I bought another one! (Volvoholics anonymous?)

Marcobrick · Post by **Marcobrick** » 30 May 2011, 15:50

Six months ago I had never owned a Volvo then bought a very clean 850 T5 sedan a two owner car with verifiable service history and only 175,000km (110k miles) I like it so much I just bought another 850, a 1995 Turbo wagon! This one is a bit different, it has had a lot more owners, no service history, and needs a bit of work. It has a repaired odometer showing 140,000kms but the A7 port tells me it's done 180 (still only 113k miles). The body and interior are very good, even better than my pampered T5 sedan which is remarkable given the condition of the suspension and some other maintenance items.
Here is a pic, not a very good one but it's cooold out! Same colour and same wheels as my T5! The neighbours think it's funny.

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It needs a timing belt STAT! Has done slightly over 70k miles since last done. She creaks and clunks and groans like mad on any bump in the road. I plan to do the spring seats, rear upper shock mounts and the upper torque rod bushings (both ends) and maybe the lower transmission torque mount too. I'll jack the car up later today when the temp gets above freezing and have a close look. Have a look at the terrible bodge repair on the spring seats, yes, those are cut down bits of tyre tread stuffed in there, and the washer on the right side is upside down!

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ATF doesn't look or smell bad but I'll flush it for good measure. It badly needs the PNP switch fixed too as in temperatures below 10deg C it often puts up a 313 code and goes into limp mode. Out of limp mode, the transmission shifts really nice.
It only had one A2 code, a 433 which I cleared and hasn't come back in 400km of driving.
I paid $1900NZD (about 1500US) and I can already see $1000 being gobbled up but that gives me a low mile tidy Turbo wagon for under $3k NZ which I'm not at all unhappy about.
I'll update progress as I go along.

Post by **bronxnativ** » 30 May 2011, 19:10

Yes, they are addictive! I also own two. One is an automatic and the other a manual tranny. The automatic has a nice well kept leather interior, but the manual runs much better and quicker! Be careful though, I'm starting to notice that the maintenance repairs can be costly. Parts do add up (I do my own work on both). Good luck on both, and with a limp mode issue, I would have offered $1,000 US. Overall, it seems like an OK deal. Cosmetically, your wagon looks nice!

Al

hammertime · Post by **hammertime** » 30 May 2011, 19:30

Hello Marcobrick, Welcome to V.A.
I know exactly what you are going through. I started with a '96 850 and now own 3 Volvos. Although I certainly don't need more, I find myself searching craigslist at least weekly, for the next great bargain.
While you are fighting the cold weather, on the opposite side of the world I'm deciding whether to fix the AC or roll down the windows.
Good luck with your new project.

Marcobrick · Post by **Marcobrick** » 30 May 2011, 21:19

Remarkably, the ECC and all other electrical components work 100%.
I got under the car this afternoon and started to make a shopping list.
The rear suspension has me baffled. Do I have Nivomat or something? The shocks look weird and the springs look a bit puny. I measured the coil wire diameter and the wagon is 11mm and my sedan is 13mm, much beefier looking.

Maybe someone can positively identify it? Oh, and since I got it home, the right rear shock has blown itself and is leaking copiously. bump stops are also broken/missing.

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Marcobrick · Post by **Marcobrick** » 30 May 2011, 23:03

So I got done today, cleared all the codes (there were only 4!) I replaced the pollen filter with a spare new one I had. I checked the condition of the timing belt which looks good but has stretched a bit as it didn't seem as tight as it should. I had the battery disconnected all day while working on it to reset the adaptives. The P.O ran it on regular gas and I run premium.
When I started it back up, it idled perfectly which surprised me. My other one runs like crap for a few minutes if I disconnect the battery. It did however smoke like a steam locomotive. The exhaust smelled like raw gas! I took it down the road and warmed it up and then gave it several full boost accelerations. Smoke is gone! The engine does sound nice with just light clicking audible from the injectors.
When cold, there is a light screech from the right side of the engine. It might be a serp belt idler or a timing belt idler or tensioner roller? It goes away after two minutes.
It does not seem to boost as high as my T5 sedan. I would like to get a proper gauge on it.

Here they are

: 3/5ths of my fleet; volvos.jpg (287.31 KiB) Viewed 2487 times

I rang around for shocks today. The results were... shocking! I may be able to get bilsteins from IPD for the rear cheaper than buying Monroes locally!! I need to check the KYB supplier next.
It looks like my rears ARE Nivomats so I am going to convert to regular springs and shocks. Is this as easy as it sounds??

Post by **jblackburn** » 31 May 2011, 06:46

Own more than one Volvo? Surely you guys must be crazy

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 31 May 2011, 07:52

It looks like my rears ARE Nivomats so I am going to convert to regular springs and shocks. Is this as easy as it sounds??

From the pictures I would agree that those are indeed Nivomats. A spring change is definitely necessary if you change to standard shocks. It really isn't that big of a deal to change out the springs and that is a dandy time to replace the buggered bump stops. Normally the bump stops fall out and rattle around inside of the springs and drive you nuts.

For springs I would consult IPD, they can be a tad pricey but they know their stuff with Volvo springs and they can recommend the proper set to match your shocks. You will also need to change your upper shock mounts as they are different between the standard shocks and the Nivomats.

As far as shocks go I would avoid Monroe and KYB if you want to have any semblance of handling. OEM Sachs/Boge shocks and struts aren't bad at all and I have been happy with the Bilstein Touring Class setup.

We do need a 12 step program - I own 4 of them and I'm looking for a wagon so that I can haul more stuff.

...Lee

Marcobrick · Post by **Marcobrick** » 31 May 2011, 14:01

Ozark Lee wrote:
As far as shocks go I would avoid Monroe and KYB if you want to have any semblance of handling.
...Lee

I have had fantastic success with KYB struts and shocks on all manner of vehicles and have found them to be very well made and give exemplary handling. I love the Bilstein prices over there but I have to do the math as I will get slaughtered on shipping. Mention Volvo and an ordinary Monroe or KYB strut suddenly climbs over $300 a side!! I have loved buying stuff from IPD and FCP but it takes me hours of trolling through both sites and adding/removing stuff from the cart to see when the shipping starts to go through the roof. I wish there was a surface shipping option for overseas as most of the time I can plan ahead and I'm not in that much of a hurry to get my parts.

instarx · Post by **instarx** » 31 May 2011, 14:53

I agree with your neighbor - matching Volvos are funny. What island are you on? NZ is probably the most beautiful country on Earth. I have spent some time in Christchurch in the US Antarctic Program.

Marcobrick · Post by **Marcobrick** » 31 May 2011, 18:39

I currently live in Hastings on the North Island East Coast. I have lived in Christchurch too about 15 years ago.
I have just been quoted $1400 for a set of Bilstein Tourings and Eibach springs.....gulp.