Login Register

Volvo 850 1996 N/A (Repair Journey) Part 2

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

Post Reply
BeerDeer
Posts: 94
Joined: 6 January 2024
Year and Model: 1996 and Volvo 850
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Volvo 850 1996 N/A (Repair Journey) Part 2

Post by BeerDeer »

Hi everyone,

Over the past few months, I’ve been an active writer here, sharing updates and troubleshooting issues—from oil problems to stalling, transmission concerns, and more.

Recent Fixes and Maintenance

This week, I tackled several tasks and wanted to share my progress:

PNP Switch:
- I removed the PNP switch, cleaned off the grease, and reinstalled it.
- Result: Reverse lights are working perfectly—one less problem to worry about!

Spark Plugs:
- Replaced the spark plugs with Bosch ones.
- Note: The gap is different from the original Volvo plugs, but so far, it seems fine.

Distributor and Camshaft Maintenance:
- Installed a new rotor cap and cleaned the rotor.
- Replaced both rear cam seals (they were dried out and ineffective).
- Cleaned the rear camshaft sensor, which had oil inside.

PCV System:
Almost completed the PCV system service. Here’s what I did:
- Replaced the oil trap and one hardened hose.
- Cleaned the remaining original hoses since I was missing one pipe and one hose from the kit.
- Used a wrong-sized gasket because the original was too old and I got the wrong PCV kit :).
- Observations: No intake leaks so far (RPM is stable, and there’s no noticeable power loss).

Question: Should I replace all the vacuum lines as well? They’re old and some are cracking. Can I use 5mm silicone hoses and clamps to replace all sizes instead of buying 3mm, 4mm, and 7mm hoses separately? (See attached pictures for reference—yellow and black vacuum lines.)

Current Results

Since completing the seals and PCV work:

- The car is running smoothly.
- I plan to order the rest of the PCV hoses soon and will replace them later (The ones that are connected to oil trap and intake manifold).

Outstanding Concerns

Vacuum Lines:
- Will the cleaned and reused original PCV hoses cause future issues?
- Can using a different gasket long-term cause problems if there are no immediate signs of leakage?

Highway Vibration Issue:
- At speeds between 60-90 km/h, I sometimes hear and feel a vibration, especially after hitting potholes or accelerating suddenly.
- The vibration lessens as I slow down and eventually disappears but can return.
- It doesn’t occur at idle or low speeds.
- Question: Could this be caused by the tires, or is it something else?

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks in advance for your help! Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

:wink:
Attachments
PCV kit.png
PCV.png
Gasket3.jpg
Gasket2.jpg
Gasket.png
Hoses3.png
Hoses2.png
Hoses.png

scot850
Posts: 14883
Joined: 5 April 2010
Year and Model: 2000 V70 R
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Has thanked: 1847 times
Been thanked: 1710 times

Post by scot850 »

I believe those lines you are highlighting are vacuum lines so may not work with silicon pipes. Others may have had experience of using silicon pipes on those.

As for the gasket, you may experience some possible reduction in efficiency due to the smaller intake holes, but is the gasket uses all the original bolts/stud holes it looks like it will work in terms of sealing for now.

Spark plug gap should be 0.028" if that helps. This is more critical on turbo engines.

Great progress!

Neil.
2006 V70 2.5T AWD Polestar tune
2000 V70 R - still being an endless PITA
2006 XC70 - Our son now has this and still parked in our garage
2003 Toyota 4Runner V8 Limited
2015 Kia Sportage EX-L - Sold
1993 850 GLT -Sold
1998 V70 XC - Sold
1997 Volvo 850 SE NA - Went to niece in California - Sold
2000 V70 SE NA - Sold

User avatar
DennisCA
Posts: 177
Joined: 26 September 2024
Year and Model: 1996 850
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 59 times

Post by DennisCA »

I would replace all the vacuum lines yes. I've never used silicone hoses so I cannot really say except I know a lot of people use silicone so it must work, still I would get the right size hoses.

I've used rubber vacuum lines instead as they are cheap and I can buy them by the meter. I've also used smaller rubber fuel lines as vacuum hoses, on my 850 in particular.

User avatar
abscate
MVS Moderator
Posts: 35296
Joined: 17 February 2013
Year and Model: 99: V70s S70s,05 V70
Location: Port Jefferson Long Island NY
Has thanked: 1504 times
Been thanked: 3817 times

Post by abscate »

That intermittent vibration is probably a CV joint that needs grease. When you hit a bump it articulates and then makes noise until it relaxes back to the “ quiet spot”. It’s a bit of gorilla wrestling job to pull a drive axle, grease, reboot , reinstall. Plan 4-6 hours total in the driveway.

