new to the forums here.

i was wondering what the correct idle speed is for my 96 850. right now, it idles at about 1000 or 1100 RPM. aren't cars usually around 700-800 RPM?

Edit: to make table a little more clear (just ignore all the yellow dots)

Well, I didnt really know for certain what the offical idle speed should be, until I actually looked it up. I have had my 95, 850 set at about 750 which appears to be correct.

I looked up the info in a Chilton's guide I have, and here is the info for it, depending on your engine/transmission: (this is for a 1996)

Engine............Litres........Idle(manual).......Idle(automatic).......Spark Plug Gap
B-5254S/55......2.4L...........750-850..............750-850..................0.028
B-5254T/56......2.4L...........800-900..............800-900..................0.028
B-5234T/57......2.3L...........800-900..............800-900..................0.028
B-5254FT/58.....2.3L..........800-900...............800-900.................0.028
B-6304F/96......2.9L..............n/a..................700-800..............0.024-0.028

Hopefully this will cover your needs

damn bro, you are like super blakbyrd. great to have you on board. are you sure you only want to do audio, you would be unstoppable doing engine mods. :grin:

okay, just went out and tried to adjust the idle screw, and it wont go down past 1000. darn. o well, high idle it is.

Out of curiosity, where was the screw you adjusted?

From past cars I am so used to adjusting the idle in the engine compartment, but I found a new adjustment in my 95 Volvo (new place for one for me anyhow), which was behind the gas pedal itself. It was a medium sized knob that you turn that allowed me to adjust my idle. Although my original idle problem was that it all of a sudden started idling too low and wasnt able to maintain itself and would keep stalling out.

If you used an adjustment screw in the engine compartment, check around your gas pedal. It might be easier to remove the bolster plate and get down by the floorboard so you can search easier. Once I found mine it wa an easy adjustment and it has maintained where I put it ever since.

Haha, I have become one of those jack of all trades type (unfortunately too many people know that though). I do all mechanical work myself, with the exception of cracking inside an engine block, I just don't mess in there. Typically it has been due to the fact that I usually only have one vehicle (or one that runs at any given time) and do not want toventure into that territory when my transportation is at stake. I have no problem messing with the electrics, suspension, manual transmissions, etc...but inside the engines just isnt my thing. Of course the other main reason was that I had a close friend who was simply a genius with engines (was pretty well known throughout the NASCAR pit crews too), so if we had engine troubles, he usually took care of it. Sadly he passed away at work a few years ago (although he always hated my foreign cars...haha).

I am a gadget freak though, and I must admit, reading about some of the mods you guys have done, has certainly sparked my interest, but I just cant afford to mess with any of that stuff right now, wish I could though.

My main thing anymore is certain types of audio, but mainly computers and servers. Need any info there, feel free to ask :)

Take care

i adjusted the idle screw in the engine compartment on the throttle body itself. it had blue paint on it. i couldn't adjust it because the butterfly valve hits the throttle body before it hits the adjustment screw. i think i can fix it if i take the throttle body off. i might do that tomorrow and ill report back. ill look for the adjustment on the pedal too. volvo just replaced the throttle body because it was a recalled item or something.

little fun-fact: im like the complete opposite of blakbyrd. i know my way around engines, but electrical, i know less.

... i am STILL looking for that knob at the pedal. maybe i'll find it tomorrow when i go ALL out and take a picture of it.

My idling is 1000.
:)

I will try to see if I can get a picture of it this weekend in between being out of town. It's been awhile since I messed with it, so I am going off vague memory of exactly where it is and what it looks like, but I was surprised when I found it. I never really knew what it was intended for, but it did adjust the idling speed. At least or me it adjuted the speed upwards, I would asume it would allow for adjuting downwards also, but who knows :P

Thanks!

I'll try to do the same. We can post up both pics and compare notes.
Cheers!

i thought the idle speed was set by the computer, with the exception of a minute or two on cold morning starts when it "chokes" to keep the idle high, if your idle speed changes it is more likely an indication that there is a problem with some other system of the car. if you adjust the cable i think the computer would be further compensating for the "issue" and the cables and throttle body are set to specific tolerances so that the ECU can do its job properly.


now, i would humbly state that it wouldnt be the first time i was wrong, but i think there is likely another issue that needs attention. i recall reading in my haynes/chilton about the air/fuel mixture, idle speed, and timing are set by the ECU and there was a feeler gauge used to set throttle linkage and cable slack.

am i mixing this up? or would manually adjusting the cable give the ECU more work to do?

back with news.

there is an adjustment on the pedal. that is for cable slack. the idle speed is set by the ECU. there is something called an "idle air control valve" that determines how much air goes by the butterfly valve when it is completely closed at idle. i dont think there is a way to adjust it.

Good...
:)

i got an obd scanner and i found out the tachometer is off. even though it says 1000 RPM, the engine speed is actually around 830.

Since I love the people at this forum and have been helped so much here I went out in the pitch black just now to take this picture. I am pretty sure what you are all talking about. I hope this is helpful. I never fooled with it, but my pedal came off one day while driving haha and had to put it back on. The pin that holds the pedal to the base came out. My idle speed is 900 I turned it up from 750 and felt an increase in speed starting from a stand still. I plan to turn it back down cause of the rising gas costs (did this like 3 years ago)

Attached thumbnail(s)

Thanks catbed, but i have checked with the Volvo Scan Tool before, and i was showing a reading above 900 or so. I think many mechanics have accepted this as a norm already, as many 850s come like this. But who knows, maybe i'll contact the dealer again, just to to check. This time, i will insist to be there when he does the 'reading'.


XPiece, thanks for the photo!
Interesting, will get there to check on it.

Yeah I should be a mod.... :beer:

OK OK we get the point.
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I'll mention it to the "Council of the Elders"...
:whistling: :shades:

For now, :auto: