
1996 Volvo 850
CAUTION: Take care not to spill gasoline during refueling. Gasolines con\
taining alcohol can cause
damage to painted surfaces, which may not be covered under the New Vehic\
le Limited Warranty.
Do not use gasoline containing methanol (methyl alcohol, wood alcohol)\
. This practice can result in
vehicle performance deterioration and can damage critical parts in the f\
uel system. Such damage may
not be covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
pg. 4:4 Driving economy
Economical driving does not necessarily mean driving slowly
Better driving economy may be obtained by thinking ahead, avoiding rapid\
starts and stops and
adjusting the speed of your vehicle to immediate traffic conditions. Obs\
erve the following rules:
l Bring the engine to normal operating temperature as soon as possible by \
driving with a light foot on
the accelerator pedal for the first minutes of operation. A cold engine \
uses more fuel and is subject to
increased wear.
l Whenever possible, avoid using the car for driving short distances. This\
does not allow the engine to
reach normal operating temperature.
l Drive carefully and avoid rapid acceleration and hard braking.
l Do not exceed speed limit.
l Avoid carrying unnecessary items (extra load) in the car.
l Check tire pressure regularly (check when tires are cold).
l Remove snow tires when threat of snow or ice has ended.
l Note that roof racks, ski racks, etc., increase air resistance and there\
by fuel consumption.
l Avoid using automatic transmission kick-down feature unless necessary.
l Avoid using the air conditioning when it is not required. When engaged, \
the air conditioner's
compressor places places an additional load on the engine.
l If your car is equipped with the optional Trip Computer, utilizing the f\
uel consumption modes can
help you "learn" how to drive more economically.
Other factors which decrease gas mileage are:
l Low tire pressure
l Worn or dirty spark plugs
l Incorrect spark plug gap
l Dirty air cleaner
l Dirty engine oil and clogged oil filter
l Dragging brakes
l Incorrect front end alignment
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1996 Volvo 850
Some of the above mentioned items and others are checked at the standard\
Maintenance Service
intervals.
NOTE: ( D )rive or 5th gear (manual transmissions) should be used as\
often as possible to help improve
fuel economy. pg. 4:5 Starting the engine
Starting and stopping
1. Fasten the seat belt.
WARNING! Before starting, check that the seat and steering wheel are adj\
usted properly. Make sure
the brake pedal can be depressed completely. Move the seat closer if nec\
essary. Refer to section "front
seats".
2. Apply the parking brake, if not already set. The gear selector ( aut\
omatic transmission ) is locked in
the ( P )ark position ( SHIFT LOCK ).
3. Without touching the accelerator pedal , turn the ignition key to the\
starting position. Allow the starter
to operate for 5-10 seconds (turbo: 10 seconds). Release the key as so\
on as the engine starts. If the
engine fails to start, repeat step 3.
For cold starts at altitudes above 6000 ft (1800 m), depress the accel\
erator pedal halfway and turn the
key to the starting position. Release the accelerator pedal slowly when \
the engine starts.
4. To release the gear selector from the (P)ark position (automatic t\
ransmission), the ignition key must
be in position II and the brake pedal must be depressed.
See page 6:18 for instructions on manually
overriding the SHIFTLOCK system.
Do not race a cold engine immediately after starting. Oil flow may not r\
each some lubricating points fast
enough to prevent engine damage.
NOTE: (Automatic transmission only)
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1996 Volvo 850
Your car is equipped with a KEYLOCK system. When the engine is switched \
off, the gear selector must
be in the ( P )ark position before the starting key can be removed fro\
m the ignition switch.
5. Select desired gear. The gear engages after a slight delay (automati\
c transmission) which is especially
noticeable when selecting R.
CAUTION: (Automatic transmission only) The engine should be idling; ne\
ver accelerate until after
you feel the gear engage! Too rapid acceleration immediately after selec\
ting a gear will cause harsh
engagement and premature transmission wear.
NOTE: Selecting P or N (automatic transmission) when idling at a stand\
still for prolonged periods of
time will help prevent overheating of transmission oil.
WARNING! Always place the gear selector (automatic transmission) in Pa\
rk and apply the parking
brake before leaving the vehicle. Never leave the car unattended with th\
e engine running.
Always open the garage doors fully before starting the engine inside a g\
arage to ensure adequate
ventilation. The exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide, which is invisib\
le and odorless but very
poisonous.
TURBO CAUTION:
Never race the engine immediately after starting. Oil flow may not reach\
some lubricating points fast
enough to prevent engine damage.
Do not race the engine just prior to switching off!
Hydraulic valve lifters
This engine features hydraulic valve lifters which means that valve clea\
rance is adjusted automatically.
It is possible that the valve lifters will produce a ticking sound for t\
he first few seconds after the engine
is started, while the oil pressure is increasing.
If the car has not been used for a long period of time, this ticking sou\
nd may last for up to 15 minutes.
This is entirely normal.
Do not exceed 300 rpm until the ticking sound disappears.
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1996 Volvo 850
P (Park)
Use this position when starting the engine or parking the car.
Never use P while car is in motion.
The parking brake should also be used when parking on grades.
The gear selector is mechanically locked in the P position (Shift lock)\
. To release the selector, start the
engine and depress the brake pedal. If it is necessary to manually relea\
se the gear selector,
see page 6:18
for instructions.
CAUTION:
l Never select P or R while the car is in motion.
l When initially selecting positions D, 3, L or R, your right foot should \
press firmly on the brake
pedal to ensure that the car is standing still with the engine idling.
l The gear selector should not be downshifted to L at speeds above 75 mph \
(125 km/h).*
* Always observe posted speed limits.
WARNING! Never leave the car when the engine is running. If, by mistake,\
the gear selector is moved
from P the car may start moving.
R (Reverse)
Never engage R while is moving forward.
N (Neutral)
Neutral = no gear is engaged. Use the parking brake. The engine can be s\
tarted with the gear selector in
this position.
D (Drive)
D is the normal driving position and should be used as often as possible\
to help improve fuel economy.
When modes E or S are selected, upshift and downshift of the forward gea\
rs occur automatically and are
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1996 Volvo 850
governed by accelerator pedal position and vehicle speed.
3 (Intermediate position)
Automatically shifts up and down between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears when in\
driving modes E or S. There
is no upshift from 3rd gear. Position 3 can be used for driving in hilly\
terrain, for towing trailers or for
increased engine braking power.
L (low position)
No upshift can occur when L is engaged. Select position L for driving in\
first and second gears. Use this
position to select low gear with no upshift, e.g. when ascending and des\
cending steep grades. The
transmission will noticeably shift down from second to first if road spe\
ed drops to below 40 km/h (25
mph) when driving in E mode and below 10 km/h (6 mph in S mode.
Kick-down
Automatic shift to a lower gear (kick-down) is achieved by depressing \
the accelerator pedal fully and
briskly. An upshift will be achieved when approaching the top speed for \
a particular gear or by releasing
the accelerator pedal slightly. Kick-down can be used for maximum accele\
ration or when passing at
highway speeds.
"Lock-up"
The transmission has a "lock-up" function which reduces engine speed and\
saves fuel. "Lock-up" can
sometimes be felt as an additional gear change. pg. 4:8 Automatic transmission
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1996 Volvo 850
The push-buttons to the left of the gear lever are for selection of mode\
s E, S and W. The desired mode
can be selected at any time, including while the car is moving.
Winter/Wet mode
Enhanced Vehicle Traction
This mode may be selected for starting/moving off on slippery roads.
In this mode:
* In position D, the gearbox starts in 3rd gear and changes up to 4th ge\
ar.
* In position 3, 2nd gear is locked and there is no change up to 3rd gea\
r.
In position L, 1st gear is locked.
* These positions always offer the kick-down function.
The indicator lamp in the instrument panel
lights up when this mode is selected (the lamp will also
light up if the gear selector is in position 3 or L.). Press button WIN\
TER in order to disengage this
mode.
When mode is disengaged, the gearbox automatically reverts to the previo\
usly selected S or E mode. If
the indicator lamp
begins to flash, this is an indication of a fault in the automatic gear\
box. The
Malfunction Indicator lamp will also light up if a fault is detected. Pl\
ease contact your Volvo retailer if
this occurs.
CAUTION: Driveability and fuel economy will be adversely affected by pro\
longed driving in mode
W . Volvo recommends using this mode only when starting in extremely sli\
ppery conditions.
Economy Mode
This mode is used for normal driving. The gearbox changes gears at a low\
er engine speed to achieve the
lowest possible fuel consumption.
Sport Mode
This mode is adapted to "sporty" driving characteristics. The transmissi\
on upshifts at higher engine
speeds and less accelerator pedal pressure is required to initiate a dow\
nshift.
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1996 Volvo 850
pg. 4:9 Automatic transmission
Special Tips - automatic transmission
l For driving down steep hills and when driving for prolonged periods at l\
ow speeds, position L should
be selected. Avoid, however, repeated changes since this can cause overh\
eating of the transmission oil.
For driving on long continuous uphill gradients, select position 3.
l See caution on page 4:7.
l Do not hold the car stationary on an incline by using the accelerator pe\
dal. Instead, apply the hand
brake (parking brake). This prevents the transmission oil from becomin\
g overheated.
l When towing a trailer, select shift position 3.
l The (E)conomy mode should be selected when the cruise control is engag\
ed.
l While towing a trailer in hilly terrain, do not drive continuously at en\
gine speeds above 4500 rpm to
help avoid high engine oil temperatures.
pg. 4:10 Points to remember
Cooling system
The risk for engine overheating is greatest, especially in hot weather, \
when:
l towing a trailer up steep inclines for prolonged periods at wide open th\
rottle and low engine rpm.
l stopping the engine suddenly after high speed driving (so-called "after\
-boiling" can occur).
l To avoid overheating, the following rules should be followed:
l Do not drive for prolonged periods at engine speeds above 4500 rpm if yo\
u are towing a trailer in
hilly terrain.
l Reduce speed and downshift when towing a trailer up long, steep inclines\
. The risk of overheating can
be reduced by switching off the air conditioning system for a short time\
.
l Do not let the engine idle unnecessarily for prolonged periods.
l Do not mount auxiliary lamps in front of the grill.
When the risk of overheating is imminent, or in the event of overheating\
, (the temperature gauge goes
repeatedly into, or stays continually in, the red section) the followin\
g precautions should be taken:
l Switch off the air conditioning system.
l Stop the car and put the gear lever into neutral. Do not stop the engine\
!
l Switch the heater to full (maximum) position. Increase the engine spee\
d to approx. 2000 rpm (twice
idling speed) until the temperature begins to drop.
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1996 Volvo 850
WARNING! Do not remove the coolant expansion tank
cap.
See "Coolant" to check and top-up the coolant level if necessary.
CAUTION: Drive slowly and carefully if going through standing water (i.\
e. flooded roadways, etc.).
Damage to engine could result if excess water is ingested through the ai\
r intake system.
Never drive the vehicle in water deeper than 1 foot (300 mm).
See the flood warning on page 3:7.
WARNING! Do not drive with trunk lid or tailgate open!
Poisonous exhaust gases may enter via the trunk lid or tailgate.
If the trunk lid/tailgate must be kept open for any reason, proceed as f\
ollows:
l Close the windows.
l Set the ventilation system control to air to floor, windshield and side \
windows and blower control to
its highest setting.
Electrical system
When replacing the battery or when carrying out work involving the elect\
rical system, the following
should be observed:
l A battery connection to the wrong terminal will damage the diodes. Befor\
e connections are made,
check the polarity of the battery with a voltmeter.
l If booster batteries are used for starting, they must be properly connec\
ted to minimize the risk of the
diode being damaged. For correct connection, see "Jump starting" section\
.
l Never disconnect the battery circuit (for example, to replace the batte\
ry) while the engine is running,
as this will immediately ruin the generator. Always make sure that all t\
he battery connections are
properly tightened.
l If any electrical-welding work is performed on the vehicle, the ground l\
ead and all the connecting
cables of the generator must be disconnected and the welder cables place\
d as near the welding point as
possible.
l The radio must be turned off before the battery is disconnected.
l The anti-theft code must be re-entered before the radio will function pr\
operly.
l The electrical system in your car is designed to accommodate Volvo acces\
sories. It also has an
accessory connector beneath the dashboard on the driver's side.
pg. 4:11 Points to remember
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