Looking under your car...should you do it? (98 S70, N/A)

[theWIFES_S70]

I think I severely underestimated the idiosyncrasies of these beautiful P80s. My wife and I love the square shape and the many accoutrements (including the dash squeaks!) which make driving this car so much fun. It's also been fun working on this car. More forgiving than an 86 Renault, less temperamental than the 89/90 VWs, less cramped than the 89 Acura, and a million times more fun than a 99 Nissan. And I've gotten better. I've learned so much with you all. But man, we're in over $3K in parts at this point. And, looking under the car, there is still more to spend... (And who knows how much it'll cost to get the car running after the latest no-start fiasco.)

The following are some pictures I took this morning. If I could get some direction here: what to prioritize, what to ignore, where to go next, that would be great. I have to admit, I'm guilty of trying to get the car in as tip-top shape as possible that sometimes I have the tendency to want to change everything. So some direction here would be immensely appreciated.

Another day, another leak... I knew I had to get the driver's side Corteco seal. But now I have to get the passenger side one! And there's this one point in the oil pan where there seems to be an oil leak. Is this serious? I know I had to change an oil pan gasket once. Suppose it couldn't hurt to drop the pan and clean out the sump and replace some seals right? I know none of that is expensive and the seals are cheap (and the seals go out...), on a level of seriousness, should it be tackled soon?

Ah, the 18-year-old exhaust manifold... a rusty, burnt mess. I know you can't go by looks when you look at exhaust parts. You have to identify where leaks are coming from and replace parts. Hopefully finding the point at which you're tripping the P0133. Which, as of late, has been jockeying for first position with my P0455. The two codes are almost always occurring in unison now. Whereas before, the P0455 would occur every three/four days by itself. Not anymore. (I suppose the P0455 got lonely!)

In reading the posts on MVS, it's quite possible that there's a leak at the flex pipe--or anywhere before the 02 sensor--that is triggering the P0133. I'll try to smoke it this week to be absolutely sure. It's a rusty mess, no? Is this what these things look like when they start to leak? To be honest, we've always had really strong exhaust smell when driving the car and idling at red lights or stop signs. So there are definitely leaks down there. Pricing a manifold, flex, cat, pipe, muffler thing is, well, another $1K... maybe I can get everything from the flex pipe onward for $400/$500 at a "reputable" muffler shop... maybe... What is the life of an exhaust manifolds? I saw that FCP is selling a ProParts one for $150. Would anyone advise getting one of those, putting that in, that and then getting something (anything?) welded/bolted on? I can't see myself spending $1K for a sweet exhaust...

The pipe right before the catalytic converter looks to be developing a stalactite (or is a stalagmite?)... The catalytic converter is rusted through and through...

I love the FCP video on changing motor mounts. They're such a neglected part of engines and, well, it's definitely something you should do if you care about your ride and the health of your engine. The mounts aren't horrible. But they are showing their age. They're a little compressed and there are a bunch of little cracks all around each one. These were definitely going to be part of my goal of "restoring that OEM ride." (I even got my swivel sockets in preparation!) Well... I'm thinking there are a few other things to consider first. Can someone tell me what those rusted lines underneath it are? Those lines are horrible. They are the ones that run right alongside the transmission mount. I've seen steel that developed a hole , and those lines will develop something sometime soon...

Rear motor mount looks like the front. Compression, peeling... the lines that are rusted solid in the previous picture continue here and are significantly less corroded. Again, what do these lines do? Should I be concerned about them?

Thanks for looking and for reading. Hope everyone has a great week!

[abscate]

Engines do seep oil, fluids etc, but if you don't drop anything on the driveway, the leaks are too slow too worry about.

The rusted manifold looks nasty but you leave these alone until they hole too..many miles away.

[rspi]

The lines you keep referring to are power steering lines. Mine look the same. In the cars current location, none are rusted so I'm going to get a pair of used ones.

As for all of that rust, I would probably ride it out. If you really like the car you can likely find a clean one in the south and get it home for some maintenance with less expense.

