1994 850 N/A Common problems?

Carboncopy · Post by **Carboncopy** » 30 Jun 2015, 19:05

Hi all,

I just purchased a beautiful 1994 850 N/A five speed to replace my V70XC. Is there anything in particular maintence wise to the earlier 850s that I should be aware of, or is it just similar stuff to what I had to watch for on the XC? any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Post by **rspi** » 30 Jun 2015, 20:06

What year is the XC?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 30 Jun 2015, 20:19

They all have problems but fortunately they are all the same problems. You might be lucky and the P.O. already took care of them. Things that are uniquely early 850 are glove box latches and speaker magnets. Fortunately on a '94 the ABS module isn't trouble like they are after '95. The 850 seat heaters are all trouble and there is the usual Volvo plastic and adhesive issues. The big plastic issue is the dash itself and the mounts.

The bulk of the typical problems fall into the nuisance category. If it doesn't already have a cabin air filter retrofitted that would be one if those things I would do right away. Having a cabin air filter can help prevent evaporator core rot. From the factory a '94 never had one and it takes a frame kit to add one. It is very easy but the filter won't fit into the original snout.

...Lee

Carboncopy · Post by **Carboncopy** » 01 Jul 2015, 14:47

My XC is a 1998 Robert. And that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for Ozark, thank you. The previous owner did a ton of work to this one, including new bilstien HD shocks all around, new spring seats, new brakes, rotors, etc but to my knowledge no cabin filter was added. Sadly my abs light is on, so I don't think I quite escaped the abs module issues.

Post by **abscate** » 01 Jul 2015, 14:49

Mattymoo on this forum makes ABS threads really short....

Post by **erikv11** » 01 Jul 2015, 15:13

I have found the 850 dashboards to be much less creaky than the 98 S/V70 ones.

Like Lee said, essentially the same beasts. In additions to the quirks you mentioned, add the odometer gear. If the odometer is not working then gear replacement is easy. If it is working then be very careful to not push the odo reset lever when the car is rolling. Or just never push the reset at all.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 01 Jul 2015, 15:24

Carboncopy wrote:Sadly my abs light is on, so I don't think I quite escaped the abs module issues.

Pre '96 the problems are rarely the module and the modules aren't reparable the same way as the later versions are. Pull the DTC codes from port A-3 and post them back. It could be as simple as dirty wheel sensors or reluctance rings. The modules aren't bulletproof but they are dirt cheap on eBay since they rarely fail.

...Lee

Carboncopy · Post by **Carboncopy** » 01 Jul 2015, 16:39

Thanks for tips so far Erik and Ozark, and I found a slight problem with my obd 1, the jumper cable has broken off. I have the cable still, just trying to figure out how to reconnect it

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 01 Jul 2015, 19:17

The A/B box has a connector on the back of it, much like a switch in the dash. Just pull the box up and unplug it.

Once it is unplugged there are four tabs that holds the box itself snapped together. If you release those tabs the box will slide apart and reveal the solder connection inside. The only things that will come loose in the process are the button and the spring underneath it so pay attention to those while the boxes are coming apart. Once it is apart it is real easy to solder the wire back onto the switch contact.

...Lee

Carboncopy · Post by **Carboncopy** » 03 Jul 2015, 10:12

Awesome! Thanks Lee!