General: 850: Being gifted a '96 850 estate

[Georgeandkira]

Hello, Likely very few know me in this section as V70's (an '02 and an '07) have been my cars for over 10 years. When I had my '99 I wasn't a member here.

Wednesday 6 June I went to see a 1996 Volvo 850 estate auto a husband and wife were giving away.
It has 201,XXX miles and is in pretty good shape. Having been garaged for 2 years+ it has a musty smell and is dirty. I got it running with a jump.

The engine is the same B5244S in all three V70's I've owned. It has the characteristic ticking atop only a touch louder.
If I take the car I'll throw in 15W-40 to see if quieting results but that is a chore for a later date.

What I must do tomorrow is fill the tires, see if they hold air and check the brakes. I also must see if it goes into gear. After getting it started I simply let it idle. When I touched the gas pedal it died. I had seen enough so I took my leave.

The car is about 100 miles away so I want to cover as may bases as I can. The box of tools, rags and spray stuff I've assembled is impressive. I anticipate two more trips minimum but I'm not complaining.

If there are any suggestions regarding items to check, please post them.

Thanks, Georgeandkira ps George & Nancy are the ones giving the car away.