my volvo 850se journal

duke1 · Post by **duke1** » 21 Aug 2020, 11:15

hi all i recently bought this very old volvo 850se estate non turbo and a manual gearbox she has 150k on the clock and no service history and when purchased had 6 months or so on mot has only ever done around 3000 miles between mots and appears to have had little more than an annual service and whatever was needed for mot.
so i have been slowly going through from the basics ie engine service and timing belt/serpentine belt and tensioner replacement,
complete new exhaust system and mountings.
complete set of rearlights courtesy of our local breakers sadly there the v70 ones with clear indicator lense but was cheap and good condition unlike most i found on ebay that come prechipped to save you the bother!
the front headlamps had the usual bloom on the plastic lense soon sorted with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar and look good enough now with some good old elbow grease.
i have also found she has the common leaky heater matrix and steams up like a sauna so today i stripped out the old one and ordered new along with the later ali pipes from a v70 i believe im told fit and dont rot.
after reading some of the threads here on what rot to expect (though after 40yrs restoring cars i have a good idea!) i have found as i suspected the start of systemic rust under the plastic sill covers and on one rear wheelarch which needs cutting out and welding along with the other normal old age related/rusty baggy bumper brackets etc all getting restored or replaced slowl but surely.
to add to the complexity the car has to carry my wifes electric wheelchair and the ramps have to go on top on roof crossbars so i have tailor made the fittings myself and the only purchase will be a set of rear bumper brackets which will then be sent for powder coating the way they should have at the start.
also in keeping with my deep hatred of rust and fastenings that decline then refuse to come undone when needed so every single fitting is replaced with stainless steel,all done once and proper.
heres a few pics of how it looked at the start and i shall add pics of progress and maybe pick some brains if/when i bugger it up!
also if anyone should happen to have a spare wheeltrim or 2 for the volvo she would be very pleased she says she dont like the cheapo ebay crap i bought her,ungrateful i call it!,peace
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duke1 · Post by **duke1** » 21 Aug 2020, 11:24

heres some pics idk why my op pics are absent!btw nice forum mathew and thanks for having me,peace

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duke1 · Post by **duke1** » 21 Aug 2020, 11:26

the above pics is how she looked at the start,more pics as work progresses

duke1 · Post by **duke1** » 21 Aug 2020, 11:39

so far i have,
replace rear lights
entire cat back exhaust
heater matrix
timing belt waterpump and all tensioners and rollers for serpentine belt.
replaced the pcv oil trap and hoses filler cap washers.
engine oil and filter,air filter,plugs,distributor cap.
front balljoint boots,what a git of a job one siezed pinchbolt took several days to get out!

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Post by **volvolugnut** » 21 Aug 2020, 13:04

Save those old tail lights. They can be polished out.
volvolugnut

Post by **misha** » 21 Aug 2020, 15:05

B5252 is 10v engine.

duke1 · Post by **duke1** » 21 Aug 2020, 16:18

volvolugnut wrote: ↑21 Aug 2020, 13:04 Save those old tail lights. They can be polished out.
volvolugnut

hi yes i did try polish but ive never seen a set go so bad they are truly knackered even resorted to small power sander but no good,thankfully the breakers yard was my first workplace when i left school and i still get a discount,question can anyone tell me if my guess is correct?i have a problem when i used the windscreen washers they and the wipers stay on my guess was a relay i found 2 on the left side of the instrument panel both marked 334 i swapped them over but fault remains i tried switch cleaner in the main switch but had to end up removing the fuse so now have no wipers or washers,does the switch have regular failiers?any advice gratefully recieved,peace

Post by **misha** » 21 Aug 2020, 16:58

All wagon tail lights up to '96 have this problem.
'96-'00 don't have this problem anymore because Volvo decided to use higher quality plastic and protection for tail lights.

duke1 · Post by **duke1** » 03 Sep 2020, 07:39

hi all well sods law strikes again!i replaced the obviously leaking heater matrix and all the hoses and clamps but at the time the rad though old had zero visible leaks,well this morning after walking me dogs i came back and noticed a puddle under the car,bloody radiator has now decided to spring a leak! this bloody car has cost a small fortune already for which i have recieved severe earbashings on every damn expenditure.
to be fare we are on a very limited income and so any extra expense is a problem as something else doesnt get paid.
so with a budget at minimum i debated a used rad from the local breakers but they want £40 and zero guarantee so i looked at the cheapest new unit on ebay which just happens to be the same supplier as the heater matrix i recently replaced and yes before anyone pipes up with you must use oem/oe parts i simply do not have funds for the extra cost and besides which this is a uk company and both the matrix and rad come with a 5 year guarantee,4 years longer than our local volvo dealer offers and at a lot less cost.
so unwitting guinea pig for the cooling system supplied by coolpartsuk this is the rad
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RADIATOR-...72.m2749.l2649
i just hope and pray this is the last big expense atleast till i get the car through the mot due imminently ,my luck sucks!
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volvo 850s estate 2.4 petrol manual 1994

duke1 · Post by **duke1** » 04 Sep 2020, 10:44

rad done!
hi all well the rad came today very fast service indeed dpd courier and very nicely packed,the make is unknown to me banco and made in india.
the rad comes with all the mountings and fastenings included which was great as 2/3rds of the originals just snapped as soon as any force is applied.
it fitted nicely and car has been run up to temp and fan cut in and out again perfect,i let it cool a while and then topped the coolant up to the max mark and shall go for a nice long burn around tomorrow .
i did notice the rad for the ac is very rusty but also it has bowed so i guess its toast?ive no idea on ac its first car ever for me that has it.
the company i got the heater matrix and rad from do the ac rad as well but im not sure if the interior one is any good either,can one see the interior one without taking half the car apart?any advice would be handy,pics later of my work,peace
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volvo 850s estate 2.4 petrol manual 1994