Unmolested Volvo 850 GLT
Discussion
The 850 has been in the garage since the end of September. It's not been started since September so as the weather was dry and a bit warmer today I decided to try and start the engine. First turn of the key and the engine burst into life so next job is a fresh MOT at the end of March and back on the road in April...
Video on this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C6KZ8OiFk4&fe...
Video on this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C6KZ8OiFk4&fe...
Yesterday I fitted a Novus Silver 150T dash cam to the 850 and hard wired it in however the rear camera I decided to leave until today as I needed to have a think on how get the 90° jack plug through the various rubber grommets-tubes and into the tailgate.
Today I installed the rear camera and wired in. It wasn't as easy as it could have been as the jack plug for the camera is a right angle plug and there was no way it was going through the existing rubber grommets and tubing without a bit of forward thinking.
I had to remove the interior trim from around the tailgate window and drop the rear headlining trim panel. I also removed the rear screen washer tubing and with the help of silicon spray and string I managed to coax the jack plug through the hinge's rubber tubing and fed it through the various grommets
Today I installed the rear camera and wired in. It wasn't as easy as it could have been as the jack plug for the camera is a right angle plug and there was no way it was going through the existing rubber grommets and tubing without a bit of forward thinking.
I had to remove the interior trim from around the tailgate window and drop the rear headlining trim panel. I also removed the rear screen washer tubing and with the help of silicon spray and string I managed to coax the jack plug through the hinge's rubber tubing and fed it through the various grommets
MOT today for the 850. It was due on 2nd January but as it was tucked up in the garage over winter I decided to delay it for a few months.
A straight pass was given and the tester said it was a delight to MOT as his father had several 850s during the 90s when they were new cars.
A straight pass was given and the tester said it was a delight to MOT as his father had several 850s during the 90s when they were new cars.
Edited by 47p2 on Wednesday 7th April 07:58
I taxed the 850 yesterday and today I decided to use it to run a couple of errands then take it for a short blast up the motorway to blow away the cobwebs that have built up over the last 6 months in hibernation.
The new battery which was fitted 10 days ago but never tried was tested today and working a treat
It's not been cleaned since August last year so I might have to give it a wash sometime soon
The new battery which was fitted 10 days ago but never tried was tested today and working a treat
It's not been cleaned since August last year so I might have to give it a wash sometime soon
Out and about today and though I would hit the 60k milestone by the time I returned home only to miss out by 1/10th of a mile...
On my return home I reset the Service Light, It's only done 800 miles in the last 12 months and the oil is like new so just a light reset was required
I gave the car its first wash since last August
Took it out for a short drive to dry off the brakes before parking it in the garage again to prevent the pads sticking to the discs and hit 60k
Best thing today was finding the source of an annoying squeak that's bugged me for over a year
I thought it was coming from somewhere around the passenger seat but could never find where
By chance today I was stilling in the car with the seatbelt on and the engine off and I heard the squeak and with some careful investigating techniques I found it was the driver side seatbelt buckle
Seatbelt squeak video here... https://youtu.be/heSCLS2uy88
On my return home I reset the Service Light, It's only done 800 miles in the last 12 months and the oil is like new so just a light reset was required
I gave the car its first wash since last August
Took it out for a short drive to dry off the brakes before parking it in the garage again to prevent the pads sticking to the discs and hit 60k
Best thing today was finding the source of an annoying squeak that's bugged me for over a year
I thought it was coming from somewhere around the passenger seat but could never find where
By chance today I was stilling in the car with the seatbelt on and the engine off and I heard the squeak and with some careful investigating techniques I found it was the driver side seatbelt buckle
Seatbelt squeak video here... https://youtu.be/heSCLS2uy88
Thanks ChrisCH86, not many this original left so worth giving it a little TLC
Today I checked my coolant level sensor was working as it should. When i bought the car the water pump was leaking and when driving the 200+ miles home the level dropped, the expansion bottle never completely emptied and no warning light came up on the dashboard but the level was low.
