What did you do on your P1 Volvo today? Topic is solved

[smacknab]

Was under the car to replace the control arms and track down some axle issues (pulling to the right). Control arm replacement went fine but I noticed one of the bolts on carrier bearing bracket was missing. Popped off the bracket cover and all the balls bearings fell out.

Turns out the lower bolt actually sheared off, and the axle carrier bearing ended up crooked In the bracket. I'm thinking the bolt was stretched already and when my friend hit a gnarly pothole with the front right wheel it caused enough trauma to pop that bolt and walk the bearing crooked.

For now I used an in-stock axle that Orielly's had, doesn't seem like there's a high quality t5 m66 AWD axle available anywhere so might have to send my original out for a quality rebuild. And when I do I'll replace the bracket as well.

[scot850]

Wow, those that carrier bearing has been one for far too long for sure! I've had them get noisy, but never had one go out like that on me. You were lucky!

Today was the 06/08 V50 T5 AWD manual day. Young owner had new O2 sensors to replace and the RH engine mount to try to fix a clunking he is getting from the RHS front. He splashed out for a new Volvo OE part. Removing the old one I could not see anything wrong with it. I think it was a Meyle branded one we fitted last year. Fitted the new OE one but unfortunately the issue is still there. Some proper diagnostics this time!!

He also wanted to swap the O2 sensors. Pointless exercise as the turbo to downpipe is loose, but he wanted to do it anyway. Not too terrible on a P1 but good job he is young and flexible!

Sure enough, no improvement............

We will have to remove a bunch of stuff to access the turbo from below, probably including the angle gear. I think the owner believes the studs have stripped out.

Neil.

[smacknab]

Pointless exercise as the turbo to downpipe is loose, but he wanted to do it anyway.

I have a whole thread about diving head first into fixing a problem before I truly understood it. On many occasions I was shooting the parts-cannon at my first Volvo thinking I was fixing things only to find my time and money would've been better spent elsewhere on the car. Perhaps you can have him read through it and see if he learns from my mistakes . It's not a bad way to build wrenching confidence which can pay dividends with both the car itself and in life at large (I can draw a line between doing a head gasket following RobertDIYs write up and building my own heated floors at my house). However I'm curious if you feel that the lessons about the importance of proper research and diagnosis are sinking in with him.

Just wondering because I'm also trying to find the best approach with my little brother. He recently bought his first older European car and I see him falling into familiar traps- an oil leak might likely be the rear main seal or a rattle at x RPM might mean it needs a timing chain. I'm eager to help him wrench and learn the hard earned lessons, however my advice has been he should pay for a proper full inspection at the euro specialty shop with the experienced mechanics that the car has spent its life going to. With a reputable list of problems we can research them better and when we fix them he'll see a more direct link between the diagnosis and the treatment plan. Then again perhaps the only way to learn is to replace the o2 sensor on a system with an exhaust leak.

Back to where you are- I've been able to access the downpipe bolts from the top by removing the heat shield. Once the downpipe bolts are cracked a ratcheting wrench helps a lot as well. It'll. On my car I found that the PO had a very cheap ebay downpipe+cat unit fitted which has an improper turbo flange. It doesn't bolt down straight and won't sit flush on the turbo, using a thick dount-lile gasket instead of the thin eom gasket. I'm suspecting that this is the root of my p0420 and not my rear 02 sensor or even the cat efficiency itself.

Anyway, worth checking if that cat/downpipe is OEM and I'd suggest trying to get a look at that first one from the top. Perhaps you know from your v70s that removing the angle gear is a very big job. I suggest reading Richard99's write up on it for his v50. I managed to do it without removing the oil cooler but even still it's a long and frustrating job.

(1) Procedure for removing angle gear on a 2007 Volvo V50, AWD, M66 https://share.google/zuHAuYa9vx4MoQ9zD

[scot850]

Thanks for that useful info on the access. It is an aftermarket downpipe from the turbo, but he things the issue is the bolt holes or studs are stripping out so not necessarily the down pipe but poor connections. I'll let him know about this info as it will help moving forward.

As to your question on helping your brother. I mentor a few young guys to help fixing their cars. I do let them know that sometimes you have to ask the experts for help, but with all the basics I let them get stuck in with my tools and hoist and I help/supervise when needed or show them where there is an easier why you tackle an issue. All of them have shown an ability to learn quickly and a huge confidence in doing their own wrenching. Diagnostics is not always easy but they are learning but it takes time. I enjoy helping them and my time now I am retired is free. I do tell them also they don't have to wrench on the cars themselves all the time, but to at least learn how the car works so they can understand the pros and know if they are being ripped off.

Good Luck!

Neil.

[smacknab]

Thanks Neil, I suppose I'm in a similar boat offering my shop (no lift, unfortunately), tools and help for him to dive into what he might want to fix on the car. I enjoy it and hope it'll help him build the confidence. Plus it's nice brother time.

Good luck with the turbo studs!

[scot850]

Yes, not really looking forward to that. I may call in the pro, my buddy who is a professional mechanic and worked for Volvo for 15 years. He also owns 2 P1's and a P3 S60 all of which are similar but they are FWD. V50 is AWD so access to the turbo is blocked from below by the angle gear.

I don't mind tackling the studs once it is all out, but removal and re-install is better left to those younger guys when possible!

I an a retired Mach Eng, but worked for many years in Scotland as a production process engineer, production manager, safety engineer and ran and built factories. What I enjoyed most was training and mentoring techs and junior engineers.

Neil.