New Volvo owners! XC90 Welcome Topic!

Snoble4109 · Post by **Snoble4109** » 31 Dec 2017, 17:48

Hi all, new to this forum and to the world of Volvo ownership. Just purchased a 2005 XC90 2.5t FWD with 123,000 miles. I researched until I was blue in the face and hope I have made the best decision with the model year and engine choice. I purchased it on eBay from a dealer that only sells Volvos and has a very good reputation. I am excited and think this car will be great for my family! The tires are new and timing belt was done at 95,000 mi. It did have the tranny replaced at 60,000 miles, which I thought was atypical for this engine. If anyone would kindly share any tips or maintenance items with me that would be wise to complete from a preventative standpoint, that would be great. I’d love to hear any high mileage stories from folks who own the 2.5 like I just bought. Thank you all and I look forward to becoming an active member of the forum!

Post by **June** » 31 Dec 2017, 19:56

Welcome to the family! June

Post by **cuhfs** » 01 Jan 2018, 21:59

Welcome. The transmissions are weak points on these vehicles. Drain and fills every 30k is probably a good idea. PCV every 100K so check the maintenance record if it was done. Repairs and maint can be very expense but this forum can save you a lot of time and money. Enjoy and good luck!

Post by **oragex** » 02 Jan 2018, 00:18

Welcome, I thought you were going to say you researched until you found a blue XC90 which is quite rare. As mentioned it is a good time to replace the pcv and also the transmission fluid. The awd is the weak point on this vehicle, the easy way to test it is with the engine off try to turn the driveshaft by hand, it should not move.

Post by **matthew1** » 02 Jan 2018, 03:29

Welcome to MVS. Post some photos when you can. We’d love to see her.

XCAndy · Post by **XCAndy** » 03 Sep 2018, 00:18

I hope this info finds everyone with an XC 2.5t, maybe even the 3.2. The most sugar coating I’ll do her is, I love my XC90 and I’d like to (need to) keep it going for another 12-18 mos. These white blocks are great, and it’s true that they still have the factory honing marks on the cylinder walls after 200k+!! So, my advice, in addition to all the PCV info you’ll find; on this site and others; is to also r&i your pulleys before 200k, and only put premium fuel in the damn thing. Ever. Long story short, the wife continually put 87 (unkonwn to me) in the car and an exhaust valve burned. DIY head job (with some professional help here and there), turbo rebuild while I was at it, and, of course, pcv clean out for the 2nd time!

That was winter of 2016. Shortly after that, the car started developing some strange sounds. After listening, recording, researching, I determined what the sound resembled. It was as if the steering rack was about to fall out of the bottom of the car. I was worried, but the sound only happened for a few seconds... startup, reverse down the driveway, and about 5 yards down the road. Based on my research, I really feared it was the steering rack. I priced them, I repeatedly went over the repair procedure in VIDA and planned for the special tool needs that would arise.

Look. I like preventative maintenance. But for a steering rack; if it ain’t broke...

Fast forward to today. Wait, rewind. During this time, I also had to replace the radiator due to a leak. So Amazon delivered, in 2 days, a $70 radiator. This radiator was so cheap that within 8 months it failed and mixed transmission fluid with coolant. Even though the return window was up, I received a refund, but the damage was major. After a second radiator, this time from fcp, and a transmission flush the XC seemed back to factory settings - except for this steering rack chatter.

I began discussing the rack replacement with my wife, and talked to my buddies that have a shop w/ lift. And of course, flushed the PS system to see if there was a change in behavior. No effect.

This b of a car was whining about something, but I could not find similar experiences with the Volvo community.

Fast forward to last week. The wife was on her way to work (early morning). I awoke to multiple text pics of the engine compartment and first-hand descriptions of a loud bang and the serpentine belt slapping the interior of the hood. She pulled over in a abandoned parking lot and called her mom to pick her up and take her to work while I slumbered.

On careful inspection of the pics, I realized there was something wrong with the alternator. The serpentine belt was resting on the shaft... but there was no pulley. WTF!

Before heading into work myself, I drove down to the abandoned lot and confirm my suspicion. Alternator pulley is gone.

The local indy Volvo shop wants $1k to replace the alternator. Who cares what the stealership wants at this point... After reviewing a few options, I decide to replace the pulley - myself. VIDA gives me the confidence I need. I was pleased to find out that Auto Zone has the pulley separator tools that fit this European beast. But you will have to remove the alternator if you go this route. If you have the Volvo special tool 9512849, it can be done while still installed (much faster).

Come to find out, the alternator pulley was causing the car to behave in the manners described earlier. I guess the rusty, old, worn out pulley was dragging the whole car down. No longer does the steering rack chatter, and the car is super quiet on start-up. Reminds me of when we first got the car.

So, the moral of this story is, as a preventative maintenance item, replace your pulleys. My A/C compressor, my alternator, and my ps pump have 230K - but the pulleys are less than 10k.

Post by **shiloh51933** » 10 Sep 2018, 07:47

: 23782.jpeg (357.61 KiB) Viewed 1746 times

lI'm not new to Volvo or MVS, I just added a 2004 XC90 T6 to my Volvo collection. 1owner, certified Volvo w/all maintenance and repairs completed at Ramsey Volvo in NJ. Every recommended maintenance item was completed as per manufacturer recommendations (ATF services, differential service, crankcase oil service, coolant, brake fluid, wheel bearings, front end item, suspension, propellant shaft, ect )

Post by **shiloh51933** » 11 Sep 2018, 07:50

Wow I f'd up, I never to meant to try to highjack this thread...I thought it was a thread for new Volvo XC90 owners. My apologies to the thread starter.

Post by **ggleavitt** » 11 Sep 2018, 09:21

Can absolutely be a thread extension for new owners, it's what the forums are all about.

I'll hope that you've read up on the T6 and the 4T65EV/GT 4-speed transmission. Any idea if this is the original transmission?

Post by **shiloh51933** » 22 Sep 2018, 07:19

ggleavitt wrote: ↑11 Sep 2018, 09:21 Can absolutely be a thread extension for new owners, it's what the forums are all about.

I'll hope that you've read up on the T6 and the 4T65EV/GT 4-speed transmission. Any idea if this is the original transmission?

I've heard that they are a weak point and I knew someone who had issues with the tcm.
But I'm always open to gaining more knowledge on the topic. Break it down for me...
I'll go through service records again but I don't remember reading about replacement but there is service history at every 30k for the ATF and I believe the filter.