Volvo 850 Forum

Feature my ride Mark forum as read and return

hi all.
ive just changed the gear oil in my 1994 850 and the fault in the engine electronic system warning light on the dash has come on.i took the breather hose off at the air box and cleaned it as well whilst the car was running
any ideas?? this has made me scratch my head at this
also how do i get rid of the light.
gratefull for any help on this
regards

I hate it when thing don't work... so when I noticed the light in the middle console (also from the rear ashtray) did not work I had to replace the little light inside.

Open the box and lift out the plastic cover where the bolts are below.

Remove both bolts.

Then seat yourself in the backseat, enjoy the great seats, and bend over to remove the ashtray. You can easily click it out without breaking anything!

Next thing is pulling away the backside of the console, the part in which the ashtray normally is placed. Just pull on the downside (where the brown cable is used in the pictures to do so without hurting any fingers) and the entire part should click loose. You can now see the light in it's container. Take it out carefully and replace it for a new one!

Act these steps in the reversed order to get it all installed again!

Here some images to help you out on this easy action, in random order :

1994 Volvo 850 Turbo, 139k. Well, to make a long story short, drove the car to Maryland and back 3 straight weekends (6 hour drive each way) with no problems. The CE light came on a couple of weeks back, slow front o2 sensor. O2 sensor is rust welded to the downpipe, so I drove it as-is, still getting high 20's MPG on the highway. At home, let the car idle for @20 minutes, drove it out of the driveway to move another car, shut it off, went to re-start it and it just turns over. I push it into the garage, figured maybe somehow the connection to the rotor corroded or something. Replaced the cap and rotor, started right up. Went to start it again, wouldn't start. A couple of days later it started once and after a few seconds stalled out, and hasn't started since. I ran a compression check and have good compression (timing belt was done at 132k), I have fuel pressure, but no spark. Pulled the plugs, so spark when grounded. I replaced the coil, no luck, so I ordered a used ECU, still does not start. Is there anything else to try? I'm pretty stumped. I checked the Cam Sensor and it is dry, no oil blowby. If anyone has any idea, it would be greatly appreciated.

Another seat issue, '94 850. I am not sure if it is the cable or the motor that drives the seat back? It has gotten progressively worse over the last 2 or 3 years, and now does not lift at all. I hit the switch, and the motor cranks for maybe 1/2 second, then stops. I can hit it umpteen times, and it does not lift the seat back. All other motors work fine.

I figured I would check before I pulled apart the seats to see if the cable was the culprit. Any ideas?

I have oil blowing out of the dipstick and the oil cap. a lot of oil on top of the head (cam box). Someone told the "screen" is clogged. About a quart of oil every 3000 miles blows out. What is the correct name for the "screen" and where is it ? After searching the forum I see it could be a vent box? 1995 850 non turbo 160,000 miles

I was quickly accelerating to overtake a tractor trailer...ie. gunning it.
I immediately felt a kind of airy pop. Then when I turned off and came to a red light it almost seemed like it would die...but didn't. I turned off the A/C, radio, blower. When I started again if I started to accelerate even a little I hear an A/C airy sound...that seems to turn on then goes off. It is skipping or hesitating a bit.

I stopped at a generic indy shop..."I don't work on Turbos"

What do you guys think this could be? Is it serious? Costly? Any ideas?

I may take it to another local..generic shop closeby...but expect to hear the same thing...either they don't work on Volvos or turbos...

Thanks.

hey I'm new to the forum but have had my 96 850 R fro a year now. and i seriously susect that the turbo is going bad (burned 4 quarts in 4k miles!!!) it has all the symptoms. however i would like to know wheather to put in a stock or upgradded turbo in there. if i go for upgraded what is recommended?? if any. i just want to know what my options are here and what to do. I have also been looking at ECU chips. which one is the best fo rthe car? ( I heard IPD is good but recently stumbled upon UPSOLUTE? anyhow just want the know the pluses and minuses of each) and to address my main concearn with power increases .. what about the tranny?? I have an AT will it be damaged or can it handle the increase, if not what can be done to help it out. also its red as u all may know and i have treid everything short of repainting to bring the paint back. (it oxidizes badly in the sun) its 9 years old true but i have clay bared and waxed and i still see the white haze. i may be picky but i just want it to look good.

please if any of you can help me out it would be appreciated.

ohh one more thing about the smoke, could it really be the breather hose?? and how do u check that?

