Recently purchased a '96 850 GLT Sedan

Trenchcoat · Post by **Trenchcoat** » 06 May 2010, 07:58

I believe it's an NA edition. It had an odometer broken at 150K miles, and that stopped about 5 years ago according to the title.

There were about 3 things on the car that I thought I needed to fix, but after going through this site, there are so many things I want to do.

Already done:
Alternator replace (Turned out to be unnecessary, so now I have a spare alternator.)
Distributor Cap replace
Spark Plugs
Instrument Cluster replace (Speedo and odometer didn't work.)

Still to do:
PCV System repair (I have that exhaust coming out of the oil dipstick hole and oily gunk by the distributor.)
Cabin and engine air filter change (Somehow I have one of the models with a cabin filter installer already.)
Trunk Struts
Transmission Drain & Fill (No power flush!)
Timing belt change (You all scared me.)

Serpentine Belt change (Should be easier now that I have a feel for the tensioner.)
Various interior repairs

I started out just on google looking for some tips on replacing the distributor cap and I came across this site. The most involved car repair I've done before is replacing the alternator on a '90 Corolla, but the info here is so good that I can do all the stuff on that list! Just now I was wracking my brain trying to figure our why the headlights stopped working, and it's the ignition switch. Just wanted to say you guys are awesome, and I may be posting some questions sometime soon.

Post by **Matty Moo** » 06 May 2010, 08:06

As far as maintenance goes, this about the best one out of all the Volvo forums out there. I spent countless hours here after buying my first 850. It's a friendly place for newer people that have a ton of questions.

Post by **jblackburn** » 06 May 2010, 08:41

Welcome to the site!

One thing I noticed in your list: "oily gunk by the distributor."
May be a blown cam seal - check behind your dist. cap or cam sensor on that side of the engine. Still a pretty easy fix, especially since you don't have all the turbo junk in the way

Any more questions you've got, feel free to post!

Trenchcoat · Post by **Trenchcoat** » 06 May 2010, 09:16

Thanks for the welcome! I just checked the cam seal/sensor replacement tutorial. It doesn't look like it's terribly difficult. Autozone has about 5 different seals for sale. Is there any real difference between them? Are they basically just rubber gaskets?

Post by **Pauloil** » 06 May 2010, 19:22

get OEM seals at fcpgroton.com or a site like that

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 06 May 2010, 23:33

The big thing is WHY the cam seal blew out...
Clogged PCV? Hmmmm.....

Trenchcoat · Post by **Trenchcoat** » 07 May 2010, 03:03

BEJinFbk wrote:The big thing is WHY the cam seal blew out...
Clogged PCV? Hmmmm.....

So the blown cam seal is a symptom of the PCV clog? If that's the case, I'll wait until I'm ready to do the PCV system replace before changing that seal.

How often do the timing and serpentine belt tensioners need to be replaced? I see on the VS guide for timing belts that the S40 needs a new one for every belt change. I'm thinking of changing just about every rubber component under the hood such as the rear main seal since I have no clue about the service history of this vehicle.

Post by **jreed** » 07 May 2010, 05:41

Welcome to the site! I agree with the other posters---this is one of the most friendly Volvo boards on the web.

I am just about to replace my serpentine belt tensioner at 132K miles ('97 855 GLT) because the belt slips when the engine is cold. I replaced the timing belt tensioner a few months ago too when I changed the timing belt.

If you're shopping for parts, I would recommend FCP or IPD, and especially give Darryl Waltrip Volvo in Franklin, TN a call or email them with the parts that you need. They are pretty good on pricing and the quality is very high. For example, I bought the serpentine belt tensioner from them last week for ~$52 (tensioner plus the pulley). When I price checked this part it was $80 at one place, $120 at another, both of them the OEM version but not the genuine blue box Volvo part that arrived this week from DW Vovlo.
Good luck!

Post by **jblackburn** » 07 May 2010, 07:22

Trenchcoat wrote:
BEJinFbk wrote:The big thing is WHY the cam seal blew out...
Clogged PCV? Hmmmm.....
So the blown cam seal is a symptom of the PCV clog? If that's the case, I'll wait until I'm ready to do the PCV system replace before changing that seal.

How often do the timing and serpentine belt tensioners need to be replaced? I see on the VS guide for timing belts that the S40 needs a new one for every belt change. I'm thinking of changing just about every rubber component under the hood such as the rear main seal since I have no clue about the service history of this vehicle.

That's EXACTLY why I blew one out.

Timing tensioners every 140K/10 yrs; belts every 70K/6-7 yrs. Do NOT go aftermarket for anything in the timing belt area, this is the single most critical engine component. If you don't know what was replaced last time, change everything. If your odometer stopped about 5 years ago, it's probably time for a new water pump too.

Serpentine belt intervals are every 60K...which probably means I have something else to replace too. The tensioners and idler pulleys are probably good for 120, at least that's when most people are seeing them start to fail and make noise.

Don't worry about the RMS unless it's leaking oil everywhere.

Brazuca_ny · Post by **Brazuca_ny** » 07 May 2010, 09:03

Another note on the RMS if you're doing the PCV system it'll relieve any pressure, preventing a failure trust me you'll know when the MRS went, you'll first start leaving some oil when you park then when its really bad you'll spray everyone behind you.