Should I buy it? Volvo 850 content

Hey guys, I looked at a 97 855 GLT today and have a few questions. How common are power steering leaks? The power steering appeared to be dead, unless the wheel is normally heavy. It definitely had some fluid seeping out of the top of the reservoir by the cap. It definitely needs a timing belt and the Pcv replaced.When first started the service light was on, but quickly went out. The idle was a bit rough until I drove it, then it smoothed out. The transmission, are the shifts normally firm? Under wot the shift into second was quite pronounced. Under normal driving it was fine. Any shift into reverse resulted in the same pronounced noise, similar to a RWD car with a worn u joint. He's asking 1700 for it but is desperate to sell. I could probably get him down to 13-14, but is it worth it?

I felt bad for hijacking the other 850 thread so I started my own. Thanks for any help, guys!

In reply to Hoop:

The following is all repair difficulty relative to FWD cars:

1. Power steering problems are rarely mentioned. Parts are widely available and it's all pretty easy to get to.

2. The timing belt is accessible and straightforward. It is an interference engine.

3. The PVC system is a is a little tougher but not bad. Rear main seal's are needed fairly often. MUCH HARDER. Check for a leak at the rectangular weep hole where the engine and transmission meet under the drivers side front.

4. Service light is meaningless. CEL mean much more. OB2 port is under a coin tray next to the shifter. matthewsvolvo or volvospeed have the codes (and lots of other info).

5. I think 97 still has a cap and a rotor. The ignition system responds well to tuneups. The Bosch stuff is a little expensive but works very well. Cheap copper plugs are best in the turbo cars.

6. The auto boxes are long lived if the fluid has been changed regularly. They do not like synthetic fluid and shift hard on it. The boxes also shift hard if the fluid is low. There are lots of boxes in junk yards, but you really don't need to buy a car with a bad transmission as there are so many 850s out there. If the fluid is clean and shows on the dipstick, I would not buy it. The aisin box in these things is smooth is programmed very well to match the big fat torque curve. You should barely notice it doing its low key thing.

7. The evaporator core is buried in the dash. Do you need AC? If not fine. If you do, make damn sure it works, because its you will spend $1700 to have some one else fix it, or have a very hateful experience fixing it yourself.

fcpgroton.com is a great place to buy/check part prices. Part prices are not bad... I am constantly surprised .

They are really good cruisers. The seats are stupidly comfortable. They are not sports cars. The out-handle SUVs that have the same interior space by a mile.

Good Luck and Godsspeed!

Thanks, Shaun! Regarding the transmission: I remember noticing that the top engine mount was completely gone. I am curious if this was the culprit behind the firm shift. Or maybe I am just grasping here.

The shift shouldn't normally be very pronounced, at least in my experience with 850s. The top engine mount is almost always bad on any one I have seen.

Yeah, I figured the destroyed mount might not have much to do with the shifting. I might go back and look at it again tomorrow to drive it again.

I would say for 13-1400 you should buy it. If you want to go cheap just remove the p/s belt and loop the lines to have manual steering. Fill the top engine mount with window weld and just drive it.

What do I know though, I daily drive a Peugeot.

Power steering pumps go bad on them. Straight forward replacement job with a junkyard pump. And yes, they leak. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you've got a pressurization problem coming from a dying/dead pump creating vapors.

PCV is a remarkably big job on this Volvo. But most of the time, you've only got the clear the bit over on the intake. Start there and clear in before you buy any parts.

Transmissions do tend to shift firmly. More so if the fluid is old (sticky), and very much so when the top mount is gone. Easy flush job by disconnecting the lines from the cooler. ICP has a urethane top mount, but it will transmit vibration, I'd suggest using oem rubber and figure on replacing it every 5-10 years.

You don't describe anything else about the car, so can't comment on the "is it worth it" bit. I will say that overall, compared to something like a Toyota, the Volvo is a high maintenance car. Lots of gremlins.