Just new to this site and am hoping I can get some info on my Volvo - 1995 850 GLE 249,000 kilometers and generally running like a top.

Sometimes when I start up the car a puff of blue smoke comes out the exhaust pipe. My dealer checked the compression and said it was ok. He also changed something I think he called an "oil trap". He said it it continues (and it has) it may be valve guides. Any thoughts? Any idea how much that would cost? Thanks in advance for any help.

I just got a flat tire.... Making me buy 4 new wheels. Was time anyways..

Beeing in a hurry, the only thing the dealer had in stock that would fit on my 16" was Pirelli 6000 ZR.

Im finding them giving me a extra 3-5/mph when i corner. The grip is awsome.
And the rain isnt a problem either. But a friend of mine told me they are like a pair of erasures, I should be glad to have em last 1 season....

Any1 got experience of them? beeing long lasting? good economy?
after al, they did cost me $302/each

Mikey

hi I'm new to this so pls bear with me I have just bought an 850 T5 estate and the only problem I have is the drivers side footwell light wont go off. I know it's only a minor problem but it's very annoying does anyone have any thoughts on this
thank's

I am newbie hello everyone!
I have a 1994 volvo 850 recently the fan blower stop working on settings 123 and only works on 4. I have checked the fuses they are ok. Does any one have any suggestion on whether this could be the blow motor or the resistor ?

Hi, I'm a new member and I've got a 1993 Volvo 850 with about 190K
miles. The AC blower motor seems to no longer have any speed control.
It still seems to blow cold air but always at the same slow speed. I live in Southwest Florida so this is getting to be a problem!!
Any ideas on what might be the problem? Do I need a new blower motor??

Thanks, Rich

Hi folks, finaly got round to changing the front tyres today, had a pair of Avon ZV3's fitted and finaly the car drives correctly at all speeds (drivers side front used to vibrate very badly at 60mph +, suspect the last owner had run it with very low pressur for some time)

Any how just checked the pressures the garage set them to which is 29PSI. I know volvo recommends around 32PSI on its OEM tyres, but i also know different manufaturers can set different pressures depending on the exact tyre and car.

Anyone know for sure if 29 is the right one, or should i add a bit more wind

oh yes, they are 185/65/15 88H

3 weeks into ownership of a 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo sedan with 53k mi, this is my first foray into the world of Volvo.
Issues:
1)I've been impressed with low end power gained by K&N filters on all my cars in the past(& mom's nissan murano the most!), will this help even more so with the turbo?
2)gas mileage is 20-21mpg at best in 50/50 mixed driving, this seems low considering a)it's a Volvo, b)it's a 5 cylinder.
3)Does the turbo need special TLC?
4)What Volvo specific gremlins do I need to anticipate?

thanks!

Hey everyone. I am new here and I joined so that I could learn how to fix and maintain my 850 T. One of the things I want to do is make my car like this one: http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=512_overloaded850. I am a total noob at this stuff (Hey im only 16!! I'm tryin to get a head start at upgrading and maintaing my volvo). If you could help me, preferably how to make my car like the one in the vid, I would bow to you and call you Jesus! Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi- where could be the problem ?After i stop the engine the blower motor is still working on high speed.I have to take the fuse out to stop it. Also the cold air is not coming anymore with the blower ,only when the blower is stoped at 0 and some cold air is coming at high speed on the highway.

Hi guys,

I am still considering a replacement car for my Wifes 940 (I would use it as my car). Here is the car I am considering, and I would like your opinions on it. I am setting up a time to see the car probably this week. Please give a few specifics if you can, I am not familiar with FWD Volvos at all.

