a complete rebuild so any other advice will be appreciated as well!

[jblackburn]

1. Where is the best place to get parts? I have noticed that Volvo parts seem to be insanely expensive. I would like to find a place/site that will have all that I need (bearings, rings, seals, injectors, gaskets... etc) and keep a little money for dinner and feel confident with quality.

Give Darrell Waltrip Volvo a call. Ask for Jamie or Don, and they should be able to help you put together all the parts you need to do this. Jamie told me exactly what parts I needed to replace the air pump in mine, and a couple tricks for doing it.

2. Can the non-turbo be converted into a turbo (without changing the engine entirely) or is the turbo engine configured differently? If it can where can the parts be located?

The short answer is no. Not without a LOT of effort. The ECU on a 94 is different between Turbo and non-turbo models, as is the wiring harness and manifold design. The N/A engine cannot handle a big turbo...the extra boost will bend rods and wreak havoc.

A bit of advice...change out all the seals while you've got it out. Rear main seal, cam seals, and put on a new timing belt and water pump.

[dsawyer]

Give Darrell Waltrip Volvo a call. Ask for Jamie or Don, and they should be able to help you put together all the parts you need to do this. Jamie told me exactly what parts I needed to replace the air pump in mine, and a couple tricks for doing it.

Will do... thanks for the input!

The short answer is no. Not without a LOT of effort. The ECU on a 94 is different between Turbo and non-turbo models, as is the wiring harness and manifold design. The N/A engine cannot handle a big turbo...the extra boost will bend rods and wreak havoc.

Bummer! Can something else be done do boost the performance? Not that I am disappointed with the performance, but while I got it out...

A bit of advice...change out all the seals while you've got it out. Rear main seal, cam seals, and put on a new timing belt and water pump.

'Planned on all but the water pump... the water pump has a frequent failure rate?

Thanx for the post and info!

[jblackburn]

No, usually the water pumps last upwards of 200,000 miles (mine looked fine at 140K), but they're only like $50 and worth the peace of mind and frustration of trying to get in there to do it later. I think the HEPU is the better built one as the Aisin's now use crummy plastic impellers, but someone correct me there if I'm wrong.

I drove a stick N/A S70 and was pleasantly surprised even with the non-turbo motor (my other 2 cars both had ~ 100 hp), but I'm sure the automatic zaps some power as they tend to do.

Have you done the 960 throttle plate mod to your car? It's supposed to dramatically improve performance, as the 850 plate has a plastic hump that restricts the amount of air at partial throttle.
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =5&t=17920

I also put a K&N filter in my car. I'm not sure if there's a difference or not. It helped my old Accord a lot though.