Volvo 850 T-5R Gul manual saloon.
Discussion
Fitted a new poly gearbox stabiliser this week as the old one was quite worn causing a slight clunk when accelerating hard or coming off the accelerator. Notice very slight vibration at Idle but it’s made the shifts feel a lot smoother with no clunking noise.
Also fitted a new drivers side door check strap as old one broken and also a drivers door rear window guide as the old one had snapped and was laying in the bottom of the door. Door sounds a lot better now when you shut it, more of a thud not a rattle!
Also fitted a new drivers side door check strap as old one broken and also a drivers door rear window guide as the old one had snapped and was laying in the bottom of the door. Door sounds a lot better now when you shut it, more of a thud not a rattle!
Edited by cosworth330 on Sunday 8th December 22:17
Strong work squire.
I've recently bought a 95 850 T5 to replace a succession of "moderns" so like you, enjoying how easy these things are to work on. A combination of simple design and typical of that era Swedish over engineering is lovely.
Mine has been well looked after by its previous keepers however a few miles on a framed track has revealed there's something amiss at the front, I can feel a bit play somewhere. Booked into a mates garage tomorrow... and so it begins!
Keep going with it, good read and great car!
I've recently bought a 95 850 T5 to replace a succession of "moderns" so like you, enjoying how easy these things are to work on. A combination of simple design and typical of that era Swedish over engineering is lovely.
Mine has been well looked after by its previous keepers however a few miles on a framed track has revealed there's something amiss at the front, I can feel a bit play somewhere. Booked into a mates garage tomorrow... and so it begins!
Keep going with it, good read and great car!
Davie, thanks. Agree they are great cars considering the age of them and certainly built well. Mine hasn’t had any welding underneath and doesn’t need any. Other cars of that era or even newer can suffer corrosion. I remember back in 2009 when I bought an E39 M5 I looked at a few rusty examples and that was 10 years ago!
Had mine up on a 4 poster and only bushes that need attention are front ARB. I don’t have any knocking or vibration and it steers straight but the shocks and springs need attention even though they were replaced in 2015 it feels really soft and bouncy. No way could you hammer it around the lanes!
Just trying to decide whether to dump a load of money into suspension to get it handling better or just leave as is.
Had mine up on a 4 poster and only bushes that need attention are front ARB. I don’t have any knocking or vibration and it steers straight but the shocks and springs need attention even though they were replaced in 2015 it feels really soft and bouncy. No way could you hammer it around the lanes!
Just trying to decide whether to dump a load of money into suspension to get it handling better or just leave as is.
Going on advice from people that I have spoken to you just need a thicker rear ARB only. Keep front one standard. If you fit a thicker front ARB it will corner flatter but will induce more understeer. Most seem to fit just the rear to make handling more neutral. Only 2 ARB’s I’ve found for sale are IPD in USA and Ultra Racing. Not cheap either at £300-400.
I finally finished converting from OBD1 to OBD2 port. Took a while to get the right pins for the ECU block connector and work out which was port B36 on the block. Bought a cheapo android tablet and Bluetooth adaptor ( I phone not compatible ) and give it a test earlier. Check for ECU fault codes and none stored. Pulled the MAF plug off and re checked and it came back with a MAF fault code so at least I know it’s working. Plugged MAF back in and cleared code.
The OBD1 port/ light thing never worked anyway for some reason so it’s a step forward to be able to read codes etc plus if I take it to a rolling road they will be able to check AFR etc.
Also sorted a couple of inlet manifold air leaks last week. Still have a slight issue of random high idle after about 5 miles of driving but not as bad now.
Probably next job to tackle is handbrake as it’s only working on one rear wheel for some reason.
The OBD1 port/ light thing never worked anyway for some reason so it’s a step forward to be able to read codes etc plus if I take it to a rolling road they will be able to check AFR etc.
Also sorted a couple of inlet manifold air leaks last week. Still have a slight issue of random high idle after about 5 miles of driving but not as bad now.
Probably next job to tackle is handbrake as it’s only working on one rear wheel for some reason.
Another couple of little jobs completed. I’ve had issues with one of the clamps for the intercooler pipe slipping off over time. It’s one of the aftermarket Mikalor clamps supplied with a D088 RIP kit. Changed it for a stainless steel jubilee clip as it seems to bite better as it’s not so wide. Time will tell though!
