Acceleration problem

[Jcurrie]

Hi all,

I've been having trouble with my Dad's '99 XC. When I accelerate normally the car lurches forward or accelerates much slower than it should. It's fine if I slam the pedal down when the light turns green but that CAN'T be good for the car!(Fun, but hard on the car&#33http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif Sometimes, it accelerates normally but with the colder weather it has become more frequent - it could be that the accelerator is sticking due to cold weather but I'm not sure.

We'll be taking our baby to the local Volvo dealer (Robert Motors - Toronto, where we get all our work done) next week to have it checked, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or have had similar problems?

Thanks very much!

[gracefilledfool]

I've heard air mass sensor can sometimes cause that sort of thing or electronic controls or a really dirty air filter.

[Jcurrie]

It turns out (according to the dealer) that it was a dirty Throttle Body. The dealer cleaned it and now the car runs fine. We'll have to see how long that lasts over the coming weeks.

[Hiro's XC]

When they say throttle body they usually mean Mass air sensor or MAF depending on who you talk to. They tend to get gummed up with grime even past the air filter. You can clean them with some electrical parts cleaner sprayed onto the wire. Works great for the trouble prone VW's.

Jason

[Jcurrie]

One week after the throttle body was cleaned the problem reappeared. I took the car back to Robert's Motors (8am) to deal with the problem, they promised to find out what was wrong. At 4pm they called and said that the problem was fixed and they were sending a car to pick me up.

It turns out that the entire throttle body had to be replaced. Luckily, my Dad had just purchased the full extended warranty because the cost of the repairs was over $1600 (CDN), paying for more than half of the extended warranty.

If you are going to be keeping your XC for many years get the extended warranty. It pretty much covers everything that could go wrong with the car and more than pays for itself when something does go wrong - which for me (until this incident) is never!

Thanks go out to Robert Motors Volvo (Etobicoke/Toronto), a truly excellent dealership to do business with - you put General Motors (specifically Courtesy Chev/Olds) to shame!! Also, thanks to those who posted their suggestions to my XC's problems!