Got myself an 850 SE

[RaelG]

Today's update is:

PCV done...I mean I know this won't resonate with all of you but I'm really quite happy and proud I managed to do that given my previous experience or lack thereof. Did the rubber glove test after and we're all good so that should be job done.

A few specific comments about PCV replacement I would like to make in the hope that maybe others may benefit from my personal observations and learnings:

• It takes a while if you've never done anything like it before, but it is doable
• Take your time, watch videos, get the right tools ready and go for it
• Have a helper if you can - it makes it easier to label things and hold things and also means you pull fewer hoses/connectors off by accident!
• It is helpful to be able to jack the front up but not absolutely essential
• I removed the fan to give more space and found this essential as my hands are not exactly dainty so it gave more space for moving around. When removing the fan it is quite difficult to get to the bottom screw on the left hand side as you look at the car from the front. The bottom ones only need undoing because the fan moulding slots in at the bottom so this is when I jacked it up and got at this screw from underneath.
• When putting it all back together, there are the two difficult to get at bolts one under the manifold and the one holding the dipstick. These are much easier on the way back in BUT for me the little bracket that the bolt attaches to under the manifold had moved slightly meaning the holes didn't line up so I had to undo the other bold holding the bracket to the block to allow me to move it a bit and line it up then do both bolts back up. No biggie but I wasted a lot of time on this as I didn't know what was going on.
• Get your own jubilee clips ahead of time, I didn't (couldn't) use any that Volvo gave me so used my own.
• On a 10v car I don't believe it is necessary to remove the fuel rail but in all my research I didn't find anyone saying this so I removed it. If you do remove it, have some paper towels ready because it wee's petrol everywhere!
• The end of the PCV hose that goes across the engine from the oil trap on the left over to the funky pipe thing on the right didn't quite fit for me. It is a bayonet style connection and it is perfectly the wrong angle, at least for me. I had to force the end of the PCV pipe to an angle it didn't really want to go and then screw it into the pipe that connects to the end of the inlet manifold but the way the bayonet unscrews is the same way that is naturally wants to turn so it undid straight away. I got around this by attaching a bracket that effectively pushing against the connection to keep it tight and jamming the head of the hose into a gap so it can't move. I had no idea what else to do.
• There is a small bit of pipe you will get (I don't know if this is just the 10v) that connects the top exit hole from the engine to the right hand side of the oil trap. This pipe was not the right shape for me and I don't know if the clips will hold, time will tell. The pipe should be bend in the middle because the outlet on the oil trap is about 1cm-2cm higher than the outlet of the engine so what happens is, when using the straight angled pipe the hose doesn't sit perfectly happily on the outlets. Difficult to explain, but interestingly the one I took off was perfectly angled and therefore fitted nice and snug. I debated on reusing it but took the chance on the new one.

[Shakrally]

I remember this car! I was bidding on it on ebay before I bought one. But the seller was messing people around. Kept asking for more than what it was selling for on ebay.

Glad it eventually ended up in a decent human being's hands. Did the seller keep the coilovers on, or were they removed?

PS: he was asking far too much than what it was worth before, especially upon reading your thread and seeing the condition it was in.

[RaelG]

Thanks Mr Shakrally! Coilovers are still on, as are the brakes and exhaust (although it seems to foul something at low revs so might need adjusting).

A couple of people have mentioned about the car being up for sale previously or for a while, I personally found the auction, went to see the car and put my bid in on eBay and I got it for what I thought was a very good price all things considered.

[RaelG]

So a few pics of the work (mostly so I can look back and laugh!):

Setting up the mechanic area (by the end there were tools and bits absolutely everywhrre!):



Engine bay before we get going (10 points if someone can spot the item in there that was on the wrong way round!)


Engine bay with everything out:


Some close ups of the crud in the holes. I took at least 6 piles of that stuff out then spent ages cleaning it until it was completely clean.



New bits in (I did change the inlet manifold gasket by the way!)


And finally engine/spark plug cover back on with nice new nuts:



Took me 2 days to do this, probably 4-5 hours each time. If I were to do it again ever I think I'd be able to halve that now I know what I'm doing a bit more.

[4x4]

Originally Posted by RaelG

...Engine bay before we get going (10 points if someone can spot the item in there that was on the wrong way round!)

Do I get the 10 points?

[Shakrally]

Originally Posted by RaelG

Thanks Mr Shakrally! Coilovers are still on, as are the brakes and exhaust (although it seems to foul something at low revs so might need adjusting).

A couple of people have mentioned about the car being up for sale previously or for a while, I personally found the auction, went to see the car and put my bid in on eBay and I got it for what I thought was a very good price all things considered.

Ah, sorry, I meant when it was first listed on ebay. It ended at X amount, but the seller then messaged me and asked for more than the selling price, even though I was not the winning bidder. Thought it was quite rude as the winning bidder had not even had the opportunity to collect the car yet.

But I hope you got a good deal and looks like you are making good progress with it. I've got a few things to work on on my 850 which i'll hopefully get around to soon. next items are servicing and new front ARBs.

[Shakrally]

4x4 beat me to it!!

[RaelG]

Good grief nothing gets past you dies it? That’s impressive but yes sir you win and get the full 10 points there!

Shakrally that doesn’t sound good I do hate hearing of people being messed around. I don’t know if I got a “good deal” per se, but it didn’t cost me much and I’m trying to do as much as I can myself whilst also treating it as a bit of a project and learning curve so it’s all good.

[RaelG]

Slow progress but things are ticking along on the project. Specifically:

• Engine oil and filter done
• New Bosch wiper blades installed - I really don't see why people scrimp on these items...the ones on there were so bad I could have wiped a badger's backside across the windscreen and had better visibility!
• A new front sidelight/indicator unit is on order as the one I have is cracked.
• No update on the paint situation (for those who saw my other post), the local company I was trying to talk to have been closed for family reasons the past week or so. So for now I have a slightly darker corner to the rear bumper which is better, if only slightly, than the big black scrape that was there before.

Still to do (in no particular order):

• Heated seats seemingly not working
• Air con not working
• Machine polish paintwork
• Figure out why keyfob worked then stopped working and just buzzing instead
• Sort rear bumper paintwork out
• Find and install (maybe paint) rear spoiler

[Cookeh]

Check thermostat wiring on seats, its the number one cause of broken heated seats. Its also all of 5 mins to fix.