Also fitted an aftermarket boost gauge so I can tell what’s going on a bit better as the factory one isn’t a great indication of what boost the car is running.
Another little job that needed sorting was only 2 of the four interior roof lights worked. Turned out all the bulbs were fine, just dirty contacts on the rocker switches and wiring plug poor contact. It’s amazing how much dust collects in these lights and stops them working.
Also while doing the lights it made me realise even more how manky dirty the headlining is. Being a light coloured headlining it really shows up and let’s the rest of the interior down. This is on my to do list as I need to fix the sunroof at the same time.
Still not got round to doing the n/s/r handbrake yet, got to do it for the MOT that’s due in a few months time.
Had a nice surprise the other week when someone contacted me through a Volvo forum to say he used to own my car and in 2015 spent approx £8k on mechanicals and total underside refurb including all new bushes front and rear, new heat shields, new exhaust, painted floor pan and subframe. New shocks and springs. Four new calipers and discs. 75k mile engine out of T5 auto, new clutch, new rack, new PAS pump, plus loads of other bits. I wondered why it looked pretty good underneath and all the bushes were tight, result! Had a great chat on the phone with him and he kindly sent me loads of photos of the work carried out. Should save me a few quid!
Also fitted an aftermarket boost gauge so I can tell what’s going on a bit better as the factory one isn’t a great indication of what boost the car is running.
Another little job that needed sorting was only 2 of the four interior roof lights worked. Turned out all the bulbs were fine, just dirty contacts on the rocker switches and wiring plug poor contact. It’s amazing how much dust collects in these lights and stops them working.
Also while doing the lights it made me realise even more how manky dirty the headlining is. Being a light coloured headlining it really shows up and let’s the rest of the interior down. This is on my to do list as I need to fix the sunroof at the same time.
Still not got round to doing the n/s/r handbrake yet, got to do it for the MOT that’s due in a few months time.
Had a nice surprise the other week when someone contacted me through a Volvo forum to say he used to own my car and in 2015 spent approx £8k on mechanicals and total underside refurb including all new bushes front and rear, new heat shields, new exhaust, painted floor pan and subframe. New shocks and springs. Four new calipers and discs. 75k mile engine out of T5 auto, new clutch, new rack, new PAS pump, plus loads of other bits. I wondered why it looked pretty good underneath and all the bushes were tight, result! Had a great chat on the phone with him and he kindly sent me loads of photos of the work carried out. Should save me a few quid!
Edited by cosworth330 on Saturday 3rd August 10:06
Stedman said:
Mega!
Hey thanks.I’ve always had a problem with the idle sticking a bit once fully up to temp, hangs onto revs but since I’ve changed those intercooler clamps it’s never run better. I did find a few small leaks on the inlet side as well which improved it but since cleaning the silicone connector thoroughly and metal RIP pipe to make the best seal possible with new clamps it’s running lovely with no hanging revs. I can only presume it had a slight air leak before.
As far as driving goes it’s really now just the handling that I need to improve. Current shocks and springs have only covered about 5000 miles but just too soft and don’t damp properly, the back end is way way too soft. Still waiting on my KW V2 to arrive. Also going to fit solid subframe bushes like the C70 ones. I will probably leave the ARB’s for now as I’ve spent enough money on it this year which I’ll never see back obviously.
Surprisingly the 302mm brakes feel fine for the road. Not sure what pads are in there but they give off s
t loads of brake dust.I’m off to a local Retro meet in the morning, never any other T-5R’s there.
Had an oil leak for weeks that’s been coming from Dipstick. Bottom O ring leaked even though I renewed it and top O ring was hard. Dipstick then broke where it was brittle.
After reading up on the IPD site about their updated Dipstick and tube with 2 O rings I realised this was just an S70 one so ordered S70 tube and stick off eBay. No more leaks! Fits perfect.
After reading up on the IPD site about their updated Dipstick and tube with 2 O rings I realised this was just an S70 one so ordered S70 tube and stick off eBay. No more leaks! Fits perfect.
Edited by cosworth330 on Wednesday 7th August 18:17
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