1996 VOLVO 850 warning

1996 Volvo 850
cleaning. Check seat belt mechanism function as follows:
Attach the seat belt and pull rapidly on the strap.
WARNING! Check other traffic before performing the following
check.

Brake firmly from approximately 30 mph (50 km/h) or turn in a tight ci\
rcle while pulling on the belt. In the above checks you should
not be able to pull the belt out.

Volvo Concern for Safety

Safety is the cornerstone for Volvo. Our concern dates back to 1927 when\
the first Volvo rolled off the production line. Three-point
seat belts, safety cages, and energy-absorbing impact zones were designe\
d into Volvo cars long before it was fashionable or required
by government regulation. We will not compromise our commitment to safet\
y. We continue to seek out new safety features and to
refine those already in our cars. You can help. We would appreciate hear\
ing your suggestions about improving automobile safety.
We also want to know if you ever have a safety concern with your car. Ca\
ll us in the U.S. at:
800-458-1552 or in Canada at: 800-663-8255.

Occupant safety

How safely you drive doesn't depend on how old you are but rather on:
l how well you see
l your ability to concentrate
l how quickly you make decisions under stress to avoid an accident.
The tips listed below are suggestions to help you cope with the ever cha\
nging traffic environment.
l Never drink and drive.
l If you are taking any medication, consult your physician about its poten\
tial effects on your driving abilities.
l Take a driver-retraining course
l Have your eyes checked regularly
l Keep your windshield and headlamps clean.
l Replace wiper blades when they start to leave streaks.
l Take into account the traffic, road, and water conditions, particularly \
with regard to stopping distance.

Reporting Safety Defects in the U.S.

If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash \
or could cause injury or death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a\
ddition to notifying Volvo Cars of North America. If
NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if \
it finds that a safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become inv\
olved in individual problems between you, your
retailer, or Volvo Cars of North America. To contact NHTSA, you may eith\
er call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-800-424-
9393 (or 366-0123 in Washington, D.C. area) or write to: NHSTA, U.S. D\
epartment of Transportation, Washington D.C. 20590.
You can also obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from th\
e Hotline.



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1996 Volvo 850
Volvo allows the use of the following "oxygenated fuels"; however, the o\
ctane ratings listed on this page
must still be met.

Alcohol -- Ethanol

Fuels containing up to 10% ethanol by volume may be used.
Ethanol may also be referred to as Ethyl alcohol, or "Gasohol".
Ethers -- MTBE
Fuels containing up to 15% MTBE may be used.

Refueling

The fuel tank filler cap is located behind the door on the left rear fen\
der. Open cap slowly during hot
weather conditions.
When filling, position the cap in the special bracket on the door.

NOTE: Turn the ignition off or to position I when refueling. If the igni\
tion is on, an incorrect reading
could occur in the fuel gauge (low fuel will be indicated).

After filling the tank, install the cap and turn until a "click" is hear\
d.
The fuel tank is designed to hold approximately 19.3 US gals (73 liters\
) with sufficient volume left over
to accommodate possible expansion of the fuel in hot weather. The "usabl\
e" tank capacity will be
somewhat less than the specified maximum. When the fuel level is low, su\
ch factors as ambient
temperature, the fuel's "vapor pressure" characteristics, and terrain ca\
n affect the fuel pumps' ability to
supply the engine with an adequate supply of fuel. Therefore, it is advi\
sable to refuel as soon as possible
when the needle nears the red zone, or when the fuel warning light comes\
on.
CAUTION: Do not refuel with the engine running. After refueling, close t\
he fuel filler cap by turning
it clockwise until it clicks into place.

NOTE: if the filler cap is not closed tightly or if the engine is runnin\
g when the car is refueled, the
Malfunction Indicator Lamp may indicate a fault. Use only Volvo original\
or approved fuel filler caps.

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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
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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1996 Volvo 850
Weight distribution affects handling

At the specified curb weight your car has a tendency to understeer, whic\
h means that the steering wheel
has to be turned more than might seem appropriate for the curvature of a\
bend. This ensures good
stability and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these p\
roperties can alter with the
vehicle load. The heavier the load in the trunk (max. 220 lbs, 100 kg)\
, the less the tendency to
understeer.

Handling, roadholding

Vehicle load, tire design, and inflation pressure, all affect vehicle ha\
ndling. Therefore, check that the
tires are inflated to the recommended pressure according to the vehicle \
load. See "Tire pressure" section.
Loads should be distributed so that capacity weight or maximum permissib\
le axle loads are not
exceeded.
WARNING! It is recommended that tire of the same make and dimensions be \
used on all four wheels
(including the use of snow tires). Do not use bias ply tires as this w\
ill adversely alter vehicle handling
characteristics.


Holes for roof rack

Roof racks
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1996 Volvo 850

Roof racks are available as Volvo accessories. Observe the following poi\
nts when is use:
l Avoid single-point loads. Distribute the load evenly.
l Place heavier cargo at bottom of load.
l Observe that center of gravity and handling are influenced by load weigh\
t.
l Increasing load size increases wind resistance and, thus, adversely affe\
cts fuel economy.
l Anchor the cargo correctly with appropriate tie-down equipment.
l Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, fast cornering and hard braking.
l Max. roof load is 220 lbs. (100 kg) when Volvo approved removable roof\
racks are attached to the
points indicated in the illustration. For permanent roof racks, check th\
e manufacturers weight
specifications.

WARNING! An extra mat on the driver's floor can cause the accelerator pe\
dal to catch. Check that the
movement of the accelerator pedal is not impeded. Not more than one prot\
ective floor covering may be
used at one time.




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