The best way to save that down time is…

1 buy more Volvos
2 Buy a good used or OE axle
3 swap in new for old
4 rebuild old and use it on your new to you Volvo
Empty Nester
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
Link to Maintenance record thread

User avatar
erikv11
Posts: 11800
Joined: 25 July 2009
Year and Model: 850, V70, S60R, XC70
Location: Iowa
Has thanked: 292 times
Been thanked: 765 times

Post by erikv11 »

I think all of those vacuum lines you looked at can be replaced by silicone, but yes rubber works well too. Just don't use silicone where it's exposed to oil. This thread has some tips viewtopic.php?t=65002
'95 854 T-5R, Motronic 4.4, 185k
'98 V70, T5 tune-injectors-turbo, LPT engine, 304k, daily driver
'06 S60 R, 197k
'07 XC70, black, 205k
'07 XC70, willow green, 212k
'99 Camry V6 :shock: 153k
gone: '96 NA 850 210k, '98 NA V70 182k, '98 S70 NA 225k, '96 855 NA 169k

BeerDeer
Posts: 94
Joined: 6 January 2024
Year and Model: 1996 and Volvo 850
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Post by BeerDeer »

DennisCA wrote: 28 Dec 2024, 01:32 I would replace all the vacuum lines yes. I've never used silicone hoses so I cannot really say except I know a lot of people use silicone so it must work, still I would get the right size hoses.

I've used rubber vacuum lines instead as they are cheap and I can buy them by the meter. I've also used smaller rubber fuel lines as vacuum hoses, on my 850 in particular.
Hi,

Do you know where to get? I can't find any.

BeerDeer
Posts: 94
Joined: 6 January 2024
Year and Model: 1996 and Volvo 850
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Post by BeerDeer »

abscate wrote: 28 Dec 2024, 05:06 That intermittent vibration is probably a CV joint that needs grease. When you hit a bump it articulates and then makes noise until it relaxes back to the “ quiet spot”. It’s a bit of gorilla wrestling job to pull a drive axle, grease, reboot , reinstall. Plan 4-6 hours total in the driveway.

The best way to save that down time is…

1 buy more Volvos
2 Buy a good used or OE axle
3 swap in new for old
4 rebuild old and use it on your new to you Volvo
Hi,

I’m not sure what it is, but it happens when I’m driving at highway speeds. It feels like a rotational sound—almost like a bump or a spinning noise. When I slow down, the sound gets louder or sometimes slower. Then, if I come to a stop and start driving again, it completely goes away. It’s very random. My car has those little balancing weights on the wheels, but I can’t figure out what’s causing this noise.

BeerDeer
Posts: 94
Joined: 6 January 2024
Year and Model: 1996 and Volvo 850
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Post by BeerDeer »

erikv11 wrote: 28 Dec 2024, 10:26 I think all of those vacuum lines you looked at can be replaced by silicone, but yes rubber works well too. Just don't use silicone where it's exposed to oil. This thread has some tips viewtopic.php?t=65002
I read the instructions, and they suggest removing the SAS, but I’m not confident enough to tackle that yet, so I think I’ll leave it alone for now. I’m unsure whether I should use a single 5mm or 7mm hose for everything and just tighten them with clamps, or if it’s better to buy individual hoses in the correct sizes. Would it be a bad idea to use a single size for all, or should I manually get each one to fit properly?

User avatar
erikv11
Posts: 11800
Joined: 25 July 2009
Year and Model: 850, V70, S60R, XC70
Location: Iowa
Has thanked: 292 times
Been thanked: 765 times

Post by erikv11 »

As long as the seal is tight on the end, e.g. with a zip tie or a clamp for silicone or a clamp for rubber, then small differences in diameter are fine. I think for the ones you are looking at, 4 mm would be best. If you need something bigger use 3/16 rubber like you will for the "line 3" from the flame trap, or 1/4 rubber if you replace "line 6."
'95 854 T-5R, Motronic 4.4, 185k
'98 V70, T5 tune-injectors-turbo, LPT engine, 304k, daily driver
'06 S60 R, 197k
'07 XC70, black, 205k
'07 XC70, willow green, 212k
'99 Camry V6 :shock: 153k
gone: '96 NA 850 210k, '98 NA V70 182k, '98 S70 NA 225k, '96 855 NA 169k

User avatar
BlackBart
Posts: 6501
Joined: 10 December 2016
Year and Model: 2004 XC70 BlackBetty
Location: Over the far far mountains
Has thanked: 927 times
Been thanked: 884 times

Post by BlackBart »

Various vac lines and elbows for ‘96 NA -

https://www.ipdusa.com/Catalog/Index?CA ... &VL_ID=143
ex-1984 245T wagon
1994 850T5 wagon
2004 XC70 wagon BlackBetty

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post