What do I fix first?

19Golfer55 · Post by **19Golfer55** » 10 May 2013, 12:30

My daughter purchased a 2002 XC 70 AWD online and had the car delivered. It is a mess. There's oil all over the bottom of the motor. From doing a little research on this forum it appears it could be the turbo return line. Does this site have a step-by-step process I can follow to replace the O-ring? What is the best way to remove the oil from the motor? The A/C works until you shut off the blower. Then you have to pull the 5amp fuse and re-insert before it will work. The brakes are shot. The transmission shifts ok but clunks when moving from reverse into forward gear. A check of the ATF stick reveals dark fluid. I see (again from this forum) Mobil 3309 is the ATF to use. I am not certain if several drain and refills will really do the job. The car hesitates upon acceleration.
I tried to contact the seller but they blew me off. Attempts from an attorney provided a valuable lesson I did not know. My daughter and I live in Florida (Panama City). The car was from New Jersey. The attorney sent two notices to refund the money and both were ignored. I was told that while he is bound by the fair disclosure act in Florida I would have to hire an attorney, file and go to court in NJ.
Despite the condition, my daughter really loves her Volvo. I apoligize for the multiple issues. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Post by **mikealder** » 10 May 2013, 14:13

Start with the brakes as they are more safety related than anything else and don't forget to check the handbrake shoes, if these shed their liners they can ruin the rear hub turning a $30 fix in to something far more costly.

Check the engine top mount for play, if this is showing signs of wear change it and also a close inspection of the gearbox lower torque mount is also advised, these two items alone can be responsible for clunks and bangs when you put it in drive/ reverse.

Turbo return pipe, go to your nearest dealer and get the parts required but also check the oil to coolant heat exchanger bolted to the rear of the engine to ensure this isn't the source of the leak.

Next flush the transmission, either drop the contents of the sump and replace with fresh fluid to JWS3309 via the dipstick tube or try a search on the "Gibbons Flush" method, the sump dump can be repeated at 250 to 500 mile intervals a number times to clean the fluid up, the Gibbons method changes all of it in one hit, some users will swear by one method while others prefer the alternate way of doing it. Also consider fitting a Magnafine filter to the gearbox return pipe as this will help keep the fluid clean.

Lastly is the aircon in terms of priority, yes it is nice to have when you are fortunate to live somewhere warm but it isn't critical to the safety of the vehicle and isn't a reliability issue so best to wait for this one - Mike

Post by **vtl** » 10 May 2013, 14:58

Check also if PCV is clogged. Oil can be from leaking camshafts seals, which were pushed out by excessive pressure.

Post by **JRL** » 10 May 2013, 15:04

Let me guess.............TORCHLIGHT MOTORS?
...and of course the AC is a MAJOR priority, they live in Fl for god's sake.
Sounds as if she bought a mess, sell it, take your lumps and buy an 03-04. By the time you're done you will spend double of what this one is worth.
I hate to be the bearer of this news but this one sounds as if it's not going to be worth fixing and why did she buy an AWD living in Fl, it's really not necessary and up THRU the 02 model year, the AWD system can be complex nand are VERY expensive to maintain
I hope you know that all 4 tires MUST be the same brand and all within 3/32" of each others (tread wise) or the AWD WILL fail.
Blow out a tire at half tread life, you need to buy 4 new ones ... and don't think you can get away with buying two, you CANNOT!
After 2003 the AWD system is very different and much more forgiving

(You also need to post your mileage)

Post by **JRL** » 10 May 2013, 16:18

BTW you need to have the breather system checked, a bad turbo return line will not throw oil on TOP of the engine

19Golfer55 · Post by **19Golfer55** » 07 Jun 2013, 11:22

First, I do apologize for the long delay in my response. My boss became ill and I had to take his place on a business trip. I returned last weekend.

"mikealder"; No play in the top mount and cannot see excessive wear. Same for the lower torque mount.
I ordered a case of Mobil 3309 before my trip. Drained the fluid and refilled (about three quarts each drain/refill). I drove the vehicle and found the shifting has improved quite a bit. I'll try the "Gibbons Flush" method in a month or two.
The closest Volvo dealer is half a day's drive from Panama City. I'll check the oil to coolant heat exchanger this weekend. I will also order the Magnafine filter and install within a few weeks.

"vtl"; The PCV is on my "to do" list for this weekend.

"JRL"; Yes, the best solution would be to take the lumps and move on. I decided to buy the Volvo from her and take on this challenge myself. As far as purchasing AWD my daughter's reasoning was understandable. The roads become slick when it rains. Oil seeps up from the ground and covers the road during the initial rain. For some reason, a few folks believe when it rains you drive faster. So she felt AWD was a better choice. She was not aware of the tread requirements. Fortunately, the tires are in good shape.
Yes, you MUST have A/C in Florida. The humidity during the summer is really bad. Hurricane season is another reason for A/C. When the storms hit you must have the ability to defrost your windows.
I'll check the breather system as well. The oil is mainly on the bottom of the motor.
I would like to remove as much of the oil as I can to get a better view of the potential source of the leak. Any suggestions?

Thanks to all for the replies. I almost forgot. The mileage is 137k.

Post by **vtl** » 07 Jun 2013, 12:02

If PCV was clogged for a long time crank/camshafts could develop leaks.

Post by **JRL** » 07 Jun 2013, 12:27

Get it on a lift and start spraying engine cleaner on.
Let it sit
Get a brush, scrub as much of it as you can, hose off.
If you can get a hold of a powerwasher, that will make the job MUCH easier and go a LOT quicker.
Same deal, spray, let sit a little while, powerwash off.
Alternatively, if you have a steam cleaner, even one of the smaller ones, that's even better!
If the turbo dump tube seal is bad that can cause a lot of oil going on the engine.

I disagree about the roads there.
It's not CA where you can go 6 months with no rain. Yes, then the roads are like driving on ice for a couple of hours.
It's FL, it normally rains in Fl much of the time!
I lived in Fl for 4 years, absolutely no need for AWD at all.
It's called have good tires on in the first place

sergio · Post by **sergio** » 10 Jun 2013, 07:32

19Golfer55 wrote: .......... Does this site have a step-by-step process I can follow to replace the O-ring? ......

I'm not (yet) good in diagnostic, but if you state your engine type (either B5234T7 OR B5244T3) I will tear pages of my old VADIS and post them here for you

.

19Golfer55 · Post by **19Golfer55** » 12 Jul 2013, 09:50

I've been out of the country for several weeks and just returned today. I have a week off and intend to spend it working on my vehicle.

"vtl"; I will check the PCV system. Thanks for the suggestion.

sergio; the engine is a B5244T3. Is it possible to scan the pages? I would hate for you to destroy your VADIS.

JRL; Hopefully, I'll start the cleaning process this weekend. A friend of mine has a lift (drive up) so this should make the job easier.

I truly appreciate all the contributions. Without these, I would have sold the XC70. "JRL" will be right. The cost to repair will exceed the value but the education and training I will gain is far more valuable to me (I never said I had common sense). Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate this!