Buying (bought) a Volvo 850 1996

[DennisCA]

Hello!

Looking at buying my first Volvo, it's an 850 (855 or wagon) from 1996, has the 2.5l 20V engine. It's got 220,000km on the odometer (broken at 195k km but seller says ECU scanner says 220k).

It's been MOT'ed in august 24 so it's good for another year of traffic. There are some things that are not great with it but some which are to be expected I guess for an old car.

+MOT'ed recently
+Low mileage
-No service book! It was lost earlier.

I did a background check and what I can see the car had one owner 1996-2019, then another owner 2019-2024 when it moved between various dealers to this person who is a private person buying and reselling cars.

He has told me that the car has the following issues:
-Can't find no stickers indicating when the belt got changed
-AC works but not full effect
-ABS light was on, had the module serviced and it now works
-Small exhaust leak after the catalytic converter, something loose there he claims.

Apart from that there's some rust and such, pictures will show.



















Trunk is looking the worst affect. I have spraying equipment so this looks fixable perhaps without welding if attended soon eough.





I have to admit a huge part of why I got stuck on this model is the color. Rare color on the roads, love it though.

My biggest worry is not knowing the service history, the idea is to drive it home (350km) and not drive it until the belts are changed, oil and filters too. Then start a new service book. Where can I download or buy Volvo service manuals for this model? I'd like to get more detailed information on the belt replacement procedure, I'd like to use the locking tools to do it properly. None of the videos I've seen has showcased it's usage.

[DennisCA]

Been reading all the guides I find on this forum regarding timing belt swaps, but I haven't yet found a description of a timing belt switch where the person is using the locking tools?

I'd really like to use the locking tools to know I got it right.

I'm considering buying these, box says fits Volvo and Renault engines 10V and 20V and 2.5l. Looks like a whole bunch of engines fit so I am wondering if the B52x engines all use the same locking tools?

[jreed]

Welcome to the site!

I used to use the locking tools when doing a timing belt replacement on my 1997 855, but I couldn't get them to fit correctly and work well -- I tried the IPD camshaft locking tool and ended up returning it. I ended up using plastic tie-wraps to hold the camshafts in place, and making sure the timing marks stayed lined up. I've done that three times over the past 15 years and it's worked well for me.

[scot850]

I have the IPD locking tool but have mixed success with it. On these earlier engines it is much easier to swap the cam belt as there is no variable valve timing to worry about. Erik's method works well. I use a paint pen marker and mark the timing marks and several points on the timing gear and the crank pully and the point on the belt. I then transfer those marks to the new belt and then fit it.

For the hydraulic timing belt tensioner, you will need some way (bench vice) to compress the contact pin. Slow stages of compression or you can damage the hydraulic seal. Use a round nail as a locking pin.

Overall the car looks great. Shame about the tailgate but then it is an old car now. I do love that color as well.

Good luck!

Neil.

[Clemens]

This looks like a nice ride. get it!

[matthew1]

Very rare color here in the US, very pretty 850. Nice interior! Love it.

[DennisCA]

OK then yesterday I drove home with a Volvo, drove 700km in one day, came home at about 1:30 at night and was exhausted. I was lucky I got there just in time to have some sunshine left. Had to work around schedules and work otherwise would have gone in the day.

I did all the checks I could think of, tested with a plastic bag over the removed oil cap and there was no pressure there, etc. The ABS brakes also worked. I discovered a few things when I drove the car home that I had not during the test drive.

-Rust was found where it was said to be on the tailgate and the front fender, the damaged part underneath the front headlight is plastic. The tailgate might be fine with sanding, rust removal and putty, but the front fender needs new sheet metal welded in. I will linseed oil everything I can get hold of until further notice. The front fender looks like it can be taken off relatively easily so I have access to front and back.

- The car needs wheel alignment, the steering wheel is a liittle crooked and the car wants to pull a little. It feels a bit like it might have toe-out or close enough.

-AC actually seems to work but weakly. I could tell it worked because the inside windows were foggy when we got there and when I turned on the AC it started having an effect.

-Sometimes at speeds between 60-80 there are vibrations, they are quite soft and almost like bumps. Suspect the tires, front tires a bit worn.

