'93 850 check engine light

Michael37 · Post by **Michael37** » 25 Nov 2002, 20:19

I just purchased my first volvo 3 weeks ago, and I love it. I "was" a mechanic by trade, but that was many years ago before all of these "electronic" gizmos came out. I fixed a couple of things on it, such as replacing the rear shock mounts, replace the hood latch that was sticking....however, my "check engine" light comes on when I start up. It does not stay on long...maybe 5 minutes...then it goes out. My gas gauge also has a problem. Sometimes it works fine, then others it just reads empty. As I said, I know the basic mechanics of a vehicle, but have no clue with electronics, aside from a distributor, coil and plugs. It is my suspicion that maybe something has to be reset or something. Is this possible? I just want to get a little input from someone before I go to the dealer and he gives me some big line of crock about stuff I don't need to change, but will try to get me to do so just to make a profit.

Post by **matthew1** » 25 Nov 2002, 20:58

Check engine light or Service light?

chriskose · Post by **chriskose** » 26 Nov 2002, 21:45

I believe on the pre-1996 850 there is a way to reset the check engine light manually, without the aid of a code reader. However, this may not be a good idead. I've heard some pretty nasty stories about ignoring the check engine light, i.e major engine damage due to broken belt. You can get one of the cheap lube type shops to pull the engine codes for you, for a fee of course. Or you could buy a code reader, about $180 at Checker's or other auto parts store.
The check engine light could be anything from a leaky fuel system to O2 sensors to a serious mechanincal deffect.
Good Luck

Post by **matthew1** » 27 Nov 2002, 00:19

I just don't see a check engine light going away after 5 min... Mine stayed on every second while the car was running, for 6 months, till I changed my o2 sensor. Now the service light, that's the one that goes off after a few minutes, so that's why I asked for clarification.