Just finished the PCV. Vacuum in the crankcase is now there. I am still getting a P0172 - lean/rich mixture, but all of the vacuum lines look good except the boost controller lines are starting to dry rot. No leaks in the intake manifold gasket or injectors. The turbo boost gauge is 50% in the lean area at idle. Who knows what the O2 sensors look like.

BUT! There is oil dripping from the RMS! As I was idling the engine looking for the vacuum leak, I kicked the cardboard under the car. When I moved it back: DRIP, a new spot of oil!

My shade tree garage space does not allow me to drop the tranny or pull the engine/tranny out of the engine bay. Nor do I have the tools to do either.

There is severe angst about spending 8 hours in a shop at $120 an hour, for a car with 178K of neglect. And this is not a daily driver, it is a 'project car'.

Any suggestions?
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Klaus,

I've had a RMS leak in our 94' for a few years now and here's what I've found:

- The diet of Mobil 1 10w30 synthetic that I was running the previous 7 years leaked right out at a rate of 1 quart per 1000 miles. Up until the RMS leak it wouldn't use any oil per 3000 mile oil change.

- I tried AT205 to condition the seals but it didn't make a difference.

- Highway driving leaks the most oil.

- Castrol GTX 10w40 high mileage (green bottles) seems to work the best. I'm down to 1 quart per 3000 mile oil change. I've done about 30k miles with this regime and its been acceptable for a 21 year old car on its original engine and RMS (305k and counting).

I'm actually looking for a replacement car for my wife and although it's a long shot someone like yourself would be a great keeper of the old wagon (I'd let it go for cheap to the right person).







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Zack 94' 850 Turbo Wagon (232k)

That is a nice looking 855T! Unfortunately, I only have room for 1 Volvo at a time. My daughter moved back in and she has to park in the driveway (incentive to get a job?).

I added seal conditioner and am waiting to see what happens. This car is NOT a daily driver, I don't work anymore. So a lot of sitting and a bit of driving during the week, non rush hour, to keep things from drying up and falling apart. These cars do not like to sit!

You are correct, I like to make my cars better than they were. But, like most of you, I am hardly rich enough to just pump money at a project.

We will see with this car of mine. If the RMS leak slows down and I can find the front end engine leak, I might keep it and make the engine compartment clean.

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

It seems like just when you spend about 500 or six hundred dollars on repairs for brakes and stuff the rear main seal rears it's ugly head. I'm glad my mechanic replaced mine when the tranny gave out last year.....time to buy or lease a new one Klause! The 850's are antique's now!

Minnesota defines 'collector car' as being 20 years old. My 1995 can be retitled as a 'collector car'! No annual registration tax!

All I need is an oil 'collector' pan under the engine/tranny. Then when I get gas, just pour the collected oil back into the engine. Problem solved?
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

It seems the Bars seal conditioner has been used with some good results.

It probably would not hurt to give it a try.

Because I will be out of town for September, mostly, we will see if Bar's conditioner will work in October. I added it last week, it is supposed to work in 200 miles, but I will give it 1,000 miles.

Bar's makes sense for dried up seals, but if they are pushed out because of pressure??? It will be easy to monitor leaks!

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

"The 850's are antique's now!"

IN the NADA guide, a 1996 Volvo 850 is priced at $650, but 1995 is 'Classic' and books at $3500!

Um, yeah...

For the price of a new Volvo toy, I could get one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lincoln-Continental-Convertible-/321839176640?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4aef1c1bc0&item=321839176640
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

And I thought old Volvos were boxy. Where are the hand-holds for the secret service?

Go for it. I dare you.

I'm not a big fan of additives, but for something like this I'd try some type of "stop-leak" in a can. Then cross your fingers.
Honestly, I doubt it will work.

RMS failures are another common malady of these cars.
My '95 had its RMS replaced by the PO probably 10 years ago. I'm glad I wasn't asked to do it.

As for pulling the transmission, I suspect the work involved is similar to what I recently went through with my '01 S40. It was not a cake walk for this aging shade tree mechanic. It required a transmission jack to drop it out, an engine hoist to put it back in and LOTS of time an patience. That transmission (an AW-55) was VERY heavy. I'll bet the 850 auto-box is even heavier.

Wish there was a simpler solution.

I haven't changed the oil yet, but I will switch to pure synthetic this weekend. I know, the leaks will get worse for a while, but the engine internals are soooo dirty it needs cleaning. I will probably buy a can of Bahr's RMS conditioner and add that. B.B. did the same to his car and had good luck, AFTER 2,000 miles of driving. I suspect that the same 2,000 miles will take a year for me.

No, if I take off the AW 50-42 LE to replace the RMS, I might as well find a good 5 speed with a clutch. Except for replacing the clutch, it is the only option for the cost. Then it would be a really fun car, for only a few hundred dollars more!

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Have you check the cams seals they tend to drip by the same location as the rear main seal. I have a friend that reads your posts, and he has a 94 850 stick and might be looking for a wagon. Are you open for a possible trade???

Hi Speedy,

Both rear cam seals have leaked, the oil on the outside is dried and caked. I haven't cleaned it off yet to see if they are still weeping. The front cam seal on the exhaust sprocket is/was leaking, I took the cam cover off today to check on the belts - they look good but the T belt has oil on it.

The oil under the car drips down from the side of the tranny closest to the engine.

I cannot 'trade' this wagon knowing what is wrong with it. A sedan does not meet my needs for hauling stuff.

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

If you want to try and do the seals, I have some friends with lifts if you want

to do the seals. They also have the tools needed for the job, and I can borrow

some time!

I appreciate the offer, but a 450 mile commute is pretty tough. There is another brickboarder 20 miles away with a lift that I can probably use, but I am just not inclined to do the job myself, getting too old for that stuff?

I also need to ask a professional mechanic on what the car needs besides the RMS, so I can total up the entire mess and see if it will be worth it. Probably shocks, struts, control arms, steering rack, rear suspension bushings, a couple of wheel bearings, etc.
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

"...so I can total up the entire mess and see if it will be worth it. Probably shocks, struts, control arms, steering rack, rear suspension bushings, a couple of wheel bearings, etc."

Given that it's a '95, you already know that replacement of all these items with someone else's labor will exceed the value of the car.

I look at it as a labor of love. I just like working on older cars and getting them to work as they were intended. I'm realistic about the costs and how the car will be used and how long I expect it to remain in the herd before I do any serious repair. I bitch a lot about it, but at the end of the day, I really do enjoy the challenge of repairing something old and making it work again.

Granted, it would be much easier on me if I was working on a Model A and I hope some day it comes to that. But for now, I'll stick with these silly Volvos.

Other than the RMS, which is out of my league, all of the other parts are no labor charges, just parts cost.

I too like wrenching on these 20 year olds. It gives me something to do and gripe about :>) Like finding all of the rattles in the rear of the car.

The PO did replace all of the vacuum elbows. All that is left are the 3 boost controller lines, not a big deal.

I don't mind doing the cam seals, but if the front crank seal died then I have another serious problem. I need to bathe the engine in Simple Green so I can find out the true leaks.

Or, get out of the 'keep em running' business and get back on my bicycle.
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Jumping in late here, so I'm not sure if you've done this, but I have heard from more than one person that cleaning the flame trap has ended their oil leaks. Apparently that only works as long as they haven't gone on for years...

Klaus, it's one thing after another with this heap.

My suggestion is be more careful next time you look for something to occupy your spare time (; Good luck.