98 XC V70 Advice

[318mike]

Looking at a 98xcv70 122k one owner with some service records.Anything I should be concerned about?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Ozark Lee]

The bulk of the problems with the early XCs are in the AWD components and they can be pretty expensive to fix. The first thing to look for is to jack it up and see if the prop shaft is there. The prop shaft is the drive shaft from the transfer case to the rear differential. The prop shafts are notorious for going bad and the "cure" is often to remove the shaft and leave the car as a front wheel drive. The prop shafts can be rebuilt but it costs about $700.00 to get it done properly through a place like Colorado Drive Shaft. On my first XC the shaft was long gone so I had to buy a core from a junkyard which was another $70.00.

If the prop shaft is there see if the car has any significant vibrations while you are driving it, particularly at highway speeds.

Check the tires. Uneven tire wear will stress the AWD system. Something as minor as new tires being mixed with worn tires can damage the AWD system.

Check for oil leaks and for a clogged PCV system. A quick and dirty test of the PCV is to pull the dipstick while the engine is running and look for vapor puffs. If you have a rubber glove you can wrap that over the dipstick tube and see if it tries to inflate. Servicing the PCV isn't all that tough but replacing a blown rear main seal that was caused by the PCV is a big deal.

Other than that it is all pretty much the same as any other 70 series car and it will have all of the 70 series problems like the bubbled interior door panels, etc. Be sure to check records or stickers for the last timing belt change to make sure that it hasn't gone way over. The service interval is 70,000 miles.

Even though the '98 model is slightly more prone to AWD problems than the '99 and '00 models it is overall a much simpler car to work on. There were major changes to the ignition system and the ECU starting in '99 that require tools beyond a standard scan tool to deal with.

...Lee

[318mike]

Thanks Lee,Can always count on you for sound advice.Have you ever heard of transmission problems with this particular model car?

[Ozark Lee]

The transmission is no more problematic than the rest of the 4 speed autos which means it is pretty good as automatic transmissions go.

The real problem transmission is the early 5 speed automatic but it only came in the '00 Non Turbo in the P80 cars I think. I've never heard of one being in a P80 XC model.

...Lee

[JRL]

Propshaft is $425 from Colorado Driveshaft

[318mike]

Looked at the car,propshaft is not there and the owner doesn't have it.The rest of the car is pretty sound.Does the absence of the shaft have any ill affects on the car at all?

[Ozark Lee]

Without the prop shaft the car is not AWD and its absence may be masking problems in the viscous coupler or the transfer case. If the car otherwise drives OK and there isn't any grinding or whining the transfer case is probably OK but you won't know for sure. The viscous coupler isn't really a part of the equation until the shaft is installed.

They will run fine, with no other problems, without the prop shaft but it will just be a standard FWD car.

Without the prop shaft there is no reason to pay any kind of premium over a standard V70 beyond the fact that the XC grill and sometimes the paint job looks a bit snazzier.

I'm not sure how Colorado handles shafts without a core but their website likely gives details. If you buy the car you will need to determine whether you have the early version or the late version to get a replacement.

...Lee

[318mike]

Thank you for the info