2000 s80t6 P0102 ETM Throttle Body Issue RPM Surge

treestone27 · Post by **treestone27** » 26 Apr 2014, 11:45

Hello Forum,

I have a 2000 s80t6. My RPMs were jumping and the car was surging or cutting off. The shop cleaned the ETM/throttle body. Then, the RPMs were stable for a few months. Now, it started happening again, with OBD code P0102. The shop suggested a new throttle body as the shop said you couldn't clean it more than a couple of times. So, instead of having the shop replace the throttle body, I did the cleaning myself of both the Mass Air Flow sensor and throttle body/ETM, but forgot to put in a gasket. The RPMs were stable, but after a half day of driving the problem came back. I cleaned the throttle body a second time and put a new gasket back in this time. The RPMs were stable for a while, then the pulsating RPMs happened again.

I noticed the pipe going into the throttle body has oil in it (maybe from blown turbo seals? or is it coming from the throttle body?). I tried to clean it out as I thought the throttle body would get dirty from air blowing across the oil covered pipe from the air filter to the throttle body.

So, the question is, must I fix the turbo seals (ie, rebuild the turbos) before it makes sense to replace the throttle body and air sensor? Must I have an oil free pipe from the air filter to the throttle body?

It looks like new throttle bodies are $450 USD (I don't want to risk a used throttle body). If I buy a new one and then it gets all gummed up with oil, that seems like a waste, but fixing the turbos would cost more than the car is worth with 170k miles on it. (The throttle body wasn't that dirty when I cleaned it the first time, a few months after the shop cleaned it).

I was able to clean the throttle body and put the car back together twice, but I'm not a mechanic and that was my first foray into working on the car. So, rebuilding the turbos seems like a complicated endeavor.

The car can't be worth more than $2k to $3k, but I couldn't buy a better car for that price, and I want to keep the s80 for my teenager to drive. I just can't have it shutting off in traffic as he turns left (like it did with me).

Please let me know what you recommend - thanks!

matt5112 · Post by **matt5112** » 26 Apr 2014, 17:40

In that year, you'll have the PTC, which lets the gunky oily vapour from the crank into your drivers side turbo. Take the plastic tubes off and see where it starts. I have a consistent amount from the PTC into the drivers side turbo and back out again.

The best ETM solution is the Xemodex unit. It's pricey, but they make sure everything internally is sound, and install the contactless sensor as well as the latest software.

Also look for cracks in the plastic tubing. They can cause surging and other issues. It is however more likely it's a bad ETM.

Mine are all shot and being held together with silicone. New tubes are on the agenda for this summer.

treestone27 · Post by **treestone27** » 27 Apr 2014, 08:25

thanks for the reply! is xemodex better than a new volvo oem etm? so, i don't need to rebuild the turbo?

jbkeene · Post by **jbkeene** » 28 Apr 2014, 05:43

xemodex is the way to go

treestone27 · Post by **treestone27** » 22 May 2014, 05:40

Well, to sum up my fixes. I put in a xemodex ETM (great customer service), replaced the Mass Air Flow Sensor and replaced the cvvt solenoid (for code P1332). I also had the shop replace the breather box PCV. The ETM switch alone did not do the trick, and just doing the breather box PCV fix did not solve the problem. Once I replaced the cvvt solenoid and put on the new MAF Sensor, then the RPMs were steady, generally. But, I noticed that around 55mph to 70mph, the RPMs had a slight fluctuation (nothing like the surging before), just a sudden, small drop from time to time. Is this normal? Is this a different issue? Any insights?

treestone27 · Post by **treestone27** » 22 May 2014, 05:42

ps....i also now see that b/c of the back pressure previously experienced, my seals in the cam shafts have likely popped loose and that's likely the source of an oil leak. If the car continues to run well, then i'll fix that problem as well but it sounds like a bear as i have to take the timing belt off which seems daunting.

divinedavis · Post by **divinedavis** » 14 Jun 2014, 14:46

I had the same problem. I changed the PCV Valve Oil Trap & that stopped the surging. Check yours to see if there is oil build up around that part. You can get parts cheaper than that at FCPEuro.com & these are genuine parts. Around $200 cheaper.

neworion · Post by **neworion** » 21 Jun 2014, 16:38

divinedavis wrote:I changed the PCV Valve Oil Trap & that stopped the surging.

I've had the surging issue with my 2000 S80 T6. Shipped the ETM for rebuild this morning (Module Masters, $350) and will change the oil trap while I have access. Do you have any advice? I haven't pulled it yet. Are there two seals that should also be replaced? Any special difficulties? Thanks

treestone27 · Post by **treestone27** » 28 Dec 2014, 18:53

an update, i put on the xemodex etm/throttle body, replaced the solenoid, did the pcv breather box replacement and replaced the twin pipes for turbo exhaust...............cured the surging RPMs. (but, unfortunately, the car was then wrecked a few weeks later)