New V70 II T5 owner - introduction and general advice Topic is solved

[hiroku]

Hey guys, just bought a new (to me) 2002 V70 T5. Hoping to use this thread to introduce myself/the car and ask for some advice before diving into the initial maintenance bits, since this is my first P2. I hope I'm in the right section!

Also let me know if I should post these questions in separate threads. That could be easier to find and read, but I'm weary of spamming too much straight off the bat.

Thanks!

[hiroku]

First, some background. I drove a 1994 850 T5 for around 8 years, until I sadly had to get rid of it about 3 years ago. It had the exact same exterior and interior color (even the wood grain accents!), so this V70 basically looks like the Pokémon evolution of my old car. I also owned a 1998 S40 with the 2.0 engine.

Now to the V70. It has 337,000 km / 210,000 miles on the clock, but drives great. No slack or rattles anywhere, and the engine runs very smooth. The engine bay looks clean, except for a leaky power steering pump and gunky coolant reservoir. More on that later.



Exterior condition is above average considering other Volvos of similar vintage I have seen. The rear windows have a slight, legal tint, which affects visibility a bit (feels like driving a panel van), but it does seem to keep the interior a little cooler in 36-degree Celsius heat like today.





The interior looks brand-new except for the obligatory 15-centimeter rip on the driver's leather seat. This one had the airbag recall done (the airbag cover is the right color!) and comes with an Android radio with touchscreen, navigation, hands-free function and rearview camera, which is a fantastic addition.





Overall, pretty happy with the upgrade so far! The 850 felt more raw, which suited my younger and more reckless self, but this feels more modern and mature. It also has more airbags, active safety and comfort features, which pleases the soon-to-be wife and suits the upcoming offspring much more.

It does feel slightly slower than my 850 though, despite having 25hp more. Anyone else who has driven both cars has felt the same way? I haven't checked the compression yet, but the 850's was a bit on the low side and had about ten million vacuum leaks, yet it would light up the tires all the way to third gear and really slammed you to the seat. This V70 doesn't have a hint of wheelspin even in first gear at WOT with the TC off. I assume part of this is down to having wider tires sitting on 17-inch wheels, but is it normal?

Perhaps the 850 felt faster because it was much more in-your-face about the power delivery and much more traction limited? It was also missing a few interior trim panels that really let you hear everything the turbo was doing, all the time. It might have been overboosting a little as well, because the needle on the stock boost gauge would go over the scale by a fair bit.

[hiroku]

Anyway, known problems and currently planned maintenance steps are:

• The fuel rail doesn't hold pressure when the car sits overnight, so you need to prime the fuel pump about 3 times before it starts well. This looks to be a returnless fuel system so I guess the pressure regulator is in the tank something like that? Is there some sort of no-return valve? Do I need an entire new fuel pump?

• The power steering pump and reservoir are leaking, so I'm getting it all replaced. Looks like a pretty straightforward job, though parts seem to have gotten more expensive since I last owned a Volvo!

• There seems to be a weird electrical problem with the headlights dimming when I hit the brakes or turn on the blinkers. At one point I had to brake a bit harder and the car straight up shut off on me when I stepped on the clutch. Some issue with the charging system? The alternator is drenched with PAS oil due to the pump dripping directly onto it, so I think it could be related. Planning to remove the alternator and give it a good clean when replacing the PAS pump, since the drive belt has to come off anyway.

• The coolant has a bit of oil in it, but the previous owner had the infamous oil cooler replaced before selling it to me. I'll give it a thorough flush, replace the disgusting expansion tank and add fresh Volvo coolant sometime in the next couple of weeks. I will need to remove the thermostat housing though, and if this is anyting like the S40, I know for a fact those crap bolts will be stripped. Having trouble finding the upgraded ones, though. I think for the S40 I had to order them directly from Volvo for something like 15 euros a pop.

• I was hoping to do a compression test, and wanted to replace the spark plugs while in there. What's the recommendation these days? I remember it was the general consensus on these forums that the whiteblocks should only use genuine OEM copper plugs and that iridium was crap, but that was 10-15 years ago and that feels like old, obsolete technology now. I took a chance with Denso Iridium Power plugs in the 850 and although the car ate through them like butter, it ran great. I had some success with the new Denso Iridium Twin-Tip series on other cars and planned to use the IK20TT on this one, too.

