Volvo 850 Forum

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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

Hi guys,

I have a question about Lambda sign. This sign is always on on my 1993 850 T5. As I know this Lambda is something related with exhaust system and also saves some fuel. Can anybody say how much fuel it saves and should I replace it or not. Thanks in advance.

Hi Experts - so this high school dropout mechanic replaces my ac evaporator on my 1996 850 R, and after lots of trouble the dash is finally back but the right side (passenger, where he worked on) is totally confused both ac and heat -wise. The electronic control system is fine, I presume, after I put in another one purchased on ebay, and so I suspect he messed up the various adjustments on the motors/sensors. I am not thrilled spending a grand or so at the volvo dealer, and have a friend who can read codes (used to flash the two lights upon starting but no more - just does not work with warm air coming from the right side vents and cold from the left). The garage has the CDs for the car and can print me anything I want - so what should I attempt to do?
Thank you experts in advance!

Hey guys i am writing to you from Australia.

I have recently purchased a 1994 850 T5. The car is unbelievable. Love it.

I am however after a little bit more go. Can someone tell me where the best place is to start?

My mechanic tells me not to adjust the boost pressure as they run extremely lean in stock form for fuel consumption and doing so could result in engine damage.

I was thinking of doing the intake and exhaust mods first and see how that goes.

Any advice would be great.


Thanks.... Paul.

1994 855 T5 covered 230 000 miles - rear light lenses are very faded - any ideas to brighten them up?

One of the problems I noted on the old expansion tank was that, it had lots of cracks (prolly indicating a lot of heat exposures) and if seen from a level (180 degrees) angle, the lid or the expansion tank cap was a bit off.

Of course, the lid closes tightly still with no leakage from the cap itself, but anyone could almost see that the lid was not properly leveled to the tank.

One observation I made was that, the position of the expansion tank itself was not levelled. You could easily judge this, by looking at the coolant inside the tank. THe coolant level is slunted to the right (if you're facing the engine).

Is there anyway I can correct this? If this newly-fitted used one gets to show the same problem, then my theory may be right. (Of course, have to wait up to 6 months in the future to know this... )

Anyone have the same condition?
Or should I toss this aside, and continue doing and thinking of something else?

What is the right way to recapture the fuel lines that are channeled under the passenger side? Mine hang about 1" low.

TIA!

Hey everyone, let me tell you the noise under my Volvo is getting louder. It only sounds like it's banging against something when I am driving about 25 or 30 MPH. Sometimes whenI turn left it makes the noise also. Does anyone have any ideas what it might be to save my sanity?

Hi, wonder if anyone can help with this. I've got hold of some very nice 6" x 9" 3 way eliptical speakers which I want to put onto the rear parcel shelf of my volvo 850 saloon. I've tried the speakers with the existing sound setup and there's plenty of power from the radio to drive them. All the wiring is already there. There's plenty on the web to get to the parcel shelf to take it out so that's not a problem. What I do want to know is what's the best way to put these speakers in. Do I fit the to the metal under the shelf, drill for the holes to fit the screws and enlarge the existing speaker hole? (don't really fancy this!) or will they sandwich between the parcel shelf and the metal underneath? Is there a company in the uk that can supply me with mounting brackets for the job? Has anyone done this before? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks. - Roy

When the radio is on and I put my foot on the gas, the radio makes a sound to indicate that somehow they are connected. It's a high pitched continuous hum sound. Any suggestions what this could be? Also the reception to the radio is very static, I tried to adjust it, but it didn't make a difference.

JJ

In my 1995 855 wagon, the a/c cycles off after an while. If you turn it on full blast it stays on for a while and is too cold. If you turn in down or off, it then cycles off after varying amounts of time, say 2-5 minutes. If you leave it off for 5 minutes, then turn it on, it will work again for a few minutes.

Near the end of last summer I took it in and they put dye in the system and topped up the refrigerant. Last week I took it to the shop and spent about $500 to have the receiver/dryer replaced. Unfortunately, this did not fix the problem.

