2006 S60 Unstable idle/acceleration. ETM/MAF issue?

NiceGuy · Post by **NiceGuy** » 08 May 2015, 21:28

New to the forum and new to Volvo as of about a month ago when I bought my 2006 S60 T5. Was pleased at first but quickly realized that I have an issue that makes the car extremely unpleasant to drive. I have done thorough research on this problem and have not turned up anything besides the famous etm issue which seems mostly confined to 99-02 models. I have not seen anything about etm issues on later model S60's so I am hopeful this may be something else; although the symptoms are identical to the 99-02 etm failure symptoms. I have not had any codes read and the car is not displaying any MIL's.
On cold startup the rpm's are very unstable and erratic before the engine settles down to normal idle.
The car idles normally most of the time but will bounce around in a 550-700 range occasionally. This is worse when the AC compressor is on or cycling.
On acceleration is when the problem is the worst. When pressing the pedal there is a bit of hesitation and then a sudden burst of power from the engine. Sometimes I can meter out the acceleration and make it smooth, but often I cannot.
Could this be the beginning of etm failure? Is there anything else (MAF, etc) that I can check first? And if I do need a new etm, is ipd the only place that sells them? (out of stock btw) I plan on cleaning mine first before looking further into replacement.
I do wish to avoid the dealership since I don't have the kind of money nor patience to deal with them.
Thank you in advance for any help!

Post by **abscate** » 09 May 2015, 13:19

The Electronic Throttle Module or Body (ETM or ETB) system on the P2 cars is much more robust than the 99-2001 cars. You need to diagnose running problems by evaluating all the stage 0 components before worrying about the ETM.

How many miles are on this car?
When was the PVC last purchased?
Spark plugs and/or coils replaced?
All vacuum hoses need to be carefully inspected for leaks

NiceGuy · Post by **NiceGuy** » 09 May 2015, 15:35

Ok thanks for the reply and insight. I got some maintenance documentation from the previous owner but not a whole lot. 141k miles on the car. Pcv system seems to have been serviced around 10k miles ago. I have no idea when the plugs/coils were serviced last. Should I start with replacing the plugs and testing the coils?
I removed the connector from the maf sensor earlier today and let the car run. The engine started surging terribly so I reinstalled the connector. Surging continued after letting the car sit and restarting (CEL came on as well). I then took the car out on the road and somehow everything normalized. Idle speed was smooth..no hesitation on acceleration..and when the ac compressor cycled it was barely noticeable. The only side effects of this improved drivability were the CEL and a slight bit of sluggishness. After driving around town for a half hour or so and returning home i noticed the original symptoms were coming back so i looked down and the CEL was gone.This all has made me think it has at least something to do with the maf sensor. I could be totally wrong though.

Post by **precopster** » 10 May 2015, 00:45

Amazon's where I usually order mine from. HOWEVER replace MAF first part number Bosch part 0280 218088

Bosch 0280750131 Throttle Body https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006K92TLI/re ... tvb0YZJK4S

NiceGuy · Post by **NiceGuy** » 10 May 2015, 15:30

Thanks Mike. I will update when I make some progress on this.