Thanks!

[volvolugnut]

Your car looks much better than my 2001 V70 T5 - both inside and out. It must have had sun protection.
Your T5 should spin the tires with aggression. You may need some tuning.
I think you have good plans and knowledge to do the service.
Check for battery voltage off and running. Check for vacuum leaks. Fix the oil leaks. Check the fuel pressure at the fuel rail - should be 3.8 bar for Bosch and 3 bar for Denso systems.
Use OEM plugs.gaped to 0.7 mm for T5.
The only paper manual available is the Haynes Volvo V70 & S80 Owners Workshop Manual.
volvolugnut

[hiroku]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yeah, the previous owner kept it garaged - and was annoyed his other 3 vehicles were out in the sun because of it! I have no access to a garage at the moment so have no choice but to street park it. Pretty sad that I'll probably watch it's aesthetic condition deteriorate right in front of my eyes (was one of the main reasons I decided to part ways with the 850). The summers here have been relentless.

I'm installing and configuring VIDA tomorrow, but still looking for a good DICE. I'll look at all the parameters and see if anything jumps out at me, but what I could see from a generic OBD-II reader looked very promising. Long-term fuel trims were at 0.8%, for example, so probably doesn't have much in the way of boost or exhaust leaks.

[jonesg]

I think you'll need to swap the fuel pump out for reliable use into the future.
I would live with it for now as long as the duty cycle is reasonable but it will probably wear out quicker if it is running constant to keep pressure up.

A mongoose cable is a good substitute for the dice unit at a fraction of the price.
theres better information in the VIDA forum here.

[hiroku]

Yeah the car is definitely driveable, for now it's just a minor annoyance. I've been turning the ignition on and off for 10 seconds at a time, about 4-5 times whenever the car sits overnight, and it always starts immediately. If it sits for just a couple hours, I can get by doing this just 2 or 3 times. Could probably do this much quicker, but I don't want to crank for too long and put unnecessary strain on the battery and starter.

Looking to get a pressure gauge I can hook up to the valve at the end of the rail and see the pressure drop over time. That should confirm the diagnosis that it's a fuel return issue.

I'm assuming I can monitor the fuel pressure in real time with VIDA? If the pump can't supply enough pressure in full load conditions, that would explain the car's lack of power at WOT. Will replace the pump immediately if that's the case.

[jonesg]

Yeah the car is definitely driveable, for now it's just a minor annoyance. I've been turning the ignition on and off for 10 seconds at a time, about 4-5 times whenever the car sits overnight, and it always starts immediately. If it sits for just a couple hours, I can get by doing this just 2 or 3 times. Could probably do this much quicker, but I don't want to crank for too long and put unnecessary strain on the battery and starter.

Looking to get a pressure gauge I can hook up to the valve at the end of the rail and see the pressure drop over time. That should confirm the diagnosis that it's a fuel return issue.

I'm assuming I can monitor the fuel pressure in real time with VIDA? If the pump can't supply enough pressure in full load conditions, that would explain the car's lack of power at WOT. Will replace the pump immediately if that's the case.

yes vida will do that but so will a $15 ELM 327 from amazon, more conveniently too.

i find both indispensible, vida for deep diving and bi directional testing, circuit diagrams, parts numbers, repair directions etc.

but for quick fly by wire the elm327 is very handy. You can leave it plugged in the obd port 24/7.
maybe show the output on your radio screen.

[Krons]

On the fuel pressure I would start with a new fuel filter, see if things improve.

[hiroku]

yes vida will do that but so will a $15 ELM 327 from amazon, more conveniently too.

i find both indispensible, vida for deep diving and bi directional testing, circuit diagrams, parts numbers, repair directions etc.

but for quick fly by wire the elm327 is very handy. You can leave it plugged in the obd port 24/7.
maybe show the output on your radio screen.

Ah good idea, If I can read the values on the radio screen that would be really handy. I'll order an ELM and see if that works. Can always just use my phone if it doesn't.