Howdy folks,

Just bought my first 850 last week after years of driving a few red blocks. It's a 96 855 GLT with 233k on it - well maintained for it's mileage. Very smooth engine and transmission and pretty tight suspension. Many other good things as well. I'm excited.

But it does have its issues which I would like to take care of, not the least of which is my feet get really cold when driving (I'm in MN so it's significant). Heat works well, it blows nice and hot and the blower motor is healthy, no heater core problems; it's the switching to the heat at feet setting that seems to not be functioning properly. When I switch from vent or def to feet, baffles definately close and the vents and def stop blowing, but the foot vents don't really change from their persistent trickle (same persistent trickle that seeps from vents and def too). What am I up against here? Am I gonna have to tear apart the dash a whole bunch just to diagnose this? Switch or baffle actuator probabilities?

Radio button lights - about half of the buttons don't illuminate. I presume these bulbs are simple enough to get to, I know the radio slips out easily anyway. I just ordered my Haynes book on Thursday and so don't have a reference manual to help guide me quite yet. Tips? And are they the same little bulbs that were all over the 240 and 740 interiors? Am I gonna have to enter the radio code after this? I have it but would have NO idea about how to reenter it.

One last quickie - driver's door, door stop catch detent spring thing - it's toast. But while thuroughly cleaning the interior yesterday, I came upon the replacement part in a ziplock under the front pass seat. Nice, I think to myself, a quick swap. I removed the fasteners at the bottom of the door panel and managed to squeeze my paws up and into the access port behind the stop. I got the old broken one out but couldn't get the new one in. It seemed that the window track was preventing the necessary access. Am I right? Window track have to move? Or just a more complete removal of the door panel so I'm not contorted and pinched.

Thanks in advance. I hope my note didn't get too long. I'm gonna go drive around for a while. : )

-Steve in Minneapolis
1996 855 GLT 233k, 1988 745 GLE 146k, and former 240s

Welcome to the 850 club. I just got my first one this November, 97 855 T5.

Our car also had a problem with the floor vents. Luckily, I'm buddies with the local Volvo indie and he pointed me in the right direction.

Remove the glovebox. There's a little motor on the center console behind the glovebox that controls the flappers. The motor comes out with torx screws and the back one is a PITA. The motor is supposed to move the flapper shaft via a square drive fit. Well my flapper shaft was all split-broken and wouldn't move. I got real lucky, wrapped it in thin wire and glued the crap out of it and it has held up so far. If I had to replace it, it would have been about the same disassembly as doing an evaporator (think 240 blower motor).

Checking the flapper shaft is only a half hour job. Might be worth it.




--
Volvo Farmer.

24 Volvos, '58-'97, all RWD, except the 850 t5

Thanks Bob. Welcome to the fold as well. Glad to still get your input in this crazy FWD world we live in now.

I'll dig around behind the glove box this weekend and hope your problem and fix is my problem as well. I really don't want to learn about thorough 850 interior dismantling just yet, especially since my AC evaporator is kinda new.

Klaus, at least, isn't too far from me and I'll go harass him as a last resort.
--
Steve in Minneapolis - 1996 855 GLT 233k, 1988 745 GLE 145k, former 240s

It would be easier if you had a 1995, it still has the self diagnostic box like the later 240/740 cars. The 1996 requires a scanner, which will not pick up Volvo specific codes.
When you get the Haynes manual, check section 3 page 8. There is a picture of the ventilation box. You are going after motor #15, which requires removal of the knee bolster and contortion of body to get to.
I bought a folding Torx set from Sears for $5, which comes in very handy!! It is small and lets you torque down the screws easily.
Let me know if you need help, I have alread been there and done that.

Klaus
--
The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

Welcome to the 850 side. I am in the Southwest section of the twincities if you need further assistance. Register your self on the BB and give me a call.

Door strap:
The new one will only go in one way. The window must be up. And the strap goes in at a 90 degree angle, and then gets turned up/down to go the rest of the way in. You will also need 2 nuts to fit on the new strap, the old one had screws. Get the nuts, stainless, at a hardware store with 2 washers.
It is harder to do when the door panel isn't off!!

Radio lights:
Stop at a Honda dealer and get several there. Much cheaper than Volvo for the same thing. The face plate comes off and the bulbs are then visible.
The radio code is easy. When you turn on the radio, it displays code. Punch in the 4 numbers using the radio preset buttons. You get 3 trys.

Heater controls:
Saved this for last, it is the hardest. The Haynes manual describes this best and various pics of the components. You sound like you don't have electronic climate control and I haven't worked on one of those. Determining which flappers are not working is fairly easy, just remove the kick plates below the dash and the motors are visible.

Klaus
--
The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

I put a wooden dowel rod. then duck taped it, in the floor vent hole to hold open the vent door. (hope I said that right). till I got the patience to fix it right. In other words stick something in there then make sure it stays and your feet will be toasty till you fix it right, which by the way is a pain in the ass.

Thanks Klaus. I look forward to getting my Haynes and by next weekend I should have most of the car's minor issues sorted out.

Percolates,


Congratulations on the recent purchase of your '96 850. I am sure it will provide you with good years of service to come. I wouldn't be worried about the mileage- at 233k, that car is barely broken in. And although the alloy 5-cylinder is very different from the red-block engines, it is a very bulletproof engine that will last if you are religious about upkeep.

I myself have a '96 850 sedan like yours but it has a mere 84k miles on it. Everybody tells me that I have a long way to go before it is even broken in. But then, I only average 5000 miles a year with it.