Reliability of V70XC 1998 in the electronics aspect?

[charlitos1988]

I get near an V70xc with less than 150,000 km but I don't know if they are realiable?

I know the AWD is the first thing that goes off. but for me the most worrying things are electronics, how reliable is the electronic aspect of this cars?

Also I read somewhere that since 1999 all the Volvos have some ECM or ignition thing that became electric while in the past was just mechanical?

I don't like electronic nightmares: like car not starting, crazy wiper blades, crazy DIM, crazy lights or things like.

so any opinion?

AND comparing the V70 reliability vs 850 reliability (again in the electronics aspect) which is the most reliable?

[Clemens]

The up to 98 (before the ETM came) are quite trouble free. Even after that they were not bad compared to say an Audi.
There are way more troublesome cars to tinker around with. Up to 95 the 850ies had the OBD 1 blinky box which enabled you to diagnose car problems without an OBD reader. Plus, the 96 and later ABS module is prone to failure, but it is easy to fix yoursel or midwest ABS will gladly do it for you.

Most of the electrical problems that occur are easy to solve. I think in all the years I've been on here I rarely saw a p80 Volvo being written off due to electronic problems.
The 2001 till 2003 V70 2 is said to have problems due to bad solder being used which causes electrical gremlins.
I think you can't really go wrong with wither the 850 or V70, it is a personal taste thing.

Be aware of the problems the AWD system can cause. they are pricey to repair, and parts can get hard to find. If your country lets you get away with it, you could run it as FWD only, but where I live for example I couldn't.

[Richard99]

I have had both a 1998 V70 and currently have a 2000 V70XC. I've not had electronic issues with either car. The main things of concern are electronic throttle modules of these 99-00 vehicles. They use a throttle position sensor with a potentiometer which wears out a resistive strip over time. In 98' and older cars the throttle body is just actuated by a cable connected to the gas pedal. In 99' and newer, they switched to electronic throttle modules. Advantages of going electronic is removal of the distributor cap and rotor system as well as the idle air control valve. Can also implement electronic cruise control which is a much better system than the vacuum operated system of older cars in my opinion.

I have not had any issues with my ETM, but having heard of so many problems with them, I found a Xemodex unit in the junkyard and swapped it at 120k miles while doing a PCV service. The Xemodex units are upgraded to a contact-less throttle position sensor that shouldn't wear out. There are also kits available for $125 if you want to upgrade the ETM yourself.

I believe there are only very minor differences, electronically, with 96' and later 850s with OBDII and 98' S/V70s.

As for the AWD system on the 2000 V70XC....I haven't had issues up to 125k miles but I would still avoid it if you don't need it. Cheaper and easier to maintain an FWD vehicle. You can always make the car FWD though by removing the driveshaft.

Sorry if that wasn't much help. I realize I may be lucky in that I haven't had many issues, but still a good data point, eh?

Let me know if you have any other questions,

Eric

[Richard99]

I overlooked the ABS module and HAVE had that fail on me for my 98'. I solved that with a junkyard swap but as Clemens says, there are other options if you can't get your hands on a used one.

[callahanoffroad]

I've had a 96 and a 95 850 and I've never had any mystery electrical problems. They were all part of the common wear and tear issues that have been extremely well documented. For example the abs module, and the ignition switch. I have had two no start situations, one being a faulty MAF (I replaced with non bosch like an idiot) and a faulty ignition coil (same situation). I've put over 200,000 miles down between the two cars over a total of seven years. 96 and up N/A motors get better gas mileage than 93-95 in my experience. But overall 90%+ of my repair costs and time have been regular mechanical issues. Full front and rear suspension, brakes all around, pcv, ignition system, e-brakes, etc etc. The good thing is that the p80 chassis (93-00 850/70 series) doesn't rust and is extremely simple to work on. With the exception of a few specific places where aluminum is held together by steel bolts (steering column, a/c, and thermostat housing) it all comes apart very easily. When it doesn't that's when it becomes
SEap (someone else's problem ) They're fantastic cars to drive and live with. But they are a little pricey to restore and then maintain. I'm about $6k into my current car. But I've done almost 100k miles in the last three years. So if you drive 1000 miles a year you may never need to repair anything!

[scot850]

The guys have listed all the main electronic issues. There are also some electrical issues to be aware of:

1) Wiring - Both Wagons and sedans can have issues with broken wires in the tailgate/trunk lid hinge area. Also door wiring at the door pillar to door can get breaks with time where the 2 meet.
2) Ignition switch (electrical part) can wear out with age and cause strange issues with the dash system operation and warning lights.
3) ABS module and wiring. Module solder joins fail with age. Plenty of info on here. The ABS sensors at the wheels can break wires.
4) ECT - Engine temperature sensor and connector on the back of the steering pump where the connector is mounted.

