Hello all and Happy 2006.

1993 Volvo 850, (nonturbo), manual, 135000 miles in Atlanta, GA.
Car burns oil; about a quart every 5000 miles.

3 problems (for now):

1. Clutch has begun making a slight noise every time it gets pushed in. Still lets me shift etc, just makes that icky sound. Any idea on whats wrong and how much it should cost me to get fixed?

2. RPM's will run up without there being a increase in speed. Gotten so bad that it has trouble taking off on hills etc. Will start SLOOOOWLY then after alittle while it "catches" and gets up into speed. Same problem happens in hills while driving where I have to downshift and rev the rpm's to not loose speed. Compression problem? Manifold/valves? Price?

3. I suspect there being a exhaust leak in the manifold or gaskets. Will sometimes give a small bang underneath the car just after shifting. Ideas? Price?


Any and all suggestions/answers GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks and happy new year.

Erik

Not an 850 expert so you may wish to take the following with a pinch of salt:

Problems 1 & 2 sound closely linked i.e. both sound like worn or weak clutch parts. Unless you are a very competent DIY mechanic, suggest you get the car into a clutch workshop a.s.a.p. Can you smell burning clutch friction plate when this happens? Not cheap, sounds like you need a new clutch to me.

Problem 3 - rough gearchanges caused by "iffy" clutch could be causing judder from gearbox/clutch to exhaust via the engine, causing the exhaust to hit the underbody (assume you mean this kind of "bang" rather than a backfire-type bang). Could be missing or broken exhaust mounts and/or hangers or worn engine/gearbox mounts (or the former caused by the latter!!!). Get the clutch fixed first & see whether this cures knocking exhaust, but check for missing or broken exhaust mounts and/or hangers anyway.

The engine oil consumption is likely to be the result of engine wear rather than a leak (you haven't mentioned finding oil on the engine or on the ground beneath the car). Just possible that oil could be leaking into the clutch & causing it to slip (in which case as well as getting the leak cured you will also need a new clutch) - the tech at the clutch shop would spot this straight away & advise you accordingly.

Hope this general advice helps. Over to the 850 experts now.....

BB
:beer:

Thank you for the reply and suggestions.

It does leak alittle oil from the top filler cap. Awaiting a new one in the mail as we speak.

The bang is more of a rush of air / soft backfire type bang.

As soon as I can get the power issue fixed I can get it into my garage to look at and change mounts etc. (Garage at the bottom of STEEP hill and right now I don't dare pull down there because I am sure that it won't pull back out onto the road again.)

Erik
P.S. On another board the suggestions were to dump it. Seeing as that is not an option can you guesstimate how much a clutch job "should" cost?

Yes Erik, saw your post on the other forum - very funny replies!

Could excessive crankcase pressure be causing the leak at the oil filler cap? Is the crankcase vent tube gunged up? Could the catalytic converter be blocked?

Backfire could be caused by a misfire i.e. not firing on all cylinders, so the unburnt fuel/air mix from one of the cylinders is entering the exhaust & then igniting when it hits the hot catalytic converter. This can ruin the cat (my guess $1,100 to $2,000 to replace if done by Volvo).

Depending where you go in UK & the quality of the clutch fitted, a new clutch can be anything from $500 to $1,600. Wide range but varies from car to car & usually you get what you pay for in terms of quality of parts.

It really sounds like you need an experienced Tech to take a look - in the long run, it could be the best 1 or 2 hours investigative labour you ever pay for.

Best of luck, interested to know what the problems are actually being caused by.

BB
:thumbsup: