[zpmada]

I test drove an 850 R today that had a noise coming from the center of the car. It sounded like the exhaust was banging or creaking against something in the middle of the car. I went under, tried to move the exhaust and heard nothing. I pushed down on all 4 corners of the car and didn't hear any noises.

The car was inspected by a Volvo Dealer. They said the following needs to be replaced:

PCV (steam coming out dipstick), oil all over engine. If I do the PCV, will the engine dry up, or will all seals need replacing?
Right side lower engine mount
front struts and spring seats
one axel
Timing belt was last changed at 85,000 miles 7 years ago but the water pump, rollers, tensioner were not changed. This means I need to do it.

Does a cracked engine mount make noise like an exhaust with bad mounts? It was really hard to pinpoint which side it was coming from and didn't appear to get louder when I opened the window.

What is an 850R with 160,000 miles with these problems worth? The paint is slightly faded but I think it might shine up with polishing compound. Door and fender were resprayed after a fender bender. Front bumper has two cracks one near each fog light. Is this common and could bondo & touchup fix it? I am looking for an inexpensive daily that I could take to the track that won't break my heart if it gets wrecked. Power felt much better than my n/a S70 and the engine was quiet so I don't think it needs internal work. Auto trans seemed fine. rear brakes all replaced.

edit: please move to 850 r forum. I didn't realize this was the classified section sorry

 

[rmorse]

Dude. Like $2k at best. Are you doing all the work yourself? And is it a wagon or a sedan?

Also, don't guess on the internal components... soooo easy to do a compression test. Do a compression test on it and report back.

 

[junglejimbo]

rattle could just be a heat shield, which probably wouldn't rattle with you wiggling the exhaust (usually rattled by on-road vibrations). Engine mount probably wouldn't rattle, but broken spring seats and worn out suspension bits certainly would. Does the rattle have a ping or ting to it, as from metal vibrating against metal, or is it more of a thunking type rattle? Heat shield would sound metallic, suspension stuff thunking.

 

[zpmada]

How do you do a compression test? I have never done it before and I just got a compression gauge and Haynes manual.
This website (http://www.atthetipwebs.com/technologyinstructions/compression_test.htm) says "Remove the ground wire from the ignition coil. This will help avoid damage to the ignition system." Where is this ground and what does it look like? Does anyone have a picture?

Haynes is different. It says disconnecting the RPM sensor cable disables the ignition. Which way is better? Does anyone have a picture of this rpm sensor cable? Of course it isn't pictured in Haynes.

 

[zpmada]

How do you do a compression test? I have never done it before and I just got a compression gauge and Haynes manual.
This website (http://www.atthetipwebs.com/technologyinstructions/compression_test.htm) says "Remove the ground wire from the ignition coil. This will help avoid damage to the ignition system." Where is this ground and what does it look like? Does anyone have a picture?

Haynes is different. It says disconnecting the RPM sensor cable disables the ignition. Which way is better? Does anyone have a picture of this rpm sensor cable? Of course it isn't pictured in Haynes.

I drove the car again and the 'rattle' seems to be coming from the center-rear. I think the shock mount might be bad. Maybe Ill do a compression test if I can figure it out tomorrow.

 

[rmorse]

Here, this is how you do a compression test on an 850:

http://volvospeed.com/volvo_repairs_how_tos/engine_repairs/compression_testing_diy.html