I think I got taken

[KissMyDrums]

Seems to me that leaving the flame trap in place and occasionally replacing a cheap and easy to get to part beats the heck out of spending a lot more time and money tearing the engine apart to get to whatever else gets clogged up because the flame trap is missing....

Yea, what he said...

[MatDesign84]

Thanks. I had the PCV, catalytic converter, airbox, cam seals, and flametrap replaced. A Volvo mechanic (friend of a friend) is supposed to pick up the car sometime soon and give it a good going over. His initial thopughts were that I may need the entire top of the engine rebuilt.

He said the PCV was full of solids and gunk BECAUSE the flame trap was missing. It makes sense now that I think about it. The flame trap clogs up a lot, right?. if it isn't in place, whatever usually clogs the flame trap up gets past and in where it can clog something else up. Seems to me that leaving the flame trap in place and occasionally replacing a cheap and easy to get to part beats the heck out of spending a lot more time and money tearing the engine apart to get to whatever else gets clogged up because the flame trap is missing....

Just remember there are two styles for that car new and old. The new one is made out of nylon I think but not metal like the old one. Get the new one.

[jblackburn]

At that mileage, things will inevitably be clogged up no matter whether there's a flame trap or not.

To keep it from happening in the future, use good-quality conventional or synthetic oil, the choice is up to you. Many of the low-grade oils like they use at the cheap $20 oil change places will sludge up and clog up all parts of your engine with crap.

Castrol, Pennzoil, and Valvoline are all good oils with detergents that you can put in there to clean that engine up.

[MatDesign84]

I have always use Castrol cause its what Volvo recommends in this car. My last Volvo 850 I used Mobile 1 and could never afford to do an oil change.

[meteg]

I wanted to add something about the compression test issue.before connecting the compression tester you need to pull the fuse no:2 which controls the fuel pump and remove the injector power connectors to avoid fuel being sent into the combustion chamber. only after this the compression test would be trouble free.

[kcodyjr]

Are you sure this was the same car you test-drove?

I don't see how you could have gotten a satisfactory test-drive out of a car with this many severe problems, no matter what he might have poured into the engine.

I smell a classic bait-and-switch.

[urbex]

Hate to break it to you, but don't waste your time in court....BTDT, got the t-shirt. When you buy a used car, unless there's a written, signed contract that specifies warranty coverage or right to refund in X number of days if you're not satisfied, you're going to be SOL. Put quite simply, it really is a case of buyer beware. It sucks, but the seller can basically tell you whatever he wants, even a blatant lie, and it's your responsibility as the buyer to make sure everything is kosher before you hand over money. Unless you can prove the seller did something to car, or changed the car, or something else drastic like that, you're not going to have any recourse. Even telling you something like the car is a turbo when it really isn't wouldn't be enough to prove it being fraud, especially considering something like a turbo would be easily spotted under the hood.

[beamason61]

A couple of things come to mind when reading your post, you posted that you are having multiple ABS issues, I think your module is faulty not your brakes. I know where you can purchase a rebuilt module for about $50, The same company also rebuilds the climate control module for the 850 for around $75. I do not know if I am allowed to post the company name on this site. The company name is BBA Re manufacturing in Taunton, MA. www.bba-reman.com
The ABS module is located under the master cylinder and it takes a specialized torque driver to remove the 4 screws. you will need to read the serial number on the unit and give that information to the company. There is a core charge as this is a frequently needed item in a car of this age.
The climate control module is in the dash and is taken out with ease in only a few minutes with minimal tools. Before you replace or even remove this item go under the hood and unplug the AC unit and see if the system still has a dead short, if it does not you need to replace the AC unit. The AC unit runs any time you have your car on defrost to remove moisture from the car just like in the summer.
You mentioned an issue with the car not wanting to run after you went back to pick it up, that sounded exactly like an issue I had with my daughters 850. I traced it down to a tank full of bad gas and water, this also effected the gauge causing it to fluctuate radically. With my daughters car it would only run well on a full tank of gas and would sputter when under half a tank. I can give no logical explanation why it ran this way because the pick up for the fuel is on the bottom of the tank and should have made the car run bad all the time. What I found was about 5 gallons of crud in the tank. access to the tank is in the trunk, lift up all the mats and you will see an access port on the upper right corner of the trunk. 4 screws hold the plate down. Once you have the plate off you will see the top of the fuel sending unit . There is a large plastic ring about the size of the top of a large pickle jar. This screws off and will not be easy to remove since it has been on for so long. Disconnect the fuel lines and if possible the electrical lines, do not force them if you break off the terminals you will have more trouble than it is worth. If you get to this point it is easy to remove the gas from the tank with a simple ball siphon and examine the fuel. if the fuel is bad you will need to remove it all and dispose of it in a safe manor. put new fuel in the tank with a bottle of de-carbonizer and dry gas. reconnect all the gas tank items putting a tiny amount of Never Seize on the threads of the plastic ring and re-secure the the access plate. you will need to go to the fuel rail and disconnect the fuel line to flush it out. you will need to turn the ignition key off and on about 5 times to let the fuel pump cycle to purge the fuel line of bad gas. If you do not feel comfortable disconnecting the fuel line there is a schrader valve on the fuel rail (looks like a tire valve) and purge the fuel this way but be advised it will go every where unless you have a hose off an old bike pump to secure on the valve.
The odometer wheel breaks often on the 850, easy fix, search for it on the repair section here.