I never thought any more about it until today. I emptied the expansion bottle, removed the sensor and with an OHMS meter and a magnet checked the reed switch in the sensor was working properly. I refitted the sensor to the bottle and started the car and the light stayed on. I put a small amount of coolant in and the light went off so topped it up and refitted the cap.
Today I checked my coolant level sensor was working as it should. When i bought the car the water pump was leaking and when driving the 200+ miles home the level dropped, the expansion bottle never completely emptied and no warning light came up on the dashboard but the level was low.
I never thought any more about it until today. I emptied the expansion bottle, removed the sensor and with an OHMS meter and a magnet checked the reed switch in the sensor was working properly. I refitted the sensor to the bottle and started the car and the light stayed on. I put a small amount of coolant in and the light went off so topped it up and refitted the cap.
I decided to bite the bullet and buy a Yatour Bluetooth adapter. The Bluetooth Cassette adapter I bought the sound quality was dire, the wired cassette adapter I bought the cogs were so noisy I had to have the volume blasting to drown the noise out.
I ordered the Yatour on 25th August and it arrived today from China and no extra customs charges which I was delighted about. The hardest part of fitting was getting the glovebox door stays off, one was easy enough but the right hand side (next to centre of RHD car) didn't want to budge so I had to remove the front of the glovebox door to access it from beneath.
With everything connected up I turned on the radio and connected the MP3 player and it works a treat. No more noisy cassette adapter cogs and the sound is superb.
I used double sided tape to mount the Yatour on the top of the glovebox compartment
I ordered the Yatour on 25th August and it arrived today from China and no extra customs charges which I was delighted about. The hardest part of fitting was getting the glovebox door stays off, one was easy enough but the right hand side (next to centre of RHD car) didn't want to budge so I had to remove the front of the glovebox door to access it from beneath.
With everything connected up I turned on the radio and connected the MP3 player and it works a treat. No more noisy cassette adapter cogs and the sound is superb.
I used double sided tape to mount the Yatour on the top of the glovebox compartment
Rob-c33sg said:
Might check out the Yatour for my 159 - does it work well?
So far so good, it connects easily via Bluetooth and sound quality is greatA big plus for me was the fact there is no unsightly cables in the cabin and keeping the interior looking like it just left the factory whilst allowing me to connect my phone & MP3 player
It's getting close to the end of September when the 850 will once again be put on SORN until next April to save it from the ravages of our local authorities copious salting of the roads. I decided it was time to give it a second wash in the last 14 months before it gets locked up for the winter. Tuesday was a nice dry day so I washed the car and went out for a drive to get rid of all the water on the brakes etc. Then back home and left it out in the open to allow it to dry off. Last year's wax is still beading nicely but I think I'll give it a detail during the winter
My 850 will soon be 25 years old so bought it a 25th present. I'm not sure what the keyring was made to celebrate as the company Manhattan-Windsor that made it closed the doors back in 1998. Maybe made for the Silver Jubilee 240 model.
When my 850 was new it was bought through the Volvo Tourist and Diplomat Special Delivery sales scheme. These sales were offered to certain customers and as long as you fitted the criteria you could purchase a new Volvo whilst receiving a huge savings on the purchase price along with a few other perks.
The original owner of my car was a British Forces officer who was posted in Mönchengladbach which allowed the car to be bought through the Tourist & Diplomat Special Delivery scheme, it also allowed the car to be bought without paying the UK VAT.
When I spoke to the original owner's son who sold the car in 2019 to a used car dealer he told me he passed on 2x Tourist and Diplomat Special Delivery keyrings which were still unused in the original wrappers. Unfortunately these had went A.W.O.L. before the car came into my possession some 15 months later never to be seen again. The chap I bought the car from told me he never received the keyrings but he also told me he only received one key only to discover 4/5 months later he had received all 3 keys
There were several different Keyrings produced over the years and I’m unsure which is the correct one for 1997, they are also becoming hard to find so when one recently came up for sale I had to have it.
