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Thread: XC Realiability

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Southeast US
    Posts
    7

    Default XC Realiability

    As a prior owner of Volvos, two of which were 1998 70 serie's I am about to purchase my 5th. I've always been drawn to the first gen. XCs but have always been discuraged about their realiability.
    With that, I would like to know what to realistically expect (beyond the standard volvo issues) if I take the plunge, specifically with the AWD equipment? Keep in mind, I'm gentle with my cars, very mechanically and "preventitive maintenance" inclined and do all my own work with a fully equipped shop with lift.
    In addition, what do I need to look for when inspectign the AWD components?
    Last edited by jrsmith70; 08-09-2010 at 05:08 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Calgary, Canada
    Posts
    60

    Default What you need is lots of luck!

    As I have found out, there are lots of (expensive) things that can go wrong with these cars. I'm sure they must have been developed with the help of Lotus (Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious!!).

    My 1998 V70XC has about 230k km (150k miles) on it and was supposedely checked by a (non-volvo) workshop prior to sale. It was clearly either not looked at and was then shoved to auction. It is a good job that I got it realitively cheap as it has been very expensive since then!

    Problems that I have found:

    PCV nipple and separator tank/pipes clogged. Got a replacement kit from IPD for $100US and cleaned out the nipple in the turbo intake pipe. There is a posting on the subject. Not hard but took more time cleaning up mess first. Suggestion to run Seafoam regularly in oil prior to changing it.

    Distibutor cap and rotor arm - Fairly easy. Rotor arm wears at higher mileages.

    Break vibration - Replaced ALL 4 rotors as both front and rears were warped. Used Zimmerman rotors and Volvo pads.

    All the flexi's had to be replaced as one was split and 3 others were cracking.

    Parking break/e-brake. Cable snapped and other seized. Again long job but not hard. You have to remove center consul, rear seats and lift carpets. Also have to drop rear jacking points as cables routed about these and pop-riveted from the top. Can't access to re-rivet, so I used small bolts and nuts instead. Volvo position all mounting bolts to make it as difficult as possible!

    AWD system. Notoriously unreliable. Angle gear bearings fail, (check output flange for movement), drive-shaft uj's and center steady bearing. Check bearings for 'slop' or movement. Hard to do, but check metalastic/rubber around steady bearing for splitting. Colorado driveshaft will overhaul for about $400 and re-balance/warrant for 1 year ($1600 from volvo). Watch there are 2 types of shaft. Newer version is non-repairable.

    Torque-tube failures.
    Hard to diagnose. There is a VERY dangerous way for testing the operation, but Volvo refused to do it as it is not safe. There is a forum entry on it. In my case it was the roller bearing at the 'nose' that failed.
    Sounded like a tinkling/rubbing noise. Again not hard to replace but need access to a press to remove it (or in my case I took to Volvo as they had to use long drifts as all the balls fell out). Bearing is about $40. Again there are 2 sizes (diameters). Volvo didn't know which until disassembled.
    Torque tubes fail or seize and if they seize will take out the drive-line and diff. Also check the support bush at the front of the torque tube as they can fail and cause a clunk in the drive-line.

    Door locks. Passenger front and both rears and tailgate are prone to fail, especially if passengers grab handles before locks lift. Again about $135 from IPD. Fiddly but not difficult to replace.

    Tailgate inner panel detaching. Clips break with age and clip holders in cover break. Repair kits available for $15-20. Have new clips and small plates to repair the broken supports. Easy fix.

    ABS/Tracs lights coming on. Failure of unit. Again there is a reliable company that repairs unit for $125. Again recent post on this subject.

    Drive-shaft gaiters/boots splitting/failing. Not had this yet! But often present by clicking/clunking when turning or decelerating/accelerating.

    Water-pump/cam-belt.

    Replace both if you don't know when last done. I didn't replace the water-pump and it promptly failed after fitting a new belt.

    SAS - Secondary air System/Air pump. Valve on bulk-head seize open allowing moisture to run down tube to pump (under battery). This will fail and take pump out. Advised to replace pump/valve and relay. IPD do a kit but it is still about $600-$650. You can try used but good luck with that one! You can run with this not working, but if you have emissions testing, then you'll need to fix as it helps speed up the heating of the catalyst and lowers emissions (if I understand this right). Again, may be worth removing the valve and making sure it is not clogged and refitting (especially if the PCV has been clogged).

