High mileage parts failures: What should I look out for?

[rspi]

I remember a couple years ago rspi started a thread titled something like "REPLACE EVERY COOLANT HOSE ASAP" (yes including the all caps), funny how times change.

Lower rad hose takes a beating (oil, heat). I do like to change that first chance I get on an old P80, along with the turbo coolant ones. The heater hoses can last a very, very long time.

LOL, I still believe that people need to REPLACE ALL OF THEIR COOLANT HOSES ASAP! That is the death of most white blocks and most people can't take a minor leak hint.

As for traveling with stuff, hoses are just silly. If they are old or in poor condition, replace them. I have all on hand but have not replaced mine yet.

[rspi]

Things I can think of that haven't (yet) been replaced on that car that were mentioned:

Fuel pump relay (this would be wise to have in the summer heat)
Cam/crank sensors
MAF is ~8 years old - wouldn't hurt to have a spare.
Cooling fan relay
Green overflow cap has burst multiple times.

And bring, of course, a good assortment of clamps, tools, and a knife. Make sure the spare's inflated and the don't get a flat on a hill - the Volvo jack is freaking useless.

Fuel pump relays fail more often in the cold of winter.
Cam / crank sensors are time bombs.
MAF will probably last a while.
Cooling fan relay, random.
Green overflow cap... has any failed since you replaced the head? That is the sign of a bad head gasket.

[rspi]

You guys are funny.

[abscate]

Replace your pets before a long trip. If one dies, you will never get anyone to help..

[jblackburn]

Fuel pump relays fail more often in the cold of winter.

Every one I've ever seen has failed in the heat when underhood temps skyrocket.

Green overflow cap... has any failed since you replaced the head? That is the sign of a bad head gasket.

But of course. HG's fine. They're just crappy plastic. I replaced 2 of them in my years with the car, OEM Volvo.

[rspi]

Fuel pump relays fail more often in the cold of winter.

Every one I've ever seen has failed in the heat when underhood temps skyrocket.

Green overflow cap... has any failed since you replaced the head? That is the sign of a bad head gasket.

But of course. HG's fine. They're just crappy plastic. I replaced 2 of them in my years with the car, OEM Volvo.

If your fuel pump relay is over 10 years old, replace it. It's a known high failure rate part.

Every November I get call after call from YouTube viewers with fuel pump relay problems. Calls continue until March. The video views double during the winter.

[bmdubya1198]

Most people wouldn't have kept mine on the road after it burnt two valves last winter, I did.

That's the difference between a Volvo owner and a Volvo enthusiast. Or Volvo lunatic...
We keep these on the road no matter how huge of a problem!

I carry a spare fuel pump relay (simply because I had one) and obviously my spare tire and factory tool kit. Otherwise, I'm just going down my list of failing parts or parts that I know will eventually fail and ordering them here and there. My suspension is now complete (other than Firestone's failed attempt at an alignment...). Just some random hoses and motor mounts that I know need replacing. Timing belt too.

Another thing to add to the list if nobody has already... a spare serpentine belt and some kind of tool for the tensioner. Something to have on the shelf is an O2 sensor. My cousin's recently failed at 215k.

[erikv11]

Fuel pump relays fail more often in the cold of winter.

Every one I've ever seen has failed in the heat when underhood temps skyrocket.

Green overflow cap... has any failed since you replaced the head? That is the sign of a bad head gasket.

But of course. HG's fine. They're just crappy plastic. I replaced 2 of them in my years with the car, OEM Volvo.

If your fuel pump relay is over 10 years old, replace it. It's a known high failure rate part.

Every November I get call after call from YouTube viewers with fuel pump relay problems. Calls continue until March. The video views double during the winter.

The anonymous YouTube views are interesting. I would speculate that November through March, people viewing fuel pump relay videos, may just be having fuel problems due to winter gas blends or letting the tank run low. So they start clicking links. Wet gas in the winter is much more common than fuel pump relay failure. I don't deny FP relay is a common P80 problem but it's not at all like the 20 year old ones are all dropping like flies, I have still never had a single fuel pump relay fail in one of my own cars. That probably dooms me to losing one this week ... Anyway, we hear about the ones that fail, not the ones that are still working. Go to the junkyard, start pulling FP relays from 850s, almost all of them will have a date code that is one year before the model year of the car. Ask me how I know.

[abscate]

Echoing Erik....Fora amplify problems so that our bias is to failures. I have had a fuel pump relay failure on any car I own, I think. I do have bad tarnish on my relays on my 1999 as found during Albany Volvo Fest

[mecheng]

I re-soldered my fuel pump relay, as a pre-caution. Isn't that the failure mode? If so, no need to replace it.