Newbie, buying a '94 850 Turbo

Moeses18 · Post by **Moeses18** » 23 Feb 2011, 13:59

Hello everyone...I'm a newbie and am actually taking posession of my first Volvo tonight...It is a '94 850 Turbo and has been sitting for over a year...the owner went out and jumped it and it started right up...he's buying a new battery and checking the tires...besides the normal liquids i.e. oil, radiator etc...what else should I check before really driving this baby around...it's in great condition inside and out so it looks like it was really taken care of...just want to get some advice from experienced people...I had great success with my last forum group and made many new friends and got some great advice...I want to thank you all in advance for your input and look forward to showing you all my new baby!!! Thanks again!!

Post by **JRL** » 23 Feb 2011, 14:07

Miles?
If it's been sitting for a year you need to drain and fill both the brake fluid and the coolant
Have the entire braking system checked over CAREFULLY, there could be rust and the brake lines could be bad
Same for the coolant AND the hoses. Probably should be replaced.
When was the timing belt changed last?
The list is endless

Moeses18 · Post by **Moeses18** » 23 Feb 2011, 14:11

103,000 miles...buying it from a local guy and he just parked it cause he got a new car...car is really in great condition. I'll post pics this weekend

Post by **JRL** » 23 Feb 2011, 14:12

Well make sure the timing belt has been changed.

70K miles or 7-8 years, you may need to change it again

Moeses18 · Post by **Moeses18** » 23 Feb 2011, 14:50

Any special brake fluid or coolant? Like I said, this is my first Volvo...I live in a really small town with limited mechanics and no foreign car specialists so may be doing most of the work myself. I'll have to find out about the timing belt...just spoke with him breifly today and he was gonna gather all the records that he has and give me some specifics later today when I pick the car up...just thought I'd get a jump on ideas of things to look over before I take this thing on a trip. Thanks alot for your input

Moeses18 · Post by **Moeses18** » 23 Feb 2011, 14:52

Also what oil and filter is recommended?

Post by **jblackburn** » 23 Feb 2011, 14:59

Transmission fluid - Dexron III (there is no filter; most new owners ask that

)
Brake fluid - Dot III/IV
Coolant - try to get your hands on a HOAT coolant - Zerex G-05 (what lots of us use) or Peak are both HOAT.
PS fluid - Dex III, if you feel the need to change it. Both that and the transmission fluid should be a bright, clear red when wiped on a paper towel; if they're brownish they should be changed as well.
Oil - whatever you choose. In TX, you'd probably want to use a 10W-30 or -40. If it has been running synthetic, stick with synthetic. If it hasn't, stick with conventional oil and find a good quality one (Castrol, Valvoline, etc). For the filter, you will want to order some OEM Mann filters from one of the online stores at the top of the page - or a NAPA if you have one. DO NOT use a Fram or Purolator or any of those.

If you're any good at working on cars, there are very few things that are hard to take care of by yourself.

#1 rule of owning a Volvo is always carry a code scanner - but you have the OBDI box under the hood that communicates by flashing lights, so you won't need to worry about that.

Moeses18 · Post by **Moeses18** » 23 Feb 2011, 15:03

jblackburn...thanks for all that info...more than I expected but glad I have it...we have a shop at my house and my bro and I are both very mechanically inclined so we should be able to do most of the work ourselves. I'm gonna write down the info you gave me and keep it handy...also gonna find out with the owner what maintenance was done last and what kind of oil he's been using. Thanks again for your reply...really handy and I appreciate it! I'll get into the OBDI box info after I get her home and start getting her cleaned up and ready to be my daily driver.

copandengr · Post by **copandengr** » 23 Feb 2011, 18:08

There are some very detailed posts on replacing the timing belt. The members of this site have a collective knowledge that is not to be found elsewhere.

Do not wait on the timing belt.... If it breaks you have just turned your engine into junk. An OEM quality belt is less than 40 bucks and the job is not hard, just lengthy for the first timer. Finding the timing mark on the crank is the worst part of it... Make absolutely certain you have it right. Again, search this site for timing belt R&R. You might also consider replacing the idlers and water pump while you are in there. They are supposed to be replaced at 140 K anyhow.

Post by **vjaneczko** » 23 Feb 2011, 22:02

Moeses18 wrote:Hello everyone...I'm a newbie and am actually taking posession of my first Volvo tonight

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

It'll be good to read this: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/2009/0 ... s-stage-0/ - from there you can spend hours reading all the posts, learning about every nook & corner.

There's a wealth of information on this site, and a few others - but this is the best one

. The cars are easy to work on so you'll probably be able to do most the repairs yourself. Parts can cost a bit more coin than an American car, but it's worth it.

If you ever post a question, odds are good you'll be asked if you pulled any codes or took any pictures. Everyone on the board is very helpful - you've already heard from two of the best.

At the top of the page, you'll see ads from some great companies that support this site and our cars. You'll also see a link to Amazon.com which can help support this site.