I'm getting a 2001 XC. New guy, new to P2 Volvos. Just a couple questions.

**silverhead** · 06-20-2013, 10:46 PM

I agreed to purchase a clean XC70 thinking I can fix anything that comes up. I might be overly optimistic, but I've always wanted one since the seats are nice and the cars look cool. I'm driving a Subaru Outback wagon and a Volvo 240 wagon at the moment.

Anyway, the check engine light is on and the owner (just some guy from Iowa) said, "You can't get the OBD codes off of these swedish cars, so I have no idea what's wrong but it runs fine. I get 27mpg."

Well, I drove the car and it's all fine in terms of sounding quiet, and tracking down the road. But it has NO POWER. This car is slower than my normally aspirated 850 wagon was. My guess is that the turbo isn't even working. There's no oil leaks that I could spot and this dude's driveway was clean without any oil anywhere. Exhaust wasn't smoking or anything... Coolant is coolant and isn't mixed with the oil.

So my first question is what I can do to scan the codes. I figured any OBDII reader for free at Auto Zone or O'Reilly will tell me bare bones info. And then I need to figure out how to re-enable the turbo. I don't mind driving it around like an old man, but I presume these cars were able to get out of their own way when new.

I didn't determine anything else to be wrong with the car other than it has a burned out head lamp. Does dielectric grease on the wires help with that?

I feel like it's in good enough shape to fix and drive daily. IPD urethane bushing inserts, fixing the turbo, and then going after anything weird I find such as PCV plug ups or whatnot. I will probably change the timing belt and water pump this summer. It has 113k miles and I doubt anyone ever did it. Are there any immediate things to check such as transmission fluid change, or changes of AWD related fluids? Will this car bankrupt me after living with mostly RWD 240s?

I'm excited.. It's a new toy and I get to learn a whole new set of information about P2 Volvos. The newest Volvo I've had before this was my '94 855. I've had a 960 before as well. I really liked the 960 and it was another car everyone told me not to get because they're unreliable. It's still running around town after being in an accident back in 2005

**jda2000** · 06-21-2013, 06:09 AM

Invest in a vida/dice setup, money well spent. Nice OBD2 code reader. Will read volvo specific codes and would help you diagnose specific component failures and allow you to change car options, like turning off daytime running lights, reset tranny adaptives, etc.

First and most important thing you need to do right now, is to refresh the transmission fluid. Do a drain and refill x 3, after driving a couple of hundred miles. I would use 1/2 can of seafoam transtune before the first 2 drains and add a magnefine transmission filter. Hi tranny failures in '01-'02 P2s, do a search.

**silverhead** · 06-21-2013, 07:38 AM

I'll be hitting the search option to check on all of the known issues. It looks a bit daunting given all the issues known about the 2001, ha!

In the past, first year cars haven't bitten me in the butt too hard, 92 Volvo 965, 94 Volvo 855, 98 VW Beetle TDI... But I guess the XC is the most technically complicated car I've ever purchased. It kinda blows that a Japanese transmission is not reliable. I'll look up the forum how-to on transmission fluid change, but I'm guessing it's like the 850 where you unhook a cooler line to suck from and blow the old fluid out of the cooler into a bucket?

How much does changing the transmission fluid three times cost? I paid 4000 dollars for the car, so I'm thinking about driving it until something comes up and then using it as a trade-in on a ~2005ish Subaru Outback.

If I end up liking it though, I'll probably try to put in time/money to keep it running. The computer tool costs about how much? 50 to 100 dollars?

Can you use the VIDA / DICE tool to apply the program required to the transmission or is it for engine OBD management stuff only?

I'm not new to that.. I've had OBD software for my VWs and Triumph motorcycles in the past, so it doesn't scare me too much.

I read through the frequently asked questions sticky but I'll be perusing the forum as much as I know how later once I get the car and have some time to get to know it.

**jda2000** · 06-21-2013, 08:26 AM

You need 12 quarts of toyota Type IV tranny fluid.

DO NOT flush the transmission, do a drain and refill. Open the drain bolt at the bottom of the tranny. About 3.7 qts of fluid come out. Replace with fresh fluid.
Drive a couple of hundred miles and repeat procedure. After 3 drains, you'll have 95% fresh fluid in there.

**JRL** · 06-21-2013, 09:59 AM

Do this all at once, no need to wait 2-300 miles in between

**jda2000** · 06-21-2013, 11:17 AM

If you are going to use the1/2 can of seafoam transtune, I would drive 200 miles in between the drains for the seafoam to work its magic, otherwise no need to drive in between drains.

**silverhead** · 06-21-2013, 12:12 PM

OK, so the car is titled in my name and I've driven it maybe 45 miles so far. The check engine light was on as is the "Transmission Service Required" message on the console.

I took it to the parts store and hooked up their OBD scanner and pulled the following four codes:

P0810 - Clutch Position Control Malfunction

P1618 - No DTC Definition Available

P0442 - Evaporative Emissions Systems Leak Detected (Small Leak)

P1237 - Acceleration Pedal Position Sensor Plausibility

I erased the codes and drove across town with a blissful lack of onboard check engine lights lit.

Right as I pulled into work, the Transmission Service Required showed up again along with the Check Engine light and the red exclamation point.

Oh, and I also noticed that when you start this car cold and drive away, it blows a bunch of smoke out the exhaust for the first 30 seconds and then that stops. I presume that's bad, right?