Old car hasnt been touched not working

[Ctystar]

Hey guys, my uncle left his 1995 Volvo 850 in his garage and hasnt touched it for almost two decades. It has 39,000 kms on it, leather seats in prestige condition, no rust sedan. Right now, it isnt working. What could be the problem with the car? Also, how much is the car worth now if we were to sell it. Like I said, only 39,000 kms but doesnt start.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Ctystar
Right now, it isnt working. What could be the problem with the car?

Check the spark plug relays. Or the distributor pressure.

[AndyL]

or 20 years of varnish in the whole fuel system...

Run don't walk away...

Unless you're planning to do a full rebuild of the car and drivetrain - mechanical things do not like to sit for extended periods.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

You could start with the battery...

[DeleriousZ]

Drain the fuel system, toss some new fuel in there, charge it up and see what happens :thumbsup:

[ercchry]

does it crank? do you have spark? do you have fuel?

new oil before you run it, same with gas... hell, do all the fluids

[r3ccOs]

battery? lol

fluids for sure

seafoam if necessary in all orafaces

[spikerS]

don't listen to these assholes, they are trying to be smart asses and get internet man points by trying to be funny.

Seriously, these old 6th generation Volvos had a huge problem with the halogen fluid in the headlamp assembly building up too many electrolytes and causing bad grounds.

If that doesn't work, drain all the Antifreeze out of the starter, in 1998, Volvo issued a recall for these, where the replaced the antifreeze with differential oil to stop corrosion and starters seizing up prematurely.

[kvg]

My mom has a 93 with 50k and even with low mileage it still requires a ton of "maintenance" to keep running even though for years it has been lucky to use a tank of fuel a year. I would have it towed to a mechanic or (Flame suit on) the dealership and find out what you will need to do to get it running properly. IMO it's not worth selling, because unless its a T5R it's worth next to nothing unless you can find a FWD Volvo nut.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by spikers
don't listen to these assholes, they are trying to be smart asses and get internet man points by trying to be funny.

Seriously, these old 6th generation Volvos had a huge problem with the halogen fluid in the headlamp assembly building up too many electrolytes and causing bad grounds.

If that doesn't work, drain all the Antifreeze out of the starter, in 1998, Volvo issued a recall for these, where the replaced the antifreeze with differential oil to stop corrosion and starters seizing up prematurely.
I think they recalled that recall after some owners found it insufficient. There may be an updated re-recall, although I can't find the documentation of that.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow

I think they recalled that recall after some owners found it insufficient. There may be an updated re-recall, although I can't find the documentation of that.

the recall of the recall was a myth. Dealers were refusing to do it as the diff fluid was so expensive that the reimbursement from Volvo head office didn't cover the book time and the oil.

[Graham_A_M]

Give it to me, I'll get it running in no time. :D

I should be heading to Calgary fairly soon here from the farm, I can go over it with you and get it running, but it will need some $$$$ most likely. 15+ year old fuel can do some bad things... its probably gel by now. It may require several new parts to the fuel system, and obviously a full fuel system flush.

I *WOULD NOT* try to start it until all the fuel tank & lines have at least been flushed. when thats being done, check for corrosion, varnishing and anything else out of the ordinary. After that, remove the spark plugs, shoot some 2 stroke oil (read: about a thimble full sized amount per cylinder) down the cylinders so the top end of the engine isn't running totally dry then try to fire it up after replacing the battery. Make sure all the fluids are at the normal levels, and dont show any discoloration. Google what the fluids are supposed to look like so you know whats good VS. not good. The oil will be perfectly clean looking by now, since all the contaminants would have sunk to the bottom of the oil pan over all this time. Its the coolant I'd be the most concerned about.

Id recommend having a knowledgeable mechanic with you the whole time, as it could need a lot of parts or know-how before you ever get it running again.
You may want to tow it over to a Volvo dealership even and have them do it if you're entirely unsure of what to do, which you are by the sounds of it.

There are a lot of different things you need to check. Id be worried the rad fluid has gone bad, and has turned acidic. This can mean it'll have eaten away at the rad & heater core. That happened on this Trans Am I used to have, after sitting for only 4 years. The coolant wasn't good to begin with, then it just sat there. Eventually it ate a hole in the heater core and started to piss coolant in the passenger foot area.
I suspect that may happen with your volvo once the coolant system is pressured up after its running.

There are a lot of things to do before letting a car just sit there for a LONG number of years, but I suspect not a single one of them was done, to which you'll likely be paying the price for now. Id drop the fuel tank, have it steamed out, take out the fuel lines, pump & injectors have them all cleaned out thoroughly, then reinstall everything. Thats the biggest thing before you get it running. Leaking (top end) engine seals, and the like can be looked after, after its running, but its quite hard to gauge what will leak and what wont as of right now.

All in all, this thing could fetch a mint on ebay down the road given its model and how few KM's it has, so it should be all worth the work in the end.

Like I can go ON AND ON, this is a very short list, but I have to haul a semi full of lentils an hour away, so I gotta go. :thumbsdow

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by spikers


the recall of the recall was a myth. Dealers were refusing to do it as the diff fluid was so expensive that the reimbursement from Volvo head office didn't cover the book time and the oil.
I'm sure I recall that recall recall.

[SJW]

You'll have to clean the fuel system. It should fire up after that.

I just got a dirtbike running that hasn't started in 20 years. Cleaned everything fuel related. Put new spark plugs in. 3rd kick that sum bitch fired up.

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow

I'm sure I recall that recall recall.
No you're thinking of the other one that had happened in the summer of 2006

[Shlade]

Would love to see photos of it!