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Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

posted by  lpsage on  Fri Dec 18 22:49 CST 2009
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last visit: Sat May 24 04:57 CST 2014
[RELATED]

OK,
I bought a 1995 850 turbo with 133K on it for $2900 clean, no service records but the dealer sticker for the timing belt seemed legit. Also, I had bought a car from this guy before and that is a rock solid car(that other Swedish brand).
I drove it home...mostly highway and it seemed to run fine. However, I immediately noticed oil dripping from underneath onto my driveway when I parked it after the 30 mile drive. My guess is rear main seal...It was clean oil dripping. Also, the dash lights seem to go on and off of their own. Are they controlled by a sensor?

I took another drive with it to "put it through it's paces" and I found the shifting rough at higher RPM when the turbo is kicked in and then it was surging both in gear and parked idling.Is that an ECU issue or worse?

The overall condition is quite good and I know the outfit I bought it from will attempt to make repairs to make it all good. I do have the option to return it for a complete refund($2900) and walk away which is what my gut is telling me.

What do you guys think?
Are they relatively simple repairs or am I about to buy someone elses headache?

Thanks!








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    Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

    posted by  KlausC on  Sat Dec 19 05:15 CST 2009
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014
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    Never expect to buy a car over 10 years old and not put at least $1,000 into it to get it up to 'snuff'. The prices in the midwest are a little cheaper than on the east coast and $2900 is at least $1K more than I would have spent for the same car.

    The ECUs are rock solid. The vacuum lines are old enough to be brittle and useless and can easily cause surges when cracked.

    The oil leak could be coming from the turbo oil return line if it is dripping from the oil drain plug area, or a rear cam seal which indicates the crankcase is overpressurized.

    The dash lights coming on at random could be a loose serpentine belt. The codes must be read/deleted. Use the A&B diagnostic boxes to do this, just make sure the driver's door is closed and the ignition on and engine off.

    Klaus
    --
    Proud owner of a 220S. If I had more room, I would have more Volvos.








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      Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

      posted by  lpsage on  Sun Dec 20 06:23 CST 2009
      Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
      last visit: Sat May 24 04:57 CST 2014
      [RELATED]

      OK, I found the source of the rough/surging idle. It was a hole blown in the turbo air intake hose. I did a down and dirty duct tape patch and the car runs smoothly and idles perfectly. Still it has the issues of the oil leak and the intermittent dash lights. If the outfit I bought it from can reasonably fix those issues and I know precisely what the causes were, I might just keep the car.








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      Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

      posted by  lpsage on  Sat Dec 19 22:59 CST 2009
      Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
      last visit: Sat May 24 04:57 CST 2014
      [RELATED]

      Thanks Klaus. I agree about the price. It was an eBay auction and I was hoping to get it in the $2100 range...which I have seen many others go for...or slightly less depending. But the bids were driven up.
      Anyway, I'm returning it. Too many issues too soon. It's a shame because the body and interior are in very nice shape. I overlooked the fact that it had 4 previous owners and no service records.








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    Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

    posted by  someone claiming to be gwen on  Sat Dec 19 02:57 CST 2009 [RELATED]

    Take it Back NOW! Don't pass go don't collect 200.00........

    Rear main seal is one GRAND

    Flickering dashlights is the voltage regulator in the alternator going bad..at least 300.00.

    PCV fix is 700.00..........

    Rough idle and shift could be from the car sitting on the lot in the cold for a few years, but it probably means the prev. owner neglected other maint.....Cam sensor, MAF sensor, flushes fills another GRAND..

    Car is like SAAB.......headed for insolvency......








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      Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

      posted by  jadnhm on  Sat Dec 19 04:29 CST 2009
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      last visit: Tue May 22 18:03 CST 2012
      [RELATED]

      I agree with Gwen's advice.

      unless you're a decent DIYer and want to put some time into this car. Her prices are about what I would guess for those jobs as well, but if you do them yourself you're looking at much less money.

      PCV job is $200 and all day.

      If she's right about your alternator, that's prob ~$100 to have a profession rebuild it, if you take it out and put it in yourself.

      I also agree that these things point to additional maintenance gaffes by PO.

