Restoration Project on the Volvo 850R – Part 7

Our blog this week is part 7 of our restoration project on the Volvo 850R. A very rare beast that we are very lucky to have been able to purchase a few years ago. Simon Cook – Owner of ACC UK Ltd – has been doing restoration projects for the last few years for Volvo owners from all over the UK and even as far as France. Simon was very lucky to come across a low mileage 2 owner Volvo 850R which was in need of some love and attention, as it had been driven through a very deep puddle and has suffered internal water damage due to the water being hoovered up through the inlet pipe. Over the coming months Simon hopes to resurrect this rare beast and give it the love and attention it deserves – watch this space……..

We have been so busy over the last couple of years in the workshop. Simon has been dipping in and out carrying out work on the restoration, but he realised that it has been quite some time since we let you all know how things were going. Customers have been asking where he is at with the project, and he realised that you need some updates! So, over the coming weeks we will be catching you up on what has been happening.

The next stage of the build continues, with the fitting of the cylinder head using new bolts. This was then torqued down. Simon then fitted the hydraulic lifters and cams and then timed them up correctly and then installed the can cover. Then came the timing belt (probably the last remaining genuine one as you can no longer purchase these) was fitted and the engine was then timed. It is important not to over-torque the tensioner bolt and to ensure the new hydraulic tensioner is properly seated before pulling the pin. The PCV valve was fitted along with the inlet manifold and the metal water pipes were fitted. The Volvo 850 R features metal water pipes specifically for the cooling system and turbocharger coolant lines primarily for enhanced durability, heat resistance and long term reliability under high performance turbocharged operating conditions.  The PCV (positive Crankcase Ventilation) system on a Volvo 850 R is a crucial maintenance item consisting of an oil separator box, hoses and a flame trap that vents crankcase gases. Unlike typical cars, it uses a 2,6,8,10,11,12,14,15…system rather than a single valve. Clogging causes high crankcase pressure, leading to oil leaks, smoking from the dipstick tube and poor performance. The system prevents buildup of pressure within the engine block by routing crankcase vapours back into the intake to be burned, protecting the seals and reducing emissions.

Stay tuned for the next part of this restoration project on the iconic Volvo 850R……Happy Safe Motoring Folks!

A little about the iconic Volvo 850R…..

In the spring of 1996, Volvo introduced a new high-performance Volvo 850 as a replacement for the hugely successful limited edition T-5R. Volvo had originally decided there should be no direct successor to the T-5R, but due to its success, Volvo decided to develop a new high-performance model. The new car, based on the T-5R, was called the 850 R, which came in either saloon or sport wagon editions.

The only colours available were Bright Red, Black Stone, Dark Grey Pearl, Dark Olive Pearl, Turquoise Pearl and Polar White. Cream yellow was discontinued for the 850 R. The saloon featured a newly designed rear spoiler; spoiler was now standard on the estate. The interior upgrades included bucket style heavily bolstered 'sport' front seats (Alcantara centre with leather bolsters), Alcantara door cards, 2-tone leather steering wheel, stainless steel '850' kick plates and R branded over mats. A 200w amplifier was also added to the 8-speaker audio system as was the option to have an SC-805/815 in-dash CD player.

For a limited time in 1996 only, Volvo offered a new heavy duty manual transmission designed specifically for the 850 R called the M59, which featured a viscous coupling limited slip differential. Furthermore, the M59 equipped cars were fitted with the B5234T4 2.3-litre 5-cylinder engine featuring a larger TD04HL-16T turbo, re-designed turbo manifold & intercooler, unique ecu with Motronic 4.3, uprated fuel pressure sensor and a heavy duty clutch. These modifications enabled the manual transmission cars to produce 250 hp (186 kW) and 350 N⋅m (258 lb⋅ft) versus 240 hp (179 kW) and 330 N⋅m (243 lb⋅ft) for the automatic transmission.

ACC UK Limited
Farnborough, Hampshire
Serving surrounding areas across North Hampshire and Surrey

Call us today to book in your MOT, service or repair

Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015, 2019 & 2020, GRA – Outstanding Automotive Service Excellence 2025, Motor Trader Indies Garage of the Year Award 2025, The IGA Big Awards 2022, The Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 Award, The Eagle Radio Customer Focus 2017 Business Award, The Workshop Magazine Workshop Manager of the Year 2017 Award, The LiveWire Excellence In Vehicle Servicing 2019 Award and The Aftermarket Excellence Award for Best Website 2019, The Eagle Radio Biz Award – Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 & the SME News Magazine Most Trusted Car Servicing Provider 2020, we pride ourselves on offering an outstanding customer experience for a fraction of the cost of a dealership. Give us a call and let us quote you for your next service or repair on your Volvo or Toyota. We service all areas around Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnham, Guildford, Frimley, Camberley, Hook, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Yateley, Hampshire and Surrey. We offer free collection and drop off services. We also have a fleet of courtesy cars to allow you to get on with your schedule whilst your Volvo or Toyota is with us. Happy Motoring from all at ACC UK Ltd – Independent Volvo & Toyota servicing, repair and MOT specialists based in the heart of Farnborough, Hampshire