My Second Oil Change

[Toastunburned]

Hello. I am due for my 2nd oil change on my 98 s70 glt. I am wondering if there’s anything I should replace while I’m under there. I’m looking for easily accessible things, but will take note of everything.

[scot850]

Have you got a status of what is under there in terms of service parts (we call it Stage 0)?

1) How old is your timing belt
2) How old is your serpentine belt?
3) How old are your spark plugs in terms of mileage?
4) How old are your distributor cap and rotor in terms of mileage and age?
5) How old are your spark plug wires?
6) How old are your air and cabin filters?
7) How old is your transmission oil?
How old is your steering pump fluid?
9) How long since the PCV test was done? You can use the 'glove' test to check condition?
10) When was your brake fluid last flushed?
11) When were your brakes last serviced and parking brake checked/adjusted.

There are more things you can do. You need to let us know your level of experience and comfort level on working on your car.

But first you need to set the baselines on what you have.

Neil.

[Toastunburned]

A lot needs to be done, spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor and wires were replaced few thousand miles ago. I changed the coolant and thermostat and coolant temp sensor, also replaced heater hoses due to a sudden leak. Timing belt is due, PCV is definitely in need of replacement, all other fluids need to be replaced (for good measure). I’m mainly prioritizing learning about the timing belt and PCV system so I can save myself about 2 grand and do it myself. Other than those, I feel comfortable about working on my car, especially if it is simple, and doesn’t require digging out half the engine bay! It does help though that these forums have so much information on this stuff.

[Toastunburned]

I thought I’d shoot another question. So I don’t have jack stands that fit under my car, but my brother had an old vw and he said he drove it on ramps but it hit the bumper going up. Would I be able to jack it onto the ramps? The bumper is scratched underneath but I do want to avoid scratching it further intentionally

[scot850]

I do that when I want to torque the lower control arms which have to be done with the weight on the suspension. I jack the car up one side at a time and put the ramp under the wheel, then repeat with the other side.

On a 98 the timing belt is not too scary. Check which timing belt tensioner you have. Manual or hydraulic. Your car should not have CVVT solenoids but just make sure your engine is timed to the marks. I also like to park various contact points on the belt I remove so I can check teeth counts between the marks and compare with the new belt.

I had a 98 V70XC that had a mechanical tensioner and no CVVT. That was a weird one!

Certainly, if you are comfortable wielding wrenches, these are not too difficult to work on. There is a STAGE 0 service somewhere on MVS. That helps to et everything to a known state/condition in the servicing so you can plan any work ahead.

Neil.

[Krons]

I thought I’d shoot another question. So I don’t have jack stands that fit under my car, but my brother had an old vw and he said he drove it on ramps but it hit the bumper going up. Would I be able to jack it onto the ramps? The bumper is scratched underneath but I do want to avoid scratching it further intentionally

I lay an 18” 2x6 (or any scrap lumber of appropriate size) in front of my ramps and it typically is enough to clear the lower bumper. Best to cut ends at 45° angle to match up to the ramp and make easier to drive onto.