Needing Advice on Used 1998 V70 AWD S.W

[NickthatOneKid]

Okay , My gf loves Volvo's so i ended up buying a V70 S.W for her recently. I actually like..love the little car.
Everything seems to be alright except;

when going over speed bump's there's a loud bang from the front end , the rear hop's the bumps no problem.

I know it needs a cv joint and possible tie rods from doing a complete turn and that clicking noise is heard.

Also the top of the engine leaks oil from some where, I bought this a few days ago .

upon inspection from me, i could only offer him 1400 which he gladly took.

Unfortunately Houston Tx has a very bad rep for shoty Volvo work even at the dealerships

I have worked on cars before, i even bought a 93 850 that had a Ford F-150,000 back up into the front end and i ended up fixing it all for like 200 ! but that was all cosmetic work and a bit of searching too. We had to sell that one though because she lost her job and we needed rent $

Here's the ad whom i bought it from
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2543127043.html

My Question is ; this engine didnt have that 'Volvo piece ' that lays on top the engine...grrr.. and it seems the engine oil leaks from either the oil cap on top the engine or from the oily plug the 2nd one down from the left.
Does this look right to anyone else ??? what precautions should i take ? And immediate maintenance ? i wanna keep this one!

Thanks Alot you guys, i have been a spectator for awhile but now i may need help as i have a feeling this isnt cosmetic stuff
YoU GuYs ArE AwEsoME !!
Nick
Ohio Native in a Texan land !i can take better pics tomorrow my driod was too big mb's to upload to ill use my gf s 3mp camera

[Ozark Lee]

Welcome to MVS Nick,

I moved your post to the appropriate forum where it will get the most knowledgeable responses.

As far as the front end clunk goes, most of the time that is a broken spring seat at the top of the strut. That theory is easily tested by grabbing the inverted castle washer(s) above the strut tower and trying to twist them. With a good spring seat they should twist very little and put up good resistance to twisting at all. With a bad spring seat they will twist quite easily.

Other things might be a bad sway bar end link but you will just need to jack the car up and see what moves around on the suspension and steering to find out for sure.

They are a common failure item but most of us have been replacing them with OEM XC90 spring seats and I have not heard of a single failure with one of those. Avoid like the plague aftermarket spring seats (or anything that says Scan Tech) as their half life is around 5 months.

The oil under the spark plug cover really isn't that bad. I have seen much worse. A bad oil cap gasket can easily cause that but check the PCV system (on these cars it is a system, not a valve) before you replace the gasket. The balloon test is good for checking the PCV. Put a small balloon over the dipstick tube and see if the balloon tries to inflate.

...Lee

[NickthatOneKid]

Hey lee Your right !

From looking at the car hood head on, The left spring seat turns easy, the right not so much.

I also was about to attempt the balloon test and once i started her up and pulled the dipstick out i noticed a considerable about of clear to white smoke from the dipstick nozzle where the dipstick for the oil goes.

I see there is in fact oil spiting out from under the oil cap that sits on top the engine. I have more photos and i would like to up load a video or link out to Youtube !I desire to get this Volvo correct because its a gift to my gf and she is very excited about it and i am excited to learn as i love to fix stuff !!!

Also , Here's a ad from a fella im trying to get some 17' wheels from (Volvo of course) im going to try to get some needed sensors like the evaporation sensor ! and maybe a extra mass air flow. Only thing is he has a 1998 C70 as i have the V70-

Wondering your opinion on same year but different model sensor parts - i may try to get them strut seats from him too !!
http://houston.craigslist.org/pts/2552325441.html

Thank god for CL !
It kinda sucks in Houston as parts and labor are excessive and over priced so this half-way project is something i am really gonna shoot for the star with Here's some more photo's , I will appreciate any advice even if it's 'hey the kid one nick -get a life' lol !! I will keep you posted on my progress .

By the way i am 27 and i am a vending locator , if you need a great moneymaker spot for your soda,snack,atm or candy machines let me know i also telemarket any advice will be free work from me !

Nick!

[NickthatOneKid]

Oh yeah , so you left off when the balloon does inflate is that the PCV system or do you think its the Oil cap gasket ?
Also hey Thanks Lee man your too awesome !!!

[Ozark Lee]

If the balloon is trying to inflate I would avoid replacing the filler cap gasket until you service the PCV. It may actually be working as a pressure release valve and save some other really expensive things to change like the rear main crankshaft seal or camshaft seals.

Servicing the PCV is a PITA on these cars since the intake manifold needs to come off and it takes $125.00 or so in parts. We have a good writeup pinned at the top of this page on the PCV servicing.

If you are handy with a wrench, or a 1/4" drive socket with a couple of extensions and a swivel joint to be more precise, you can change out the PCV system in 2 or 3 hours the first time around. It gets quicker after you have done it once.

...Lee