Now I am worried about repeated trips to the shop to slowly replace all the components for $1000's of dollars. Is there no way to positively determine where the problem is?

Any help appreciated.

One of my mechanics just 5 minutes from home, imported a half-cut a.k.a. scrap remains (front) of an 850 R, which arrived on 25 June. As on the 26, I had the opportunity to be the first to salvage the remains.

As I was really in need of an expansion tank, (see attached for the photo of the old and the new one) I took the liberty to 'help myself' over the metals. Armed with 'borrowed' torx screwdrivers and pliers.

Surprisingly, taking it off seemed as easy as fitting it again. With the exception of the heat. I can still 'feel' the heat of the coolant on my palms, as I carelessly overturned the tank, without making sure the lid was tight. Ouuch... MAN! No wonder they charged RM50 just for the labour on this.

I am now on the second set of rear light lenses for my '96 850 wagon, and hte second set are crazing as did the first. Is this a problem only with 850 wagons? I ask this as I have just bought a '98 V70 which has spent most of its life in Nevada, and Kansas, before coming to Florida, and the lenses on the rear lights of this wagon are near perfect. Are the V70 lenses just a better quality or what?? I know the new lenses are expensive, but am seriuously thinking of getting V70 lenses to replace the 850 ones (only difference is that the turn signal part of the lens is clear on the V70, and yellow on the 850 - no problem)
Have any of the members any experience with these lenses, and any solutions to the 850 crazing problem?
The Bear, in Florida

I'm a new member so I don't know if it is appropriate to post here or not. My problem is that I can't seem to find a way to turn off the Service light on my 1998 S70. I have followed the instructions I have found on the web but they don't seem to work. Would one of you fine folks that knows how to do this please tell me?

Thanks,
Steve

Hey i wanted to know where the problem areas are on these cars because im looking into buying a used 96 or 97 850R. Also what does T5 and such mean? Thanks

Where can be found the radio code?
The previous owner didn't have it, and I'll change the batery cell somewhere in sept. oct., and I dont want to make my radio useless

I just bought a 93 volvo 850 slt (great car) but I dont have the owner manual (user manual).
Can be found located anywere online?
Anyone have one in pdf?
tks a lot.

wondering if I paid too much for my car.
It's a 97 Volvo 850 T5-R
I paid 10,800

It has 106,00
It's in excellent condition.
What do you think?

JJ

Thought you guys wanna know:-


http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5Fratings/ce/html/95005.htm

I havent driven a 850 prior to this and coming from an m3 I know I shouldn't have such expectations, but I'm pretty anal about cars so I want to claify some things. The car itself was pretty clean, the front bumper was cracked from someone bottoming out, the paint seemed to be in good shape over all though. The only mods were ipd flash, ipd exhaust, and the s60 R wheels in 17. The car had 125,000 on the odo.

I was a little hesitant about the mods but I decided to give a car a spin. The first thing I noticed was the ride as pretty damn harsh, harsh considering how much roll the car still had. I'm not sure if the 17s were causing that or thats just the normal ride of the car. The steering seemed to be pretty typical for a volvo, not too responsive but responsive enough. When I got to chance to spool the turbo, I could definately hear it. The car pulled pretty nice from 30 miles an hr. I was shocked to hear the blow off valve from the turbo when I let off, the owner told me that the volvo came stock with that and it wasnt aftermarket. He told me that it should be around 275 hp. I had trouble finding the right speed to feel the power properly since we were kind of in the city skirts. I havent ran a carfax on it yet and I'm thinking about picking it up once I drive it more and everything checks out.


Should I be paranoid about the ipd mods? I know the car was well taken car of by the current owner, but I dont know of the previous owners experiences since they were the modders.

How hard would it to be to track down a used R front bumper? and how much?

Is the 275 hp a little optimistic? and what gear should I feel it pull the most?

