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Volvo Repair & Performance Glossary
Volvo Term |
Definition |
|---|---|
| 4C or “Four-C” | Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept (Volvo’s active suspension system) |
| 854 | Slang for a Volvo 850 sedan (4 doors). Applies to all series, for instance 744, 244 etc. |
| 855 | Slang for a Volvo 850 wagon (5 doors). Applies to all series, for instance 745, 245 etc. |
| ACC | Automatic Climate Control (early climate control system in late 80′s / very early 90′s 760 has a big wheel for temperature setting and slide lever like a manual system) |
| ACM | Alternator control module (post ’07 cars) |
| ADM | Additive Dosing Module (diesel cars only) |
| AQS | Air Quality Sensor (cars with indoor air quality system) |
| ATF | Automatic transmission fluid |
| AUD | AUDio Amplifier module (the speaker amp in post ’07 cars with an Infotainment Control Module) |
| AUM | AUdio Module (the radio in post-’01 cars, but not post ’07 P3x cars, and post ’08 P2/P1 cars) |
| AUU | Accessory USB Unit (the iPod/USB interface in post ’07 cars; present in ’07-08s and in ’09s that did not come from the factory with iPod connections) |
| AWD | All-wheel drive |
| BCM | Brake Control Module (was the ABS module in earlier cars) |
| BPM | Bluetooth Phone Module (the integrated Bluetooth receiver in post ’07 cars) |
| Brick | Old school Volvo (many newer Volvos have some degree of Brick DNA). Affectionate term of Volvo lovers! |
| BSC | Body Sensor Cluster (yaw/pitch sensors for DSTC) |
| CAN bus | The Controller Area Network bus that Volvos use |
| CCM | Climate Control Module |
| CEL | Check Engine Light I also see it referred to as a MIL which I think is a Malfunction Indicator Light. |
| CEM | Central Electronic Module (Example of S80 fixed by installing a new CEM) |
| CRM | Convertible Roof Module |
| CVM | Closing Velocity Module |
| DABM | Digital Audio Broadcast Module (Europe only) |
| DDM/PDM | Driver/Passenger Door Module (window switch packs on front doors of post-’01 cars) |
| DiCE | Diagnostic Communication Equipment–the replacement for the VCT2000; a diagnostic connection box that connects VIDA to the car. |
| DIM | Driver Information Module — expensive unit in the dash pod that controls and monitors many of the car’s functions. |
| ECC | Electronic Climate Control (ie:completely automatic, used in most 850+ cars) |
| ECM | Engine Control Module |
| ECT | Engine Coolant Temperature |
| ETA | Electronic Throttle Actuator (the “new” Bosch-made throttle in most ’02 and newer cars) |
| ETM | Electronic Throttle Module (the Magnetti Marelli throttle in ’99-02 cars) |
| ETS | Electronic throttle system |
| FCP | FCP Groton, a parts shop located in Connecticut, US |
| Flame trap | Positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve |
| FSM | Forward Sensing Module (used by the radar-guided cruise control) |
| FWD | Front-wheel drive |
| GPS | Global Positioning System (XC90) |
| GSM | Gear Selector Module (replaces PNP switch) |
| HCM | Headlamp Control Module (used by the Active Bi-Xenons) |
| HLDF | High Level Display Front (the display unit in post ’07 cars with park assist camera and/or nav) |
| IAM | Integrated Audio Module (the CD player/radio in post ’07 ICM-equipped cars) |
| ICM | Infotainment Control Module (the LCD and radio control buttons on post ’07 cars) |
| KVM | Keyless Vehicle Module (only present on cars with comfort access & keyless go) |
| LCM/RCM | Left/Right Camera Module (BLIS only) |
| Limp Mode | When something goes wrong on automatic transmissions the Volvo goes into a “limp mode” where it is drivable but it will run like crap. Essentially the car “limps” home. On 850/S70/V70/XC70 models this starts the car from a stop in 3rd gear. May have a flashing arrow on dash. |
| LIN bus | Local area INterconnect; a bus that ties low-speed communication together in newer Volvos (siren modules, some heated seat commands, etc.) |
| LSM | Light Switch Module |
| MAF | Mass airflow sensor |
| MCC | Manual Climate Control (old school just the way it sounds, term typically used in 850′s for the non automatic system, but also descriptive of the 240 / 740 / 940 systems) |
| MCC | Manual Climate Control |
| MMM | MultiMedia Module (the navigation box in the trunk on post ’07 IAM-equipped cars with RTI) |
| N/A | A normally-aspirated Volvo; a Volvo that does not have a turbo |
| OBD | Onboard Diagnostic (System?) Set of standard for self diagnostic features in the engine control system, primarily for emissions reasons, but useful for other diagnostics. |
| OBDII or OBD2 (not “OBD11″) | Second generation OBD system, includes a standardized fault code table and 16 pin communications connector. Commonly used to refer to the code reader / codes stored by the diagnostic system and read with a universal scanner. |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacture. It means a part is made by Volvo or made by the company that made the part that went into your car at the factory. |
| Oil Trap | Part of the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system which does, literally, trap oil that circulates through the PCV. It requires periodic cleaning or replacement to keep the PCV working properly. |
| OWS | Occupant Weight Sensor (used by SRS) |
