stop start VOLVO 850 1996 User Guide

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
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


Brake circuit malfunction

If one of the brake circuits should malfunction, the red warning light w\
ill come on, the pedal stroke
increases slightly, the pedal feels softer and extra pressure is require\
d for normal braking. If the light
comes on while driving or braking, stop immediately and check the brake \
fluid level in the reservoir.
WARNING! If the fluid level is below the MIN mark in either section of t\
he reservoir: DO NOT
DRIVE. Tow the car to a Volvo retailer and have the brake system checked\
and repaired.

Moisture on brake discs and brake pads affects braking.

Driving in rain and slush or passing through an automatic car wash can c\
ause water to collect on the
brake discs and pads. This will cause a delay in braking effect when the\
pedal is depressed. To avoid
such a delay when the brakes are needed, depress the pedal occasionally \
when driving through rain,
slush etc. This will remove the water from the brakes. Check that brake \
application feels normal! This
should also be done after washing or starting in very damp weather.

Severe strain on the brake system

The brakes will be subject to severe strain when driving in mountains or\
hilly areas or towing. The speed
is usually low which means that the cooling of the brakes is less effici\
ent than when driving on level
roads. To reduce the strain on the brakes it is advisable not to use the\
brakes excessively. Instead, shift
into a lower gear, position 3 or in some cases, L(automatic transmissio\
n) and let the engine help with the
braking. Do not forget that, if you are towing a trailer, the brakes wil\
l be subjected to greater load than is
normal.

If the brake power-assist does function

The power assist to the brakes functions only when the engine is running\
. When the car is moving
without the engine running, the brake pedal pressure required to stop th\
e car is increased by 3-4 times
and the brake pedal feels stiff.
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1996 Volvo 850

Park the car on a level surface and wait for at least 3 minutes after th\
e engine has been switched off. Be
sure the oil level is maintained between the upper and lower marks on th\
e dipstick. Low oil level can
cause internal damage to the engine and over-filling can result in high \
oil consumption. The distance
between the dipstick marks represents approx. 1 US qts (1 liter)*. The\
oil should preferably be checked
when cold, before the engine has been started.


* Certain models: 1.6 US qts (1.5 liters)

NOTE: The engine must be stopped when checking the oil.

Draining the oil

Drain the oil after driving while it is still warm.
WARNING! The oil may be very
hot.

If you change the engine oil and filter yourself, your Volvo retailer ca\
n assist you in disposing of the
used oil. Engine oil can be harmful to your skin - gloves should worn wh\
en performing this work.

To add or change oil

Add oil of the same kind as already used. Capacity (including filter):\
5.6 US qts (5.3 liters) (certain
models: 6.1 US qts/5.8 liters). Turbo models: 5.6 US qts (5.3 liters)\
.** The oil filter should be replaced
at every oil change

** Add 0.95 qts (0.9 liters) if the oil cooler has been drained.

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