Buying a 2002 XC70... red flags?

omojamie · Post by **omojamie** » 03 Feb 2011, 10:08

I'm considering a 2002 xc70 w 124k.
Are there any known issues or 'red flags' I should be aware of as I look at it?
Thanks!!

Post by **jblackburn** » 03 Feb 2011, 10:18

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =9&t=36150

A clogged PCV system is another big job. Air conditioner evaporators are another weak link in all of these models.

Red flags? Strange noises or hard shifting from the drive train. Shifts from the 5-speed transmission are butter-smooth, so if you feel anything out of the ordinary in a test drive, walk away from this car.

FCPEURO · Post by **FCPEURO** » 03 Feb 2011, 22:26

Make sure you take a very close look at the tires, the AWD, and the ETM. If the tires are not all the same brand and tread wear, run, run very fast.

Post by **precopster** » 04 Feb 2011, 06:17

I'm not out to knock Volvos. In fact I am a very big fan, however, after afew clicks about ETM failure I found these:

http://home.comcast.net/~donwillson/VEXED_won.html

http://www.v70xc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6716

Don Willson, a retired qualified electronics engineer set up an organization called VEXED to deal with the potentially dangerous problem of widespread ETM (electronic throttle module) failure in Volvos and many of the dealerships' unwillingness to deal with the issues. He ran a country wide campaign to bring about awareness of the issues that many owners had been facing.

Another forum called carsurvey.org has owner reports of all cars and models. The later 1999-2002s don't seem to fare as well as the 850s overall.

Post by **jimmy57** » 04 Feb 2011, 11:44

2002 XC70 have the NON electronic throttle that is a directly controlled actuator so they are clear of any ETM issue.

Post by **matthew1** » 04 Feb 2011, 12:01

precopster wrote:Don Willson, a retired qualified electronics engineer set up an organization called VEXED to deal with the potentially dangerous problem of widespread ETM (electronic throttle module) failure in Volvos and many of the dealerships' unwillingness to deal with the issues. He ran a country wide campaign to bring about awareness of the issues that many owners had been facing.

Not only that, but he runs (ran) our very own Don's ETM Room here at MVS Forums. That war has largely been fought, so I don't think he visits MVS much any more, but he is active (or was last time I spoke to him) with XeMODeX, which produces replacement ETMs.

I've never met him in person, but I've spoken to him on the phone and he's a heck of a nice guy.

Back on topic, a 2002 in North America will not have a problematic ETM, but other markets may have had them still for that model year.

And yes, do your homework before buying this car. What's been said in this topic is correct. You'll find more in our Volvo Buyer's Guide section.

Post by **JRL** » 04 Feb 2011, 14:42

Of course an 02 and newer TB is electronic, it's just of a different design and manufacturer, (Bosch instead Magnetti-Mirelli).

Post by **jimmy57** » 04 Feb 2011, 16:19

The M-M is a computer that gets a request from ECM and has full control over the linear motor opening the throttle. Bosch (and Denso manufactured on non-turbos) is a motor with position sensors that is directly operated by ECM with no processor in the throttle assembly. Bosch has contact potentiometers and can still wear out but has proven to have really long life and very few failures.