General: 850: New 850 R Owner with some questions

[gofra]

First of all, hi to everyone!

I just joined this forum as I recently bought a beautiful black 850R manual and need service guidance for the works I'm about to perform on my first Volvo ever

Some words about the car:

Black 850R, manual, with 370K km on the clock. Car is in beautiful condition and has been well taken care of generally. It has some performance mods (Ferrita downpipe, cat-back exhaust, front strut-bar, Koni suspension, BMC CDA, probably remapped too) and Vialle G3 LPG system installed.



I've also been provided with a complete list of all the maintenance works performed on the car since day 1, which is great. I do like the fact the car came with some upgrades, but boy oh boy does the engine bay need a clean-up!



I'm not happy with how the BMC airbox is put in (rubs in places) and even less so, with how the cables and hoses are routed generally. Engine bay will need some tidying-up!

Main issue:

Car is a beast - really pulls incredibly well and drives as it should. There is one problem however - blue smoke after idling for some time. It has a fairly new turbo (60K kms) and there is zero smoke when starting it cold so it's not the valve stem seals. Valve cover has a few drops of oil on it + I did the "glove" test and it does in fact blow the air out instead of sucking it in, so it's probably a faulty / clogged PCV system which I intend to replace. Another issue I found is that revs sometimes don't drop right away when I step off the accelerator. Never when cold, just warmed up.

Questions:

- I found the all the parts for PCV replacement on Skandix - this would set me back app. 300 EURs shipped (all but one tube Volvo genuine). are there any other sites / online stores that sell original classic Volvo parts? Which ones do you use?

- Any LPG users here that performed the PCV replacement? This is my first LPG car and I have no idea if I can just unplug the gas injectors from the manifold or is there something that needs to be done prior?



- Car was regularly serviced but it's been 6 years since the water pump and timing belt were replaced (although roughly just 60K km ago). Oil, filter, spark plugs were done just recently. I'd like to be safe and do the "stage 0" tune, but on the other hand, I don't want any unnecessary expenses - is 6 years too long for the timing belt or should I just keep it due to low mileage? I found two genuine Volvo water pumps but one seems to fit a 21mm and the other one a 23mm belt. Any ideas how to find out which is the correct one? Sadly, I don't have the engine number sticker and can't seem to be able to reach the spot where it's stamped onto the engine - I only have the VIN number.

- When warmed up, throttle feels sticky - when stepping of the gas pedal, revs don't drop immediately. No such problems with cold engine. Any ideas what this might be?

- I found that a couple of connectors were unplugged just behind the headlamps. They are 3-pin brown-coloured connectors. I plugged them back in but can't seem to find what they're used for. Any ideas?



- Occasionally TRACs and ABS lights come on but they eventually disappear. Could this be just due to bad connection or does the ABS module need to be replaced? I was told that the ABS sensor was replaced just recently.

- Last but not least - my wish with this car is to service it with best quality products available (Volvo genuine) but these sometimes cost lot. Which manufacturers provide parts of equal quality - if any? Heard good things about Mahle, Mann and Meyle but would like to be extra sure.

Thank you for helping me!

Best!

[Clogs]

Quite often the solder joints on the ABS module crack, so connection temporarily is lost and the ABS light comes on. Before replacing the module, when the ABS light is on, jiggle the multipin plug a bit to see if goes out after turning off the ignition and restarting the engine. See other posts on wedging the plug with a credit card or other thin piece of card if that helps. If it does, then it is usually a solder problem that a knowledgeable Volvo specialist garage can fix.

Anders ziet het er uit als een mooie auto!

[gofra]

Originally Posted by Clogs

Quite often the solder joints on the ABS module crack, so connection temporarily is lost and the ABS light comes on. Before replacing the module, when the ABS light is on, jiggle the multipin plug a bit to see if goes out after turning off the ignition and restarting the engine. See other posts on wedging the plug with a credit card or other thin piece of card if that helps. If it does, then it is usually a solder problem that a knowledgeable Volvo specialist garage can fix.

Thank you - good tip!

Originally Posted by Clogs

Anders ziet het er uit als een mooie auto!

Hah, I'm from Slovenia (was an import from NL, yeah) - but thanks anyways!

[CNGBiFuel]

The PCV kit (even a Volvo original) is a poor design, and really shows its failings on high-miler cars. It's only pipe-work anyway, some of us run copper pipe. I made the small-bore vacuum hose out of far larger 6mm stainless. The stock item is so small it's a joke. In 6mm it won't clog and fail emissions etc.
The Volvo branded PCV kit requires large parts of it thrown again.

See:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=263883

The better solution is listed. Hose is hose is hose. See your plumber's merchant. These cars require full synth oil or the PCV clogs,more so with the factory spec PCV.

[gofra]

Originally Posted by CNGBiFuel

The PCV kit (even a Volvo original) is a poor design, and really shows its failings on high-miler cars. It's only pipe-work anyway, some of us run copper pipe. I made the small-bore vacuum hose out of far larger 6mm stainless. The stock item is so small it's a joke. Now it won't clog and fail emissions etc.
The Volvo branded PCV kit requires large parts of it thrown again. Sorry.

See:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=263883

The better solution is listed. Hose is hose is hose. These cars require full synth oil or the PCV clogs,more so with the factory spec PCV.

Thank you for helping me out! Will walk through the thread

[cam]

H mate and welcome, car looks great.

[CNGBiFuel]

Thank you for helping me out!

No worries, pipe is pipe is pipe. Hose is hose is hose. In the next post, some fool will be along suggesting you must use Volvo branded transmission fluid, oil, spark-plugs, brake-pads, air-filters etc. Volvo manufacture none of these.

Of course, some parts are best as 'Volvo branded'. (Use the Volvo branded top PCV hose for example). Some definitely not.

[gofra]

Originally Posted by cam

H mate and welcome, car looks great.

Thank you mate - she's a looker indeed!

Originally Posted by CNGBiFuel

No worries, pipe is pipe is pipe. Hose is hose is hose. In the next post, some fool will be along suggesting you must use Volvo branded transmission fluid, oil, spark-plugs, brake-pads, air-filters etc. Volvo manufacture none of these.

Of course, some parts are best as 'Volvo branded'. (Use the Volvo branded top PCV hose for example). Some definitely not.

I was kinda always of belief, that original manufacturer parts are the best option as they were designed for a specific car. The main issues I personally experienced a couple of times, are the tolerances and material quality. Of course, I'm not saying all aftermarket parts are all bad - that's actually the reason I'm asking you guys for suggestions. Don't really care about the brand - as long as it works as it's supposed to or better. And since I'm new to Volvo, I need to expand my horizons a little

Thank you again, btw!

[petercz]

Originally Posted by gofra

- Any LPG users here that performed the PCV replacement? This is my first LPG car and I have no idea if I can just unplug the gas injectors from the manifold or is there something that needs to be done prior?

Yes you can just pull the injectors, but be careful, there are plastic jets that tend to crack and replacing o-rings in sockets is also good idea...
https://petercz.rajce.idnes.cz/940/1244779922
https://petercz.rajce.idnes.cz/940/1244779920

[gofra]

Originally Posted by petercz

Yes you can just pull the injectors, but be careful, there are plastic jets that tend to crack and replacing o-rings in sockets is also good idea...
https://petercz.rajce.idnes.cz/940/1244779922
https://petercz.rajce.idnes.cz/940/1244779920

Thank you Peter - I will order new o-rings prior to disasembling this, yes.