    That's it to date! Can't think of anything else but I'm sure the car will find a new problem.

    Good luck and if you drive gently, hopefully your car will look after you!

    Inspite all of this, I still like the car, and fortunately it is a spare car so I can work on it when I have time/funds.

    Oh, lastly watch for rust appearing at bottom front edge of rear wheel-arches!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NorCal coastal range
    Posts
    48

    Talking The bookend to your REALLY great post, hogie50... (REALLY long)

    “[QUOTE=hogie50;118113]As I have found out, there are lots of (expensive) things that can go wrong with these cars. I'm sure they must have been developed with the help of Lotus (Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious!!).”

    Every item on your list is shared, in one iteration or another and in many respects even *more*, by the forum denizens of the AWD Audi, M-B, BMW, Subaru and Toyota forums...

    As a former owner of three Lotus automobiles, I can tell ya that any car company which uses PLYWOOD as a stressed central frame member, like my Lotus Elan does, deserves its fate as a reliability punchline, up there with Lucas and M-G, the Ford Fairmont and VW Thing... I’ll bite and say that the reliability of something as simple as a typical Lotus sports car, something that *should* be easy to design and build for a company with so much engineering and designer talent is as low and easy to predict as the amazing complexity and hard, long and varied use and abuse of the average 140-180k mile XC... a pretty good testament to how a car like the Volvo XC in all gens, with such an intricate and interrelated mechanical ecosystem can be as reliable, durable, safe and fun to drive as it is...

    If an XC of ANY gen is kept well-maintained in the fashion the OP says he’ll do, a good example of what he should start with is thus: a private sale, the seller is organized enough to share a complete repair history in the form of receipts, etc., and a Carfax printout... the car should reflect the maintenance and care that the maintenance records indicate, i.e., no signs of trying to use the XC as an SUV/Baja 1000 forerunner... I’d stay away from any auction vehicles (all due respect to hogie50), for the reasons with which hogie50 has had to deal since purchase... I've found that a lot of the mechanics who ‘prepare’ these auction cars are simply unqualified to even evaluate, much less intelligently fix/prepare any car even near the complexity of the XC Volvo.

    For example. having a dedicated Volvo mechanic do a thorough examination and road test of your potential purchase AFTER you fall in love with your choice but BEFORE you lay out the Benjamins on the Volvo’s hood while looking longingly at the keys, Fob and pink slip in the seller’s mitt... auction Volvos are all too often the equivalent of jobs in the Classifieds... something with insufficient evidence of a really good deal and a lot of evidence of a hidden downside. Example- the harvest of parts off of an auction Volvo XC always begins before it even goes on the block- try and find the factory rack cross rails still Torx’ed to the roof rack, or complete and fully operable headlight wipers and washer nozzles still intact, or all the factory floor mats there and intact, or the webbing on the compartments on either side of the cargo compartment in good shape or even still there, or the rubber 'front of the rear wheel' mud-flaps still there, or a clean air/cabin air/fuel or a proper Mann-type oil filter or clean, same-brand and type of oil used since the car was new hopefully not overfilling ( the proper oil level should be .5 quarts down from the top fill line on the dipstick... any more can easily result in the oil 'foaming' with over-aeration, but not, at least, blown oil seals anywhere) the expensive cast oil pan in any Volvo XC... maybe, maybe not...

    The auction process isn’t an ideal way to pick up a well-maintained, well cared for and intelligently driven XC, IOW. Ask a non-Volvo dealer why a turbo-equipped Volvo needs to idle for a few minutes after a hard highway/hilly backroad run and you’ll get the same kind of 'blink blink' look that you’ll get when you ask if the car has any service records, or if they know when the last tranny flush or radiator flush or oil trap/PCV job (with what parts? OEM quality, IPD or crap second-rate cheap replacement parts, installed by a good, certified Volvo mechanic?) was done, or what type of oil filter was used during its life or at its ‘prep’ for auction- a good Mann-type check-valve design (as Volvo specifies) filter or a cheapo Fram POS... was a fresh crush washer/gasket installed on the oil pan plug, and *which* oil- synth, hybrid or dino oil was used so far in its life? Or when was its last timing or serpentine belt(s) change and/or how often (depending on the car’s mileage- 100k or 190k, of course) have they been replaced, along with the water pump and cam gaskets and every pulley, tensioner, roller and guide along with new OEM quality belts when they did (they did, right?), that major maintenance ‘station of the cross’?