-The summer tires are too big (255/55/16), it feels like some youngster had the car and wanted bigger tires because that's cooler looking (you're supposed to go down to 40 then!). It is noticeable if you take the turns out, then it takes in. The winter tires are 15 inches larger. I will return the summer tires to the factory specs of 205/55/16.

- The remote lock doesn't work and the central locking doesn't either. Remote has battery so I suspect it's not just a fuse.

- The fan speed does not work completely, the highest setting does not work.

-Lighting for clock and temperature does not seem to work either, and the trip and odometer aren't working as I knew.

I filled up 33 liters and drove 350km, I've only checked the fuel gauge but it was almost empty when I bought the car and after the journey the tank was fuller than before still. I feel it probably does around 8l/100km right about now. That's just a rough hunch.

Although it has 170 HP, it didn't feel super lively, more like a cruiser, my Saab 900T16 has 170 horses and there is a big difference in power when the turbo is on, but that car is of course smaller and lighter and the turbo does a lot.

Took some pictures.

Right front fender here the rust is the worst:


This molding is supposed to be a rust trap so it will be removed


I'm starting to have too many cars...

[DennisCA]

Well today I examined the car more carefully in full sunlight and yes there were more things missed.

Found a service label, one wonders if it was the last time the belt was changed? I think it says 76,200km and 2002.



This is what the multi-belt looks like, so I want to believe it was changed sometime after 2002 too:


On the roof, I notice someone has tried to repaint and it hasn't been done that well.



The decor lists that go up the A-pillars have started to loosen


On the right side, the color also comes off



I assume these are glued on, I think maybe it's best to remove them, repaint them and re-glue.

Closer look at the worst rust by the tailgate, looks wet because I've soaked the rusty parts with raw linseed oil.



It may happen that metal has to be replaced here anyway. Or a new tailgate, I understand V70 tailgates up to 2000 also fits, but need some modifications.

I have sprayed linseed oil into every cavity I could find, in the tailgate, in all the doors and thresholds and under the car where it seemed necessary. Also in the hood and behind the front fenders. It can stand now for a few days, then it must be washed.
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[DennisCA]

How is the molding removed, are there clips or is it all glue?

What is the original color of the molding and the roof rails by the way? Are they supposed to be matte black, they are more gray nowadays.

[scot850]

The roof rail covers are clipped in. The clips are plastic and can break so expect this may happen. The clips are held into the roof with screws and under the clip Volvo used a butyl strip to seal the hole and it heals around the screw when you screw the clip down.

The covers were a vinyl type material in matt black. The black material cracks and falls off. I don't know if you can still get them. What some do is scrape all the black off, rub them with something like fine wire wool to get a good surface and then paint them.

For your serpentine belt, you really need to check for cracks on the ribbed side. If you remove it, make sure to take a picture or draw the belt routing! Some cars had a label under the hood with it, but many no longer have that.

AC may just need recharged. I recommend having the Schraeder valve beside the dryer on the low pressure side replaced. The rubber seal in those dry out and leak. Other issue is if the car has not been fitted with the later V/S/C 70 cabin filter under the black cover panel where the wiper arms are (on the passenger side), it allows dirt and water to get into the heating system and rot the bottom of the A/C evaporator out in the cabin, which can lead to the A/C system leaking. That to replace is a big job needing the whole dashboard to be taken out. There is a how-to on MVS I believe still for this job. Time consuming but can be done in a weekend. Good opportunity to clean out the air vents while it is apart and check everything works.

If the fan is not working on all speeds it may be the variable resistor unit to the LHS of the fan motor under the RHS of the dashboard. It requires removing the lower under panel on that side ( 2(?) x T25 screws. The resistor unit is held in with a single or 2 Torx screws. Finding the resistor unit may be a challenge depending if you have the ECC or MCC heater controls.

When you remove that resistor unit, you can get a mirror in the hole and shine a light in there and check the bottom of the evaporator or corrosion.

The rust and corrosion you show is something you can tackle. You may be able to find a better tailgate, ideally in the same color.

The rusty strip below the tailgate window is normal for that age of car. The strip is available from Volvo I believe. It is a slow job to remove as it has metal strips in it that rust and swell the seal making it difficult to remove. A lot of patience is needed, a blunted flat screw driver and a piece of wood placed over the glass and metal to protect the paint and used as a levering point for the screw driver. I found WD-40 or silicon oil is your friend to help it come out a little easier.

Neil.