2001 Volvo V70 2.4T ignition coil replacement tutorial

V70 Ignition coil replacement with good photos. Can be used for other models.

E170_Driver » On my continued quest of what seems to replace every single part on my 2001 V70, the love/hate relationship is developing into getting to know this vehicle better by the day. I was trying to focus on replacing a light bulb in my temperature control unit on the lower dashboard, when I started the car to let it warm up after sitting out in the cold for a couple of days. It was very obvious that something was not right; the engine ran rough, the steering wheel was shaking and the CEL came on blinking. To me it felt like one of the cylinders was not firing and plugging in the code reader confirmed my suspicion…P0305 “Cylinder 5 Misfire Detected”. OUCH
My diagnosis after some thorough reading upon the problem was either a bad spark plug (unlikely) or a bad ignition coil. I crossed my fingers while calling around town and sure enough with lots of luck a local auto parts store here in Somerset, KY had one OE ignition coil in stock (why, I have no idea; even the store clerk was very surprised). In addition I purchased a single Champion 7071 double platinum spark plug for a total of $77. Tools required were two torx bits (sizes T25 for the screws on the turbo air delivery line and T30 for the cover screws), 10mm socket for the screw that holds the coil in place on the engine block, 5/8’ spark plug socket, a flat head screw driver to disconnect the electrical connection to the coil and some anti seize lubricant.

To start the process one needs to remove the two screws on the turbo air delivery unit in order to remove the plastic cover easier…
…and then the torx screws on top of the plastic covers.

First take the oil cap off. Be careful not to damage/pinch any electrical wires while removing the covers. Then replace the oil cap so nothing can accidentally slip in.
Then I removed the electrical connection from the top of the ignition coil by carefully raising the plastic clip with a flat head screw driver.

In my case it was the #5 cylinder, which is the one on the very right. I removed the screw holding the coil into place on top of the engine block…
..and then pulled the bad unit out.
Next was the spark plug, which when removed showed very clearly that it was exposed to a lot of fuel but no fire (btw the plug were replaced only about 5,000 miles ago)…notice the black unburned fuel.
A look into the cylinder also shows plenty of moisture, but no fire (one needs to look very closely)…

Some anti seize on the new spark plug…
…place it on the spark plug socket…
…and then screw the plug back in carefully not to over torque…
…there you go, new spark plug is in place.
Vertically place the new coil on the new spark plug…
…and watch any electrically wires while screwing the coil into place…

…then plug the electrical connection back in.

Before placing the plastic covers on top the engine here comes the moment of truth…
FIXED…….YEAH

Place the covers back into place and remember the torx screws on the turbo air delivery unit.

When I first realized that the engine was not running right I thought this can’t be good. But by doing some research upon the topic, especially reading this website it became very evident what the problem might be and that I could get this fixed doing the maintenance myself. Once again thanks much MVS in helping me keeping this vehicle running and as always the 2001 does not let me down in providing valuable information to others. The love/hate relationship continues.

On to Indianapolis and another 500 miles tomorrow morning.

2001 V70 2.4T bad ignition coil replacement…