    Most, if not all of these questions could be easily answered with a complete set of service records, which very few auction cars come with. Other tell-tale items you’ll often notice by their absence when examining an auction Volvo V70 XC: manuals, extra keys, Fobs and the always-missing black fitted sheet of a protector which attaches/detaches with velcro and unrolls out of the rearmost storage+spare tire compartment to protect the rear bumper from damage and perhaps protect the rear of the owner from the bumper’s dirt while tailgating at the local football game... while all these ‘missing’ XC wagon items are far from essential to ‘The Volvo experience’, their absence signals how they were treated before YOU got to it...

    All that said, there are MANY exceptions that prove the rule here, but it sounds like hogie50 missed one of those when he bought the XC... I know how being on THAT boat feels, brother... but at least hogie50 has a vehicle that’ll be worth saving... or, not- depending upon how far he wants to travel with his wallet open, the point of no return (past halfway empty with no expected station down the road anywhere), approaching on the fuel gauge as the mission to find Reliability progresses... it’s the same for every AWD car out there- care, intelligent use, expert and proactive maintenance and repairs will ALWAYS be the lynchpin factor upon which everything else about owning an AWD Volvo will turn..

    The design, construction and execution of the Volvo XC, particularly the 2000 on back (my favorite's STILL the 1998 (loaded) XC, but that's MY cross to bear ;^) matches or exceeds the Audi, BMW, M-B, Toyota and even the Subaru AWDs (well, *every* Subee now made) remember hearing anything about the 2.5 liter head gasket fizzle at 70k blues?... like I said, even a quick check of those cars’ forums will tell ya that, in spades. Pick your poison- want a safe, well-engineered but thoroughly complex and unforgiving if not well-maintained car that’ll typically go 200+k or more, and be solid as a rock well into the 200+k realm if ya do your part? Welcome- because the other AWD wagons/sedans/coupes ain't gonna make it.. time was, when a 1998 or so Legacy wagon with a 2.2 motor (the non-interference one with no head gasket issues but a tender oil pump that needed replacement when ya replaced the timing belt) equipped with an automatic or a 5-speed tranny Subee Legacy would run until maybe 180-200k, but even THEY weren't as safe, fun, fast, or nearly as quiet/solid/well-crafted as any Subee of any gen... I've owned a LOT of Subees' love 'em, but they ain't an XC, not even close.

    The longevity and reliability of the inline 5-cylinder turbo or non-turbo motor is already a legend, and rightly so... there are two motors, for example, that will go almost forever with good, expertly done, proactive on-schedule maintenance: the mid 1980s M-B turbo diesel and the Volvo 5-cylinder turbo gas-powered inline 2.4/2.3 liter mills...

    And all the really, blisteringly stupidly costly OEM parts, from the over-priced Nivomats to the driver's side sun visor that always flops down and won't stay up anymore, have well-proven workarounds: for example, the lifetime warranted slightly used Nivomats at $200.00 per side, installed, a nice used driver's side sun visor that DOESN't flop (yet) is usually dirt cheap and easily owner-replaced and the nice waxy lube that Volvo and well-stocked Volvo indy shops have that keeps the auto tranny's shifter lock button working without sticking is usually a free, 'hey-can ya help me with that before I go?' fix- even the IPD replacement kit works for years, at least in my experience... the IPD front strut deals, the insanely well-priced HD end-link deal on IPD’s site right now, yada yada yada... it ain't cheap, but they ain’t Willys Jeeps. ;^)

    “My 1998 V70XC has about 230k km (150k miles) on it and was supposedly checked by a (non-volvo) workshop prior to sale. It was clearly either not looked at and was then shoved to auction. It is a good job that I got it relitively cheap as it has been very expensive since then!”

    You pay more up front for a V70XC that was well-owned and certified Volvo mechanic maintained.. or ya pay MUCH more *later*... lost workdays, late kid(s)-to-school pick-ups and drop-offs, cold take-out 'cause the rush-hour traffic you usually avoid, but had to endure because your 'good' mechanic’s shop is way across town and only stays open until 5pm... that’s what happens and it sucks, but it figures, considering the typical 'cheap' XC’s particular auction route and its sketchy chaperones on its journey to most anyone who tries to grab a 'good but cheap' VolvoV70XC...

