Volvo 850 turbo wagon diversion

[2000StreetRod]

Preparing to sell

It's hard to believe that it's been 3 and 1/2 years since I purchased my 850 Turbo Wagon. I've never driven it out of town but it has never failed me in town after replacing the fuel pump assembly. I've decided to prepare it for sale so I can purchase a 4 door 2000 Explorer - my wife opposes having 4 vehicles even for a short period of time. I've been worried about a gradual loss of coolant in the reservoir. The turbocharger is lubricated with engine oil and cooled with engine coolant. I feared that the seals had failed and coolant was leaking into the oil. This was reinforced by a little foam on the end of the oil dip stick. This week I jacked up the front, pulled the engine bay bottom splash shield and drained the oil. I was relieved that there was no water in the oil. I replaced the oil filter and will fill the crankcase after I lower the front.

I noticed that the anti-sway bar links were shot which explains the clunk sound when crossing my driveway gutter. They are easy to replace and Advance Auto had some inexpensive ones that were available on the next day after order. I've already installed the left one and will replace the right one tomorrow. My wife has stated several times that I tolerate my vehicle issues until I get ready to sell the vehicle so someone else benefits from the correction of the issue.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Bad lower ball joint

While checking the brake pad thickness I noticed that the left lower ball joint is badly worn. It moves more than 1/8 inch within the seat. Unfortunately, the ball joint is not replaceable and I had to order an entire control arm assembly.

My asking price for the vehicle just increased by $200 to offset the cost of the part and an alignment. Hopefully, I won't notice any more defective parts.

 

[2000StreetRod]

2014 Grand Cherokee

Today I traded in our 2006 Toyota Highlander for a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (rwd). My wife wanted the red one and there weren't any available locally so it will take a couple days before we get it. We have a black one as a loaner until the red one arrives. So now I don't have to worry about the color or condition of the 4 door Explorer I purchase as the backup for my Sport.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Persistent VSS fault

For years I have been experiencing a vehicle speed sensor (VSS) fault. About two weeks ago I learned that there are two sensors on the transmission. I replaced the aft one when I first got the vehicle running and that made no difference. After tracing the wires I found that they dead ended near the ECU because in 1996 Volvo started using the ABS for the 850 vehicle speed source. The sensor was left in just to plug the hole rather than recast the transmission housing. After learning that I removed the new one and reinstalled the old one. Last week I pulled numerous items off the engine to gain access to the forward sensor. I was surprised that the sensor was hardwired to the transmission main electrical connector. I cut the old sensor wires at a convenient length and installed an electrical connector that mated with the replacement sensor. Then I installed the new sensor, all of the engine components, cleared the VSS fault and went for a drive. After about a mile the VSS fault came back.

I now suspect that the fault is because I have oversize tires on the wagon and the vehicle speed signal value from the ABS is lower than the ECU expects for the gear selected and the engine speed. I purchased the oversize tires because the standard size high speed rated tires were very uncommon and expensive. So the next thing to try is to reprogram the ECU for the larger tire radius. Since I don't have a programmer for Volvos I will have to take it to a shop or dealer. I've avoided doing that because my vehicle had the EGR deleted (mechanically and in the ECU firmware) by some previous owner because of the turbo. I fear the shop will mess up the current tune and then I'll have EGR faults.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Can't be reprogrammed locally

I took my Volvo to a local Volvo specialist who claims to have the same programming capability as the dealer ($15K machine). I had a very enjoyable time discussing Volvos with the owner. He owns a PV-544 which was my first Volvo. I got his recommendations for local shops to bore engines and rebuild heads. Unfortunately, the shop was unable to change the tire diameter via the OBD-II port and would have to send the ECU back to the factory for that. It was confirmed that there are no ABS faults and the vehicle speed sensor fault was being generated by the transmission control unit (TCU). The owner stated that the TCU has strict criteria that normally can only be met by a genuine Volvo vehicle speed sensor but I thought that's what I purchased via the internet. My last resort is to trace the wiring from the sensor back to the TCU for continuity. The owner pulled the anti-theft code for the radio and the technician entered it. He only charged me $30 - possibly because he's familiar with the local charity I plan to donate the Volvo to. I drove home listening to the radio for the first time since I bought the car.

 

[2000StreetRod]

distraction over

This morning I donated my 850 Turbo Wagon to a local charity. I won't be buying another Volvo. I'm too old and my knees are too bad to get in and out of low vehicles. Also, I like being able to see other vehicles better from a mid-size SUV than a low wagon. We'll probably keep our 2014 Grand Cherokee for another 7 or 8 years. If I'm still able to drive at that point and mid-size electric SUVs are available at a reasonable price that's what I'll buy. Here's a list of my past owned Volvos: 1960 PV-544, 1973 142E, 1983 DL, 1987 740 GLE, 1986 GL (my daughter's first vehicle), and 1996 850 Turbo Wagon. The 142E was the most fun: bored the block from 2.0L to 2.2L; modified analog Bosch fuel injector computer; heavy duty clutch; ipd front and rear sway bars. I sold it since the clutch pressure was hurting my back and a tree fell on the roof during a wind storm. I now have room for a 2002 Explorer with V8 and RWD if I can ever find one.