Volvo S70 V70 T5 suggestions?

I'm going to look at a couple of Volvo T5s this weekend. Any specific things that I should be looking out for? I already plan to take a close look at the steering rack seals. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Some of this was already covered in your other post, but I've got an 850, same as the early V70s, P2 cars are a slightly different animal, but a lot of this will still apply to them. I went back through some of the other stuff I've written about them here, cut & pasted with some minor edits. It's kind of a novel.

Timing belt is probably the biggest killer, the engines are interference, bent valves will usually send the older cars to the scrap yard. It's not a hard job for an average GRMer, but can be time consuming. Volvo doesn't recommend replacing the water pump with each timing belt, but I and many others do. Don't skimp on parts, do everything, idler, tensioner, water pump, etc. every 5 years to 100K miles, which ever comes first. If it's not documented by previous owner, work the added cost into the budget of the car.

PCV systems can be a chore, it's a little more complicated than what's on your typical domestic appliance. Some of the lines/oil separator can clog over time, then crank case pressures build up and cause oil leaks as seals are blown. Easy way to check is pull the dipstick out a bit with car running & up to temp. A little smoke is acceptable, a visible plume probably means it needs a PCV refresh. The parts aren't that expensive, but it's labor intensive, the intake manifold must be removed to replace most of the components.

The P80 cars (850 & S/V70 before '01) have been known to have A/C evap core issues. Some of the cars came from the factory without a cabin filter, years and years of dirt, pine needles, pollen, etc. build up on the evaporator, eventually they'll leak and the A/C won't blow cold/stay charged. If the A/C doesn't work, and there's not a cabin filter in place, I probably wouldn't buy the car. The evap core requires removal of dang near the entire front interior of the car to replace it. Check for cabin filter on the P/S cowl between the hood and window. You'll need to remove a couple torx screws to get under the plastic cowl and check. At least on the P80 cars. If it's an older car and the A/C still works, I probably wouldn't sweat it, it's either been fixed, or was never exposed to the conditions blamed for the problem in the first place.

As for the Volvo AWD, the later P2 cars are the one to get. Haldex get's a bad wrap, but it's a significantly better system than Volvo's earlier attempts. The early versions' bevel gear transfer case is susceptible to mixed/differing tire size/wear issues, and oil starvation. It doesn't hold much oil in the first place, and most don't catch a leak early enough to do anything about it.

You may notice when looking at used early AWD cars, that they ain't AWD anymore. Some one has removed the rear drive shaft, and using the car as FWD.

Volvo makes the most comfortable seats of just about any car make I've sat in, so they've got that going for them too.

The S/V70 has knobs that seem to attract oils from your hands and then get sticky, cleaning helps, but it seems like you never really completely cure it.

The plastic on the rear hatch of the V70s seem prone to developing rattles, never investigated, ride up front and turn the radio up.

Cup holders on all the 850 and S/V70s SUCK. You WILL punch a hole in the bottom of your Route 44 Sonic Strawberry Limeade, causing a deluge of sweet sticky mess all over the center console.

The cable that controls power reclining on the front seats WILL break, especially the driver seat (used the most) if your lucky someone has already replaced/repaired it. Not a hard job to fix, just time consuming, having to completely remove the seat and strip it to it's frame. Mine was broken for 5+ years, but luckily in my favorite driving position. When I put seat warmers in my seats I finally fixed the recline function.

The cloths seats aren't as robust, stick with the leather, and you shouldn't have any problems. I'm the 4th owner of my car, 2 of which were college kids (yeah I was one) and my driver seat shows wear on top of the little side bolster from getting in and out, but other wise is in great shape, with some where around 250K miles on it. I've only ever cleaned and conditioned the seats twice.

I think that covers the worst of it. Happy to answer any questions. I've wrenched on 242, 850, S40, S70, V70, S80 T6, XC90 as they all are/have been in the family.

Do not accept aftermarket parts either, make sure they came in that pretty blue box from Volvo or direct from whoever Volvo's supplier is, i.e. Lemforder for steering/suspension, Bosh for electronics.

Scantech is E36 M3.

What years?

The T5 is a solid power-plant in any case, and the very prevalent slush boxes are good with the exception of the start of the "p2" (2001-2007) era. A volvo only indy here in Portland said the failure rate on the 2001 autos is 90%. So avoid the 2001 entirely. There are a few t5s with manuals- I personally don't really see the point in holding out for one- the cars do not handle that well and squirt around pretty good with the autos anyway.

