1999 V70 xc throttle body and smell questions

davidschaffer · Post by **davidschaffer** » 02 Mar 2010, 17:05

Hello all,

I am now the proud owner of a 1999 V70 XC. The car is awesome, makes me wish I had been driving volvos all these years. The problems I have with it currently: The ETS light is on, I understand that I can give the throttle body a cleaning and that should take care of the problem. I am wondering if anyone has posted pics on where the throttle body is and how to clean it. I saw the forum for the 850, will that be the same as my car? Also, there is a smell coming into the vehicle from the engine, it smells like either coolent or possible power steering fluid, has anyone else had that problem? And finally, being new to volvos, is it normal for there to be white smoke coming out of the exhaust?, it isn't a huge amount, but enough of it to make me wonder, seems to have a bit of a smell as well. Any input, suggestions, etc. is much appreciated.

Thank you all,
David

i hate my volvo · Post by **i hate my volvo** » 02 Mar 2010, 18:23

when the car is running bend over and smell the white exhaust, what does it smell like

no just kidding. if you smell coolant and your exhaust is funny colors, assuming it isn't only right when you start it on cold mornings, you may have coolant leaking into the combustion chamber via a bad head gasket. watch the coolant level, if it goes down at an abnormal rate, it's going somewhere. check for obvious leaks or residue on exhuast pipes, possibly a leaky water pump.

Joe Hurless · Post by **Joe Hurless** » 02 Mar 2010, 21:39

I very, very rarely see an ETS light. Its not one to ignore. Typically I recommend cleaning the electronic throttle module. If that doesn't work, swap it out. Its gonna cost you, but thats why your clean first.

iselloil · Post by **iselloil** » 03 Mar 2010, 06:40

The V70 XC will smoke until the turbo and engine gets to operating temps on a cold day.Constant white smoke is a problem.The smell is more than likely the heater core.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 03 Mar 2010, 07:47

I have a 96 854 so I don't know too much about the ETM. That being said, did the 99's come with the bad ETM that has to be replaced after 10 years? If so, you're not going to fix anything by cleaning it and what's worse, your warranty is up (Volvo made a "recall" on the ETM's that lasted 10 years past the build date for the car). Odd colored smoke on cold mornings is pretty normal so don't sweat that too much unless you notice your coolant level dropping fast. If you're feeling ambitious you could do a compression test on the cylinders. A leaky HG would manifest itself by low compression in 1 or more cylinders. Another cause for low coolant and the coolant smell in the cabin would be a leaky heater core. Does the smell get stronger if you put on the heat? Do you have any pooling of water/coolant in the foot wells? Check out Don's ETM room to learn more about the faulty throttle modules.

jlukes42 · Post by **jlukes42** » 29 Apr 2010, 12:17

I bought my 99 V70 XC last year, and the ETM light was on. I had it checked out before I bought it and they said I had about 5 days before the extended "warranty" expired for the ETM fix. Replacement fixed the problem. Apparently, pretty much all of the 99s had faulty ETMs and instead of issuing a recall, Volvo extended the warranty. If the warranty hadn't applied I probably wouldn't have bought the car—it's about a $1000 repair. I guess it's fairly serious as you could go into "limp mode" in the middle of an intersection—not a good thing.

Other than that, I love this car. My first Volvo and it won't be the last!

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 29 Apr 2010, 14:27

Just a word of caution. The replacement ETM is the same one that broke in the first place. If you keep the car long enough you're going to run into the same problem, except this time there won't be a warranty. :-/