[Black 850]

I have perused the resource threads compiled by S70 Driver, but have been unable to find some hard specs, eg transmission and differential ratios for our cars. Do any of you guys have such data?
Thanks - David.

 

[Nate]

David, did you find out the answer to any of your questions?

How do you like the 850? Have you ever gone through the engine on one of these?

 

[Nate]

Black 850, I ran across this and remembered your question.

Manual Transmissions
Gear Ratios:
M46 1st 3.71:1(early) or 4.03:1, 2nd 2.16:1, 3rd 1.37:1, 4th 1.0:1,
Overdrive 0.797:1.
M47/M47II 1st 4.03:1, 2nd 2.16:1, 3rd 1.37:1, 4th 1.0:1, 5th 0.83:1 or M47
II 0.82:1.
M90 1st 3.54:1, 2nd 2.05:1, 3rd 1.38:1, 4th 1.0:1, 5th 0.81:1


Automatic Transmissions
Gear ratios:
AW 70/71 - 1st 2.45:1, 2nd 1.45:1, 3rd 1:1, 4th 0.69:1.


Diff Gears
Man 3.54, 3.73, 3.91
Auto 3.73 & 3.91

Source found at: Power Page, Standart specifikationer for Volvoer

Hope this helps.

 

[Black 850]

Nate:
Thanks for the link. I am not sure which tranny I have in my car, except that it is a manual five speed. The link showed most of the older rear drive models, but didn't mention the 850 cars. Do you know which tranny and what the transaxel ratio is in the 850/855 FWD manual cars?

I like the 850 (855); it drives smoothly and averages over twenty-five miles to the gallon. On the highway it can get about thirty mpg. It is a non-turbo, high compression, 4 valve, 2.4 liter 5. It runs and drives great with 120,000 miles on the clock. I want to do some suspension work and a couple of minor engine mods, but there is a limit to what is practical and available for the non-turbo cars. I am going to drive the wheels off of my 850 and get a V70 next time around.

The only thing I have done to the motor is AC work. It runs so good I have not had to do any motor work. The drive train on the car is good except for the right side CV joint which I will replace soon. I am not a big front drive non V8 guy, but the five cylinder Volvo motor is so smooth and quiet, there isn't much to complain about except the lack of low end torque.

Thanks - David.

 

[Nate]

Black 850, sorry I do not know what the 850 has. Volvos are all very new to me right now. I was looking up info on the LH2-Jetronic fuel injection system when I ran across the info on the transmissions. Your question about tranny gear ratios was odd enough for me to remember because it is the kind I have asked and found it hard to get answers. For example: The first three gears of the Volvo automatic are almost identical to the old GM TH-400 in case you were curious.

The reason I was curious about the 850 is I have a 94 850 with a locked engine and was contemplating fixing it. You are probably wondering why I am asking so many questions about so many Volvos. Long story short, I inherited quite a few Volvos and am getting a crash course in Volvo mechanics and electrical.

25 MPG is much better than I would have guessed!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas David!

 

[Black 850]

Thanks Nate. My 850 is the first front drive car I have bought for myself. I have a small collection of other cars and a truck I am trying to sell while the South Florida economy is in the tank, and I chose the 850 because it is economical to run and fairly durable (if you replace the cam belt on schedule). The spec charts I have seen for the Volvo front drivers show fourth gear as something other than 1:1. The tranny that seems the most interesting is the manual six speed in the 300 HP '04-'07 V70 R. I don't know what my first gear ratio or dif gear is, but the overall first gear is too tall and I would like to cruise with a taller o/d gear. I put tires that are about 6% larger than stock diameter on the car to help the highway drive, but it made first gear even taller. I have had a couple of six speed cars and I still find myself trying to grab another gear when on the highway. I have fantasized putting the drive train out of a late model ‘R’ car into my 850, but I am probably dreaming. It would likely be easier and cheaper to buy the late model car complete or convert it to rear drive and put a Corvette six speed drive train in it.
David.

 

[Nate]

Larger tires are a trick I also use to get more highway gear when I think the revs are too high. Converting a FWD car to RWD is not an easy task, if you ever attempt this be sure to post lots of pictures! I am in Arizona so we could not be much further apart.

 

[Black 850]

I am originally from Riverside California and my Dad lived in Scotsdale. I like the dry Arizona weather.

It is a tough conversion, but NASCAR does it all the time. Ofcourse, they put a body on a tube frame with no AC or power windows.
David.

 

[Nate]

At that point you could re-body the chassis with what ever you wanted. Would you want a Volvo or another type of body? Just curious, not down talking your 850 Volvo style in any way.

 

[Black 850]

I actually like the slightly slicker V70 a little more. If one is really serious about a Volvo wagon V8 it would be much more practical to start with a rear drive car. There is a guy in Pennsylvania who built one based on an '89 740 rear drive wagon. It has a Corvette LS1 and a six speed. He has a lot of money in it and it started out as RWD. I prefer the smaller front ends and grills on the front drive Volvos. With a FWD Volvo wagon based hotrod, it is more practical to start with an AWD T or R model and start the mods. The 300hp V70 R from '04-'07 is a nice car and available with a six speed tranny. You can buy one of those complete with a built-in NAV system for less money than building nice V8 hotrod Volvo. There are some advantages to front drive cars, but when it comes to engine swaps, it becomes much more difficult. Do you know of anyone who has put a V8 into a front drive Volvo? It is just like you said: if you spend $30,000 on a chassis, are you going to put a 10 year old Volvo wagon body on it!
David.