The blow off valve being stock?

The r wheels were a direct bolt on? It seemed that the front right offset was a little off as it stuck out a tad. Or would that be alignment issues.

I'm looking for a commuter car and a car that I can jump in and not worry about if Im going to make it.

Thanks for your time and I hope to be seated in another volvo soon.

Cheers

Hey anyone, looking for some ideas on how to remove my instrument cluster to replace it with a different one on a 94 Volvo 850. How to take the dash cover off and so one.

Thanks,

Michael

Hi all,

Just got myself a '96 850 T5 but not being a diehard fan (...yet!!), I have no idea where I can get my T5 serviced and checked. Anyone from Malaysia have recommendations for specialists within the KL/PJ vicinity?

Thanks!

Hey everyone out there, I am sure that most of you know this, but if you need parts for your Volvo, you might want to check out ebay.com. I am here to tell you, I have saved thousands of dollars buying parts off of it. I wrecked my 850 by killing bambi's mom and dad last month. Here is an example: I needed a new power steering pump, called the dealership and was told that it would cost around $650.00, after I stopped laughing I told the guy I would get back with him. Well I found the same identical part, although used on ebay for $39.00. Put the part on, and works great, no problems and did'nt hurt my wallet a bit.

Has anyone heard of something called a Swedish tune? I spoke with a technician at a Volvo dealership in Michigan about a clogged vacuum system(on my 95 850 turbo) and after he recommended cleaning the elbow he suggested I do a Swedish tune on my car which consists of doing a regualr tune up with timing belt and tranny tune and the take it out on the freeway, get it up to about 45 mph, put it in 1st gear and drive at about 60mph for 12 minutes or 12 miles(in 1st gear). His logic was that these cars are made for high rpms and that this will blow all the carbon off the valves are rings. Sounded a bit scary. I later spoke to another Volvo tech in Alabama and he claimed that Volvo sent a memo to dealerships telling them to perform this operation to start a fire in the catalytic coverter to clean it? So what is the real story? Anyone heard of this Swedish tune?

Tech,

Another "lame-s" question:-

While out shopping for groceries last Sunday morning, I stole some time away with my daughter, and sneaked to the Auto section, where I came across one of those 'additives' for the car.

Specifically, i saw a few brands on fuel system cleaner. After going through a few and shortlisting them to 3, I opt for one fuel injector cleaner that specifically stated "Safe for Oxygen sensors and Catalytic Converters". Since have to empty the whole bottle into an empty gastank (obviously so that the fuel mixes better with the additive), I saved the action to the end of the week, in time for the next usual fuel-fill.



My question:-
While I chose the one that specifically stated that it is safe for o2 sensors and cat-s, the other two brands were quite well known internationally as well. Would it be a bad choice with the possibility of damaging my engine, if I chose them? One of them is Bardahl. Tried to look for STP but out of stock. I settled for one from Australia but not very well known, though the promoter recommended it as well.

Further, I noticed that there wasn't much written on the labels, so I couldn't make any comparisons. If pricing IS a factor, the one I got was the most expensive of the three shortlisted ones.

Hmmmm... Any ideas, Tech?

Yesterday we drove down to Naples, FL to see some inlaws that are here on vacation.
When we arrived and went to get into the trunk we saw lots of oil on the rear of the car.

This morning we brought it to a local garage to see if it was something serious or an o-ring or something. After cleaning it, driving it, idling, he thought at first that it may have been coming from the turbo, but then he was sure that that it is from the head gasket. Leaking like a sieve (sp). There are a few other smaller oil leaks.

He thought that it would be time to sell the car, that even if we repair the head gasket that it is the beginning of lots of problems depending on who does the head gasket.

What do you think, Tech? If it is the head gasket, what are we looking at $$ etc? I had hoped to keep this car for several more years so we could save some money toward a down payment on something else.

I haven't heard of many 850 owners mentioning head gasket repairs. Is this very common? Could he be mistaken.