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98 XC vs T5 vs R engine and drive system

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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CIK7  
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98 XC vs T5 vs R engine and drive system

Post by CIK7 »

does the 98 R model have same AWD system as the XC? I understand the T5 is FWD. should I be able to fit a 2.3 from a T5 or R into my XC?
what items (ECU, etc) would I want to move over from the donor car? I found a T5 motor on eBay from a salvage yard.
95 854 Turbo 258K, auto, current
09 Rav4 Ltd3.5Fwd, red, 208K, current
98 V GLE/SE red, 379k (277k), 5sp, trailer in progress...
05 CRV EX AWD, Navy, 170K/184k, sold
03 Accord 2dr V6 silver, 196K/214K, 6sp, t-boned, sold
98 S GT white, 175K, 5sp, sold
96 964 silver, 146K, diff&trans/engine self-destr, crushed 😭
98 XC black, 151K, flooded&bent rod, crushed
01 V Base white, 168k, traded for XC
09 Impala LT1 gray, 196K, sold for 01

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Chuck W
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Post by Chuck W »

The T5 motor will fit, and the T5 ECU would work, but it's probably not going to be ideal for the AWD. Who knows.

The '98 V70R ECU (-455) would be an option, but you'd want to upgrade the turbo and injectors to that spec. They are also hard to find. Both the T5 and the V70R are HPT engines.
'97 854 T5 - Manual Swap/M4.4/COP/NA cams/P2R Brakes/16T/ chassis bracing/ XC70 nose swap
'97 855 GLT - Hers. RN swap/16T/COP/VVT/exhaust/302s/Flashed M4.4/ chassis bracing/ 2 kid seats
'78 GLE - Waiting in the wings. Future whiteblock/T5 swap.

The Others- '83 TBird turbo, '85 Mercury Marquis LTS (1 of 134), '86 LTD Wagon, '81 Granada GL, '76 Beetle, '93 F-150 I6

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FLXC90
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Post by FLXC90 »

And the reason they would be less ideal is torque. The GLT/XC Low pressure turbo spools faster to deliver low to midrange torque to get you moving. The T-5/R has a smaller displacement, lower compression ratio, and a turbo that kicks in higher, and runs higher for highway passing and top-end. Contrary to what you might want to do, using the smaller turbo and ECU on the 2.3 might be a more usable combo in your car initially.
Down the road you could look at performance improvements.
Current Volvos:
1998 V70 T5, 112k sat 5 years, still in mechanical coma (finally at the top of the pile )
2004 XC90 T6 AWD: 186k, 60 on transaxle ( traded in )
1998 POS70 N/A: DD/training aid, 236k but really about 240k, I think...ABS module( passed on to son who sold it)

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CIK7  
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Post by CIK7 »

Chuck W wrote: 12 Jul 2020, 18:54 The '98 V70R ECU (-455) would be an option, but you'd want to upgrade the turbo and injectors to that spec. They are also hard to find. Both the T5 and the V70R are HPT engines.
yes that's what I'm aiming for. Go big or go home! lol btw the engine for t5 and r are the same. 2.3L with 236hp/243tq the r has AWD though. but is the AWD on the XC and R the same?
95 854 Turbo 258K, auto, current
09 Rav4 Ltd3.5Fwd, red, 208K, current
98 V GLE/SE red, 379k (277k), 5sp, trailer in progress...
05 CRV EX AWD, Navy, 170K/184k, sold
03 Accord 2dr V6 silver, 196K/214K, 6sp, t-boned, sold
98 S GT white, 175K, 5sp, sold
96 964 silver, 146K, diff&trans/engine self-destr, crushed 😭
98 XC black, 151K, flooded&bent rod, crushed
01 V Base white, 168k, traded for XC
09 Impala LT1 gray, 196K, sold for 01

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Chuck W
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Post by Chuck W »

The '98 V70R AWD is not the same tune as the T5 or the FWD R. It should be a B5234T4 with an 18T turbo on it.(247hp/260tq) -455 ECU code (Last 3 digits). The engines themselves would be the same, but the turbo/injectors/tune are different. It depends on whether it's the B5234T3 or B5234T4.

For the same year, yes the AWD systems would be the same.

