960 service manuals - do they exist?

Donald Petersen · Post by **Donald Petersen** » 18 Mar 2010, 14:28

Hello Gents,

I have a 1997 960 wagon with 137,000 miles. I bought the car from my mother-in-law a couple years ago, and it was trouble-free until a couple of months ago, when the ol' Check Engine light came on. I pulled out my handy dandy Actron CP9145 scanner, and it informed me that I was suffering from a P0172 - System Rich Bank #1. My Chilton manual wasn't particularly helpful about how to address this, but a quick Google search told me that that code is often triggered by broken vacuum tees in Volvos. I checked all the vacuum lines I could see, but none of them appear to be so much as cracked. I pulled the plugs and checked their tips and also the compression, and everything seemed nominal. I was stumped, but since the car was otherwise running great, I kept driving it, while occasionally looking around for a Volvo factory service manual that might give me a step-by-step flowchart for tracking down and fixing this problem. I've had great success with this approach using my Chevrolet factory service manual for my '93 Caprice. A three-inch-thick book that covers one model and one year definitely covers everything that could possibly go wrong.

Anyway, so far, I've had no luck finding a factory service manual for my Volvo. Do they actually exist in the form I'm expecting? I found the 850 service manual posted on this site, but I expect that one won't be too terribly applicable for a 960. I'm starting to feel a bit more urgency about fixing this, not only because I know a rich mixture is definitely not good for my catalytic converter, but now I've got additional codes triggered: P0301 - Cylinder 1 misfire, P0302 - Cylinder 2 misfire, and the kinda redundant P0300 - Multiple cylinders misfire.

So! Any idea where I could find a factory service manual? Or, failing that, do you guys have advice about what I should test or replace first to track down this problem?

Thanks in advance!

Donald Petersen

Post by **JDS60R** » 18 Mar 2010, 14:37

You can pay to download anything you want from www.volvotechinfo.com
or just search the web (or ebay) and get a copy of VADiS

Donald Petersen · Post by **Donald Petersen** » 18 Mar 2010, 16:27

Oof. You're right about paying. $315 for the DVD, over five grand for the bound master set! Damn those highway robber Swedes!

I believe I just found a DVD on eBay for $9.99. Let's hope it works!

Thanks.

D.P.

Post by **billofdurham** » 18 Mar 2010, 16:46

Donald Petersen, welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

When I had my 960 I contacted Haynes to see if they were going to produce a manual. The reply was in the negative as "we don't expect many 960 owners will be doing their own servicing on what is an expensive, and high specification, car." They obviously didn't consider that the cars would, eventually, pass to owners who would do their own servicing to keep the costs down.

If the DVD you have acquired is VADIS it does contain a lot of detailed servicing for the 960.

Bill.

Donald Petersen · Post by **Donald Petersen** » 18 Mar 2010, 23:29

Thanks, Bill.

I've always been a Chilton fan, myself... the few Haynes manuals I've had in the past didn't seem to measure up (beat the hell out of the Clymer ones, though). I was kinda surprised at how relatively unhelpful my Chilton manual has been for this problem. Sure, it'll tell you how to change the brakes and such, but considering the Chilton manual for my Caprice simply reproduces all of the DTC pages straight from the factory service manual (which is most of the reason why it's easily the thickest single-model Chilton manual I own), I kinda expected the Volvo one to do something similar. Kinda naive of me, I guess... just because GM is happy to share its printed service material with Chilton doesn't mean that Volvo would do the same. As Haynes told you, I guess Volvos aren't really the kind of car which attracts a whole lot of DIY mechanics as owners. At least not here in the States.

Oh, well. I expect the DVD to arrive next week, and then I'll dive in and see what success it brings. I'll report back if anything interesting transpires.

Thanks again, sirs!

D.P.

RCR · Post by **RCR** » 19 Mar 2010, 09:48

Let me know how that DVD is and who it came from bro. I have a 98 V-90 with around 147K on here and am in he same situation on service info. I might snag the multi model Chilton just to have some handy basic info but also want something more indebt and specific to my V90.

Post by **billofdurham** » 19 Mar 2010, 12:36

For the later cars, up to 2005, VADIS does give a good guide to diagnostics and repairs. It isn't comprehensive as some of the repair jobs are run of the mill to a trained mechanic, but it is helpful. At present on eBayUK more than one seller has the DVDs for $9.00 which includes shipping to the US. I have also seen one US seller on the UK site who has the same DVDs for $103.00 which includes shipping to the UK. Is he wasting his time or is he a comedian?

Bill.

girlbunny · Post by **girlbunny** » 21 Mar 2010, 13:29

Unfortunately, because many people don't search eBay comprehensively, or check other eBay sites, I suspect the $103 seller will not only be serious, but he'll have interested buyers, as long as there aren't many $9 sellers in the US as well.

If I wasn't on a Mac, I'd have nabbed the $9 DVD a couple of months ago... but it's PC only. I did find someone who sold us a decent engine manual finally! WooHoo!

stevefafel · Post by **stevefafel** » 08 Jan 2015, 21:46

Hello Donald - did you ever figure out what caused your P0172? I have a 97 960 and am getting the P0172. I have cleaned the MAF, i have looked for vacuum leaks but haven't found any), and am wondering what to focus on next. I heard somewhere else about an o-ring on the vacuum tree mounted to the intake. Any ideas on what helped you?

tompete · Post by **tompete** » 20 Mar 2015, 00:04

MANUALS DO EXIST But they are costly, some Volvo mechanics don't even have them but must share @ their jobs. I for electrical/1 for brake related etc. Check those little rubber hoses close for cracks and loose fittings. Vadis is great. get one. Have had a 1998 S90 for 16 years and the same problems pop up from time to time. Just bought another one a week ago now we have his and hers, both are very clean and drive great. APW is a source for parts when needed. Thanks for you real mechanics who help us with your expertise!