| P2 Platform | The Volvo P2 Platform was the foundation (chassis, electronics, etc) upon which most of Volvo’s 2000 decade models were based on. |
| PAC | Parking Assist Camera (the rearview camera connected to the HLDF) |
| PAM | Parking Assistance Module (the radar-equipped unit that offers front/rear park assist) |
| PBM | Parking Brake Module (cars with electric parking brake) |
| PCV | Postive Crankcase Ventilation…on our Volvo’s it’s a series of hoses connected from the accordion air intake hose all the way to the oil trap (also called the separator or breather box) under the intake manifold- when it get’s clogged up, positive pressure builds up in the engine and can cause engine leaks. |
| PHM | Phone Module (the integrated GSM phone on post ’07 ICM-equipped cars) |
| Platinum 850 | Offered only in 850 model year 1996, the Platinum Edition 850 was a limited-run of 1500 cars in the US. Every option was standard, as was a special “pearl white platinum ” paint and special wheels. |
| PNP | Park Neutral Switch on automatic transmissions. Essentially tells the transmission what gear the shifter is in. Common failure point and there are a bunch of threads about the subject. |
| POT | Power Operated Tailgate (XC60, V70, XC70) |
| PSCM | Power Steering Control Module (cars with electrical power steering) |
| PSM | Power Seat Module |
| R134a | 2-Tetrafluoroethane, an environment-friendly refrigerant used in Volvo AC systems since the early 1990s. A gas at temperatures above -26.3 °C (-15.34 °F). In the US, it replaced dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12, “freon”). Old R-12 automobile air conditioning systems can be converted to R134a with conversion kits. |
| RDAR | Remote Digital Audio Receiver (Sirius satellite radio receiver in post ’07 cars) |
| REM | Rear Electronic Module |
| RKE | Remote Keyless Entry (post-’07 cars, cars with keyless vehicle) |
| RRX | Remote Receiver (post-’07 cars, cars without keyless vehicle) |
| RSE | Rear Seat Entertainment |
| RTI | Road Traffic Information (satellite navigation) |
| RWD | Rear-wheel drive |
| SAS | Secondary Air System part of 1990s-on Volvo cars, this recycles rich exhaust gasses back into the engine to be burned when the car is started when cold. The air pump and SAS valve are responsible for this process, and when they fail they set off code P0410. Here’s how to do what’s called an SAS Delete, which tricks the Volvo’s computer into thinking things are ok even if the valve or pump fail. Whoohoo! |
| SAS | Steering Angle Sensor |
| SCU | Start Control Unit (ignition switch/slot, post-’07) |
| SIPS | Side Impact Protection System — introduced on the 850 in 1994, standard 1995 onward. “The SIPS system worked by having the driver and passenger seat mounted on transverse steel rails, not bolted to the floor as per the standard configuration. In a side impact these transverse rails allowed the seats to crush a reinforced center console during a side impact.” |
| Spirited Driving | Conveyance at extralegal speeds, especially on non-freeway secondary highways. Associated with grinning. |
| Sportwagon | The 1995 855 T5-R wagon, or more loosely, any turbocharged 855 |
| SRM | Sunroof control module |
| Stop NeutralSometimes abbreviated as “S/N” | Software Volvo implemented in some 2001 models’ transmissions that shifted the transmission into neutral when the car came to rest. The 2001 V70 for one was notorious for failed transmissions on 2001 models because of this feature. The driver could not control this behavior, and the shifter itself didn’t move. The stop neutral code was removed by a software update that came out years later and was delivered to cars at dealers via VADIS or VIDA. |
| SUB | Subwoofer Module (XC60, V70, XC70, XC90) |
| SUM | SUspension Module (found on P2 ‘R’ models and cars with Four C suspensions) |
| SWM | Steering Wheel Module (connects steering wheel controls to CAN bus) |
| TCM | Transmission Control Module [fault list] |
| “tranny” or “trans” | Transmission |
| TRM | Trailer Module |
| Turbobrick | An old school Volvo equipped with a turbocharger |
| TVM | Television Module (cars with Sensus entertainment, post-’11) |
| UEM | Upper Electronic Module (it’s inside the mirror in post-’01 except certain C70s, and all P3x vehicles) |
| VADIS | Volvo’s own internal repair documentation & diagnostics environment, now deprecated. Read about VADIS here. |
| VCT2000 | The actual interface cable / box used to let a computer running VADIS talk to a 99+ car. Typically used in the context of “I need a VCT system to check that” or “I wish I had one” Very expensive and hard to fine, but really fun to have. Officially deprecated by Volvo on October 15, 2009. |
| VGLA | Volvo Guard Lock & Alarm (found on pre-’01 cars) |
| VIDA | Volvo vehicle information / communication software, the successor to VADIS. |
| VOL-FCR software | Laptop / PC based diagnostic tool for Volvo cars made between 1996 and 1998/9 and some other models onwards. |
| VST | Volvo Scan Tool. Used to talk to computers on 96-98 cars. Unfortunetly nessessary to read / reset fault codes for the trans, climate control, srs, etc. Some functionality can be duplicated with the VOL-FCR or OBDII software. |
Have something to add? Reply to this Volvo forum topic and I’ll see that your term/definition finds its way to this list.
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