When my 850 was new it was bought through the Volvo Tourist and Diplomat Special Delivery sales scheme. These sales were offered to certain customers and as long as you fitted the criteria you could purchase a new Volvo whilst receiving a huge savings on the purchase price along with a few other perks.
The original owner of my car was a British Forces officer who was posted in Mönchengladbach which allowed the car to be bought through the Tourist & Diplomat Special Delivery scheme, it also allowed the car to be bought without paying the UK VAT.
When I spoke to the original owner's son who sold the car in 2019 to a used car dealer he told me he passed on 2x Tourist and Diplomat Special Delivery keyrings which were still unused in the original wrappers. Unfortunately these had went A.W.O.L. before the car came into my possession some 15 months later never to be seen again. The chap I bought the car from told me he never received the keyrings but he also told me he only received one key only to discover 4/5 months later he had received all 3 keys
There were several different Keyrings produced over the years and I’m unsure which is the correct one for 1997, they are also becoming hard to find so when one recently came up for sale I had to have it.
Part of the enjoyment for me of owing an older car is finding out about its journey from new to arriving into my possession. As cars get older it's nice to find and preserve the history for future custodians to enjoy and add to. My previous 1947 car which I bought in Australia came with no history except the name of the previous owner and a couple of pictures and with a lot of research I compiled an extensive folder starting with it being built in Solihull then shipped new to Sydney to being bought as a wreck in the 80s, to its body off restoration and eventually winning awards in Australia and the car now has the last 74 years of history which has been passed onto the new owner.
My 850 was originally bought by a Lt.Col in the British Army stationed in Germany. From my research the troops were know as the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). I decided that a BAOR grill badge would be a fitting tribute to the car and the original owner but after searching I have found there is no such badge. There are window stickers available but I didn't want to go down that route unless I had to so I had to think outside the box this time.
eBay provided the answer in the shape of an award given to the military for recreational sporting achievements and I bought one of the awards to experiment with.
My newly purchased award arrived today and I was disappointed to find that it wasn't the brass or bronze award I expected it to be. My plan had been to solder a couple of bolts to the rear to enable it to be fixed to the grill but as it was made from aluminium I had to compromise.
Hacksaw, file, drill, sandpaper and an hour's work and I now have what I presume to be the only BAOR grill badge in the UK.
My 850 was originally bought by a Lt.Col in the British Army stationed in Germany. From my research the troops were know as the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). I decided that a BAOR grill badge would be a fitting tribute to the car and the original owner but after searching I have found there is no such badge. There are window stickers available but I didn't want to go down that route unless I had to so I had to think outside the box this time.
eBay provided the answer in the shape of an award given to the military for recreational sporting achievements and I bought one of the awards to experiment with.
My newly purchased award arrived today and I was disappointed to find that it wasn't the brass or bronze award I expected it to be. My plan had been to solder a couple of bolts to the rear to enable it to be fixed to the grill but as it was made from aluminium I had to compromise.
Hacksaw, file, drill, sandpaper and an hour's work and I now have what I presume to be the only BAOR grill badge in the UK.
Thanks for your kind words J51dhu & Loose-Cannon
Yes they are still advertised as a 'good/ideal workhorse' and only the T5 variants seem to be desirable just now where prices are all over the place. Also have to agree it was a large car back in the day which is now dwarfed by the small modern hatchback cars that are now produced. I had a Vauxhall Senator (B) back in the late 80s early 90s which was a huge car, a few years ago I went to view one in the hope of purchasing and was shocked that it looks so small
My mission is to keep the 850 as it left the factory as much as possible and anything I put onto the car can easily be removed without causing any damage (e.g. dash-cam, grill badges etc.). Originality is important for me, the original owner & his family obviously took great care not to abuse the car and there are very few non turbo 850s as good still around so preserving for future generations is a must. Who knows, maybe in another 20 years the prices will be as good as base model Mk1 Ford Escorts...