Other than that there are not too many typical issues. These are mostly no worse than any other brand. Issues are mostly down to age and lack of care related issues.

With AWD models of the P80 (97-00) era, bigger issues are things like fuel pipes, fuel tank pipes and access to the fuel pump and emissions pipework at the rear of the car. Much requires the fuel tank to dropped which requires the whole rear sub-frame to be dropped. There are ways around the fuel pump access by cutting holes in the rear floor but the pipe work requires the tank to be dropped. Most of the rear pipework for emissions and fuel system are no longer available.

At the rear many of the suspension bushes are no longer available.

Good Luck.

Neil.

[charlitos1988]

The up to 98 (before the ETM came) are quite trouble free. Even after that they were not bad compared to say an Audi.
There are way more troublesome cars to tinker around with. Up to 95 the 850ies had the OBD 1 blinky box which enabled you to diagnose car problems without an OBD reader. Plus, the 96 and later ABS module is prone to failure, but it is easy to fix yoursel or midwest ABS will gladly do it for you.

Most of the electrical problems that occur are easy to solve. I think in all the years I've been on here I rarely saw a p80 Volvo being written off due to electronic problems.
The 2001 till 2003 V70 2 is said to have problems due to bad solder being used which causes electrical gremlins.
I think you can't really go wrong with wither the 850 or V70, it is a personal taste thing.

Be aware of the problems the AWD system can cause. they are pricey to repair, and parts can get hard to find. If your country lets you get away with it, you could run it as FWD only, but where I live for example I couldn't.

so a 1995 850 with OBD 1 is more reliable than newer ones?

also the ABS module of a 1995 and older ones doesn't make problems?

[Clemens]

More reliable: not necessarily. but if things screw up, you can diagnose them wirhout an OBD reader (which can be troublesome on the first OBD2 Volvos of 96, 97 and maybe 98).

The ABS module of 95 and prior is more stable. But you still can get malfunction from the wiring harness and wheel sensors and cracked sensir rings and alike.

Really, they are all good.

[abscate]

Ignition switches on these cars, electrical part, seem to fail in the 150-200k range $50 part but lots of bizarre symptoms when they go.

[callahanoffroad]

The up to 98 (before the ETM came) are quite trouble free. Even after that they were not bad compared to say an Audi.
There are way more troublesome cars to tinker around with. Up to 95 the 850ies had the OBD 1 blinky box which enabled you to diagnose car problems without an OBD reader. Plus, the 96 and later ABS module is prone to failure, but it is easy to fix yoursel or midwest ABS will gladly do it for you.

Most of the electrical problems that occur are easy to solve. I think in all the years I've been on here I rarely saw a p80 Volvo being written off due to electronic problems.
The 2001 till 2003 V70 2 is said to have problems due to bad solder being used which causes electrical gremlins.
I think you can't really go wrong with wither the 850 or V70, it is a personal taste thing.

Be aware of the problems the AWD system can cause. they are pricey to repair, and parts can get hard to find. If your country lets you get away with it, you could run it as FWD only, but where I live for example I couldn't.

so a 1995 850 with OBD 1 is more reliable than newer ones?

also the ABS module of a 1995 and older ones doesn't make problems?

More reliable isn't the correct way to phrase it. They're all roughly equally reliable, just different. The general consensus is to avoid early AWD models for MECHANICAL not Electrical reasons.

I've had both obd1 and obd2 vehicles. The obd2 is nice bc you can visually check all the systems with a computer, run a scan gauge, etc. I ran a program called torque on my smart phone connected to a obd2 bluetooth scanner and could track fuel trims, o2 sensors, mpg etc. It was very convenient. My current obd1 is just a vague flashing light that may or may not indicate the correct error. It kinda points you toward the correct area.

So to summarize. No these cars don't have weird electrical gremlins that you have to chase by and large. They aren't like other european vehicles in that regard. It's almost always a wear and tear component that has gone bad. Unless of course rats eat your wiring and that's a whole different issue.

The best way to describe a Volvo in my opinion is like this: they are nice to drive like a German car, big and accessable to reach into like an american car, and easy to work on like a japanese car (except they don't rust like japanese cars). They really are a very nice compromise between the three styles of car building.

So do buy a Volvo, just not an AWD model.