Consdiering 06' V8.........

[timnichol]

I am considering buying an 06 V8 with 87K. I have been reading about the countershaft bearing failures on the 05's. I haven't seen anything about the 06 V8's. Just wanting to see if there are known failures and I would like opinions on whether this engine will last like the T5's.
thanks in advance.
tim

[timnichol]

anyone???

[Forkster]

The V8 is a good strong engine however earlier versions have been problematic. If you do go down the V8 route and purchase from a dealer, please please purchase the extended warranty with it.

Have you searched the topic's here? A lot of issues with the V8. The 2006 2.5T is a solid engine, as 2007+ 3.2. The 2.5T with a simple modification for around $850 turns up the horsepower to 245 with 310lbs/t. Mind you, the V8 has over 300 horse power but the 2.5T engine is a much better and more reliable option.

But I've also seen and spoken to happy V8 owners with little issues. Even a happy XC90-T6 owner with over 100,000 miles on the original tranny. Mind you, he owns his own shop and has noticed that there is an issue with the axle that if you don't address, it will cause the transmission to fail from contamination.

[timnichol]

forkster, thanks for the reply. I agree the 2.5t is a great choice. I just ran into a good price on a 06 v8. I haven't seen any postings about problems with the 06's. Were you referring to IPD's ECU upgrade or another?
thanks

[SafetyNut]

The 2.5T with a simple modification for around $850 turns up the horsepower to 245 with 310lbs/t.

What is this mod???

Thanks,
Jeremiah

[glenwyatt]

It's true that there were some issues with the 05 V8 engines (look up counter balance shaft bearings failure), but from all the research I've done, which has been plenty, this problem was solved by 06. I have an 06 V8 and love it. If you plan on towing this is a great choice. The 6 speed transmission makes it pretty fuel efficient for it's weight as well. The fact that it has a timing chain is also a bonus in my books. With the V8 I like the fact that the motor is barely working when driving normally. The 2.5t is a nice motor as well and is very fuel efficient but the 311hp is awesome IMHO.

[XCMark]

I, too, am just beginning my search for a replacement for our 2003 XC70 2.5T, and have been test-driving the 2006 V8 XC90 for the weekend. This information is good to know. I will likely steer clear of the V8 and try landing a 2.5T, which is a known commodity with me. We took the V8 up yesterday and today to the mountains, and the shifting was terrible. It may not have been tuned for Colorado's altitude yet, but it really shouldn't have had that kind of struggling to shift.

We are also looking at a 2005 BMW X3 with a V6, and it seemed much peppier and faster than the XC V8...

[Volvo4Skier]

Reason not to buy:

- Very poor gas mileage

- exhaust system costs about $2k

- Problems with rear wheel bearings - wear out very early

- early brake wear

On my 2006 v8, lots of issues including

- had to replace both front struts

- rear bearing shot after 50 k miles

- clunk in steering at low speeds

- whines from the climate control fan when at high speed

- head light lens completely cloudy after 50k miles

- get average 14.5 miles per gallon combined highway city

- seat belt pillar housing makes constant annoying noise (which is at ear level)

- constant buzz from door panels when driving

- had to fix seat back latch on rear seat

[Buellwinkle]

I have an 07 , xc90 v8 with around 42K miles , it has been rock solid so far , no issues whatsoever other than cosmetic defects like front chrome grill pitting etc in winter because of Mag Chloride ( which was promptly replaced by the dealer under warranty) .

Other than that what can i say , smooth comfortable ride, flexible interior to carry a full load up Colorado mountains, superb handling, confident braking, good gas mileage ( I got 23 mpg overall on premium fuel on a road trip from Denver to Vegas and back, with AC on 68' ) .

If you are buying pre-owned please please make sure that engine has not been washed as I believe you are taking a chance with CB shaft bearing failures even with the revised block design.

I have driven the other xc90 variants but nothing came close to the performance of the v8. Too bad they discontinued that engine in MY 12.

[RedGeminiPA]

Reason not to buy:

- Very poor gas mileage

- exhaust system costs about $2k

- Problems with rear wheel bearings - wear out very early

- early brake wear

On my 2006 v8, lots of issues including

- had to replace both front struts

- rear bearing shot after 50 k miles

- clunk in steering at low speeds

- whines from the climate control fan when at high speed

- head light lens completely cloudy after 50k miles

- get average 14.5 miles per gallon combined highway city

- seat belt pillar housing makes constant annoying noise (which is at ear level)

- constant buzz from door panels when driving

- had to fix seat back latch on rear seat

I hate to revive an old thread that hardly anyone will see, but your experience doesn't reflect what many others have had. I recently bought an '06 that now has 173,000 original miles on it. It's a fantastic vehicle, and I'll take another V8 any day over the 2.5T my former '04 had. You just can't compare the two. Many of the issues you listed are either common wear items for many cars (sway bar links, bushings), or you got a lemon.

Mine has been averaging 17-18 MPG with a heavy mix. I just took it on a nearly 3,000 miles road trip, and I saw an average of 23-24 MPG highway. My worst tank was 16.5 with mostly city driving in the Tampa Bay Area. Mine has gotten as good as 25+ MPG highway.

The biggest issue with the V8 through early '07 (and some '07 3.2s), is the valve body for the transmissions. They can be problematic. Mine is a little, but some new fluid and a bottle of Lucas Transmission Fix has nearly eliminated the issue. Another common issue for ALL V8s is idler pulley bearings. They should be treated as a maintenance item, replacing them by 70-80k miles.

[QuantumBox]

Another common issue for ALL V8s is idler pulley bearings. They should be treated as a maintenance item, replacing them by 70-80k miles.

Having just replaced the belt, pulleys and such - don't neglect this. I found out the hard way that when a pulley goes, it goes quickly. Thankfully close to home, and not (as I was the week before) five hundred miles from home on a remote gravel road at 9500'.

On the plus side, it's not a difficult job, and can be done fairly cheap. Instead of buying all new parts I removed the old NTN bearings from each pulley (all three are the same - the one on the tensioner and the two idlers) and replaced them with SKF bearings I found locally. There are plenty of writeups on the V8 serp belt procedure out there, but the one thing I did differently revolves around getting the 10mm allen bolt (holding the tensioner) to release. I found it fairly easy to place an allen socket into the head of the bolt, then grab the socket with a plumber's pipe wrench.

HTH, and sorry for jumping on the zombie thread

[Volvo4Skier]

Well, in follow up to my earlier comments, I can add lots more for my 2006 V8, including the following and these are not normal wear items

1.failed main electronic module - v costly to fix
2.completely clouded over front headlight
3.failing front shock aborbers
4.had to replace alternator at 56k miles ... unbelievable
5. transmission has hard clunks between 2 and 3, whether going up or down in gear and sometimes when come to a stop there is quite the jerk into first gear
6. very loud noises when starting in the morning - could be idler bearings
7. one of the front wiper blade shutters even after installing new blades
8. engine oil leak at bottom of engine - estimate cost about $2,000 to replace the seal
9. key stuck in ignition - could not turn at all even to get out

etc., etc.

This is hardly a safe and reliable vehicle. Buy at your own risk.