2001 XC70 Idle Oscillation

[davega1]

I have a 2001 XC70 with about 78K on it. Car is still tight,and I think we have hopefully another 200k in it. The car is still under the 100k warranty, and the car has a problem of oscillating at idle speed when at a stop sign. It goes from 500k down almost to stall and then back, at the rate of one oscillation every 2-3 seconds. Once in a while it even stalls and I cannot increase the RPM's by putting into park and stepping on the gas.

The dealer diagnosed it as needing a mass air flow meter changed, and it is no under warranty as Volvo considers this a consumable item. Our service tech is great, and he said informally if we can attribute this to some related item that may be under warranty, he could try to work around it and do it without the $500 charge.

Does anyone out there have experience in this area of problem? I am sure that I am not unique. Thanks. -Dave-

[Art]

Dave,

If the problem was related to the MAF, did you happen to notice a message in your text window signifying that there might have been an issue with it? It should have read something like, ‘Emission Service Required’. I believe the resulting DTC code for it is ECM-260A.

The MAF on our ‘01 failed at 35,000km/22,000 miles and was subsequently replaced under warranty. According to my warranty info booklet, the coverage period for such emissions related parts are to be included under the new car warranty period. Only major components such as the ECM or cat appear to be covered by the long term warranty of eight years or 80,000 miles/130,000km. I have no idea whether or not you could link your problem to one of the other two components. If you or anyone else can think of a way, please let us know.

If you happen to be a DIY kind of guy, replacing the MAF sensor doesn’t appear to require too much rocket science. :)

More details here. (http://volvoxc.com/resources/how-to/pdf/xc_maf_sensor.pdf)

[davega1]

Thanks Art,

What doe the acronyms ECM or CAT stand for? This may help tie in my argument about warranty replacement.

Also, where could I preview the procedure for replacing the module myself? For $500, I can do this one myself.

Dave

[Art]

ECM=Engine Control Module
CAT=Catalytic Converter

Other than the one that I provided in the link above, I’m not sure if there is another procedure available for replacing the MAF. Seems pretty straightforward to me.