Is this a bad ETM? Even without fault codes?

[MilwaukeeV70owner]

I've recently been made more aware of this problem with my 2000 XC 70 where the idle seems to act funny. Here's a video I shot while waiting for the Volvo service guy to open the garage door:

At 15 seconds into it, i lightly tapped the gas, and then It acts up.



It does this all the time now, even when the engine warms up. Luckily, it hasn't stalled on me yet. I had read the "Signs of a failing ETM and its relation to the MAF sensor" post that appears in this forum, and it described VERY accurately(except the stalling part) all the symptoms I've been having. Armed with the posting and other research I conducted, I asked the service person at Volvo if I should just get my ETM cleaned? He advised me to get "it" put under some diagnostic test, and the Mechanic told me my ETM came back with no fault codes. The mechanic wants to do more "testing" on a day when the car can sit and "really get to the bottom of the problem". He did replace my MAF for free which is nice, but it did nothing.

My car has a long paper trail of being serviced at the dealership, so it has the required maintenance(software updates verified) And...it...has...176,000...miles on it

Here's what the mechanic thought were potential problems which required further testing:

1. He said there was no "rest" pressure (?)

2. It was not the MAF

3. When the car shuts off, ETM closes/opens, then releases vacuum(He had a hard time describing this--essentially it's something funny with pressure)

4. Crankcase pressure/ ventilation are not acting normally---wants to do compression check

5. Possibly an auxiliary belt may need tensioning

6. I need a new fuel pump(its been bad for maybe 2 years now, but I've been too cheap to buy a $420 pump)

So I guess my question is: Should I just replace/clean the ETM anyway? or could my symptoms be another problem, or both?

Any advice would be sincerely appreciated...Thanks

[fast850]

I would clean the ETM, "well". It is important to get the shaft bearing surfaces clean, not just the throttle plate and throat. A link to a cleaning vid is here http://volvoforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41105 I dabbed some this synthetic oil around the shaft to keep it lubricated. If your battery is old..,,..replace it. The servo in the ETM is very sensitive to low voltage and an old battery will pull down the DC bus voltage.

I told a guy on Volvoforums who had replaced his ETM and was still having trouble to replace his battery, he did and the ran perfectly.

[MilwaukeeV70owner]

I have a new battery (less than 6 months).

Today I removed the ETM, and cleaned it very well. Initial startup presented no problems, it ran smooth as butter...I smiled. Later in the day I gave it a test drive, and when I started it up, the "ETS" warning light appeared!!! Driving it seemed better than normal, but there was something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Then at a stop light, I shifted into neutral, and my whole car just shutters! I drove it back home.

Could I have damaged the electronics with my cleaning? I did remove the unit when cleaning at the harness by the starter, but from what I've read, that should be fine. Or, what about the the “Engine Management” relay located in the smaller auxiliary fuse box located by the left strut tower. Should that be replaced ?

I'm about 'this close' to plunking down the money for the XeMODeX. I would greatly appreciate any advice.

[fast850]

There are o-ring seals on the throttle shaft so it is highly unlikely that anything you did got to any electronics, I just pulled the shaft out of my bad one to check. While doing this I discovered something amazing, the shaft is mounted in sealed ball/roller bearings. Great engineering.

What about the fuel pump if it's been bad for two years it might be time to replace and you can get fuel pumps for less than $420

look here http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/p ... ory_id/149

You don't need the whole cartridge just put a new pump in yours.

It could be so many things, you weren't real descriptive with exactly what happened but in the end maybe you need a new ETM.

[MilwaukeeV70owner]

I agree that I need a new pump YESTERDAY, but the throttle issues seemed more "in your face". Thanks for the link.
I just got back from another test drive, and the car actually does pretty much the same thing it did b4 I cleaned it. Except now when I stop and put the car in park, it vibrates something fierce. I'm far from a mechanic, but I will figure this out! 10 Minutes ago I spent the $549 for a XeMODeX ETM...It cant hurt.

I'll post an update after I throw the new one in.

[matthew1]

Putting this in the regular 850/S70/V70/XC70 1993-2000 forum because it may not be the ETM, and it'll get more views there.

[iselloil]

ETM, my 1999 does the same thing.

[MilwaukeeV70owner]

After going to a Whole Foods Friday night, My car finally went into "limp home" mode. It wouldn't rev past 1500rpm and no reverse for some reason??? So this morning, with my car stuck in an underground parking garage, I replaced my old ETM with the new XeMODeX ETM. It started normally, and presented no CEL or ETS light on the panel. I have to admit I was quite pessimistic about the switch, but driving back and forth(moving day) in city driving, the car runs beautifully! I cant remember the last time it maintained a normal idle. BTW, I went to an Autozone to have them reset the cars' CPU, even though it probably wasn't needed.
It has only been about 12 hours, so this could be premature, but WOW I'm glad I finally got this straightened out.

[s70_indy]

Dear MillwaukeeV70owner,

Since it has been about 3 weeks since you installed the new ETM have you had any more issues with the performance of your car.
I have a car that is having the exact same problems that your car was having, I have tried cleaning the ETM, charging the battery to make sure there was a full charge,swapping out the relay's and cleaning the MAF. It will run good for about 5 days then go back to the shaking and surging.
Thanks,

Michael

[bobice]

did you guys check if there is leak on the temperature and the pressure sensors on the charge air pipe to the throttle body (TB)? One of my temperature or pressure sensors is loosely attached and I put a wire down to secure it.