1998 V90 Lack-luster performance.

[jacobharding]

So a friend of mine has his eye on a 1998 V90 and asked me to come look at it with him. I obliged but all my volvo experience is with 850's only.
The car is very nice. Idles very smooth and quiet and all. The concern I had was with its performance or lack there of. The car accelerates and shifts very smooth but it takes all of 20 seconds to achieve 60 mph. I didn't try but I doubt the car would do 80. The car had nowhere near the pep and torque that I would expect from an inline six. In my opinion an 850 n/a would blow the doors of this V90. Is this the way they are or is there an issue here? A clogged up cat was my first thought but the car quickly and effortlessly tachs to 5000 rpm when in park just as you would expect it too. My next idea is to test fuel pressure. Is there anything else in particular I should be checking for on this car? Other important items to check that are unrelated to this issue would be appreciated as well.
Thanks.

[danr960]

Does the check engine light up when the ignition is switched on without starting the engine?

Thinking that maybe there is a code to be read but the light is usually on to alert you.
But not all codes trigger the dash lamp, so maybe a reading might be called for.

I thought the same two things you did. The I would also check the air filter box, lift the air filter and see if it choked up with debris. The other items is to check the MAF, and the throttle sensor.
I would check connections, sensors seem to be fair durable, it is the electrical connections that are suspect.

Knock sensors? Correct fuel octane?

DanR '94 964 387,000 miles (153,000 on the new engine)

[JDS60R]

Back to basics.
If compression is good then look at air fuel sensors (oxys should have been renewed every 100K with proper Bosch direct fit units) and new plugs and filters as well.

They are a little bit less peppy on average but not that much. I have only driven a few so perhaps an owner who has his at Stage 0 or better can chime in.

[jacobharding]

Thanks, guys.
TPS and MAF hadn't occured to me. My run-ins with either of these have always resulted in either very rough idle or No-run situations. My friend is going to try to persuade the seller to let him take it home this weekend so we can tinker around with it.
I am pretty certain this is an engine problem and not transmission but do any of you have any knowledge of the life span and/or fail rate of these. I know it is not an issue but he would like to know.

[jacobharding]

Also wanted to add that the car has been siting for about a year so just having older fuel in it certainly is not helping things. We are gonna try running most of the 1/4 tank out and adding some premium and possibly a little water remover.

[lindy8_man]

What mode was the tranny in? If it was set to "W" winter mode, it has a slower acceleration for driving on Frost and ice. The 9 series is a big heavy car to be sure! But it is no slouch either. It should get up and move and make it to 80 as smooth as can be no problem.

[jacobharding]

We tried W S and E with no noticeable change in performance. I believe Winter mode simply skips 1st gear altogether. We were able to count all four gears with crisps shifts. Unlike my 850's there did not seem to be any difference in shift points between Sport and Economy mode.

[Ethan Rode]

Something else to try:
There is a thermostatically controlled vane beneath the airbox. This vane allows the engine to take in warm air from around the exhaust manifold for cold days, or cold air from the large intake duct. When the thermostat fails, (probably has by now) it fails in vane closed position. So the intake is reduced to the 2" silver hose, instead of the 4" intake duct, creating quite a restriction, and resulting in turd-like performance.

[jacobharding]

Turns out all it needed was some fresh gas and the opportunity to stretch its legs a little. It seems to be running top notch now.