What is the engine you found on ebay?
'97 854 T5 - Manual Swap/M4.4/COP/NA cams/P2R Brakes/16T/ chassis bracing/ XC70 nose swap
'97 855 GLT - Hers. RN swap/16T/COP/VVT/exhaust/302s/Flashed M4.4/ chassis bracing/ 2 kid seats
'78 GLE - Waiting in the wings. Future whiteblock/T5 swap.

The Others- '83 TBird turbo, '85 Mercury Marquis LTS (1 of 134), '86 LTD Wagon, '81 Granada GL, '76 Beetle, '93 F-150 I6

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CIK7  
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Joined: 14 January 2019
Year and Model: 95 854T & V70trailer
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Post by CIK7 »

Chuck W wrote: 12 Jul 2020, 22:19
What is the engine you found on ebay?
'vin 53, 6th and 7th digits' 2.3 from a 98 s70 t5. same with the other engine, 98 V70 t5.
95 854 Turbo 258K, auto, current
09 Rav4 Ltd3.5Fwd, red, 208K, current
98 V GLE/SE red, 379k (277k), 5sp, trailer in progress...
05 CRV EX AWD, Navy, 170K/184k, sold
03 Accord 2dr V6 silver, 196K/214K, 6sp, t-boned, sold
98 S GT white, 175K, 5sp, sold
96 964 silver, 146K, diff&trans/engine self-destr, crushed 😭
98 XC black, 151K, flooded&bent rod, crushed
01 V Base white, 168k, traded for XC
09 Impala LT1 gray, 196K, sold for 01

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Chuck W
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Post by Chuck W »

They don't list the engine B-code in either ad?
'97 854 T5 - Manual Swap/M4.4/COP/NA cams/P2R Brakes/16T/ chassis bracing/ XC70 nose swap
'97 855 GLT - Hers. RN swap/16T/COP/VVT/exhaust/302s/Flashed M4.4/ chassis bracing/ 2 kid seats
'78 GLE - Waiting in the wings. Future whiteblock/T5 swap.

The Others- '83 TBird turbo, '85 Mercury Marquis LTS (1 of 134), '86 LTD Wagon, '81 Granada GL, '76 Beetle, '93 F-150 I6

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Chuck W
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Year and Model: 97 854 T5
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Post by Chuck W »

I'm still confused, if this is going to be your "driver" car and you're going to build a Hi-Po 850, why not just get another LPT motor, N or RN and call it a day?
'97 854 T5 - Manual Swap/M4.4/COP/NA cams/P2R Brakes/16T/ chassis bracing/ XC70 nose swap
'97 855 GLT - Hers. RN swap/16T/COP/VVT/exhaust/302s/Flashed M4.4/ chassis bracing/ 2 kid seats
'78 GLE - Waiting in the wings. Future whiteblock/T5 swap.

The Others- '83 TBird turbo, '85 Mercury Marquis LTS (1 of 134), '86 LTD Wagon, '81 Granada GL, '76 Beetle, '93 F-150 I6

User avatar
CIK7  
Posts: 1568
Joined: 14 January 2019
Year and Model: 95 854T & V70trailer
Location: Antlers, Oklahoma
Has thanked: 328 times
Been thanked: 87 times

Post by CIK7 »

Chuck W wrote: 13 Jul 2020, 08:14 I'm still confused, if this is going to be your "driver" car and you're going to build a Hi-Po 850, why not just get another LPT motor, N or RN and call it a day?
I may have forgotten to tell you that I may have decided to just buy a motor for this car. difficult to find another 98 SV70 or 850.
95 854 Turbo 258K, auto, current
09 Rav4 Ltd3.5Fwd, red, 208K, current
98 V GLE/SE red, 379k (277k), 5sp, trailer in progress...
05 CRV EX AWD, Navy, 170K/184k, sold
03 Accord 2dr V6 silver, 196K/214K, 6sp, t-boned, sold
98 S GT white, 175K, 5sp, sold
96 964 silver, 146K, diff&trans/engine self-destr, crushed 😭
98 XC black, 151K, flooded&bent rod, crushed
01 V Base white, 168k, traded for XC
09 Impala LT1 gray, 196K, sold for 01

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