[mecheng]

Take heed to your own words in your 2nd paragraph, you will go crazy trying to bring a daily driving car into show room condition. Most of what you have shown is surface rust, and virtually all exhausts have a bit of it. For non exhaust areas, try some rust conversion, it works really well. It converts the rust into a phosphate, but it works much better when the temps are warm.

Otherwise, the surface rust is not that harmful, many times it just develops a protective skin and doesn't get worst. Once that is done, spray some rust inhibitor or take it somewhere to get done (I've done it both ways). For the rubber, spray with silicon but avoid the intake as it can harm the O2 sensor.

[kahl]

That exhaust pipe aft of the converter should be repaired. On all five of our V70 XC the pipe broke in that area. You need to find a local Indy exhaust shop that that can cut and splice a pipe. It usually costs about $60.00 to $80.00 for this repair.

Your P0455 should start with a emissions schematic for your car from a dealer. From this schematic you can trace all of the hoses hoping to find one that is cracked or split.

[dosbricks]

All of the above advice is spot on.

Those motor mounts look about like my wagon does with the same 160k mileage. Changing them is not an immediate need, but something you can put on the list for a balmy summer day this year or next. On my wife's S70 at 220k the rear mount looked a lot worse than yours but was still not leaking any of its fluid. The rear mount absorbs most of the engine torque so usually gives up first.

We are both in the same boat as far as already being deeply invested in parts. My plan is to soldier on. The more you work on these cars, the more the love edges out the hate in the relationship.

[theWIFES_S70]

Thank you all for the replies. I was having a crises of "Volvo faith" last night. In my head, I keep saying, "replace everything, and then the car will last 500,000 miles!" When I know, to think that is folly. But then, being that this is primarily my wife's car, I just don't want it to leave her stranded. (Well, unless I'm there of course!)

abscate, I won't worry about those leaks. Except for the gearbox leaks... I'll get to those soon. There is nothing leaking on my driveway. (Unlike my brother's V70 power steering fluid which loses about a cup every night.)

kahl, I'll smoke that exhaust and see where the leaks are. I could probably get a cat and muffler welded on for $250 around here... (And I believe the OEM cat is worth something like $75, no? So that'll contribute a little to the job...) I want to make there are no leaks in the exhaust that would contribute to the P0133. But do you think that flex pipe can handle having something welded onto it? Or can I get an aftermarket flex pipe welded on? I'm sure there is some likelihood of having stuff fall off when the muffler shop takes a sawzall to it. But what's life if there's not a little danger in it?

dosbricks, thanks. I will forget about those motor mounts! I'll keep an eye on them. I'm looking forward to seeing them spew liquid!

rspi, the power steering lines, oh man. So if they get a hole in them, power steering fluid will come out of them? I would imagine that might be a big failure point in power steering systems up here in the Northeast, what with all the snow and salt. I'll keep an eye on my power steering fluid. The level's been pretty consistent throughout. Perhaps one day I will pick up something out from NM where you are and drive it back. Sounds like it'd make for a great story.

mecheng, thank you for the words of encouragement! As for the rust inhibitor thing. Would you suggest doing something like that to the coolant lines behind the engine? Those seem pretty bad... Or should I just forget about it?

[dosbricks]

....But then, being that this is primarily my wife's car, I just don't want it to leave her stranded.

I've felt the same about my wife heading out in an 18 y.o. vehicle, but with about $2800 in new parts and everything critical now replaced, the chance of breakdown is hopefully no more than on a relatively new car.

[scot850]

The muffler pipe for the AWD from the cat to the join above the rear axle was (I think) only about $90-100 from Tasca. You will need a new band clamp at the cat end, and possibly at the other end, but as I don't have a FWD I don't know how it is held together at the rear.

Neil.

[benpineapple]

A power steering line going out at least isn't life threatening, if you're prepared to muscle your way home. The motor mounts don't look catastrophic; is the idle while in gear pretty hard? Any hard shifts at high speeds? Sometimes when those mounts are really bad, the whole car will feel like it shakes when shifting.

I agree with everyone else, focus on power steering lines, then the exhaust cleanup.