New Volvo 850 Purchase!

[454cid]

Ditto the above, and welcome to our little Tribe.
If there is any question about the engine service, belt/tensioner/water pump should be on the list early.

Yes, I'm planning on the Aisan kit... looks like they may be OEM, to me.

Take a good look at the motor mount behind the RF wheel, you'll be there anyway for the belt stuff.

What will I be looking or there... will damage, be obvious?

The car is driveable with the ABS light on, just use the same precautions in snow you would've used driving an early big-block.

My big block is actually late (99 truck), but I'm glad to hear the brakes will be fine without the ABS.

If the decal with the engine number on the plastic timing cover isn't legible, it's stamped on the block on the passenger side; '96 is early enough that may not be critical for parts info.
Robert DIY on youtube has some pretty good guides for maintenance, and there are plenty of threads here.
If in doubt, come back here, opinions freely given - some may even be helpful.

Yes, I've watched a few of his videos.... covers everything in detail! It may have been Robert, that did the video on the numbers, as I know I did see one on their location. I haven't checked that location yet.... too cold/snowy outside.

[454cid]

Many "low miles" 850s at auction have a broken odometer gear, it is a common failure. If so you can pull the actual mileage from the cluster, it is kept electronically even if the mechanical gear mechanism fails, but it's tricky on a 96.

Fantastic... I hope that's not the case. I guess I'll find out tomorrow, when I pick it up. Today, I paid for it, put it on the insurance, and put in a new battery.

Brakes work completely fine without ABS. Also check the top and bottom engine torque mounts, these are usually shot.

What do they look like when they go bad? Is it obvious? Ripped up, or am I just looking for movement, during idle?

[454cid]

Hello, I've just won a local auction for a 1996 850.

Did you get the one with the very rare 454 option?

NO.... I don't want to pay for that much gas! The 454 is in my truck. It was easier to re-use an existing name rather than try to come up with something clever. I've looked at a few Fords and considered using the same name on a Ford forum, but never got that far.

[jmcguire]

Congrats! I purchased our 1996 850 with about 55,000 miles on the odometer and had it up on jack-stands in the garage for about 3 months while making it road worthy. Timing belt, front suspension, axles, control arms, brakes, upper torque mount, pnp switch and some other things need replaced right away. It’s currently being used as my daughter’s daily driver and with exception of a few minor hiccups, it’s been extremely reliable.

[foggydogg]

Most of the mount issues will be self-evident; the 'front' mount ( front of the engine, behind the RF wheel ) should have a good amount of space between the lower bolt and the rubber portion of the mount. The top torque bracket stuff will be easy to see, with the car in park rock it back and forth, look for movement in the biscuit.
The odometer issue will be obvious as well, it's independent of the speedo. The first clue is usually the trip odo showing all naughts.
When you get thye 850 up on the front line, resist the urge to drop that new crate motor in the truck. I hear it's plug-and-play, and at 1,000 HP on pump gas is interesting, but you would have to change your handle to 632cid.
Plus, there's the $29.5k .

[RickHaleParker]

I don't think any vehicles in the US still used a carb, in 96.

It looks like the last Volvo Carburetor was a 1993 240 but the old nomenclature was still being used in 1996.

[454cid]

I picked it up today. Odometer definitely does not work, crap. I tried to use my old OTC scanner, to see if I could access the info, but it's not behaving. That thing is getting so old that it doesn't want to do anything.

I guess, I'll get a bluetooth adapter and go that way. I've kind of wanted one any way.

I think the thermostat is sticky. I was getting some heat, but the gauge wasn't showing much, and the upper hose was only warm. Later when I had it idling in my driveway, the gauge did make it to the halfway point, and the hose did get hotter. I'm guessing that will be an easy fix and it looks like the thermostat is right on top of the engine.

Glove box is not opening, which I knew already. Unfortunately, none of the ways I've seen to open it make any sense to me.... can't tell what I'm looking at.

There's a bit of wobble in one or both front tires. I thought maybe snow packed in a rim, but after adding some air (they were both low) it got better. Maybe just flat spots from sitting. They're some model of Michelin.

I checked the oil, coolant level, and air filter. The oil looked ok, I guess. The oil is not dark, but it's a bit hard to read that stick. The air filter looked pretty good, US made Carquest. What coolant should I use? A generic long life, or something labeled for European cars? The manual states to use Volvo coolant.... that's not happening.

The engine ticks/clicks more than I'm used to..... is that top end noise, or just the injectors doing their thing? I suspect it's the injectors since they're right up front.

The black line that runs from the top of the air box, to the bottom (I think), is broken at the top. The nipple is snapped. What's the best way to fix it? When I was researching what it was, I think the consensus was that it operated an air door, for heating incoming air. It looks like a tiny hole that bypasses the filter, at this point.

[454cid]

Most of the mount issues will be self-evident; the 'front' mount ( front of the engine, behind the RF wheel ) should have a good amount of space between the lower bolt and the rubber portion of the mount. The top torque bracket stuff will be easy to see, with the car in park rock it back and forth, look for movement in the biscuit.

I plan on doing a brake inspection in a day or two, so I'll look at the lower mount then. The top looks ok, but I'll look closer when I'm not freezing in the driveway.

The odometer issue will be obvious as well, it's independent of the speedo. The first clue is usually the trip odo showing all naughts.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work, and yes the tripometer is all zeros.

When you get thye 850 up on the front line, resist the urge to drop that new crate motor in the truck. I hear it's plug-and-play, and at 1,000 HP on pump gas is interesting, but you would have to change your handle to 632cid.
Plus, there's the $29.5k .

That's more money than sticker price on the whole truck when it was new!

[BlackBart]

Hello, I've just won a local auction for a 1996 850.

Did you get the one with the very rare 454 option?

NO.... I don't want to pay for that much gas!

That was a rare corporate cooperative venture and the Toronado FWD package was installed. (oh, maybe that was a 455...)

As a kid, some mechanic neighbors put a Toronado engine and auto transaxle in the back seat of a 911 (!?) They had some adapter kit. A bizarre swap.

[volvolugnut]

Did you get the one with the very rare 454 option?

NO.... I don't want to pay for that much gas!

That was a rare corporate cooperative venture and the Toronado FWD package was installed. (oh, maybe that was a 455...)

As a kid, some mechanic neighbors put a Toronado engine and auto transaxle in the back seat of a 911 (!?) They had some adapter kit. A bizarre swap.

Did anyone die when that butt heavy machine swapped ends?

volvolugnut