On a lighter note when the car arrived into the UK in October 1999 it stayed in Willingham Cambridgeshire with the original owner for the next 15 years, I thought a Cambridgeshire badge would be nice touch but struggling to find something suitable to go onto the grill. I thought I had found one on eBay which is like new but now I've fitted it I feel it's way too big so I'm on the hunt for a smaller one (if such a thing exists)
Grill removed and on the workbench for some easy tweaking I'll be fitting a Scotland (obviously) badge when it arrives and if I can find a small Cambridgeshire badge it might look something like this...
Yes they are still advertised as a 'good/ideal workhorse' and only the T5 variants seem to be desirable just now where prices are all over the place. Also have to agree it was a large car back in the day which is now dwarfed by the small modern hatchback cars that are now produced. I had a Vauxhall Senator (B) back in the late 80s early 90s which was a huge car, a few years ago I went to view one in the hope of purchasing and was shocked that it looks so small
My mission is to keep the 850 as it left the factory as much as possible and anything I put onto the car can easily be removed without causing any damage (e.g. dash-cam, grill badges etc.). Originality is important for me, the original owner & his family obviously took great care not to abuse the car and there are very few non turbo 850s as good still around so preserving for future generations is a must. Who knows, maybe in another 20 years the prices will be as good as base model Mk1 Ford Escorts...
On a lighter note when the car arrived into the UK in October 1999 it stayed in Willingham Cambridgeshire with the original owner for the next 15 years, I thought a Cambridgeshire badge would be nice touch but struggling to find something suitable to go onto the grill. I thought I had found one on eBay which is like new but now I've fitted it I feel it's way too big so I'm on the hunt for a smaller one (if such a thing exists)
Grill removed and on the workbench for some easy tweaking I'll be fitting a Scotland (obviously) badge when it arrives and if I can find a small Cambridgeshire badge it might look something like this...
The Cambridgeshire bagde didn't work for me, it was too big and didn't look correct so with a lot of searching I managed to find a vintage military brass Cambridgeshire shoulder badge
My car history grill badges story are almost complete. The Cambridgeshire badge arrived today so I gave it a polish and put it onto the grill using a piece of copper wire. I've still to solder the wire at the back to stop it unravelling, touch up the paint on the bolts and I'm waiting on some bolts arriving for the Saltire badge then once they arrive I'll be able to refit the grill to the car
The story goes like so...
Built in Ghent Belgium, yellow badge Oost Vlaanderen (East Flanders) New in Germany red/blue badge British Overseas Army Rhine. Came to UK 1999 Cambridgeshire. Scotland Saltire present time
The car spent a few years in the Bolton area in the original owner's son's possession (mostly tucked away in the garage then a year in St Helens but I won't be putting any more on the grill. I've covered the most important parts (for me)
My car history grill badges story are almost complete. The Cambridgeshire badge arrived today so I gave it a polish and put it onto the grill using a piece of copper wire. I've still to solder the wire at the back to stop it unravelling, touch up the paint on the bolts and I'm waiting on some bolts arriving for the Saltire badge then once they arrive I'll be able to refit the grill to the car
The story goes like so...
Built in Ghent Belgium, yellow badge Oost Vlaanderen (East Flanders) New in Germany red/blue badge British Overseas Army Rhine. Came to UK 1999 Cambridgeshire. Scotland Saltire present time
The car spent a few years in the Bolton area in the original owner's son's possession (mostly tucked away in the garage then a year in St Helens but I won't be putting any more on the grill. I've covered the most important parts (for me)
The Scotland badge wasn't 'doing it' for me, it didn't look right so I had to use a bit of the old grey matter and think outside the box to finish the grill off
As I said above the car spent a few years in the Bolton area before moving to St Helens and then to me in Glasgow and with a bit of lateral thinking I've managed to find badges to cover them all. The Bolton badge is from a Bolton Corporation cap, it has the Bolton coat of arms and apart from the word corporation it fits my criteria so I can live with that.