-Thanks, Ken

Hi, I'm new to your forum, but was wondering if there is anyone out there that knows how to replace instrument panel bulbs on a 1996 850. If there is, I shall be grateful for any help

Do seat covers, the lamb skin kind, screw up the side impact air bags. And my SRS light is on, this happen about 3 days before I put the seat covers on.

Thanks again Fish

Hi

Thanks for reading.

Can anybody help?

I need a solution to being able to play CD RW/Copied Cd's in my 850.

The Current Head Unit will only accept original discs.

Can anybody suggest a replacement head unit or whether or not I can install a CD change with little or no efort??!!

Any help would be gratefully received!

Thanks

Hello

I bought my self a 850 T5 station wagon 5months ago.
It has been runing smooth and reliable except for a few tear and wear items i fixed.
yesterday I made my right foot a lil bit heavy on the accelerator and whent to 6000rpm on second gear... then got back to normal speed and drove for another ½mile, then as I stoped white smoke came in thru the ventilation into the cockpit and it smelled real bad. Opening the hood a litle cloud of smoke cleared and a big heat wave hit me making me take 3 steps back. What´s wrong????

I just had it tuned and served so its top condition. The heater gauge didnt go over half way. so it wasnt over heating. Shouldnt the car be able to run for 5-7sec on 6000rpms ???

Or is there a oil spill somewhere on the engine that burns when i max the engine?

Thnx for al replies.

Hello all!
Just drove home a 1995 850 Turbo Sedan(53k mi) from Carmax and I love it. The turbo is real nice, the sunroof is ginormous and the a/c blows arctic! So what do I need to do to acclamate myself to the swedish lifestyle? Are there any swedish gremlins i need to be on the lookout for? Does the turbo need any special maintenance, or the car in general? What's the standard life of a volvo turbo? Can I slap in an ECU upgrade for some extra ponnies? Thanks!

Hi all'
The seat backs on my 94 850 wagon, are in a laid back position and won't return to upright. I can hear the motors working on both but there is no movement at all. My guess is there's a cable or linkage broken. Anyone got similar problems/solutions.
Cheers

Hi any one tried these. they look ok and are a good price. he does discs as well.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10432&item=4564126043

HELLO ALL....I have a volvo 850 2.5, she runs very nice, given full service, cam belt, oil change, cleaned throttle body, flame trap etc. When running if i pull dip stick out slightly i can see puffs of white smoke, i would normally consider this to be breather problem, but i have replaced the flame trap and cleaned breather pipes!. My fear is a more serious problem of blowby..... i dont have excesive crank case pressure just the white smoke and she runs like a dream!!!!. Any ideas before i think about majour overhall :

I just picked up a 97 850. The speedometer reads miles per hour but doesn't click off the milage. Is there more than one pick up for the speedo or if it is reading mph and the milage is not being recorded than the speedo is NG ?
HELP.

Wade

I have a 1996 Volvo 850 with 125K miles, and the check engine light is on. My mechanic told me that the error code was P0450 which I looked up and found are the pressure sensors (specifically "Evaporative Emission Control System Pressure Sensor Malfunction").

I tried replacing the the gas cap with a new one and disconnected the battery for a half hour, but the light came back on when I restarted the car.

I know nothing about EVAP pressure sensors. Would anyone be able to tell me:
1. Where they are located?
2. How many of them are there?
3. How often do they need to be replaced?
4. Is their malfunctioning doing damage to the car? (I know that I cannot pass emissions without this being rectified)
5. How much does it cost to replace them?

Any information on this topic would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
plibicus

Hello I have a 1993 volvo 850 the arrow is flashing on the panel the car is having problem accellerating now, this happened after my friend borrowed the car and kept it running in "winter" mode. I am looking for information, guieds etc on repairing this problem since there are no repair gareges in my area and volvo is a rare vehicle here.

thank you
Emad

I brought my car into a volvo dealership. I left the car overnight.
When i picked the car up I noticed that something was splashed all over my car, but didn't notice the extent until returning home.
When I tried to wipe if off the paint came off the car. It has ruined the paint, It's all over.
Very upset. This car is was in mint condition, now it's a mess. I left a message for volvo but have not heard back.
jj

what should i do?

