Buying 850 5sp - general questions

I am about to buy a '96 850 5 spd...

I'm new to Volvo, having always been a Saab person. One reason is that
it has been very hard to find a 850 wagon that has a manual/standard
transmission.

It has just over 100K miles. The seller claims the timing belt has been
changed and the rear engine seal has also been fixed. Is this a common
850 problem?


Where is a good place to buy the rubber floor trays that I've seen on
some 850's. They are more than just mats, but actual trays that will
help hold the snow and gravel in winter. I'd also like to purchase a
cargo liner, again a thick rubber one with a lip to hold any errant
liquids (melted snow for instance).

Are those aftermarket wood dash trim kits any good?

The car just comes with the stock AM/FM cassette player, I think the
model is "SC-811" I would like a CD player and have seen a "SC-816"
volvo radio/casette/cd combo on ebay. However this unit is grey where
as the interior of the 850 is black. Is the contrast going to be that
noticable? Is there any place to get a BLACK volvo in dash cd player?
I could go with aftermarket, but I don't think I could find one that
would blend in well with the Volvo interior.

Any other suggestions/advice on owning and maintaining a 850 would be
appreciated. Are there any websites for 850 owners?

Thanks!

 

Replacing the timing belt is scheduled maintenance and very important.
The rear seal leaked on some 850s when they were new. Also, if the car
doesn't receive scheduled maintenance, the flame trap cloggs up and
builds up crankcase pressure blowing oil out the seals.

The best place besides the dealer to buy accessories is at IPD in
Portland, Oregon. They are at:

http://www.ipdusa.com/

The '96 850 is a good car.

 

I'm new to Volvo, having always been a Saab person. One reason is that

Opposite in the UK, finding 850's with manual is a non-problem. Best
car we've bought is our 850.

I bought it a couple of Saab 9000's to keep it company.

David.

 

Check the clutch carefully, they have a tendency to drag, making gear
selection from standstill difficult at times, clutch replacement is a big
bill on these.

Timing belt should have been changed at 70k.

Regarding the sound system, I know what you mean, most of the new designs
look awful in the sombre 850 cabin. Check out the Panasonic C1300AN it is a
2004 model CD/MP3 player and looks ok in the 850 (with green illumination)
it is mainly black and it has a rotary volume control, which I like.

The aftermarket wood kits look good, mainly because the dash is designed to
take one, the rear spoiler also adds greatly to the look of the car and is
easily fitted.

 

Thanks for the reply!

Much to my dispay...it appears that all the aftermarket wood kits have a
cut out on the piece that goes around the gear selector for the "shift
mode" button that automatic 850s' have (where you select "econ, sport,
winter" modes).

Since I have a manual, I do not have this switch, so the wood overlay
would have this random square cut out with the original black plastic
showing through

 

It is an interesting cultural difference between automatic vs. standard
preferences in the U.S. vs. Europe.

It is not nice to make others jealous!


-Atif

 

It is an interesting cultural difference between automatic vs. standard

Yes and one of the things that a visitor from the US commented to me on
was that all the cars sounded different on his first visit to us in
England. Because they're predominantly manual, the whole car background
noise is different.

They go cheap over here.

 

Actually I was visiting my British relatives last summer and noticed
that whenever they were stopped at a red light, they would shift to
neutral, and then pull up on the hand/parking/emergency brake.

One Uncle even did this with his AUTOMATIC transmission car.

This struck me as rather odd because I have *never* seen anyone do
anything like this in America.

Is this really a common British/Euro practice? If so WHY?

 

Because there's more to the internet than hits alone, Atif I.
Chaudhry wrote:

I don't know what the latest driving test requirements are, but thirty
odd years ago I was taught to put it in neutral and apply the
handbrake at traffic lights.

These days, driving an automatic, at night time, I usually pull the
handbrake on out of courtesy to the driver behind - sitting behind
some bright brakelights in the dark can be quite unpleasant.

--

Stewart Hargrave

Never wear a hat that has more character than you - Utah Philips


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

I've not been to England, but was in France for bicycling vacations
in 2002 and 2003. I was struck by how much quieter the cars and
trucks (lorries) are in France than in the US. The mufflers in use
seem to be much more effective than is the case here in America,
where we much prefer the "sound of power" to quietude. I was also
struck by how much more considerate and competent French drivers were
at dealing with cyclists (while being quite rude and liberal with the
horn towards each other).

 

Actually I was visiting my British relatives last summer and noticed

I can't get hung up about using the hand brake, I prefer the footbrake,
it's more powerful should I get hit from somewhere but the handbrake is
more handy on a clutch or for hill start.

Better to sit in neutral for a long time when the lights are against you
as it doesn't put any wear on the clutch thrust release bearing although
again, if it's only a short wait, sometimes I'll wait.

David.

 

where we much prefer the "sound of power" to quietude. I was also

Try driving round Cambridge or Oxford in England and see how cyclists
treat car drivers! Courtesy and consideration are not words you would
use. I guess they feel they give as good as they get but I've seen some
really stupid things done by people who are incredibly vulnerable.