The GLT is a yawner. If you've got dreams of making it a go-fast car, I'd suggest shopping around for a T5 or R model of this era. They'll cost you about 1-2k more, and far outrun a GLT.

By 1997, the GLT had a low pressure turbo so is a little better performer than the earlier GLT's. (another 25 hp or so.)

Personally I think $1300 is high if the PS is bad, needs a timing belt, needs PCV, needs the transmission looked at. If everything else (interior, exterior, etc) is really nice then it might be worth it to you. But go into it with eyes open! The transmission on my 850 is very smooth. Full throttle the shift might be noticeable but they're definitely not noisy.

Like foxtrapper says, these are higher maintenance than a Honda or Toyota, but they are solid. I've put a good 15k+ miles on mine and it was pretty neglected to start with. I've had to do a lot of catch-up on maintenance and repairs, but I haven't had anything fail twice.

The IPD lower control arms, though, already have cracked ball joint boots. I would not buy them again. The IPD silicone turbo boots were too small and are horrible to install. I would most certainly NOT buy them again.

Thanks, guys. I forgot to mention that the rest of the vehicle is in OK shape. All of the power functions seem to work, aside from the headlight wipers and the rear wiper. Body wise the gas door is missing, the body has scrapes and the tail pipe is fashioned out of a steel fence post. I was honestly considering offering 1000 cash.

The biggest thing stopping me is a 745 turbo that runs and drives but has a valve train noise (like piston slap) It does however come with two spare B230FTs.

Also, what is the service interval for the timing belt?

I'd say $1k is not a bad price if he'd take it, assuming the trans is OK. My trans shifts pretty smooth. Only time it's ever a bit noticable is the very first 1-2 shift after I start the car on a very cold morning (i.e. 20 or below).

As long as the car is in good shape, you'll be happy with it. Much to my dismay, I may be putting my '96 GLT wagon on the market shortly.

Hoop wrote: The biggest thing stopping me is a 745 turbo that runs and drives but has a valve train noise (like piston slap) It does however come with two spare B230FTs.

I would much rather have the 745? How loud is the piston slap? It is somewhat common on the B230s but not a big deal.

In reply to Hoop:

Timing belt interval- IIRC on my 95 its 70k. It might have bumped up to 80k by 97. You get the picture...

many in volvoland simply bolt on a 15g or 16t with a MBC to the low pressure turbo (LPT) for more go. You would need to do the research, but IIRC folks do fine up to 10psi or so. I do not recall if they swap the ECU up to the same model year high pressure turbo ECU. Some people claim to like the lightly modded higher compression LPT setup more than a lightly modded HPT for a daily driver as the turbo lag is diminished. the final drive ratio is so tall and the transmission is programmed to shift so early and down shift so infrequently that one is usually rumbling along below 3krpm.

the torque numbers are pretty close:

Stock numbers: LPT= 197 hp (147 kW) at 5700 rpm with 210 lb·ft (280 N·m) of torque at 1800 rpm. HPT= 225 hp (168 kW) at 5200 rpm and 221 lb·ft (300 N·m) of torque

the 1995-1997 R variants have the same exact drivetrain as the HPT with a tweak to the ECU that allows for a 10 second (or something) addition of a couple more pounds of boost. Which yields 240hp 240 fl-lbs for the 10 seconds ish. Simply plugging in the correct "R" ecu gets you the same output- and a $30 MBC at 14psi will get you a bit more than that for longer on the OEM HPT ECU.

I owned several RWD volvos and they do handle in a more balanced and generally speaking "Better" manner than the FWD cars even with a live rear axle sucks on a bumpy road penalty. The FWD cars handle plenty good enough for public road use. I like the 5 bangers quite a bit more- its very easy to get 250hp 280ftlbs reliably. The junkyards are in the fat curve of 850s while the RWD cars are getting scarcer.

making me think Shaun.. I know where there is a dead C70 that I could pull the computer and stuff from.. just need to find out if it is LPT or HPT...