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New to me 2004 S40 T5

Help, Advice, Owners' Discussion and DIY Tutorials devoted to the second generation C70, S40 and V50 Volvos -- awkwardly model year 2004 ½ onwards -- plus where to go for advice and discussion on Volvo's sporty C30 Coupe powered by Volvo's ubiquitous inline 5-cylinder power plant.
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MadeInAus
Posts: 2
Joined: 8 April 2017
Year and Model: S40 2004
Location: Australia

New to me 2004 S40 T5

Post by MadeInAus »

Had the new (to me) S40 T5 a month or so now and loving the car!
It has 153,000 klm (95,000miles) and a full service history with a Volvo dealership in Melbourne, has had all services (except one skipped on in 2015).

With other vehicles I have owned I changed all fluids etc to get it ready for a life of trouble free motoring, never having owned a Volvo, or a turbo before, is there a list of what to do or just wing it?

I am thinking:

Flush and replace coolant
Flush and replace brake fluid
Flush Trans and replace fluid
Flush and change oil and filter
Flush and replace Power Steering Fluid
Replace Spark Plugs
Timing Belt (plus idler pulley and tensioner)
Auxiliary belt (s)
Air Filter
Round up a set of any needed spare parts (Bulbs / Fuses etc)
Cabin Air Filter
Get new Navigation Disc set
Replace sagging hood lining

Anything I have missed?

mf70
Posts: 146
Joined: 19 February 2014
Year and Model: V50 2006
Location: Washington DC
Been thanked: 2 times

Post by mf70 »

four other weak points:

Engine mounts, especially upper right mount.
Coolant reservoir tank cracking
"T" fitting leaks in coolant return hose
PCV system recall installed.

MadeInJapan
MVS Moderator
Posts: 13434
Joined: 31 March 2005
Year and Model: '98 S70 T5 '07S40T5
Location: Knoxville, TN American but born in Japan
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Been thanked: 35 times

Post by MadeInJapan »

Especially if this is an auto transmission get the coolant return hose replaced just for safe keeping. There is no level indicator for the coolant system...the coolant leaks out on the highway and your engine is toast and approaching 100K miles is usually when the hose goes kaput. I believe it's the lower hose but it might be the upper one. I would do both for safe keeping! Otherwise, if the other fluids look okay (you can test coolant with a hydrometer), I would not sweat that so much or the power steering fluid. Most important is the Timing Belt and tensioner and 2 idler pulleys- yes, I believe your system has 2. Change the T-belt just for the years that's on the car- it's time! Otherwise, for Spark plugs- best bet is go with the Volvo branded turbo plugs- you can't go wrong with them and cheaping out will just cause you frustration. Tranny fluid- you might do a change out but read up on it- varying opinions on whether or not to just drain and fill or not. Make sure you use the right fluid...these are very specific to what is in the tranny!! You can use other than Volvo fluids for cheaper but just do your research- don't trust the parts store. They often have things labeled wrong for Volvo's. That goes for brake fluid too...never use synthetic Dot4 in a Volvo. Your owner's manual will tell you what to use. STick with the right stuff...mixing sythetic with the high temp Dot4 (which I suspect your car has) will cause the fluid in the reservoir and possibly your brake lines to clot. Just be prudent- do it slowly and check things a couple of times. You can save money in the whole ordeal compared to the dealer....but like I've said several times, just make sure you're replacing things with what's meant to be there... T-belt parts too...go with Volvo... don't use cheap 3rd party stuff unless it's verified on the forums by several members to be up to or exceeding what Volvo sells. Sorry for the rant- I just hate for new owners to do things that mess things up when they have good intentions and are doing what they think is right for their Volvo's!
'98 S70 T5 Emrld Grn Met/Beige Tons of Upgrades Mobil-1
'04 V70 2.5T Red/Taupe Some Upgrades Mobil-1
'07 S40 T5 AWD 6 speed manual! Silver/Black Stage1 Heico & Elevate
'07 S60 2.5T Blue/Taupe- my kid's Volvo

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