    “Problems that I have found:

    PCV nipple and separator tank/pipes clogged. Got a replacement kit from IPD for $100US and cleaned out the nipple in the turbo intake pipe. There is a posting on the subject. Not hard but took more time cleaning up mess first. Suggestion to run Seafoam regularly in oil prior to changing it.”

    Good Oil Trap/PCV job by good Volvo mechanic- solved. Should have been done before ya bought it- but the price reflected, no doubt, its absence from the nonexistent service record folder you *didn’t* get with the sale, right?

    “Distibutor cap and rotor arm - Fairly easy. Rotor arm wears at higher mileages.”

    An on-time tune-up shoulda been at the top of the ‘preparation’ list... it wasn’t. Then, *that* happened, like always, with every car that needs tune-ups and scheduled tune-ups that include the rotor cap and arm as all standard tune-ups include as parts that will need periodic replacement.

    “Break vibration - Replaced ALL 4 rotors as both front and rears were warped. Used Zimmerman rotors and Volvo pads.”

    Brake job needed: cheap auction car, or cheap owner-sale car- $$ up front or $$ later. Later was the choice here.

    “All the flexi's had to be replaced as one was split and 3 others were cracking.”

    This car most probably, at some stage of its life, sat for awhile, no doubt... not a comparably treated car in the Kingdom would show any difference in the flexi’s condition, I’ll wager. Again, poor maintenance and poor use/disuse/storage is the former owners’ fault, not the car’s.

    “Parking break/e-brake. Cable snapped and other seized. Again long job but not hard. You have to remove center consul, rear seats and lift carpets. Also have to drop rear jacking points as cables routed about these and pop-riveted from the top. Can't access to re-rivet, so I used small bolts and nuts instead. Volvo position all mounting bolts to make it as difficult as possible!”

    Bad maintenance, This stuff needs attention, and since the brake job was put off by the former owner(s), this was put off, too, since this preventative maintenance is usually done along with brake jobs.

    “AWD system. Notoriously unreliable. Angle gear bearings fail, (check output flange for movement), drive-shaft uj's and center steady bearing. Check bearings for 'slop' or movement. Hard to do, but check metalastic/rubber around steady bearing for splitting. Colorado driveshaft will overhaul for about $400 and re-balance/warrant for 1 year ($1600 from volvo). Watch there are 2 types of shaft. Newer version is non-repairable.”

    Volvo’s early viscous-coupling AWD system is only as reliable as the care and use it got during its life. EVERY item you list has an equivalent issue on similar-era Audis, Subees, etc. I should know- I’ve owned ‘em all, and had many looooonnng conversations with Audi, Subaru, M-B and Beemer certified mechanics over the last 13 years. I have three friends with well-maintained and intelligently driven (aka: no constant wannabe SUV driving off-road use, etc.), 1998 XCs, all with over 160k each; I’m gonna be there mileage-wise in a few years with MY 1998 XC myself, with the miles I drive annually... we’ve ALL used these cars in all kinds of weather for tens of thousands of miles, the former owner of my CA car habitually spent entire winters in the Sierras and around Tahoe without a hitch (no pun intended)...

    “Torque-tube failures.
    Hard to diagnose. There is a VERY dangerous way for testing the operation, but Volvo refused to do it as it is not safe. There is a forum entry on it. In my case it was the roller bearing at the 'nose' that failed.
    Sounded like a tinkling/rubbing noise. Again not hard to replace but need access to a press to remove it (or in my case I took to Volvo as they had to use long drifts as all the balls fell out). Bearing is about $40. Again there are 2 sizes (diameters). Volvo didn't know which until disassembled.
    Torque tubes fail or seize and if they seize will take out the drive-line and diff. Also check the support bush at the front of the torque tube as they can fail and cause a clunk in the drive-line.”

    Seen a few of these, usually from insufficient maintenance that only really experienced certified Volvo guys can handle right to avoid this stuff... again, a few issues’ll pop up now and again that just... pop up, but almost all problems like these are attributable to the same reasons I’ve stated repeatedly above...

