855 1995 odometer stopped at 18K

NC_Volvo_owner · Post by **NC_Volvo_owner** » 04 Jan 2009, 09:06

I bought a 1995 855 out of an estate last month with 16K confirmed miles. The car had set for about a year and a half. I reset the trip meter and 104 miles later the tripmeter and odometer stopped working at 18,113. The tripmeter resets but neither still work. Any thoughts before I pull the panel and look at replacing the gear that is the usual suspect?

From reading the odometer repair instructions and other comments it appears that the odometer might be electrical driven. I didn' see any step of disconnecting a speedo cable in the instructions.

The car is a minimally outfitted US model that has spent its life in central NC.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 04 Jan 2009, 10:02

Welcome to MVS.
Where are you in N.C.? My brother-in-law, also a Volvo owner is in Raleigh!
There is no speedo cable in any of these cars. Replacing that gear will typically fix all of these odo/speedo problems. However, the ABS going out can also keep the odo/speedo from working and there is a fuse for this, so check there and the ABS first. The fuse is located here:

Just thought of something else. If the ABS light is not on on your dash, check that the bulb has not been removed. When you put your key in the ignition and turn it to position II, all of your lights illuminate for a few seconds. Make sure that the ABS light is on to begin with.

: 850 Inst Cluster.jpg (30.95 KiB) Viewed 1117 times

It is #17 (top right corner light) in the lower section of your instrument panel. If all of that is confirmed, then the gear is your solution.

I went through all of this because the miles you mention for your 850, is very very low and I wondered if maybe the odo/speedo have really been out intermittently for awhile (the ABS issue will cause intermittent failure for your instrument panel read-out). In fact, in all of my years of doing this, I've never heard of an 850 this low. Do you know how it was "confirmed?" Also, have you seen the write-up in our repair database to check the "actual" miles for your car from the car's computer? Here is the link if you want to pursue this and make sure: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =a&start=0
Here is the basic information on your diagnostic boxes under your hood and how to use them: http://volvospeed.com/Repair/a3.html Different systems in the car are read by inserting the fly wire into different locations. More on this if you're interested- just ask.
-MIJ

NC_Volvo_owner · Post by **NC_Volvo_owner** » 04 Jan 2009, 12:16

Thanks to MadeInJapan for the post. The OBD confirms the mileage I had from service records. The ABS light is on at ignition and then goes out. My main question now is how to get the side and center vents out. They appear to pop out in some fashion but I am afraid to force. Any help on this? The vents near the door have screws behind a cover, so I asssume those are straight forward to remove.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 04 Jan 2009, 14:22

Let me ask you why you're trying to get the vents out.
From what I understand you saying the ABS is your issue- not the gear in the instrument cluster. The ABS on and off will cause the speedo/odo from working. I would get this fixed first and then go from there. Unfortunately, the '95 ABS isn't one that's rebuilt by those on the web. You have 2 choices here- either take it out and try the repair in the repair database or find a replacement on eBay or from www.erievovo.com who will warrant it (call them, don't email them if you want to check with Erie). Still, if there is reason to get the vents out, they just pull out, I believe). Btw, there is a free service manual for your car that you can download. It's in the pinned section of this section of the forum. I highly recommend you grab it while it's still there.

NC_Volvo_owner · Post by **NC_Volvo_owner** » 04 Jan 2009, 16:41

I was not clear. The ABS indicator comes on in the initial test, goes off and stays off - like all the other indicator lamps. As you suggest, the gear replacement is probably the next step. It will be a month or more before the car (and son) return to Raleigh. I will report on what I find when I take it apart.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 04 Jan 2009, 17:07

I understand now...sorry for my misunderstanding. Thought you were saying that the ABS light was going on and off (coming on during start-up is normal!)....then yes, the gear needs changing. Here is a write-up on getting the instrument cluster out. Hope it helps! http://volvospeed.com/Dashremove.php
Here is a similar procedure for the S70...dash is different but the later, instrument cluster section is the same and may help: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/odometer_fix.php Feel free to post any questions you might have at any time.
Regards,
MIJ

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 04 Jan 2009, 17:41

Use a small screwdriver near the pivot point on the vents and with gentle pressure they will just pop out.

Edit:

This seems to have been cross posted somehow as it was an answer to another question.

...Lee

TX 850 · Post by **TX 850** » 25 Jan 2009, 10:52

MadeInJapan,

Wife's car: '95 850 GLT with around 70,000 miles (odometer inop - apparently the gears) ~ she LOVES this thing; says she's going to keep it until she dies and then wants to be buried in it!

I'd appreciate you expanding on the use of the diagnostic ports. The example seems to be for the ABS through the "A" port. Perusing the service manual (Thanks!) isn't helping with this, perhaps I just haven't figured out how to navigate it, yet?

I'd like to know: [a] how to find the mileage (it seems like any fault codes must be cleared first??); how to check and clear fault codes to check the mileage without creating new problems (I'm wary of 'gotchas'); [c] is the "B" port something I need to concern myself with (haven't been able to get the cover off).

Odometer: Are the gears readily available from a Volvo dealer? Once the odometer is repaired, can it be reset to the correct mileage?

The instruction and pictures for accessing and repairing the odometer are very clear and user friendly. Thanks again.

The car has the SC-811 AM/FM/tape player. My wife would like a CD player (single CD would be adequate). Anyone have a suggestion or personal experience to share?

Thanks to all.

Paul

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 25 Jan 2009, 12:15

Paul,
I'll try to answer your questions.
First of all, you need to become familiar with how to read and reset your codes (procedure for all codes is basically the same- just that different fly wire locations give you different system diagnosis). That said, this will explain how to read the codes for the engine: http://volvospeed.com/Repair/a2.html
Here is our code library for different system in your car: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=10758 You can also download the service manual for free from the pinned section of this section of the site, so get it while it's still up...it's quite large and in zipped format.

Last of all, information on reading the actual miles is here: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... php?t=6731 There is also a thread dealing with how to use a drill to move the odometer miles forward to match your actual miles. If you haven't come across it yet, let me know and I'll look for it for you.
Regards,
MIJ

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 25 Jan 2009, 12:24

Here is how to correct the odometer:

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... a&start=24

...Lee