1998 S70 - dash warning light

shegarty · Post by **shegarty** » 27 May 2014, 19:31

Hi all - just a quick question ... I test drove an immaculate 98 S70 T5 SE today which I plan on purchasing but during the test drive an odd dash warning light came on. It was in the far bottom right, next to the Tracs off light and looked like ... an upsidedown banana peel on a green background? Some initial searches online indicate that it might be a lambda symbol and refer to catalytic converter issues. Any ideas???

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 27 May 2014, 19:50

It is the lambda light - same as the Check Engine light so you need to scan it for codes.

...Lee

shegarty · Post by **shegarty** » 27 May 2014, 19:54

thanks ... exactly what I figured. I have already asked the seller to have it scanned to see what the codes it has thrown

Post by **abscate** » 28 May 2014, 03:21

Make sure you get the P code, not just the generic app code..

E.g. p0455, not just "evap code"

Post by **cn90** » 28 May 2014, 09:00

If the car is immaculate then I'd buy it b/c this lambda light can be fixed.
O2 sensor is not that difficult.
The cat is more expensive but hope you don't have to deal with it.
Tons of info in forum.
How many miles on it?

shegarty · Post by **shegarty** » 28 May 2014, 09:36

cn90 wrote:If the car is immaculate then I'd buy it b/c this lambda light can be fixed.

... my thoughts exactly. I've owned a couple of older Volvo's in the past but never dealt with this specific fault. Getting the codes will really help with diagnosis and treatment. Seller is willing to certify it and make sure it passes our emissions testing here in Ontario.

The car itself has only 160k km on it and has been well taken care of. Current owner has service records for last 4 years including brake, suspension and steering component replacements. Only one small spot of surface rust on drivers side rear quarter near the back of the door. The bonus ... it's a T5 version and from my initial inspections the frame is totally solid. All this for only $2800 cdn. It means another 3hr round trip to pick it up and I am just waiting on the seller letting me know if it passes the emission test. The last test was a pass (over a year ago now) with all the numbers being well within limits. From experience though if the lambda code is related in any way to emissions components they will not even test it until the repair has been made and the code has been cleared. Time will tell.

shegarty · Post by **shegarty** » 29 May 2014, 07:11

Turns out it was a p0455 evap code. Code was cleared, gas cqp tightened and it passed emissions without issue. Here's hoping that it was just a loose cap and not anything more involved, time will tell I suppose. I am dueto pick it up on Saturday and will post back if it rears its head again. Onces again thanks for the insights!

Post by **abscate** » 29 May 2014, 08:26

The might have passed it with the EVAP circuit not ready. My experience is these cars need to be driven about 50 miles or more to have all circuits ready. You will know in about one week.

It wasn't coincidence I used P0455 as example above, btw.....

shegarty · Post by **shegarty** » 29 May 2014, 08:46

It will be a 100+ km trip just back to my place after I pick it up. Evap codes are something I am all too familiar with from past experience and in my experience much less costly than o2 and cat codes. I have access to a scanner and will keep an eye on it and see what pops.

Post by **abscate** » 29 May 2014, 09:12

Keep the tank full and the AC off to help speed the reset of the EVAP circuit.