The "p1" (1994-2000) cars have an extremely difficult and expensive to repair evaporator if you need AC. So run it and/or wonder why the seller is bragging about it just being recharged if you need AC. Im not sure about the status on that with the laters cars...

The front suspension wears out on all of them but is fairly easy and cost effective to repair with updated parts. So clunking from the front is pretty much normal and easy to fix.

The crankcase ventilation systems often need repair and can (will..) blow out the rear seal which requires the removal of the drive train from the car to fix. So pull the dipstick at idle and avoid the car if a torrent of smoke emits, or if their is a bunch or oil under the car originating at the weep hole at the lowest point of the mating plane of the transmission/engine. the turbos often leak oil from the oil return tube at the bottom of the turbo. a 2 dollar part and 10 minutes to fix.

the mitsu turbos last a long time and are wildly abundant and rebuilable cheap. kits on ebay. really easy access.

interference motors so timing belt history is great to have. not a bad job to do- Volvo built in good access and the kits are 200-400 for all the bits.

t5 trim level has power seats- the cables break so check the electronic adjustments out. its a pain in the ass to fix but the parts are available reasonably. nobody wants the light colored interiors and they seem to age very poorly.

the interiors rattle. its normal, but one can chase them down.

koni makes dampers for them- a manual boost controller and 300$ of OBX downpipe and exhaust will get you 30-40 more torqies just like that. IPD makes sway bars that keep the the things pretty flat but that makes they very traction limited unless you are pointed strait. mowar power is available if that is an interest. I have put a 120k on a 17psi tune (stock is 10 ish) with a one size larger turbo (15g to 16t mitsu) with no issues. Im at 220 k on the car and it runs great. needs valve seals but other than that the engine and transmission have never been opened.

they are solid lifter after 1999 i think- some where in there. So at ilde those motors clikety clack- dont be alarmed.

The sun roofs leak but are very repairable.

if the fluids have been changed and levels kept they will go a very long time. if maintenance has been ignored there can be a great deal of catching up to do.

The seats are divine to sit in. Once everything is working right you can slay great chunks of road quickly and comfortably while hauling alott of crap. I like them.

Do the turbo motors take well to upgrades?

In reply to old_:

Yes, down pipe, exhaust, turbo upgrades, injectors, boost controller/tune, etc.

Auto trans is good for ~300 HP, manual a good deal more and Quaife has an LSD for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3tqhv26ScA

If you want to build big power start with a 2001+ RN engine (updated White Block). The head on a bone stock RN block will out flow all but the most extreme port/polish job on previous models.

Get them to knock off some dough if the PCV system is clogged/has not been serviced as directed. Will cause the engine to suck up oil. It's some what of a pain to pull the intake manifold off to get to the oil box etc. It can also cause a build up of carbon on the valves...causing them seal poorly, burned valves, pressurized crankcase(causing seal leakage) etc. Check for head gasket leaks. There is a plastic heater quick-connect at the firewall, check for leaks there. Of course timing belt maintenance. If not down in recent time, get some money off for that too.

So what years are the auto tranny's crap? I know 2001 is mentioned to be the worse but wasn't there a cut off year when they started to get a little better?

Thanks. Lots of good info here.

There seem to be a lot of 1998 cars for sale. That may be my target year. I'm not looking for AWD.

I think 1999 is when they switched to throttle by wire. But heads-up, on the throttle by wire is known to have issues

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/4828807798.html

Woody wrote: Thanks. Lots of good info here. There seem to be a lot of 1998 cars for sale. That may be my target year. I'm not looking for AWD.

1998 is considered by many to be the best of the 'p1' cars (bugs worked out, updated interior, the lack of the mentioned throttle by wire) It is also the one year that they imported a fair number of t5 manual cars in both sedan and wagon flavors into the US.

there are some here..

I may also look at a first generation C70.

Shaun wrote:

Woody wrote: Thanks. Lots of good info here. There seem to be a lot of 1998 cars for sale. That may be my target year. I'm not looking for AWD.

1998 is considered by many to be the best of the 'p1' cars (bugs worked out, updated interior, the lack of the mentioned throttle by wire) It is also the one year that they imported a fair number of t5 manual cars in both sedan and wagon flavors into the US. there are some here..

Never thought to look there. Thanks.