The Transmission is another issue, could be several things wrong but it sounds fishy that it was over full in the first place.
if the transmission is actually bad they are readily available in the salvage yards. I have never had a transmission issue with an 850 but if it is like a V70 there is also a control module for the the transmission too (surprise) .

I am so sorry you are having so many issues with this car , I have had my share but I love the cars and I have learned which components go bad and have spares. this does 2 things for me, down time is minimal and I find Volvo's all the time cheap that do not run and drive them away. I am currently driving a V70 that I purchased for $600.00 and after replacing the ignition module with a used one I bought for $25 the car has run like new.

[kcodyjr]

Before you start buying parts, take it apart and see what's up. You don't have the budget to throw parts at it.

Start with checking the battery health. Weak batteries sap power from the alternator, causing a low voltage condition, which pisses off just about every circuit in the car.

Then check ignition. If you have an ohmmeter, test the coil. Take off the cover over the spark plugs. Run it at night in the dark with the hood up to see if there's any arcing from the wires. Pull the spark plugs, take pics, and post them here. Be sure not to confuse which cylinder each plug came from - that's useful diagnostic information if they're in any way abnormal. Take off the distributor cap, and check the electrodes, and that of the rotor, for corrosion or oxidation.

The MAF sensor (Mass AirFlow) measures the amount of incoming air. You'll find it between the air filter box and the air hose. These tend to wear out, causing lousy fuel economy, hesitation, and general shitty running. At some point, the car will get stall-happy, then refuse to run entirely. The usual diagnostic is to disconnect it and restart the car; if it runs better without the sensor, the sensor is shot. Replace only with an OEM component. I know new is expensive, but a junkyard part is a better choice than an imitation.

Another cheap/easy thing to look for is vacuum leaks, which can raise all sorts of hell as well. Get a can of carb cleaner, and squirt shots around various areas of the engine. If it revs up, it's sucking air somewhere near where you shot the cleaner.

Yes, the light means "A/C off" with electronic climate control, which you have, if it has temp numbers. The idea is that the light is a reminder you've overridden its default automatic behavior. You're supposed to set a temp and forget it.

If you're losing power when the blower comes on, one of two things is happening. Either you've got a shortage of power, blame battery and/or alternator and/or loose connections and/or bad ground strap; or the blower motor is drawing excessively. This happens because most cars didn't get the cabin air filter, which allows it to suck in moisture, which corrodes the motor and causes extra current draw to overcome the additional friction. This also burns out blower resistors, and melts wiring harnesses if left unchecked. From there, it can also fry a control unit, which are prone to failure anyway.

I had a 96 850 non-turbo wagon for years. It didn't like 87 octane in the dog days of summer. I ran 89 year round. Never felt a difference with premium, though once in awhile I'd run a tank of the good stuff with some Lucas injector cleaner for good measure.

It could be as simple as old fuel. How much is in the tank? When you let some out using that schrader valve on the fuel rail, does it smell odd?

The thing that's baking my noodle here is that it ran fine during the test drive. What could have happened that quickly? What fault could have been papered over to let it run fine for awhile? What might have been swapped out by an unscrupulous seller?

If I had to make a bet, my instinct is, I'd test battery first because it's easy and obvious to swap, check the entire charging and ignition system for loose connections including ground strap, check for disconnected vacuum lines, and take an ohmmeter to the coil.

[kcodyjr]

Sorry, replied before I'd read it all, and also missed the date...

but, holy CRAP!