Hello again,

My brother has found one that he's thinking about buying.

It's a clean '96 850 found here.

And, for good measure, it's got a clean record found here. (According to that report, they've had trouble getting it to pass emissions for the past three years, though it has passed and is registered. Beware?)

He's driving it home today under loan so we can further check it out. But we have a few questions regarding how expensive certain repairs will be.

First, he noticed a squeeking from the front driver's side when the car goes over bumps.

Second, there's also what he described as a grinding or scraping from the front end. It increases with the speed of the car. He couldn't be more specific, but once it gets here I'll be able to hear it and I can re-post a better description if need be.

Finally, the trunk won't open, even with the key.

The main thing we need to know is whether or not this sounds like any sort of transmission troubles. Or if it's a CV joint. He wants to buy the car, but won't if it doesn't sound like it'll be cheap enough to repair and keep on the road.

Thanks for all the info Brickboard! You've been very helpful. I'm learning a lot for my inevitable eventual purchase of my own 850. :)

volfro

A/C b;owing cold, but not very cold? Shove one of those little digital thermometers into one of the dash air vents, turn the temp all the way down, the fan all the way up, and check it. It should read around 37-39F once it gets down. Anything warmer than that and you're looking at a new evaporator. Yes, you can add refrigerant and bring it down, but once the tempeature is down as far as it will go, listen for a little clicking sound coming from behind the glove box. This is where the A/C relay is located, and if it is clicking on and off every ten or fifteen seconds, then it's low on refrigerant. And adding refrigerant doesn't cure the problem. It will only get worse. And the culprit is almost always the evaporator. If you plan on replacing the evaporator, know that the car was basically built around it, and it is not a job undertaken lightly.

But before paying anything to the dealer, I would check that A/C and if not's reading in the high thirties, then go back and tell them it's a $1500 job at any Volvo dealer, and ask them to knock the price down. If it's a Volvo dealer that has it, ask them to fix it for whatever price you've agreed to. The evaporator alone will cost you several hundred. If it's not too late and you haven't laid your money down yet. Dick

Open the trunk from inside the car, just fold down the back seat. You will probably find loose linkage or accident damage.
The speed related noise could be a wheel bearing or a CV joint or a caliper stuck. It probably has a bad air pump under the battery, but best to check the engine codes. The tranny fluid should be pinkish, not dark brown.
I noticed that the inside fan was turned off and the recirculate engaged. Does the AC not work? Heat up the inside of the car to very hot, then turn down the temp to 60, close the center fresh air vent and see if the AC blows very cold.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Thanks for your response.

We're 99% sure now that the noise is the CV joint, which is cheap enough. Took the wheel off and there's play there that shouldn't be. Transmission fluid is old, but pinkish; he's probably going to flush it. We're taking it in to a mechanic friend to see what, if any, codes the engine shows, to make sure the emissions problem is nothing too serious.

We checked the AC as per your suggestion, and it blows cold, but not very cold. So it's either in need of a recharge (the compressor switches on and off just fine though) or the dreaded evaporator. He's not too worried about it if that is the problem, though; he's willing to put the work in for it, since he can be without a car and use his motorcycle for the duration, and that part isn't too terribly expensive.

Opened up the trunk from the inside, and something's wrong with the lock (at the risk of stating the obvious). But I don't think it's damage from a wreck. He's going to take it apart and see what's wrong with it.

Ultimately, he's headed back to the dealership now to barter. He's going to buy it today, since none of the problems that needed fixing seemed particularly expensive (i.e. new transmission) and they're all things he's pretty sure he can do himself.

This is going to be nice; this way, I can drive an 850 and mess with it for awhile before I go and get my own.

Thanks again for your help. I'll undoubtedly be visiting this section of the board more often now! :)

volfro