newbie 855R owner

[nick]

Hello All,

i've just got myself a very nice '96 855R - my first volvo !

it seems to have the usual 'issues' - weeping crank seal, lack of petrol flap locking, lack of aircon and no heated seats but hey - it gives me something to do....

i have a load of questions but the first and most pressing is about tyres. I've been looking through a lot of the posts and really need some definitive advice on :-

(a) tyre size - it has 205/45 17's on at the moment but can i fit 215/45 17's with no problem i.e. rubbing etc
(b) i know it has been raised numerous times but some ideas of non-exotic and readily available rubber would be most appreciated.

more questions to follow !

cheers,

nick

[abdul]

welcome to the forum

[walter leever]

Hi Nick,and welcome to the mad house:pirate:

To be short yes you can put 215/45/17 on them i have them as wintertyres on mine and used this size for summer aswell.

cheers,walter

[nick]

thanks all so far - it feels like a bit of an exclusive club - i haven't seen another 850R around the Coventry / Leicester area for a while.....until now :D

[AndysR]

Welcome to the mad house, when my tyres need replacing I shall be changing to the 215's as I have heard they will improve grip which can't be a bad thing :)

When you get a chance pop some picture up of the newbie so we can enjoy some Volvo eye candy :)

[nick]

i will - once i'm happy with the cosmetics (don't want to make a fool out of myself straight away :D)

[AndysR]

lol you won't! It's good to see before and after shots gives people the enthusiasm to do their own when they see what can be done ;)

[nick]

good idea - i'll get snapping. would be good to see the before and after (and everything in between).

i'm going to get the rear crank seal done soon (next 2 weeks) but i assume i can still drive the car if i keep checking oil levels etc ?. it doesn't seem like a bad leak but still needs sorting out

[lance]

good idea - i'll get snapping. would be good to see the before and after (and everything in between).

i'm going to get the rear crank seal done soon (next 2 weeks) but i assume i can still drive the car if i keep checking oil levels etc ?. it doesn't seem like a bad leak but still needs sorting out

I recomend you concider doing the clutch as well while you are there if it hasnt been done in its life!

[nick]

its an auto but i'll get the ATF changed at the same time i think

[Flatout Phil]

good idea - i'll get snapping. would be good to see the before and after (and everything in between).

i'm going to get the rear crank seal done soon (next 2 weeks) but i assume i can still drive the car if i keep checking oil levels etc ?. it doesn't seem like a bad leak but still needs sorting out

My T5 has run last 4 years getting through about a litre a fortnight - so should be fine!

As for the R, welcome to a fellow R person!

Tyres? Always get the best you can afford - those painful extra few quid will seem money well spent when you are driving along in pouring rain and someone steps off the kerb from nowhere...
P-Zeros - it's what it was built with. Try blackcircles.com, or my personal favourite, www.event-tyres.co.uk. Kwikfit will price match online prices (grudgingly).

Cheers,
Phil.

[nick]

thanks phil - i will keep checking levels until its time for surgery

is it worth relacing the rest of the oil pipework / seals at the same time ?

nick

[Murphy]

I ran 215/45/17's on my 855 T5 they were Goodyear Eagle GSD3's at the time. I would recommend the Eagle F1 asymmetric or the new Goodyear eagle excellence. Good wet weather grip and excellent wear rate.

Andrew

[Bob France]

Welcome aboard from another R owner,hope you enjoy the forum as much as you will enjoy your motor

[nick]

thank you all for the welcome - top stuff

a few more questions if I may :-

1. where can i get a copy of the 850R owners manual ? - mine is missing

2. does the Haynes manual for the 850 cover the 'R' model ?

3. my aircon doesn't work and i can't hear the compressor kicking in - i am hoping it just needs a re-gas as it appears never to have been done in the cars life. what's the general reliability of the aircon system on these cars ? i.e. compressor, evaporator etc ?

4. is there an exact colour for the anthracite for the wheels ?

5. what's the advice on fitting new suspension /roll bar bushes plus the engine top mount ? and is it a DIY job ?

car goes in for crank seal, PCV and rattle from the mid-section of the exhaust today - hopefully nothing else major for a while....

i'm gonna get all the painful (read expensive) stuff out of the way first then get working on the cosmetics :biggrin: (pics to follow)

cheers all

nick

[Flatout Phil]

thank you all for the welcome - top stuff

a few more questions if I may :-

1. where can i get a copy of the 850R owners manual ? - mine is missing

2. does the Haynes manual for the 850 cover the 'R' model ?

3. my aircon doesn't work and i can't hear the compressor kicking in - i am hoping it just needs a re-gas as it appears never to have been done in the cars life. what's the general reliability of the aircon system on these cars ? i.e. compressor, evaporator etc ?

4. is there an exact colour for the anthracite for the wheels ?

