Was driving along normally car has been going great with no issues for months.

Suddenly "TRACS" light comes on, stays on till I pulled into shopping centre car park, but there was no change in cars performance including brakes (tracs button was pressed and light went on & off accordingly) even when I pressed tracs button while driving.

Parked went inside shop, about 10-15mins, got back into car, started fine, no tracs light, gone.

Drove to another shop, come back out, car starts fine no issues or warning light in dash, driving home about 10 minutes in this light comes on.

There was a strange fuel surge/hunting going up a hill.

Fuel tank is at 30ltrs.

Car returns to normal running, got home, let it sit for an hr or so, go back out restart it and the lights still on. So took it for a brisk drive out on the back road, checked economy & sports mode button, car drives brilliant in both modes,

Got home unplugged multi pin next to tracs device in case it got a bad contact in it, light still on when restarted.

I've checked the owners manual as to what light means, but car is running fine now.

Any ideas please.

You'll have to check for codes to determine what the actual problem is. 93-95 I believe has a funky little light system under the hood to the left.

Here's some instructions for that https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/read-codes-volvo-850/

96 onwards has an OBD2 port underneath the little coin tray in the centre. You can use a generic OBD2 reader for engine codes and it'll tell you what exactly is wrong with your engine.

That's the lambda light, the equivalent to a check engine light. Could be something minor, or something expensive.

Usually happens when your car has a little "hiccup", generally it's an air leak of some sort, check all the hose joints and rubber elbows especially the one under the inlet manifold.

Then again as above it could be nothing, disconnect your battery overnight this will clear the light generally and see if it returns.

Thanks James, I actually did disconnect the earth from battery about 5pm and left it of as a last resort, all vacuum lines been replaced 2 months ago with silicon as were all coolant and turbo hoses, I've spent alot of time and money on this thing, it goes really well in sports mode, amazing the difference from economy.

Took dash apart weekend before last and found hair line cracks in every 90 degree corner of the thin black plastic flimsy frame, superglued the lot twice over about 3 hrs then put 12mm wide by 6mm thick single sided adhesive sponge between all areas where the dash pad was vibrating or touching the frame, dash has no noises now and some suspension so to speak when flexing with the bumps and body jolts.

Will put battery cable back on tommorow morning and see how the light is then, strange as the car runs smooth as silk on idle and accelerated very rapidly.

Every electrical function works as new on the 850R so bit baffled, even replaced the tracs box with rebiult one from BMG about 8 months ago.

It's a 96 so pull the codes, sounds like either speed sensor cabling to the front wheels or the tracs modules needs solder reflowed.

Also another fault that does throw the tracs light is the ignition barrel failing , wiggle the key a bit , twist a little too , it may extinguish light , if so , need new barrel and or receptor ring for chip in key.

Well the good news is, I just reconnected earth cable at battery, started car, light went out, got a feeling problem is connected to me pressing tracs button while driving as had a similar issue when I first got the car going and found the tracs module faulty and got a rebiult one from Berry Motor Group in Melbourne. As the car had been from a very dusty farming area of Griffith from new there was dust through out everything to do with wiring, it then sat in huge farm shed for 9yrs

I still need to do an OBD2 check as the service light is on.

Only trouble is I know nothing about OBD2 stuff as I grew up in carby days

17 days later

Went and got the OBD2 done today at Allan Mackay Volvo in Moss Vale, after rebiulding centre console, the dash cluster and wiring under bonnet for Tracs I wanted to set a base line for where the electronic/wiring sensors are at from this rebiuld on the 850R.

Good news is everything is working as it should as it did from new, turned the service light off as it's been on since I started rebiuld and will come on again when next service is reqiured.

Don't you love it when a plan comes together, gave it the beans in sports mode coming down the pass in the over taking lane, first time accelerating it down hill, after a major tightening of the anatomy I'm so glad I rebiult the brakes, this thing is handling so nice.

Air con's rebiult and back to working like it did originally when new.

Fronts with B6's & H&R springs, DBA discs

Rear, B6's & H&R springs, DBA discs

Goes in for paint work, windscreen and new black volvo roof strips nxt month, tint the windows to keep sun off leather and it's done.

Ye I know but I'm old and silly and dreams are still free till the govt works out how to tax them.

I've still got my 242GT Turbo to rebiuld yet.

And it looks like the motor in the C70 manual is on the way out as it's chewing oil like crazy, has been since I bought it.

At least the 850R has been a positive all be it expensive result, but hey can't take it with you.

22 days later

Its came back on again yesterday as I was going around a roundabout, starting to think it's abs sensor plug at sensor ring on drive shaft, took earth lead off battery last night, put it back on this morning, stayed on this time.

Any thoughts anyone?

Have you got yourself a obd11 reader yet mate ?

No havnt got OBD2 reader, don't know anything about sorry, car has displayed same symptoms though.

Light came on at exactly same place on same road as before.

Was driving down mild downhill slope towards roundabout onto flat two lanes each way road, car felt like injectors were struggling for fuel, spluttering so to speaker, light came on then car started running fine again.

Took earth lead off battery over night (last night) again but this morning alarm light was still on this time, restarted 850 runs perfect yet lights on.

It goes in for paint, new windscreen and tinted windows later today, so will have to wait till it comes back from that.

How much was that OBD2 reader worth Steve.

Think I paid around $100 around 2-3 years ago mate

Is it easy enough to learn to use or do I need to go to u I as a mature age student ?

Wally took the 850R today to finish off the paint work, tint windows and new windscreen.

Pretty easy to use , personally , not a clue what it all means but I've learnt how to erase the codes

I hate getting old, sucks, Wally took 850R home with him to start paint work new windscreen etc, I'm in the passengers seat waiting while he ducked into his house to get squash calender (he's a fit bugger plays squash).

I thought well nows a good a time as ever, retry seat heaters, switch passengers heater switch on, Nothing, bugger another job, jimbo right it never ends?

Wally comes out hops in drivers side, just about jumps back out through the window.

Yep, 6 months ago when I rebiult centre console I've put the heated seat switches back in the centre console back the front, so as revenge he switched on the drivers side switch and cooked me, laughing the whole time, sheesh these 850's are out to get me

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