    “Door locks. Passenger front and both rears and tailgate are prone to fail, especially if passengers grab handles before locks lift. Again about $135 from IPD. Fiddly but not difficult to replace.”

    Yup- kids, my wife, assorted friends and family, every kid I take along with my kids to the pool/rink/field after school do what kills these items prematurely... IPD’s kit is sweet, BTW.

    “Tailgate inner panel detaching. Clips break with age and clip holders in cover break. Repair kits available for $15-20. Have new clips and small plates to repair the broken supports. Easy fix.”

    Never had this problem personally, but when the tailgate struts start to give out (I’ll admit, a design week spot-the struts should last WAY longer, but were put in such a strenuous position that they COULD’NT last long, no matter *what* brand was available besides Sachs, that 5,000 lb. tailgate begins to slam shut like my 7 y/o son’s wallet at Barnes & Noble as he tries to pry another free Captain Underpants book from me instead of his allowance money wallet... Easy fix, but it shouldn’t happen, cause it’s the result of a bad strut placement/design... see? I CAN criticize a Volvo’s design! ;^)

    “ABS/Tracs lights coming on. Failure of unit. Again there is a reliable company that repairs unit for $125. Again recent post on this subject.”

    Similar, equivalent issues as Audi, M-B, except no 4125.00 repair- more like $700.00, at least. No fun, but at least ya have (more expensive) company..

    “Drive-shaft gaiters/boots splitting/failing. Not had this yet! But often present by clicking/clunking when turning or decelerating/accelerating.”

    Normal maintenance and a sharp mechanic’s eye when examining drivetrain periodically, like when he’s supposed to, will catch this, and it happens usually as, like most of the other stuff here, the result/symptom of poor/non-existent maintenance/attention/periodic careful examination of stuff that wears out much faster without occasional adult supervision.Just like all grown-up’s toys & tools. ;^)

    “Water-pump/cam-belt.

    Replace both if you don't know when last done. I didn't replace the water-pump and it promptly failed after fitting a new belt.”

    Great advice, and, again, this stuff SHOULD wear out, so the parts it works with *don’t*... it’s certain components’ ’sacrificial obsolescence’... these components are supposed to be replaced, together, on a well-known maintenance schedule. Just some cars for sale had *no* schedule, for maintenance or anything else... until a buyer inherits all the ‘supposed to have been done but wasn’t’ condition of everything wearing the other part out syndrome- otherwise know as a ‘cheap car deal’... ;^)

    “SAS - Secondary air System/Air pump. Valve on bulk-head seize open allowing moisture to run down tube to pump (under battery). This will fail and take pump out. Advised to replace pump/valve and relay. IPD do a kit but it is still about $600-$650. You can try used but good luck with that one! You can run with this not working, but if you have emissions testing, then you'll need to fix as it helps speed up the heating of the catalyst and lowers emissions (if I understand this right). Again, may be worth removing the valve and making sure it is not clogged and refitting (especially if the PCV has been clogged).”

    This part will fail if it’s not attended to on a preventive/proactive maintenance schedule, like almost all the other stuff, but you already know that, and this is one great and perceptive list, brother.

    “That’s it to date! Can't think of anything else but I'm sure the car will find a new problem.

    It’ll find whatever chink in the scheduled/proactive maintenance timeline, just like every car ever made, the only difference is which parts/components/systems will do this and when... welcome to European/Asian/U.S. AWD in temperate climates world!

    Good luck and if you drive gently, hopefully your car will look after you! “

    You CAN drive it like you stole it- all things in moderation, including ‘immoderation’...

    I kinda take the long view- I started out knowing that I’d become acquainted with issues like the above list eventually, it’s just what and when... so far, I *like* the list- it becomes reassuring, knowing that stuff now... and the stuff that’ll surprise me eventually, or tomorrow, whatever. Just like all cars. As a Hells Angel Midas mechanic (flying his colors), said absently to me while he clamped my rusty muffler back onto the <other> rusty exhaust pipe ahead of my 1972 Volvo 145 wagon with 370,000 miles on it on a sunny summer Sunday morning many, many years ago near Cornwall, Connecticut, ‘Yeah... cars can be very depressing things.” And very wonderful things... sometimes at (almost) the same time. You know what I mean.

