my volvo 850se journal

[duke1]

hi all i recently bought this very old volvo 850se estate non turbo and a manual gearbox she has 150k on the clock and no service history and when purchased had 6 months or so on mot has only ever done around 3000 miles between mots and appears to have had little more than an annual service and whatever was needed for mot.
so i have been slowly going through from the basics ie engine service and timing belt/serpentine belt and tensioner replacement,
complete new exhaust system and mountings.
complete set of rearlights courtesy of our local breakers sadly there the v70 ones with clear indicator lense but was cheap and good condition unlike most i found on ebay that come prechipped to save you the bother!
the front headlamps had the usual bloom on the plastic lense soon sorted with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar and look good enough now with some good old elbow grease.
i have also found she has the common leaky heater matrix and steams up like a sauna so today i stripped out the old one and ordered new along with the later ali pipes from a v70 i believe im told fit and dont rot.
after reading some of the threads here on what rot to expect (though after 40yrs restoring cars i have a good idea!) i have found as i suspected the start of systemic rust under the plastic sill covers and on one rear wheelarch which needs cutting out and welding along with the other normal old age related/rusty baggy bumper brackets etc all getting restored or replaced slowl but surely.
to add to the complexity the car has to carry my wifes electric wheelchair and the ramps have to go on top on roof crossbars so i have tailor made the fittings myself and the only purchase will be a set of rear bumper brackets which will then be sent for powder coating the way they should have at the start.
also in keeping with my deep hatred of rust and fastenings that decline then refuse to come undone when needed so every single fitting is replaced with stainless steel,all done once and proper.
heres a few pics of how it looked at the start and i shall add pics of progress and maybe pick some brains if/when i bugger it up!
also if anyone should happen to have a spare wheeltrim or 2 for the volvo she would be very pleased she says she dont like the cheapo ebay crap i bought her,ungrateful i call it!,peace

[craigoodwood]

One of only 9 'SE' 850s on the road I found out today, mine is an se too 😊

[duke1]

Originally Posted by craigoodwood

One of only 9 'SE' 850s on the road I found out today, mine is an se too 😊

looks a nice tidy one that does,i prefer your wheels but i suppose atleast mine are the original albeit old and rusty but 9 wow thats def getting rare its a good job theres a good amount of spares in common with later models,cheers

[duke1]

hi all if anyone can advise is this any good make of timing belt kit?theres multitudes on ebay and so many different prices,the only maker familiar to me is the gates and skf this is one i found any good though?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Timing-Be...5/303529017549
its been a long time since i bought volvo parts!

[amazondean]

Stick with gates if I were you. You should be able to pick the same kit up for around £120

[4x4]

At that price you might be better calling FRF and quoting the forum code 'C3' for a discount. That way at least you'll know you have the correct belt

[RollingThunder]

I've just ordered a genuine Volvo timing belt kit from Caffyns - cost me roughly £100 No need to buy aftermarket when OEM is that cheap. I'd imagine yours is the same kit, but you'd need to check to be sure. This kit does not include the water pump - that is an extra £80.

The only other brands I'd consider would be Gates or Continental.

BTW Aisin made the original water pump, so if you don't buy Volvo, I'd get an Aisin one I'm sure another big name like Valeo, Febi Bilstein, or Continental would be fine, but the waterpump is an awkward bugger to change so I'd play it safe and fit OEM (which is why I've just bought a Volvo one lol)

If you're going to change the hydraulic tensioner, then the OEM brand was also Aisin. Volvo ones are £100, so I've bought an Aisin one for £60 from Autodoc (online but in Germany)

HTH

[volvo2]

I have pretty much the same car, which I have owned for for almost 30 years. Mine is now on 220k miles. I am still on the original heater matrix and PVC system. Thought there were quite a few more than nine of these left on UK roads though - more like 150 maybe.

[volvo2]

Just noticed that you mention "front headlamps had the usual bloom on the plastic lense".

I don't think these can be the original headlight units as there were glass and not plastic back in 1994.

[duke1]

Originally Posted by volvo2

Just noticed that you mention "front headlamps had the usual bloom on the plastic lense".

I don't think these can be the original headlight units as there were glass and not plastic back in 1994.

hi the previous owner had used beam deflectors and left the glue and a plastic film which had gone very opaque and a right bugger to shift i had to soak it in paint thinners and lots of scraping later i have fairly good lamps,back ones i found v70 pair for £40 so binned the originals,got a set of new number plate lights as well,spoilt.
re the abs it has new front sensors and reluctor rings and i double checked using the ohm meter and both have 1.15 ohm which is right.
the backs never been checked for condition but no codes for rear.
for now i have ditched the abs unplugged and a rubber glove over it and tied up! i have to drive her 300 miles with the evil thing glaring at me,not good for my ocd.
then got till 15th sep to find the fault,cheers