is 139000 the magic mileage?

jfuhrman · Post by **jfuhrman** » 06 Apr 2010, 07:55

Mine's a 99 V70 GLT - I've had it for around 2 years now and she's been a very solid running car. But lately everything seems to have gone wrong on her.
- About a month ago, I replaced the Brake bads and rotors - this doesn't really count, regular maintenance)
- Following that, I had the control arms, both front and read, replaced - they'd been loose and needing replaced for about a year - done at a local volv shop
- 3 days after the control arm replacement, the car starts to sputter and running very rough - which turns out to be a misfiring cylinder #2 due to a bad egnition coil. In addition to this issue, there was an error code for a bad o2 sensor - which my shop quoted me around $300 to repair if the issue comes back
- about 2 weeks has gone by now - and my CEL light and ETS light are on. The idle is fluctuating when the car is first started - hot or cold - between 0 and 900 RPM's. It does this fluctuation for about the first 3 minutes or so after every start. Sometimes after the idle levels off, the ETS light will go off - other times it won't. Also now - after I turn the car off, the engine fan continues to go - which is something that hasn't occurred in the past.

Are these issues related at all or is this just the time when all the stuff goes wrong at once?
Has anybody else experienced similar issues?

whoa · Post by **whoa** » 06 Apr 2010, 08:03

Yeah, welcome to high-mileage. For the first 140,000 miles cost of ownership comes largely in depreciation and some maintenance. Now it's mainly repairs. If you don't do them yourself, it's an unwelcome increase in cost, and on these cars probably a bad bargain for most people.

Post by **jblackburn** » 06 Apr 2010, 08:04

All mine started going bad when I hit 160,000 and I've wanted to smash it into a tree a couple times

Before you let them replace an O2 sensor, often times these codes are caused by leaky vacuum lines. In particular, check the one at the left side of the intake manifold, behind the alternator/PS pump.

As for the CEL/ETS/(cooling fan?)...I wonder if all of these could be a bad MAF sensor. What codes are stored for the check engine light? Usually the cooling fan staying on means a bad coolant temp. sensor, but I've heard that on the '99's, the MAF can cause this as well, and your idle problem sounds like it could be that. Try unplugging the sensor next to the airbox and start the engine and see if the idle issue still happens.

jfuhrman · Post by **jfuhrman** » 06 Apr 2010, 08:14

Is there any harm in unplugging the MAF sensor and driving around? If I unplug this and the fan & idle fluctuation disappear - Bad MAF sensor? Is this something that you clean or just replace. I plan to do most of the repairs myself as I love the car and like the mechanical work, but hate paying the high repair bills. I've told my shop this and they know where I stand and are cool with it. Is there any resource that has 'expected failures' for the higher mileage?

Also - regarding the o2 sensor - is this something that I can replace or is it something that needs to be done by a volv shop?

Post by **jblackburn** » 06 Apr 2010, 08:31

No harm in doing it, just don't be real hard on the gas, or it just dumps raw fuel into the cylinders. The fan might still act up, but if the idle stops bouncing around, get a can of MAF cleaner from the auto parts store, and take the sensor off the airbox (two T-25 Torx screws at the back), spray the insides thoroughly (don't touch anything!), leave it disconnected and let it dry for 2 hrs, and then reconnect it. If it still acts up (and didn't when it was unplugged), you'll need to replace it.

The O2 sensor is easy enough to change yourself...pick up a O2 wrench and a can of PB Blaster, and spray the heck out of it the day before. Some people have gotten the universal-fit sensors to work; personally, I would go with a direct-fit Bosch replacement. A can of carburetor cleaner sprayed around vacuum lines with the engine running will help you find vacuum leaks before you go about replacing an already-good sensor though.

As it starts getting older, you can expect most engine electricals to fail. Hoses will soon be an issue as well, but that's standard wear & tear for any car. Time + heat just gets the better of them. Under the hood itself, I've had problems with a MAF sensor, MAP sensor (useless), coolant temp sensor, SAS air pump, and my alternator is on its way out.

jfuhrman · Post by **jfuhrman** » 06 Apr 2010, 08:54

OK - thanks. I'll try disconnecting the MAF and see what that does & also get the codes read to see if that sheds any insight. I've always bought older used cars - so the maintenance is just something that comes with them. Another question - with the symptoms only really seeming to impact me at startup - is there any danger on using the vehicle until I get the issue addressed? It's annoying - but will any damage occur is continuing to use the car with the issues I'm experiencing as my daily driver?

Post by **cn90** » 06 Apr 2010, 09:11

jfuhrman wrote:Is there any harm in unplugging the MAF sensor and driving around? If I unplug this and the fan & idle fluctuation disappear - Bad MAF sensor? Is this something that you clean or just replace. I plan to do most of the repairs myself as I love the car and like the mechanical work, but hate paying the high repair bills. I've told my shop this and they know where I stand and are cool with it. Is there any resource that has 'expected failures' for the higher mileage?

Also - regarding the o2 sensor - is this something that I can replace or is it something that needs to be done by a volv shop?

1. The O2 sensor, just buy the appopriate O2 sensor socket and you can do it.
Apply tiny part of antiseize on the threads (not the tip) to prevent seizing later.

2. The MAF: when going bad, it can cause stalling.
The ECU is programmaed in such as way that when the MAF fails (like completely dead), it runs on "Default" or "Limp Home" mode: injecting only enough fuel for the car to limp home.
- A bad MAF sends bad signal ---> stalling etc.
- A disconnected MAF: the car limps home but will not stall.

I replaced my 1998 V70 MAF using new BOSCH (YES BOSCH Only!!!) from ebay for $145.
Runs like new now.
(You can clean the MAF using MAF cleaner but usually cleaning is short-term remedy).

ratfink_v70_2000 · Post by **ratfink_v70_2000** » 06 Apr 2010, 11:14

Make sure you get correct O2 sensor for your car. They don't like universal and my 99/2000 V70 required a DENSO sensor. Serial numbers and relevant info are on o2 sensor itself which makes it a bit awkward to read. Easy enough to replace if you buy an o2 socket which slips over the wires.
Rich.

jfuhrman · Post by **jfuhrman** » 06 Apr 2010, 11:16

OK, will do. Sounds like just disconnecting the MAF will be a good place to determine if it's the issue or not. They're pricey little things aren't they?! Will the P codes really tell me anything other than something is off with the oxygen sensor, or is there a specific code failure for the MAF?

Also - will some place like Autozone have an O2 socket or is this something ordered from IMport specialist like IPD/FCP?

Post by **jblackburn** » 06 Apr 2010, 11:34

Yes and no. Honestly, the P-codes aren't very helpful unless you know how to interpret them. For instance, mine's currently got a P0172 (mixture too rich). If you didn't know what to look for (a vacuum elbow in most cases), that code isn't helpful at all. The MAF does have an error code associated with it, but usually it will not throw one unless it's not working at all and the car's gone to limp mode.

Yeah, Autozone should have that tool. Just ask someone there - most of the guys (around here - not so much NC) are pretty knowledgeable. Though if you're ordering from IPD/FCP, just put the tool in along with your order.