St Helens and Glasgow badges were a little more difficult. I eventually found that there are 925 silver bracelets charms available with town coats of arms and I now have both Glasgow and St Helens. The difficult part was soldering 2 x charms and 2 x bolts to a small piece of cut copper (taken from 15mm copper pipe) without everything moving out of line but I think I've managed to make it strong enough to stay in place
Grill fitted today
It's amazing what is still available direct from Volvo for these old cars.
My original battery positive terminal cover was starting to show its age and I had glued it together last year to keep it going. I saw them advertised 'used' on eBay for anything between £13.00 to £35.00 so I contacted my local Volvo dealer and was told they still had them but could take up tp three weeks to arrive.
I received a call last week to say the cover was in and when speaking to the parts guy I asked if he could get hold of a genuine boot mat. "Yes we can still get them" he said so it was ordered. Today I had a call to say everything was in so I popped over and collected my parts
As I said above the car spent a few years in the Bolton area before moving to St Helens and then to me in Glasgow and with a bit of lateral thinking I've managed to find badges to cover them all. The Bolton badge is from a Bolton Corporation cap, it has the Bolton coat of arms and apart from the word corporation it fits my criteria so I can live with that.
St Helens and Glasgow badges were a little more difficult. I eventually found that there are 925 silver bracelets charms available with town coats of arms and I now have both Glasgow and St Helens. The difficult part was soldering 2 x charms and 2 x bolts to a small piece of cut copper (taken from 15mm copper pipe) without everything moving out of line but I think I've managed to make it strong enough to stay in place
Grill fitted today
It's amazing what is still available direct from Volvo for these old cars.
My original battery positive terminal cover was starting to show its age and I had glued it together last year to keep it going. I saw them advertised 'used' on eBay for anything between £13.00 to £35.00 so I contacted my local Volvo dealer and was told they still had them but could take up tp three weeks to arrive.
I received a call last week to say the cover was in and when speaking to the parts guy I asked if he could get hold of a genuine boot mat. "Yes we can still get them" he said so it was ordered. Today I had a call to say everything was in so I popped over and collected my parts
Pupbelly said:
Ooh that boot mat is wonderful! Can I ask the cost of that and a part number please? I'm assuming it fits all 850 estate versions (without 6 CD interchanger)?
Fits all 850 estates, if you have the boot CD changer you cut the extra piece offOrder from Volvo dealer parts department, the part number is 9451385 Cost was £49.87 plus VAT so £59.84
I could have ordered it from FRF and received a discount but by the time I paid for postage from Swansea it's cheaper to pay full dealer prices and collect it locally
Part number for the battery terminal cover is 6849457 and cost £2.80 plus VAT so £3.36
It's taken a while and I totally messed up but I've eventually got there with my grill badge history.
For or some strange reason I mixed up Bolton and Boston, I had it in the back of my mind that the original owner's son stayed in Bolton when he sold the car to the dealer in Lytham St Annes but after sourcing a Bolton badge I was going through my paperwork and discovered it was indeed Boston in Lincolnshire where the 850 had spent a number of years...DOH!!!
I have searched high and low for a Boston Badge to no avail so the best I can do is Lincolnshire so my badge history is now complete
For or some strange reason I mixed up Bolton and Boston, I had it in the back of my mind that the original owner's son stayed in Bolton when he sold the car to the dealer in Lytham St Annes but after sourcing a Bolton badge I was going through my paperwork and discovered it was indeed Boston in Lincolnshire where the 850 had spent a number of years...DOH!!!
I have searched high and low for a Boston Badge to no avail so the best I can do is Lincolnshire so my badge history is now complete
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