Spot the grot
…where the Swede suffers
other service and replacing the hoses every 80,000 miles or so – a kit costs £100.
Mass Airflow Sensors fail on non-turbo models because the thermostat in the air filter housing gives up the ghost. This leads to hot air flowing through the MAF, which cooks it. A new MAF sensor costs £190 and is easy to fit.
If the engine is reluctant to start or rev the fuel pump relay has probably failed. A new one costs £29 and just slots in. Beware any 850 whose timing belt hasn’t been replaced within the last 50,000 miles or five years – the engines are an interference fit so a snapped belt can destroy them. A new water pump with improved impellors should be fitted at the same time; they’re £130 each with tensioners, £35 without. The engine’s top mount/stabiliser is a known weak point but the bushing can appear intact even when it isn’t. The bottom engine mount can fail too, although this is rare. New top bushes are £16 and easy to replace.
All 850s were fitted with a catalytic converter – it doesn’t generally give problems, but a full new exhaust system costs £300-£400 depending on which engine is fitted.
All 850s got a five-speed manual gearbox as standard with a four-speed automatic a popular option. The manuals will rack up enormous mileages before they start to wear and the clutches are
strong too. The automatic gearbox is also tough, although those fitted during the first two years of production weren’t as durable as later versions. The Ate/teves ABS module fitted after 1995 tends to fail – the warning light on the dashboard staying on when the engine is running is the biggest clue. It can be rebuilt for £145.
Make sure there’s no play in the front wheel bearings because they can’t be replaced on their own – you have to fit a new hub, complete with bearings, although it’s an easy job. A set of bearings typically lasts 60,000 miles; replacements cost £145 per side. Groaning from the front at low speed as the wheels are turned points to failed strut mounts. They have a rubber-encased upper spring seat and the rubber perishes, so open the bonnet and look for signs of the rubber cracking or pulling away from the centre sleeve. Rattling from the front on bumpy roads suggests worn anti-roll bar links. Volvo changed the design after the first year of production so it’s worth upgrading an early car’s anti-roll bar to the later design. It’s more expensive, but also more durable.
Cars built in 1993 have four-bolt wheels; five-bolt items were fitted from 1994. Although the five-bolt wheels share the same PCD as the older rear-wheel drive models, different offsets mean they can’t be fitted to an 850.