5. what's the advice on fitting new suspension /roll bar bushes plus the engine top mount ? and is it a DIY job ?

car goes in for crank seal, PCV and rattle from the mid-section of the exhaust today - hopefully nothing else major for a while....

i'm gonna get all the painful (read expensive) stuff out of the way first then get working on the cosmetics :biggrin: (pics to follow)

cheers all

nick

850 R book is same as standard manual - find on ebay
Haynes hardly covers 850 properly - but most R stuff is same as standard 850 in general maintainance
Aircon a pain. Always needs regassing every two years. Condensor an easy (get an expert in) fix, but evaporator inclined to leaks and can be a pain to fix - dash out which is a biggish task. Compressor clutch may need shims fiddling with.
Yes, anthracite number was in a post a few days ago from Rufe 932 or 952 0r similar.
Gotta go and get the kids to school - others answer the rest......

[nick]

just got back from CP Motors....

rear crank seal done
PCV replaced incl. all hoses
new cat
ATF changed
oil & filter

etc etc

running well now !!

and the fuel flap locking solenoid has started working after a serious talking to last week

can anyone recommend a good bodyshop in the leicester area - need to get my front spoiler sorted out after some previous numpty owner ran into a low curb (not me i hasten to add) plus i want a few minor knocks and dents taking out at the same time.

also - same area - who's any good at refurbing interiors ? - mainly drivers seat and a couple of marks on the headliner

cheers all

nick

[Babybadger]

thank you all for the welcome - top stuff

a few more questions if I may :-

1. where can i get a copy of the 850R owners manual ? - mine is missing


2. does the Haynes manual for the 850 cover the 'R' model ?

3. my aircon doesn't work and i can't hear the compressor kicking in - i am hoping it just needs a re-gas as it appears never to have been done in the cars life. what's the general reliability of the aircon system on these cars ? i.e. compressor, evaporator etc ?

4. is there an exact colour for the anthracite for the wheels ?

5. what's the advice on fitting new suspension /roll bar bushes plus the engine top mount ? and is it a DIY job ?

car goes in for crank seal, PCV and rattle from the mid-section of the exhaust today - hopefully nothing else major for a while....

i'm gonna get all the painful (read expensive) stuff out of the way first then get working on the cosmetics :biggrin: (pics to follow)

cheers all

nick

1) no idea....look at ebay...

2) Most of the stuff is covered in the Haynes manual. There maybe minor differences. It covers all the T5 stuff...

3) regas it and watch what happens, hopefully it will be just the regas, if not regas it again with a dye. when the pressure gets too low the lights starts flashing.....it has an auto cut out when the pressure is too low, to save the system. Change the Pollen Filter....

4) Think it is 932 from memory.....ask Rufe here on the forum.

5) The suspension is pretty DIY if you have done other cars before. Do the topmounts of the suspension, people have had good results with Koni FSD suspension and eibach lowered springs, I would say keep your original springs on UK roads, and if you want a comfortable suspension, keep the OE shocks as well. Don't bother with the anti roll bar bushes unless they are worn, the front droplinks are more important. The top engine mount is DIY and there is a "how to" on here somewhere. Check the rear trailing arm bushes for movement as these make tracking a bitch and can fail the MOT if badly gone. These are really specialist stuff unless you have the patience and gear.

If getting the crank seal done (rear main oil seal) , check the clutch out while you are at it. It will save money in the long run, and make sure PCV is done at the same time!

Good luck.....

Tyres check www.camskill.co.uk

http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m4b0s103p0

My choices are 1-Vredestein 2-Toyo 3- Kumho Ecsta

Avoid the Goodyear Eagles, they break away to easily under power and weight.... The Vredestein are superb for Volvos.....

[Babybadger]

its an auto but i'll get the ATF changed at the same time i think

Very wise.....

[RollingThunder]

Regarding tyres on an 850R... I'm running 215/45x17s on mine without any issues - the fronts do catch on the wheelarch liner on full lock (an MoT fail) but blue C70 wheelstops stop that and are a rivet on option - ask Rufe for prices. I doubt 225s would fit on the back - its very tight even with 215s.

My 850R came with Kuhmo Ecstas on - they're actually a surprisingly good tyre in the dry. Didn't try them in the wet as I wanted to get a set of my favourites on asap, but they're supposed to be less good in the rain.

My recommendations are -

1. UniRoyal Rainsport2
2. Continental SportContact
3. Vredestein SportTrac

Regarding sources, I spent ages looking for the best price on the Uniroyals - best I found was http://www.alloywheels.com/tyrepricing.asp Camskills mytyres blackcircles etc all cheaper than most high street tyre centres, but get quotes from all - the prices vary wildly.

[walter leever]

As said when staying at the 17",use 215/45/17
When changing to let's say 18" you can fit 225/35/18,at least on mine,no probs:funkybana

There's another very good one from the dutch tyre factory(vredestein)Ulltracs,great tyres.:bow_kneel

gr,walter

[nick]

thanks for all the tyre advice - very much appreciated

i'm having some vredestein ultracs fitted tonight and as its chucking it down in coventry at the moment they'll get a good test in the wet later !!

[Porcine_Aviator]

thanks all so far - it feels like a bit of an exclusive club - i haven't seen another 850R around the Coventry / Leicester area for a while.....until now :D

Hi Nick :welcome: I can guarantee that now you own a Volvo you will see them all over the place. In fact you'll wonder how the hell you missed them in the past. :saythat: