1998 Volvo S70 - what to look for

Post by **cn90** » 06 Nov 2015, 08:49

After a good night sleep, I just came up with some more items:
- MAF (replaced at 110K)
- Door Actuator: passenger side, RR side, and LR side. Not cheap around $120/each at Volvo dealer.
- Ignition Tumbler stuck in position I (can't start the engine). Initially I was dumb enough to spend $250 for a new tumbler, Later on I found the trick: drill the bottom plate and remove it, the small metal piece fell out, this fixed the "guillotine" problem.

PS: If the O.P. thinks I am joking with these long lists, he can search forum for the DIYs written under my username!

Post by **dosbricks** » 06 Nov 2015, 10:53

cn90, the DIYs you have created have been a big asset to this forum. Look at it this way, perhaps you drew un citron so we could all benefit from your experiences. If the OP were only looking for a reliable appliance he would be looking at Hondas.

ferocity02 · Post by **ferocity02** » 06 Nov 2015, 10:53

I bought my 98 S70 with 177K 3 years ago and now it has about 187K. Here's the major issues it's had that I have fixed since buying it.

Clogged PCV
Leaking rear cam seal (because of cogged PCV)
Bad fuel pump relay
Loose lower ball joint (lower control arms)
Shot upper strut mounts
Leaking radiator
Shot alternator
Torn CV boots
Headlight switch fell apart
Ignition barrel/switch
Leaking heater core
Broken front door stop
Burnt out radio lights
HVAC fault (unknown reason, thinking hot/cold blend door)
Broken throttle kickdown switch (needs new cable)
No reverse lights (PNP switch needed a cleaning)
Bad atmospheric pressure sensor
All vacuum hoses were falling apart

Typical maintenance:
Oil/filter changes
Power steering flush
Plugs, wires, distributor cap/rotor
Air filter
Cabin air filter
Coolant flush

Post by **dosbricks** » 06 Nov 2015, 11:03

You could buy a 17 year old (15 years when you purchased) Toyota and have a list just as long.

Seaway · Post by **Seaway** » 06 Nov 2015, 11:03

cn90 is not wrong. Think of every single replaceable item on the car's suspension, ignition system, intake system and brakes and then figure the costs to replace all of those things. Also factor in the cost/time of dealing with rusted/corroded fasteners for every bolt under the car. Below is a bolt I drilled out and then used an air hammer to remove. It took about 3 hours. There were four of those bolts I had to replace in order to get the car aligned.

If I didn't DIY the stuff that has gone wrong, I would have needed to take out a loan. Here is the list of things I have replaced. And this is all after I bought the car and drove it 5 hours home on I-95.

O2 Sensors - Bosch - (186k) 1/18/2015
New OEM PCV sytem
Torque Mount (IPD Poly) 1/26/2015
Transmission Mount (Hutchinson OEM) @ 186k
Silicone vacuum lines from TCV
Used AC blower motor
Heater core (Alvo - improved design) (189K)
Mishimoto Intercooler Hoses (188k)
Silicone coolant/radiator hoses (188k)
Rear Brake calipers, new Bosch Rotors, Akebono pads, new E-brake pads (189K)
Left Front Brake Caliper @ 189K
Midwest ABS Rebuilt ABS Sensor @ 188k
Rebuilt Turbo (new CHRA) @ 188k
Jewel headlights and corner markers (New @ 188k)
Oil changed (189k) (Rotella T6 5w-40)
Battery @ 187k - NAPA
Air Filter @ 188k
New Passenger CV Axle (NAPA - $50) @ 191K
IPD Strut Brace
Front Brake Pads (Akebono) @ 191K
New thermostat (Calstat 87) @192k
New ECT sensor @ 192k
New Spark Plugs @ 192k (NGK BKR7E gapped @ .025)
New Bosch ignition rotor @ 192k
New cabin air filter @ 193k (10/7/2015)
New front rotors @ 193k (Meyle Platinum)
New Upper Engine Torque Mount @ firewall @ 193k (Hutchinson - OEM)
New Front Engine Mount @ 193k (Rein Brand)
Meyle HD control arms installed @ 193k
Bosch fuel filter installed @ 193k
New Meyle tie rod ends @193.5k
New transverse arm bolts @193.5k
Oil change 193.5k (Rotella T6 5w-40)
New NGK plug wires @ 193.5
New Bosch Distributor Cap @ 193.5
New MSD Ignition Coil @ 193.5
New Rear Shocks (Monroe 5975 Oh Spectrum with Monroe 904904 shock mounts) @ 193.7k
Installed Mishimoto silicone lower radiator hose @ 193.8k

This list excludes the performance upgrades I have done.

Post by **FLXC90** » 06 Nov 2015, 11:44

To reiterate, what has been done, and what will it need. The other common thread (no pun intended) is that it would be cost prohibitive to have the dealer, or even an indy do all the maintenance it will need. If you are hands on, and build a bond with the car, awesome, if not, buy something else. The 98 was last year before spynet took over, so it's just mechanical, but it is almost twenty years old, and it is a Volvo, highly engineered, but needy if you want to keep it at stage 0. My 98 N/A bought with 225 on it, got PCV, tune-up and some liquid enhancements, and it's biggest failure is that it starts every day! It really needs tie-rods, and I have a radiator and heater core awaiting installation. But really, that's it.

ferocity02 · Post by **ferocity02** » 06 Nov 2015, 11:51

dosbricks wrote:You could buy a 17 year old (15 years when you purchased) Toyota and have a list just as long.

Very true. I wasn't complaining, just offering a list of things that the OP could potentially look for before buying. When I bought mine I was able to talk down the price a lot because I was able to identify numerous things that needed repair.

Seaway · Post by **Seaway** » 06 Nov 2015, 11:57

I certainly didn't go into the purchase of an old car blindly thinking it would be a walk in the park to keep it running well. I just think people should be aware that it is, at times, a time consuming and wallet emptying experience to keep them running well.

Post by **cn90** » 06 Nov 2015, 12:41

dosbricks wrote:You could buy a 17 year old (15 years when you purchased) Toyota and have a list just as long.

Absolutely correct.
I have owned Honda and Toyota before. At 150K+ miles, the list for Honda/Toyota is very similar, if not the same.

One thing though: Japanese cars seem to have less electronic issues that Volvo and BMW have.

If I have to pick between Volvo and Honda, I'd pick Volvo anytime because Volvo is sexy.

Post by **dosbricks** » 06 Nov 2015, 13:52

cn90 wrote:
dosbricks wrote:You could buy a 17 year old (15 years when you purchased) Toyota and have a list just as long.
Absolutely correct.
I have owned Honda and Toyota before. At 150K+ miles, the list for Honda/Toyota is very similar, if not the same.

One thing though: Japanese cars seem to have less electronic issues that Volvo and BMW have.

If I have to pick between Volvo and Honda, I'd pick Volvo anytime because Volvo is sexy.

This brings to mind the circumstances around the purchase of our S70 back in '98. We were trying to parse out whether to buy a Camry (white over gold + fully loaded for that era) for $26k. I told the salesman that my wife and I would go to lunch and talk it over. We did and went back and told the now salesperson with the manager that we had decided against it. They offered to knock off $500 more. I told them we could get a Volvo for $5k more. The manager said why would we want to pay $5000 more for a Volvo? I said, "A Camry and a Volvo are not in the same league." He had no reply.

One thing that bothered me was that whether you paid $17k or $26k for a Camry, there was little apparent difference on the exterior--same little wheels with same skinny tires, etc. In other words, no bling. Also the Volvo seats were vastly superior.

In the end we found the Volvo we wanted for about the same money. I've never regretted that decision. The S70 has been a superb vehicle. Every brand/model have a few design flaws that have to be dealt with. Learn them (before buying used) and stay ahead of the curve with pm.