Can anyone tell me where the amp is located in the 96 850 t, with the SC-815

I just buy a 1994 850 with a standard tape & radio. The front speaker is working fine, but the rear one doesn't have the same output level as the front one... When the fader is set to center, the I set the volume. If I set the fader to rear only, the rear speaker volume level is very low compare to the one at the front...

Does they exist an external amplifier for the rear speaker, or it's something in tha radio that is broken??

Thanks...

Cleaning the IACV (the Idle Air Controller Valve).

It is located under the Throttle System cover / hood, just beside the engine block, with a cable (throttle cable) that spans out almost half of the engine bay going into it.

All you have to do is:-

1) Buy Carbon spray cleaner. STP is a good brand - the Carb Spray Cleaner. 500ml for RM15.00. Can be used, at least 10 times, if just used for the IACV cleansing. Make sure you read the back label carefully. Someone used petrol and brushes but I recommend using the aerosol spray. It makes the job a LOT easier.

2) Screw off the Torx25 screw holding the Throttle System cover / hood in place. Slowly remove the cover by tilting it upwards a bit and pulling it backwards.

3) There is a small metal silver-coloured, bottle-shaped thingy that looks like it is lying horizontally. This is the IACV. It will have two hollow 'hands' - the one pointing to the top is smaller than the one pointing to the bottom.

4) Remove the top connection. Depending on whether you or your mechanic have done this before, the metal fasteners are normally different. IF you havent, then slowly but firmly or forcefully remove the metal fasteners. This may cause the metal fasteners to be damaged.

5) Remove the bottom connection. Instructions as with the removal of the top.

6) Remove the IACV. You may find it easier to let the IACV slip out by turning the unit and pulling it out slowly. Inspect manually. If you slowly turn the IACV horizontally, you will feel like something inside is 'moving' with sounds of click, click at each turn.

7) Look at the hollow holes at each 'hand'. Typically the one pointing to the top is less dirty than the one pointing to the bottom. The dirt inside the holes are carbon deposits that have come to reside within in. THese are the bad stuff that we are aiming to get rid of by eliminating them via the use of the aerosol spray.

8) Carefully spray into the holes using the tip nozzle provided. Aim well. Avoid the spray getting into your eyes. They are hazardous.

9) Make sure the holes are clean.

10) Air-dry the IACV. Tip it in such a way that whatever liquid is left, it would naturally flow down by gravity-pull. The whole air-drying process shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. While waiting, you could use this time to clean the other parts related to the throttle with your multi-purpose rags.

11) Reinstall the IACV.

12) If your metal fasteners have gone bad due to your opening it up, or if you couldn't get it to 'lock' again, since you don't have the special tool: Go to your supermarket and buy those metal fasteners that you could affix to your tap nozzle of your garden hose. If you do, you will need either a small ratchet with the head number 7 or implies a 7mm. Or you can use a locked spanner (preferred to help not damage the nut-head) size 7mm. Affix it in alternate to the original Volvo metal fastener.

13) Fix the bottom part first and then the top one. Then screw-tighten the metal fasteners back into place.

14) Next, re-affix the cover.

15) Star your engine and observe the idling now.




Very easy, right? Hope you could find your way!

My wife just came back from a trip and en-route, my sister-in-law "broke" the passenger window. It was already partially down and she went to lower it more and it made a popping sound and went down quickly and now won't go back up. I can hear the window motor but see no window.

Any ideas?

I've just purchased (yesterday) a 1996 850 CD wagon (automatic). I love the car but have had some major acceleration problems. The car goes fine - up to about 80km/h but after that, if i try and put my foot down it actually slows down and it feels like i'm either slipping into a false neutral or that i'm putting my foot on the brake. It slows down to about 60km/h which isn't so great when you're travelling in an 110km/h zone. (I travel a lot on the open road). The car has only done 80k and was well loved. Could it be that i bought it from someone who's never never driven over 80km/h? Or have I got other problems?
Hope someone can help me - I want to love this car but it's hard if if doesn't go anywhere...

jacqui