looking to buy s70 what should i look out for?

[eins]

hello i would like to buy a 1998 volvo s70 5 speed that is being sold.

1.How often should i change the timing belt on these puppies
2. How much mpg does the volvo s70 get
3. Any factory defects or recalls I should be aware of.
4. Are these cars s70 reliable

thanks for your advice.

kind regards

jorge

[Jack Rock]

Welcome to the site!

1. It depends on whether the S70 has a mechanical or automatic tensioner. 70,000 miles or 7 years for automatic, 105,000 miles or 10 years for the mechanical.
2. I get around 9.2 L/100km on my automatic S70 mostly highway with a bit of city driving.
3. None that I am aware of.
4. Reliable? Yes, as far as starting and getting you to where you're going safely. I find they tend to nag at me with annoying problems like oil leaks.

Keep in mind the car is 14 years old and it's hard to know it's history. I find I am constantly fixing something or other but I like to keep it as perfect as possible. I am able to do most of the work myself, if I couldn't it would have broke me long ago. Good luck.

[louty]

I think they CAN be great cars. Not running right, overheated, transmission issues can be expensive.
the year you are looking at I beleive you are safe as far as electronics meaning :
I am currently working on a 2000 s70 non turbo with Denso electronics adn a italian throttle position sensor. ( the turbos have bosch)
Nightmare to figure out and super expensive, like 3 times the price on the denso maf adn 4 times the price of the tps over the bosch systems. It has left a real sour taste in my mouth. where as the other 3 volvos in the family, having all BOSCH systems have been trouble free adn comparatively cheap compared to the Denso one. I beleive this is when Ford motor company took over volvo, thanks ford.
the 98's have been good, it has a 4 speed auto and the newer ones have a 5 speed and get better mpg

if it has not been maintained, then you will want to put a belt and waterpump, etc on soon. If it breaks its a throw away car to many, not cheap if it breaks
the tranny might need to be flushed and changed, critical correct fluid be used ( not refering to brand but type). they dont use a tranny filter so might want to add one when doing a change ( $25 for filter and stuff, in line)
if the pvc has not been serviced, its not cheap or easy compared to say other cars out there. parts can run about 160 and be a half day job for the diy.
learn good aftermarket suppliers, and even dealer suppliers who sell wholesale, helps bring the costs down



good luck

[eins]

The car i am interested in has a 5 speed manual transmission. Should I change the transmission fluid if i get the car? Yeah i heard about the pvc, you have to open the dipstick hole while engine is on and see if white smoke comes out,if it does you have to change the pvc.

i think the 98 has no electronic throttle so that is less to worry about. also no turbo i guess for the 98 5 speed manual transmission s70, another less thing to worry about.

What brand of fuel injection does the s70 use?

[jblackburn]

98 is a great year. No electronic throttle, old distributor ignition system with a Bosch Motronic fuel management system.

Are they reliable? It's a luck of the draw. These cars are very, very tempermental - nonetheless, mine has served me faithfully and never left me stranded. I don't think it has ever NOT leaked oil.

If you can't find any maintenance records indicating when the timing belt was changed, change it immediately. Even if it has a mechanical tensioner, I would absolutely not trust it beyond 70,000 miles.

Look for other things like odd tire wear patterns, darting under acceleration/braking, or torn CV boots under the car to indicate it will need expensive suspension work.

Test out the A/C - 100% of these cars have or have had a failing evaporator.

[precopster]

Most of the injection/management system is Bosch.

Louty was right that the Italian throttle system on the '99 plus cars was a bear, however it IS fitted to ALL models turbo and non turbo up to '01 and non turbos in '02. There was a major warranty extension on this item called ETM and is still a problem with S80s, V70s, S60s and XC70s with these model years.

Sent using Tapatalk 2

[rspi]

T5 means turbo. Other than that, everything is covered above. You can look in the stick threads and find a buyers guide.

Also, my PCV was clogged and did NOT SMOKE. It passed the smoke test.

[jblackburn]

Where do you see T5? I think he's talking about a N/A 5-speed.

Great choice for a pretty fun-to-drive car.

[precopster]

Always wondered how enjoyable a NA 5 speed would be. 168hp isn't too bad with a stick shift.

[jblackburn]

The NAs are burbly and sound fantastic. They have *enough* power. The sticks are about like today's Accord/Camry 4 cylinders, but the auto and crummy gearing just zaps all the power from the NA models.