The gas peddle on my son's 1995 850 "sticks" at the idle position. You have to push just a bit to get it to move, then it pops loose. Not a big deal but it's annoying, plus it makes close maneuvering tricky. He's 16, we don't need to make this any harder!. I'm waiting for the day he pulls into the garage and ends up in the dining room.

I'm going to clean the throttle body tonight. Anything else to look for? We've only had the car 3 months so I don't know when if ever that was done. The original owner had all the service done at the Volvo dealer where we bought the car. I have all the receipts, but don't see anything specifically about the throttle body. It's 30 or 40 pages, I could have missed it. The car has 98K miles.

Maybe related issue: my wifes '97 850 always starts after 2 turns of the engine (turn key, "rrrr, rrrr, vroom"). The '95 takes 4 "rrrr's" to start. Both drive fine, can't tell any difference between the cars other than the start sequence. Is this tuneup stuff, like time for the 100K distributor cap, rotor, & that kind of stuff? It did get new plugs at 90K before we bought it.

Thx,

Terry

I see the same starting characteristics between my 98 and

wife's 95. I think the cold start was just improved over time.

While you have the cover off the throttle assembly (for cleaning

the throttle) you might just check all the parts to see if anything

there is sticking.

Thanks for the replies. Kid took the car last night so I didn't get to clean the throttle body, I'll get the flame trap at the same time.

About the number of turns to start - it's just annoying to have the cars start differently. Whenever I get in the '95 it takes me 2 or 3 tries to start it 'cause I'm used to how the '97 starts. Just a habit thing.

OTOH my '87 240 (_my_ car) starts instantly.

Terry,

You're right on the money cleaning the throttle body...if your engine is naturally aspirated, now is a good time to clean (replace $1.99) the flame trap. Regarding the starting...my 850 starts instantly, but hey, so many variables will contribute that unless it gets really worse...don't worry about it.

Same thing happened to my car about 3 months back. I cleaned the throttle body and the problem was fixed... until...

it came back after a couple of months, though not as severe yet. So, if anybody knows a permanent fix, please post.

I think 4 turns is normal to start the car.

Good luck.

1995 854 GLT, 181k miles.

I had a problem with a "sticky" accelerator pedal on our 94 850 wagon that was recurrent - the dealer would clean it and it would be fine again for about 4000 miles when it would stick again. Last month the "check engine" light came on. We had it looked at and it turned out to be a faulty EGR valve. The dealer believes that the faulty EGR valve may have been contributing to the sticky pedal. An additional bonus in having this repaired has been a noticeable improvement in performance, particularly during acceleration. I wonder if these valves go bad long before the check engine light finally comes on.

Thanks. That is very interesting indeed. The check engine light was on twice half a year ago and both says "EGR flow fault." Another oil change and another flame trap replaced (may have nothing to do with this), the check engine has not returned yet (over 6 months and 12k miles later).

So, is the EGR valve very easy to fix? What is the cost? Did replacing it get rid of the sticky throttle problem? Thanks.

The dealer performed the replacement of the EGR valve for approximately $400.00 (parts and labor). The sticky throttle has not returned but I have only driven another 500 miles, might be too soon to say.

From the Haynes manual it looks like a moderate pain to get to the EGR valve. I wonder how much of that $400 was labor - does your bill break out parts & labor? I would not have guessed those things were very expensive.

The Haynes is also clueless on how to test the valve or any other part of the exhaust emissions control. Anybody know how to test the EGR, or can I count on the CEL to tell me if there is a problem?

The EGR valve was approximately $170.00 plus some small parts for another $20-30.00, and $209.00 in labor (?approximately three hours). I had the shop do it all, I couldn't begin to tell you what would be involved in doing it yourself. Let me know how you make out with diagnosing and solving your problem. Good luck!

To test the EGR valve, I believe you apply vacuum with a vacuum pump to check for leakage. You should also hear a clicking sound coming from the valve when vacuum is applied and released. If it doesn't click, I believe it's defective.

Good luck!

Bou Bou

Shut yo mouth, go away, mama look ah Bou Bou day. :)LOL