Volvo was one of the first auto manufacturer’s to learn now to build an engine that would last over 100,000 miles. They did a great job with the 240 model and an even better job with the 850 that debuted in 1993 and stayed in production through 1997. Still, even if an owner performs every service right on time, one day the car will break down. Why is this? Because the weak point of every modern car is its sophisticated on-board electronics. The simplest example if this is the electric fuel pump. It has no mandatory replacement interval and can’t be inspected because its mounted inside the fuel tank. So after somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 miles of driving the engine won’t start, or stalls for no obvious reason. Obviously this can be very frustrating and distressing for both the owner and the technician.
Our advice is Preventive Maintenance. If your 850 has over 100K miles, and you have no record of prior fuel pump replacement, put in a new pump before it becomes a headache. You might consider having this done along with one of the minor services in order to spread out the economic impact. You might consider doing so prior to a particularly long vacation trip.
And while I’m on the subject, some other electrical parts that are “mission critical” and frequently get overlooked include:
- engine speed sensor
- camshaft position sensor
- fuel system control relays
I don’t expect many owners will bring in their 850's and say “great, fine, replace the whole list”. But you might at least want to look through your records. You might ask us to make up a checklist showing which item still need to be done, to keep on the fridge magnet. The point of the list is to have better informed, more knowledgeable, and hopefully happy customers.
