1996 850 - Remote central locking????

How can I determie if my car had RCL fitted? It has the central
locking function operted by the door key, and I have sourced a very
cheap used remote but the coding procedure dos not work (turn ignition
on 5 times then press remote button). There is no LED on the top of
the dash board, but there is a removeable cover about 1 x 1.5 inches
in the centre of the dash right against the windscreen. Removing this
shows two wires (purple and white), but no LED.

Does this indicate no RCL was ever fitted.

What is the process to retrofit if this is the case?

TIA

Chris in Sydney, AUS

 

Hi Chris,

I'm live in Sydney AUS too, and my "bought in Sydney" '96 850-S does not
have RCL. One way to definitely check is to look where the remote receiver
would be located, and if you don't have one, you don't have RCL.
Unfortunately, you have to remove the glove box, as it's located to left of
that space. Don't know if you could reach up and feel without removing the
glove
box. Then there's the problem of recognising it.

To retro fit I guess you'd need the receiver and of course the key fob
transmitters. I don't know if you'd need more than just plugging the
receiver in. I suspect that would be all you'd need. Mine has the wiring
for it in place. Maybe someone could confirm if this is all you'd need to
do.

By the way, mine came with 3 keys (all have the immobiliser transponders
fitted
internally). The 3rd key is a "service" key will not fit the glove box or
the boot. It will open the doors and operate the engine ignition only. You
can disable central locking on
the boot by turning the master key anti-clockwise to a horizontal position
when you lock it and then remove the key in this position. By operating the
rear seat backrest latches in the boot first, you can make the boot
inaccessable to those with only the service key.

This is all in the owners' manual.

regards
Barry

 

Dear Barry
thanks for the response. Mine is an SE 20v model WAGON - I was
originally told they all had the receiver fitted from factory. I
called Volvo Aus and they then told me that no AUS delivered 850s had
factory RCL - any RCL was fitted when the car got to Sydney by two
different 3rd party installers. They were not particularly helpful
though. I called one of the 3rd parties who told me that they would
need to inspect the car to determine if a) an RCLwas fitted and b) if
it was fitted by them. I saw a key fob remote on ebay and got it for
$20. I'll investigate the glove box. If nothing there I might try a
wrecker. I would not even bother asking what a brand new one
costs.....

I'm in Eastern Suburbs, work on North Shore. Any recommendations on
independent specialists who can work on the car? I change fluids/plugs/
filters and happy to do minor repairs but bigger jobs I'll need
someone else.

many thanks

Chris

 

--

Hi Chris,

I do almost all the maintenance on my '850 myself. It's a pretty easy car
to service. Apart from the timing belt, which isn't very hard to replace
(but don't try it yourself unless you have some experience) there's nothing
very demanding in general maintenance that any competent mechanic wouldn't
be able to handle. For anything really serious, like the a/c evaporator (I
had mine replaced about 18months ago) I would go to a Volvo dealer because
of the amount of disassembly needed, and the guarantee, backed by Volvo that
you'd get. By the way you do know about the high rate of evaporator failure
in the 850's don't you? It's more or less guaranteed by 10 years old :-(

Sorry I can't recommend anyone specific for you.

But read this newsgroup for information and websites like
http://www.volvospeed.com/bay13.htm for how-to-do-it infomation. Even if
you don't do it yourself, you'll be better informed.

regards,
Barry

 

My car is May 1996 build, so now 11 years old. Full service book
history from Scuderia Veloce in Lindfield, which originally supplied
the car. 120,000km, but no other invoices came with it (I bought from
a dealer). I am hoping that the Evporator has already been replaced
due to age of car. (Fingers crossed) - AC works beautifully. How much
should I expect to pay at a Volvo dealer if it is necesary to replace?
I just changed the trans fluid - it was filthy black. Now shifts with
impressive smoothness, it was a bit harsh before. Really simple job.

Is it worth using fully synth engine oil or is that just overkill. It
is my wifes car and is mostly used around town, so I am going to
change oil and filter at 8,000km, Again, is this overkill???

Cheers

 

--

Hi Chris,

It cost me around $1,600 AUD to have a replacement evaporator kit fitted. A
lot of loot, but for me a/c is essential in a car in summer. And a lot of
the front interior of the car has to be removed to do it. This link
http://www.volvospeed.com/Repair/ac.php has a picture of the interior whilst
the evaporator is being replaced.

The replacement evaporator kit included a cabin cabin air filter (pollen
filter) kit, which I had already fitted as soon as I bought the car, as it
didn't have one. I've read that this can reduce the incidence of evaporator
failure. (Mine lasted about 9 years). Keeps corrosive muck out of the core.
Making sure the evaporator is dry before you turn off the engine (run the
ventilation with the a/c off for a while) is also good for it.

Regarding synthetic oil, almost everyone has their own ideas about this.
But most people would agree that synthetic oils are good. But for an eleven
year old car I don't think it's justified. The 850 holds 5.5 litres of oil,
so a change every 8,000km, if within a year, is in my opinion about right,
but you could probably do more under good driving conditions.

The Volvo 850 owner's manual suggests 7,500 km or 6 monthly for unfavourable
conditions and 15,000km or yearly under "normal" conditions. They recommend
oil + filter changes.

I've never changed the auto transmission fluid as it's still quit clean
(145,000km) and "smells" good, but I've thought about it. The transmission
is still quite smooth.

I change the engine oil every 9 months. In the last 9 months, I've only
driven about 5,000km, so I changed the filter too.

I hope your timing belt has been changed, if not get it done asap. 120,000
km is the recommended. I also wouldn't have left it 11 years. A broken belt
almost always causes severe engine damage. I did mine at about 90,000km (6
years old in 2002).

Also changing the brake fluid every 2 years is a good idea and is a pretty
easy diy job.

Regards
Barry

 

Dear Barry

thanks for the helpful comments. The timing belt was changed at
90,000km/8years along with water pump - I phoned Scuderia Veloce to
check. At the same time it had new pads/rotors. I dread to think what
Volvo charged for that lot.

I have not checked if it has the pollen filter. If it does not I will
assume that the evap has never be replaced and will get it done when
it inevitably fails.

I had to replace the radiator just after buying the car ($400 fitted)
but since then have done 5,000km in 4 months without any problem. My
wife loves it and I must confess that I don't mind driving it either.
It has 850 turbo 16" wheels and pewter paint and still looks pretty
good. When I was looking for one to buy I saw plenty with 200,000km
plus so they obviously last.

C