new to me 1998 s70 and lots of problems

carson84 · Post by **carson84** » 25 Jul 2012, 23:33

ok guys and gals, i bought my first volvo yesterday - a 1998 s70 turbo with auto transmission and approx 100k miles on it. well actually, i traded a 1988 suzuki samurai for it. it's a nice car with minor exterior and interior blemishes. while test driving it, i noticed the abs, srs, and service engine lights illuminated, as well as a non-functioning speedo. i questioned the salesman and was told that it was a speed sensor and that the PO was quoted $300 to fix it. He also told me that the only problems it caused is the lights to come on and the speedo to stop and start intermittently. (yeah, right). i drove it for about an hour with no problems and decided to bite. about half way home (30 minutes later) i noticed a new light glowing and after going over some bumpy railroad tracks a horrible rattling from what seems like all 4 corners of the car. this new light is an arrow pointing up and would appear and disappear randomly. no problems i thought, its still driving fine. then i come to a red light and the car is VERY sluggish on take off. well, i limped it the rest of the way home with it taking off in the wrong gear and immediately googled my problems. i found a faulty pnp switch can cause the car to go into winter mode, so i spent the better half of the morning removing and cleaning the pnp switch (which was surprisingly easy). i go for a test drive and am still having the same problems. after doing more research on google, i think the culprit may be the abs module. i ordered the e5 torx socket at my local parts house and will tackle this job early next week. i am hoping this will fix my transmission woes. i am also going to be replacing the shocks/struts very soon. is there a complete kit available for doing all 4 or do i have to buy them separately? also, i know this is a noob question but what kind of suspension is in the rear? is it a strut like the front? does the suv spring seat upgrade only work on the front? i will also be replacing and cleaning the pcv system because i am getting a strong burnt oil smell through the vents and around the engine after driving. i doubt it has ever been done and i hope this will help with the odor. since i just bought it, i don't know how much oil it is actually burning. for those who have done this, what is the best kit to buy? i read that some of them don't use quality parts. on a positive note though, when i got the car from the Cadillac dealership i was told that it wasn't turbocharged and since i couldn't see it when we popped the hood, i didn't know any better. it was only today when taking everything apart that i realized it. if anyone has any tips, tricks, suggestions, or comments on any of the projects i have planned, please post them. thanks
carson

obayha · Post by **obayha** » 26 Jul 2012, 09:40

Welcome to the forum.
Your purchase sounds a lot like mine when I first got it. Every hard right turn I made coming home let a puff of smoke out the back. Wife was behind me and just knew we were in big trouble.
You asked a lot of questions and all the answers are here.
The ABS/TRAX is either take apart and try and fix or get one from Matty Moo (He's got a special on).
My sig line tells that story

.
I guess I may be a little lucky, it that I have not had the problems others have had when the light comes on.
Follow JBlackburns fix on the PCV system. Go slow and clean all the ports and I think the flame trap?
I have purchased most of my parts from Europarts and have been pleased with them.
I forget the mileage time for a TB change, but you might be close.
Have your CEL read at Autozone and post up the numbers and start to take care of them one at a time.
Shane

Post by **j_cd** » 26 Jul 2012, 10:03

obayha wrote:I forget the mileage time for a TB change, but you might be close.

Timing belt change intervals are 70,000 miles.

obayha · Post by **obayha** » 26 Jul 2012, 10:45

.[/quote]
Timing belt change intervals are 70,000 miles.[/quote]

Thanks,
Needs to check into that real soon if it hasn't been done.

Post by **wallymn** » 26 Jul 2012, 13:49

The Shift light may or may not be a transmission problem, you don't state the service history, it would help to know when the last trans drain and fill was performed. also when/if the timing belt was done.

First thing is to get the codes, AutoZone or other will dump the codes for free, post those and we can figure out what the problems are.

There are a number of common problems but there is no point listing those, lets just get to the problems.

Note: you are about due for the fuel filter also.

you mentioned burnt oil smell,,, If you pull the dip is the bottom of the stick burnt? or blackened (does not wipe off?)
if you pull the oil cap is there burnt or hardened oil on the cap? or just inside the fill hole? (wipe your finger under the rim (when the engine is cold)...

Any fluids on the ground when sitting?

Is the oil level normal?

carson84 · Post by **carson84** » 26 Jul 2012, 23:14

obayah - thanks, if cleaning and re-soldering the abs module doesn't work, i'll need matty moo's contact info. i'll also check out the pcv thread and post up the cel lights after getting them pulled.

wallymn - i don't have any service records to post. i know that i probably need to replace the TB, change the tranny fluid, and replace the fuel filter. i dont have any burnt oil on the dip stick but there is some on the oil filler cap. i looked down into the head and the internals look surprisingly clean. that may be because of the synthetic oil used. i haven't noticed any oil dripping from under the car..yet. as far as how much oil is being used/burnt i dont have an answer yet. i've only driven it about 75 miles since acquiring it. the next time i take it for a drive i'll check to see if there is any positive pressure with the dip stick removed.

thanks for the input guys

Post by **MoVolvos** » 26 Jul 2012, 23:31

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The puff of smoke could be from the PTC or Turbo. Cleaning the PTC is part of the PCV job but without removing the Intake.

In order of importance:

1) Timing Belt - The most costly and damaging if not taken care of
2) Transmission Fluid Change
3) PCV - Blow out seals
4) ABS
5) The Service Light will go off after less than a minute of driving unless you have it reset

Enjoy the car! I purchased mine Jan this year for $500 and after about $1,000 later for everything; tax, license, reg, pcv, tune up, tires and rims, full suspension 4 corners, cooling and heating system, transmission flush, DYI ABS soldering it is running very well and is a joy to drive (last but not least thanks also to MVS

)

Blessings,
BKM
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Post by **rmmagow** » 27 Jul 2012, 10:50

https://www.midwest-abs.com/About_Us.php
This is matty-moo's business. I'd rather have him fix it than try to do it myself, but that's because I'd be afraid of screwing it up royally and end up with no device to trade in.