    “Inspite all of this, I still like the car, and fortunately it is a spare car so I can work on it when I have time/funds.

    Oh, lastly watch for rust appearing at bottom front edge of rear wheel-arches!”

    Keep it washed and rinsed in the winter, especially inside the fender’s metal, rolled ‘lip’, apply a thick grease (a thin, pasty coating) onto that same area periodically after washing/rinsing/drying, and this’ll stay away, maybe forever... and watch the Audis, Toyotas, M-Bs, Beemers and Subees roll by in the slushy salt mixture known around New England as ‘snow’, and feel their pain as they feel yours... or move to California! ;^D

    Over and out... nice post, hogie50... but you don’t need *me* to say that... a good post is ALWAYS obvious, even to its composer! ;^)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by hogie50 View Post
    As I have found out, there are lots of (expensive) things that can go wrong with these cars. I'm sure they must have been developed with the help of Lotus (Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious!!).

    My 1998 V70XC has about 230k km (150k miles) on it and was supposedely checked by a (non-volvo) workshop prior to sale. It was clearly either not looked at and was then shoved to auction. It is a good job that I got it realitively cheap as it has been very expensive since then!

    Problems that I have found:

    PCV nipple and separator tank/pipes clogged. Got a replacement kit from IPD for $100US and cleaned out the nipple in the turbo intake pipe. There is a posting on the subject. Not hard but took more time cleaning up mess first. Suggestion to run Seafoam regularly in oil prior to changing it.

    Distibutor cap and rotor arm - Fairly easy. Rotor arm wears at higher mileages.

    Break vibration - Replaced ALL 4 rotors as both front and rears were warped. Used Zimmerman rotors and Volvo pads.

    All the flexi's had to be replaced as one was split and 3 others were cracking.

    Parking break/e-brake. Cable snapped and other seized. Again long job but not hard. You have to remove center consul, rear seats and lift carpets. Also have to drop rear jacking points as cables routed about these and pop-riveted from the top. Can't access to re-rivet, so I used small bolts and nuts instead. Volvo position all mounting bolts to make it as difficult as possible!

    AWD system. Notoriously unreliable. Angle gear bearings fail, (check output flange for movement), drive-shaft uj's and center steady bearing. Check bearings for 'slop' or movement. Hard to do, but check metalastic/rubber around steady bearing for splitting. Colorado driveshaft will overhaul for about $400 and re-balance/warrant for 1 year ($1600 from volvo). Watch there are 2 types of shaft. Newer version is non-repairable.

    Torque-tube failures.
    Hard to diagnose. There is a VERY dangerous way for testing the operation, but Volvo refused to do it as it is not safe. There is a forum entry on it. In my case it was the roller bearing at the 'nose' that failed.
    Sounded like a tinkling/rubbing noise. Again not hard to replace but need access to a press to remove it (or in my case I took to Volvo as they had to use long drifts as all the balls fell out). Bearing is about $40. Again there are 2 sizes (diameters). Volvo didn't know which until disassembled.
    Torque tubes fail or seize and if they seize will take out the drive-line and diff. Also check the support bush at the front of the torque tube as they can fail and cause a clunk in the drive-line.

    Door locks. Passenger front and both rears and tailgate are prone to fail, especially if passengers grab handles before locks lift. Again about $135 from IPD. Fiddly but not difficult to replace.

    Tailgate inner panel detaching. Clips break with age and clip holders in cover break. Repair kits available for $15-20. Have new clips and small plates to repair the broken supports. Easy fix.

    ABS/Tracs lights coming on. Failure of unit. Again there is a reliable company that repairs unit for $125. Again recent post on this subject.

    Drive-shaft gaiters/boots splitting/failing. Not had this yet! But often present by clicking/clunking when turning or decelerating/accelerating.

    Water-pump/cam-belt.

    Replace both if you don't know when last done. I didn't replace the water-pump and it promptly failed after fitting a new belt.

    SAS - Secondary air System/Air pump. Valve on bulk-head seize open allowing moisture to run down tube to pump (under battery). This will fail and take pump out. Advised to replace pump/valve and relay. IPD do a kit but it is still about $600-$650. You can try used but good luck with that one! You can run with this not working, but if you have emissions testing, then you'll need to fix as it helps speed up the heating of the catalyst and lowers emissions (if I understand this right). Again, may be worth removing the valve and making sure it is not clogged and refitting (especially if the PCV has been clogged).

