1998 S70 T-5 odometer problem

V0LV0S70 · Post by **V0LV0S70** » 04 Aug 2010, 07:34

Hi all,

First off, I'll be trying to rebuild my ABS module thanks to the excellent post here on 'how to'. Thanks!!

I have a '98 S70 T-5 and, among other small problems, the odometer is unlit, or doesn't work.(it's digital -LED?- if it matters). The trip odometer works, just the Odometer doesn't. The ABS and TRACS dash lights are on (wow, big surprise) if that matters to the odometer issuer. Any thing to check for before I start looking for instrument cluster assembly?

bigwong · Post by **bigwong** » 04 Aug 2010, 13:10

My 98 S70 has a mechanical odometer/tripmeter recently repaired with the gears sold on e-bay. When you say the odometer doesn't work, what doesn't it do?

Post by **jblackburn** » 04 Aug 2010, 13:18

Sounds to me like if the LCD display is out, you're going to need to get a new gauge. You can pick up a new instrument cluster from a junkyard, or they're up for sale all the time on Ebay. You will need a '98 instrument cluster; 99's and newer will not work.

It doesn't happen often, but I have seen LCD's crack in extreme cold. I took an old cell phone out of my pocket in on a lovely 2 degree windy morning on my way to class, and the screen cracked instantly.

V0LV0S70 · Post by **V0LV0S70** » 04 Aug 2010, 19:33

Thank you both.
bigwong, I don't think there's a 'gear' as it's digital (LED), and it wasn't lit, so it's cooked.
jablackburn, I suspected it was that, but hoped it was something I could test, then fix. No cracks though.
2 degrees, and windy, that puts it at about 5 below I'm guessing, depending on wind speed! (where I am it often gets like that in winter).

thanks for that, and any that come afterward.

I'll be back with my 'how do I fix the stupid "two handed shift release lock" thingee to get out of park, solenoid cleanse/replacement, but that's a forum for another post!

V0LV0S70 · Post by **V0LV0S70** » 07 Aug 2010, 08:02

Follow up question! by that I mean, I should have asked this at the beginning...

When the new instrument cluster goes in, is there any way to alter/enter the actual miles that the car it is going into has, or is that something one can't tamper with? i.e. my car has 140k the new cluster has a different amount, can I change what's on the cluster to read 140k?

thanks

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 07 Aug 2010, 08:25

I believe that a dealer can reprogram the cluster to actual miles but they will need to retrieve the actual reading from the old cluster and file a bunch of paperwork. As a result it won't be cheap.

...Lee

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 07 Aug 2010, 11:26

V0LV0S70 wrote:Hi all,

First off, I'll be trying to rebuild my ABS module thanks to the excellent post here on 'how to'. Thanks!!

I have a '98 S70 T-5 and, among other small problems, the odometer is unlit, or doesn't work.(it's digital -LED?- if it matters). The trip odometer works, just the Odometer doesn't. The ABS and TRACS dash lights are on (wow, big surprise) if that matters to the odometer issuer. Any thing to check for before I start looking for instrument cluster assembly?

Just out of curiosity, is the odo actually accumulating miles as you drive?
Or is it just "there".

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 07 Aug 2010, 11:28

bigwong wrote:My 98 S70 has a mechanical odometer/tripmeter recently repaired with the gears sold on e-bay. When you say the odometer doesn't work, what doesn't it do?

You have 1998 70 series car with a MECHANICAL odo?
I have never heard of this...I would have expected it to be LCD...

That seems really odd.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 07 Aug 2010, 11:40

V0LV0S70 wrote:I'll be back with my 'how do I fix the stupid "two handed shift release lock" thingee to get out of park, solenoid cleanse/replacement, but that's a forum for another post!

It's quite often the microswitch in the shifter console. It tells the shift lock solenoid that the shift lever is in "Park".
If the switch goes bad (and after 10 years or so...They Do...), the shiftlock solenoid won't operate and you can't get
the car out of park without using the manual button on the console. I just fixed mine and I still reach for the button!

Here's the IPD replacement for the microswitch:
http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-S70V70-1998 ... -813-3109/

V0LV0S70 · Post by **V0LV0S70** » 10 Aug 2010, 09:53

Yippee! ABS/TRACS lights are off. Another success thanks to MVS, and Ozarkansas Lee. I used a utility knife to dig out the old sealant/silicone, and if I had know before hand what shape the joint was, or how the top connected to the bottom, I could have separated them with out a scratch. I also got the compression washers off pretty easy by putting a drop of dw-40 on them, and then carefully(!) worked the utility knife blade under the washer. Then I pried it up just a bit (pry it towards the post - or up to the center of the module, so if the blade breaks it goes down, not up into your eye. Safety Glasses! Then I used one of those glasses repair kit tiny flat screwdrivers and popped them right off - and reused them (overkill).

Thanks All!