96' Volvo 850 R Stage 0

aftokineto

Hi all,

I am the new owner of a 1996 850 R wagon with plenty (260k+) of kilometres and a fairly unloving previous owner. This is my first venture into the world of Volvo. I am naturally now trying to catch up on years of neglected maintenance items/issues and want input on how to best proceed. I've done a fair bit of forum searching already, if nothing else perhaps this post can help to aggregate a list of common items.

My current list of identified issues and proposed remedies:

Unknown timing history - Change all timing components - belt, tensioners, hydraulic tensioners, cam seals plus water pump. I am aware the hydraulic tensioner must be compressed very slowly.
Drivers side door won't open from inside - door had dropped the small metal link due to aged bushings. Have reseated link for now but need to order new bushings from GCP.
Wobbling harmonic balancer - the harmonic balancer appears to have a wobble to it at idle. Some online say this is due to worn belts etc., or a bushing behind the balancer and others say it's the balancer itself. Any advice for this one? I plan on replacing the serpentine belt as a start.
Broken odometer - I will replace the 12 and 15 tooth gears inside.
Map lights/overhead door light nonfunctional - the globes work and can be made to turn on when probing metal tracks inside of the pod itself, but not when opening doors or operating the switch. I think this may be a relay but unsure - advice appreciated.
Oil around valve cover gasket - Change PCV components. Aside from ordering a replacement kit, I have read about using 16mm heater hose instead of one of the Volvo factory sized hose - any opinions on this?
Faint coolant smell from heater - I believe this is a sign to change the heater core. I also see coolant weeping from the junction in the firewall on the engine bay side. Should I replace the o-rings in this junction (not cheap, about $60USD from FCP), or just bypass the junction completely and run new hose directly to the core?
A/C nonfunctional - blower motor works, A/C compressor does not kick on. Haven't done much diag. but will start by checking relays. Can this be a result of a system with no pressure?
Brake pedal low and spongy with too much free travel - pedal does basically nothing for almost 3/4 of the travel, but brakes do engage OK when pressed relatively hard at the bottom of travel. The pedal sits below the accelerator which also seems abnormal. I will try bleeding the brakes first, but I have read that there may be air in the ABS system causing this. Can I hold ABS valves open with VOL-FCR? I have also seen this issue attributed to a failing master cylinder.
ABS light - I heard this is often due to bad solder in the ABS module. Again I believe I can try clearing with VOL-FCR but having trouble tracking down a copy of the software, except for an old version someone wants $200AUD for online. Any help with this appreciated.
Hard shifting transmission - Shifts feel a little harsh. Will drain fluid and replace. AFAIK there's no point fiddling with the filter due to the disassembly required. Not greatly worried anyway because if I end up really loving the car I will rip it out and put an XR-5 turbo box in.
Old vacuum lines - The car thankfully runs and idles fine, but I still think I should replace all vacuum lines before they fail. Any other parts related to the vacuum system that should be replaced whilst I'm there?
Ride height - The front of the car is very low, lower than I'm used to anyway. I assume this is factory but possibly a little more extreme due to worn springs.
Faded outside trim - Was this originally black or dark grey? Best dye to use for getting it back to factory-look?
Locked radio - From what I understand if I leave the car with ignition on for 2+ hrs it will change from "OFF" to allowing code entry. Can I call the dealer for a code?

I am sure there are more problems to come, but these are what I have on the top of my head at the moment. Apologies for a long list and please let me know if there are any forum rules I am missing. I have tried to make this a somewhat comprehensive post to avoid clutter. Thanks in advance 🙂

GreenGL

aftokineto Faint coolant smell from heater - I believe this is a sign to change the heater core. I also see coolant weeping from the junction in the firewall on the engine bay side. Should I replace the o-rings in this junction (not cheap, about $60USD from FCP), or just bypass the junction completely and run new hose directly to the core?

I would replace the junction parts, as well as the heater core, it is possible they can break on removal

aftokineto A/C nonfunctional - blower motor works, A/C compressor does not kick on. Haven't done much diag. but will start by checking relays. Can this be a result of a system with no pressure?

Most car A/C systems have a low pressure switch. Not enough refrigerant, system wont turn on. After you've taken care of the engine needs, see if you are getting power up to the low pressure switch, you could bypass the switch for testing purposes (I'd do this for a few seconds at most, just to see if the compressor clutch activates, run it too long when low on gas, and you risk damaging the compressor)

aftokineto Locked radio - From what I understand if I leave the car with ignition on for 2+ hrs it will change from "OFF" to allowing code entry. Can I call the dealer for a code?

You might find the code in the glovebox papers, sometimes its written on the top of the headunit itself.

ramrod

Your top priorities in the prevention of having major engine issues in the future, which will write-off this vehicle, are:

Complete timing belt system overhaul, and just as importantly:
The entire engine cooling system will need to be overhauled.

You don’t want to do a half job with any of the above.

These engines are unforgiving when neglected, they will bite you in an expensive way when they feel like it so if you’re willing to invest in all of the necessary preventative medicine mentioned above, you at least will never have a catastrophic failure of anything engine related.

aftokineto

GreenGL Thanks for your reply.

I realised a bit later after posting about the low pressure switch, which begs the next question. I have gathered these 850s tend to develop leaks from the evaporator. I will obviously need to take it to an A/C shop to have the system diagnosed etc. BUT if it turns out it is the evap, where the hell can I actually get one from? I've looked all over and nobody seems to sell the RHD evaporators anymore, only LHD. I don't mind using a substitute of similar specifications but that seems like uncharted territory at the moment.