    That's it to date! Can't think of anything else but I'm sure the car will find a new problem.

    Good luck and if you drive gently, hopefully your car will look after you!

    Inspite all of this, I still like the car, and fortunately it is a spare car so I can work on it when I have time/funds.

    Oh, lastly watch for rust appearing at bottom front edge of rear wheel-arches!
    Seriously! You are writing about a 12 year old car. AWD is junk disable it if you don't need it--about 2hrs of your time or a shops time.

    Rotors on any car warp.

    Torque tube / viscous coupling testing is easy. Jack up one front wheel apply torque wrench, turn wheel with wrench, must be over 50Ft/lbs. To test free wheel jack all 4 wheels, put it in rev. turn to 30 mph if if the rear unlocks before 30 its bad.

    BBA Reman fixes abs for $63


    Whgo would not replace the water pump with the timing belt? Most pumps last 2 belts but why risk it?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Calgary, Canada
    Posts
    60

    Default Reply to last 2 inputs on reliability thread

    hi Guys,

    Nice to see someone to time to respond to the original poster, but only after I took time in the first place!

    I think the point you have missed on this is the guy asked 'what goes wrong with these cars. If I wanted to list the problems that go wrong with an older AWD car I could have spent a day listing the problems with my wife's 1999 Audi A4 quattro and it only has 170k km on it. But I thought the question was asked about AWD Volvo's. Having bought a car that was 'supposedly' inspected I was bitten and found out they never saw what they didn't want to find.

    Pretty much the 'service' issues brakes/rotors/cam belt/etc are all issues that can happen with any car of this age. What did tick me was all the other 'regular faults' that happen, and all at the same time! This car would have been a financial write-off if I couldn't do the work myself.

    Getting back to the point of what CAN go wrong, I have probably covered most of the possible problems that one can look out for and with luck, maybe catch them early and minimise costly replacements. A good example would be to regularly check the feed pipe to the air pump valve, at the air pump valve end. If the pipe is starting to get hard/brittle, then it is a good chance the valve has stuck open allowing the hot exhaust gases to flow back into the pipe, and then the moisture in the gases flow back down the pipe to the pump taking it out. For the cost of a $100 valve, you may be able to save the $500 pump. It is all about learning as we go. I just hadn't planned on this much learning this quickly!

    Maybe I didn't get it across that well, but what I wanted to point out, (as the gentleman had his own workshop) was how you can keep the costs down by hunting around. This forum is a good example as many people have the same problems and have found out ways of fixing at a fraction of the cost. I am having a problem with my ABS/TRACS lights which I know is the board, and to buy from Volvo is $1000 CDN (priced this week), but I now know you can have it repaired better than new for around $150 US (incl shipping to/from Canada) with a 5 year warranty!

    So, finally, I have no illusions on what to expect from a 12 year old V70 XC with 150k miles on it, all I want is to get some driving between one fault and the next (oh! there's the air pump light on again!!).

    I love the feel of the car and have owned Volvos for over 35 years and with higher mileages. This has been the worst for faults so far. Once the problems slow down, I will begin to love the car even more! I have also learned a lot about how the car works and also how much crap some people talk who think they know something. Figuring out the good info from the bad has been tougher than the actual repairs!

    Good luck to all you Volvo owners out there and I'll keep you updated as and when I get some miles under the wheels and issues come up in (hopefully) a slower pace!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    central Pa
    Posts
    64

    Default

    I have owned my 1998 V70xc since new, so I think that my driving style has contributed to the relatively few problems that I have had in 241,000 miles of driving. Other than wear items such as brake pads, rotors, struts, belts, etc here is a list of repairs/replacements:
    E-brake cables
    Victor Rocha rebuilt ABS/TRACs module
    New turbo
    Rebuilt driveshaft
    Both front wheel bearings

    CEL light has been caused by: bad barometric sensor (replaced with a used one from Erie Vovo), bad fuel rail damper (tough to diagnose, but easy to fix) and bad evap purge valve.