David.

 

Simple really, British drivers are taught not to leave the car in gear when
stationary, in case a foot or two should slip off the pedals (brake and/or
clutch) which is all that stops the car from moving (especially when using an
auto gearbox). This means that your British family members were taught how to
drive correctly. Most Americans I have known or know are rather lazy when it
comes to this safety point.

Cheers, Peter.

: In article <>,
: says...
: > > It is an interesting cultural difference between automatic vs. standard
: > > preferences in the U.S. vs. Europe.
: >
: > Yes and one of the things that a visitor from the US commented to me on
: > was that all the cars sounded different on his first visit to us in
: > England. Because they're predominantly manual, the whole car background
: > noise is different.
:
: Actually I was visiting my British relatives last summer and noticed
: that whenever they were stopped at a red light, they would shift to
: neutral, and then pull up on the hand/parking/emergency brake.
:
: One Uncle even did this with his AUTOMATIC transmission car.
:
: This struck me as rather odd because I have *never* seen anyone do
: anything like this in America.
:
: Is this really a common British/Euro practice? If so WHY?
:
:
: >
: > > > I bought it a couple of Saab 9000's to keep it company.
: > > >
: > >
: > > It is not nice to make others jealous!
: >
: > They go cheap over here.
: >

 

Indeed, many cyclists seem to fail to realize that traffic laws apply
to them just as to cars. At least that's how it seems here in the US.
Add that to the general obliviousness of the driver, who is
preoccuppied with the cell phone, air conditioning, stereo, eating,
drinking and talking to the passenger- often all at once- and the fact
that US roads make little if any provision for bicycles, and the
situation can be quite appalling. US drivers also tend to be quite
militant about bikes being on "their" roads, failing to understand
that (1) much of road funding comes from the general fund and not from
earmarked taxes on cars and fuel, (2) most bicyclists also own and
drive cars and (3) bicycles are vehicles under the law (this last part
also seems to be forgotten by bicyclists).

I drive about 20,000 miles a year in a metropolitan area and I ride my
bike about 6,000 to 7,000 miles a year in the same area. I would say
that other drivers behave towards me only slightly better when I'm in
my 240 than they do when I'm on my bike. Hopefully I am well-behaved
in both circumstances, but I'm the wrong person to ask- since we all
tend to think we're the ones in the right!

Sharing the road requires the effort of both parties. Here in the US,
we tend to think "sharing" means "the other guy gives in." Hmmm.
Perhaps that explains our frequent foreign policy peccadilloes.

 

Leaving it in gear also wears down the syncros faster.

 

Because there's more to the internet than hits alone, Joseph
Oberlander wrote:

Quite the opposite. But it may affect the clutch bearing.

--

Stewart Hargrave

Never wear a hat that has more character than you - Utah Philips


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

stationary, in case a foot or two should slip off the pedals (brake and/or

Hold on, you're forgetting Newton's Laws of motion here, remember a body
at rest will remain at rest unless another force acts upon it!

So, it's ok to not use either brake when stationary as long as you're
not on a hill and not smacked up the arse by some low life. One you can
plan for, the other can be a little harder.

David.

 

That is what I've always thought. Unless you are on a hill, why would
you need either brake to be on? Even if you are no a hill, you should
be able to use your clutch and the gas to keep the car stationary
without the brake.

 

We seem to have lost sight, in this exchange, of Atif's comment that an
Uncle was applying questionable manual shift practice to an automatic.
There is certainly no good reason for shifting an automatic into neutral
when at rest. Aside from exposing the 1st gear clutch to unnecessary
wear, I just can't see where the practice is of any practical value -
unless you're regularly driving both types and need a "reminder."

In a manual car, one definitely does *not* want to sit any longer than
really needed with the clutch disengaged. It's the throwout bearing
that suffers unnecessary wear in this scenario. The only excuse for
using the parking brake would be to ease your re-start on a significant
grade. I've had manual cars (synchro on all gears) that were clearly
happier with selecting another gear (usually 3rd or higher) prior to the
engagement of 1st. In a car without synchro on reverse, you definitely
want to select a forward gear prior to engagement of reverse to avoid
any "crunch."

bob noble
Reno, NV, USA

 

Because there's more to the internet than hits alone, Atif I.

Oh bollox, you don't even need that. I have a block of wood on a piece
of string that I chuck out of the window so that it goes under the
wheel. When I need to move again, I just tug on the string.

I also save petrol by turning the engine off when I'm going down hill,
but this makes steering and braking rather hard, but who cares, eh?

What I'm working on now is a way to jack either end of the car up, so
that it points downhill, and thus runs without petrol at all.
Obviously you jack the front up to to stop, or to go backwards.

Who started this garbage? I thought Merkins had no sense of irony.

--

Stewart Hargrave

Never wear a hat that has more character than you - Utah Philips


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name