      If you're happy with the car and price including all the stuff you're going to have to do to keep it running well, then keep it. If you don't have the time and/or cash then dump it.
      --
      1998 V70 AWD Turbo 195k+








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    Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

    posted by  jadnhm on  Sat Dec 19 02:20 CST 2009
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    last visit: Tue May 22 18:03 CST 2012
    [RELATED]

    It's easy to see if the oil is coming from the RMS or not. There is a weep hole built into either the block or the trans case to allow weeping oil to escape. Have a close look under there - if this spot is oily, wipe it with a rag and get it good and dry. Next time you check it you should easily be able to tell if the RMS is leaking or not by the presense (or not) or oil dripping from that hole.

    A RMS repair is quite expensive and not something to attempt at home.

    Which dash lights are going on and off?

    Shifts will tend to be a bit harsh under heavy throttle/acceleration.

    You'll have to further explain the surging you're feeling. We don't see a lot of people with ECU problems on this board. The bosch ECUs seems pretty reliable.


    The common advice on this board and others when acquiring a new car:
    - change all vacuum lines, as the existing ones are probably old and brittle and leaking or soft and collapsing
    - fully flush all fluids
    -- trans fluid flush
    -- brake fluid flush and bleed all four calipers
    -- coolant flush with new coolant and distilled water + new OEM thermostat
    -- power steering fluid flush
    - clean idle air control valve
    - keep an eye on PCV system - pull oil dipstick and look for smoke indicating poor engine breathing (be ready to change this)
    - go to synthetic oil 10k mile intervals, filter change at 5k miles
    - tune-up
    -- new volvo (or copper at least) plugs
    -- bougicord wires
    -- bosch dist cap and rotor
    -- air filter
    -- fuel filter
    -- cabin air filter
    - go for a long drive and get everything good and hot then pull the lower rad hose to drain any oil accumulation
    - do 'water torture' treatment with water and seafoam
    - AutoRx
    - good fuel system cleaner

    it's a few hundred dollars worth of stuff and a couple of weekends work for sure - but those are the basics that will straighten your car out from past owners neglect. Do a search on this forum and others for anything you're not sure about - it's all been discussed before.

    --
    1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+








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      Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

      posted by  lpsage on  Sat Dec 19 02:49 CST 2009
      Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
      last visit: Sat May 24 04:57 CST 2014
      [RELATED]

      Thanks Jadnhm for the detailed response.

      It will tough to tell about the oil now that we have so much snow on the ground and this car is outside.

      The dashlights that are intermittent are the ones that illuminate the speedometer, CELs, Turbo meter, time/temp. etc...

      Now the car starts but it stalls and will not idle. Have to step on the accelerator to keep the engine running but I don't get any lights.

      Still debate why so much oil can be leaking. Clogged flame trap cause that?

      Thanks~








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        Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

        posted by  jadnhm on  Sat Dec 19 04:32 CST 2009
        Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
        last visit: Tue May 22 18:03 CST 2012
        [RELATED]

        PCV probs definitely lead to oil leaks - RMS, cam seals, on and on and on. PCB probs are nothing to mess around with. If you're keeping the car get this fixed pronto. Seals that have been leaking from PCV pressure for a couple of weeks are generally ok to go back to 'sealing' on their own - leaving them too long will bring them to the point that they need to be replaced. == $$$

        --
        1998 V70 AWD Turbo 195k+








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          Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

          posted by  lpsage on  Sat Dec 19 05:15 CST 2009
          Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
          last visit: Sat May 24 04:57 CST 2014
          [RELATED]

          I've decided that this one goes back. There is a 72 hr. return for full purchase price guaruntee. I will take advantage of that. I lose the $130 in fees and temp. tags...plus the gas I put into the tank. But at this point that's a small price to pay all things considered.
          It goes back Monday AM! And the hunt resumes!
          thanks!








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            Take or Leave 1995 850 turbo 850

            posted by  TimeToBakeTheDonuts on  Sat Dec 19 17:28 CST 2009
            Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
            last visit: Thu Aug 29 16:10 CST 2013
            [RELATED]

            I think you made a wise decision.

            FWIW, when my dash illumination lights were intermittent, it was my headlight switch that was bad. I too thought there was a sensor of some kind causing the problem.

            Good luck next time.







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