    In my opinion this has been a great driving, safe and reliable vehicle. I still used it every day as a DD even though we took delivery of a 2010 XC70 in
    April. I love the new car, but despite my efforts to maximize the time to benefit from the Safe and Sound warranty by keeping the miles at 12,000/year, I have already put 7,500 miles on it.
    Last edited by redoak; 08-20-2010 at 05:51 PM. Reason: Additional info.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NorCal coastal range
    Posts
    48

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by redoak View Post
    I have owned my 1998 V70xc since new, so I think that my driving style has contributed to the relatively few problems that I have had in 241,000 miles of driving. Other than wear items such as brake pads, rotors, struts, belts, etc here is a list of repairs/replacements:
    E-brake cables
    Victor Rocha rebuilt ABS/TRACs module
    New turbo
    Rebuilt driveshaft
    Both front wheel bearings

    CEL light has been caused by: bad barometric sensor (replaced with a used one from Erie Volvo), bad fuel rail damper (tough to diagnose, but easy to fix) and bad evap purge valve.

    In my opinion this has been a great driving, safe and reliable vehicle. I still used it every day as a DD even though we took delivery of a 2010 XC70 in
    April. I love the new car, but despite my efforts to maximize the time to benefit from the Safe and Sound warranty by keeping the miles at 12,000/year, I have already put 7,500 miles on it.
    Yeah, I love the 1998 XC, as it seems to be the closest to an AWD 850 there is... wait- I guess it IS an AWD 850! The mechanical throttle's essential to me as well; when I finally find a choice 2000 V70 R AWD, I'm gonna look into removing the ETB and grafting on a sano 1998-era throttle cable onto it (keeping all the original parts, etc., to make sure there's a way back to original Stage 0, of course...

    I guess I've never seen the combination of DIY fervor and amazingly complex, system-dependent hardware before in my life... it's like you guys are all amateur nuclear scientists! It's gotta be that these cars are really worth the effort when you've got one that hasn't been thrashed/abused/neglected, and there are few modern cars out there that one can say *that* about... generating the kind of loyalty that these XCs do is simply amazing to me... and I thought, being a Ducati, Harley and Beemer guy that I'd seen brand/vehicle loyalty before... no way!

    I just drove through the driving rain on my new Hakks with TRACS OFF in the 1998 XC over 35 miles of terribly broken, off-camber, decreasing-radius and hilly twisties at an average speed of 75 mph, they <paved> the road, but not without imbibing quite a bit of Jack Daniels and apparently having contests to see who could hide the largest log in the asphalt while they 'paved' it maybe 30 years ago...but, the XC just soaked everything up, the turbo kept things kickin' the (aftermarket, but still) sway bars, bushings, HD end links and poly suspension bushings all did their job, along with the new Nivos and Boge/Sachs front struts, keepin' the chassis from skipping sideways around all the skitter-bump-ridden turns, all while getting 22 mpg & without skipping my mix CDs once, even while I got it close to airborne a few times! I bought the car for $2,600, put maybe $4,900.00 into it to go WAY past Stage 0 and it's been a fun 20k since I bought it in March of this year...
    Last edited by crh; 08-22-2010 at 06:14 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Devon PA
    Posts
    11,409

    Default

    Oh Christ
    It cannot be done.
    The car is networked and trust me THAT cannot be done
    at least for anything that wold make this cost effective in any way shape or form.
    The ECU is connected to the FIVE speed tranny AND the engine.
    The 5 speed will not function with a 98 ECU which is what you would need to make the throttle and engine work if this was even possible
    CANNOT be done

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NorCal coastal range
    Posts
    48

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JRL View Post
    Oh Christ
    It cannot be done.
    The car is networked and trust me THAT cannot be done
    at least for anything that wold make this cost effective in any way shape or form.
    The ECU is connected to the FIVE speed tranny AND the engine.
    The 5 speed will not function with a 98 ECU which is what you would need to make the throttle and engine work if this was even possible
    CANNOT be done
    Thanks, Jim!

    Well, if you say so... not gonna even *try* it, I trust ya... time to get used to an electronic throttle. I'm certain it'll be worth it!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Devon PA
    Posts
    11,409

    Default

    Nothing wrong with the ETMs (to drive).
    Worst thing that can happen is you by a XemoDex for a permanant fix for $600 or so.
    Make sure the tranny is OK, these are almost as bad as 01s and fail even when they have been serviced since new
    (Ask me how I know that)!

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