1999 V70 New user, ETS, oil in coolant, and more!

[CamsV70]

Good Morning! I joined this forum because it seemed like the most helpful of the few I have seen out there. We recently purchased a '99 V70 for our son who will soon get his driver's license. Seemed like a safe car - 5 speed manual, FWD, runs and drives fantastic, but has a few issues.

Unfortunately one of the issues is the oil in the coolant, but no coolant in the oil. Thought it would be the classic oil cooler job, however this car does not seem to have an oil cooler. Aside from the obvious head potential head gasket issue, can anyone offer some thoughts about the origin of said oil? You know, I looked in the coolant reservoir before we bought the car, but I didn't press hard enough to see what was really in there. My bad I guess.

The other issues we have are minor - leaking exhaust, creaking LF suspension, tailgate cover falling off inside, tailgate light on, buzzing headlight relay (I think) and flashing lamp warning light.

We do also have the ETS light illuminated. The car runs great though - no hesitation or driveability issues at all. Are there any other red flags to look for with this system? I have yet to connect the OBDII tester to check any codes, but will probably do that this evening.

I'm hoping to sort this thing out for not a lot of money. We paid $995 for the car with a really nice interior, decent body with no rust, just missing the lower grilles and one head light wiper. I'd love to be sub $2k all in. Normally I would have purchased a BMW that I would know how to work on, but I was drawn to this wagon thinking it would be a safe car for the boy. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for any help you folks can offer.

[mecheng]

Good Morning! I joined this forum because it seemed like the most helpful of the few I have seen out there. We recently purchased a '99 V70 for our son who will soon get his driver's license. Seemed like a safe car - 5 speed manual, FWD, runs and drives fantastic, but has a few issues.

Unfortunately one of the issues is the oil in the coolant, but no coolant in the oil. Thought it would be the classic oil cooler job, however this car does not seem to have an oil cooler. Aside from the obvious head potential head gasket issue, can anyone offer some thoughts about the origin of said oil? You know, I looked in the coolant reservoir before we bought the car, but I didn't press hard enough to see what was really in there. My bad I guess.

The other issues we have are minor - leaking exhaust, creaking LF suspension, tailgate cover falling off inside, tailgate light on, buzzing headlight relay (I think) and flashing lamp warning light.

We do also have the ETS light illuminated. The car runs great though - no hesitation or driveability issues at all. Are there any other red flags to look for with this system? I have yet to connect the OBDII tester to check any codes, but will probably do that this evening.

I'm hoping to sort this thing out for not a lot of money. We paid $995 for the car with a really nice interior, decent body with no rust, just missing the lower grilles and one head light wiper. I'd love to be sub $2k all in. Normally I would have purchased a BMW that I would know how to work on, but I was drawn to this wagon thinking it would be a safe car for the boy. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for any help you folks can offer.

The 99 has an external oil cooler but I'm not sure if its Turbo's only I believe.
The 98 has the oil cooler built into Rad.

How is the head gasket?

[erikv11]

There is an oil cooler (yes, only in turbo models), but it is not tied to the cooling system at all. It sits on the outside of the oil pan, back one the firewall side.

For the record, is this car a turbo or not?

There is a transmission cooler on the passenger side of the radiator, could that be the issue, instead of oil? Otherwise, unfortunately, the oil in the coolant would likely be due to a head gasket leak. Remember, one-way leaks in the head gasket are very common, it doesn't help that there is no coolant in the oil, or coolant in the cylinders, etc. Or possibly it is some kind of anomaly, e.g. maybe they were sloppy on filling it up and got oil in there, etc.

I would next drain and flush the cooling system really well, refill it, and see if more oil seeps in. If it does, then I don't think I would spend another dime on the car until I figured out a course of action for the head/engine.

[CamsV70]

Oops, sorry it is a non-turbo.

Yeah I was really hoping for the oil cooler to be the problem and not the head gasket. I thought it was tied into the cooling system but it doesn't really matter since it's not there anyway.

I think I'll flush it all out and see what I have to work with. I already have the coolant. I'll change the oil too, but like I said, that is pretty clean.

Car runs and drives great, heat works great. I just spent $50 on a brand new craigslist cat-back exhaust and $100 to have it installed with a stainless steel tip and patching the front section. It may just get driven the way it is, even if oil seeps into the dang coolant.

[abscate]

No transmission cooler on a manual transmission car. The radiator might have connections for a cooler if it has been replaced. Oil in coolant isn't good. Once coolant and oil mix, major engine damage will result. These cars are much cheaper to own and fix than BMW IMHE.

[huzzsaba]

I would drain all the coolant, and then see if the oil comes back. it is possible the previous used stop leak in the cooling system. I have seen cars with stop leak used and it looks pretty gross in the coolant overflow tank.

Hope its nothing major.

[CamsV70]

Thanks me too!

Plugged in the code reader and found a P1040 fault for the O2 sensor. Resetting that code turns off the ETS light, at least until the car is restarted. Will check the sensor wiring first, and replace the sensor if that looks ok. Hopefully that will solve that dash light.

Also tired starter solenoid cropped up last night. Fortunately happened on a hill start when the boy stalled it and the starter wouldn't engage. He learned how to pop start the car in reverse.

Will be looking at that too.

[abscate]

Very likely s bad battery cable rather than a starter. Don't rule that out until you get it started and see if the cables run hot. You can also remove them and test with an ohmmeter.

Don't forget to get your radio code before disconnecting your battery and make sure you have passed inspection before disconnecting your battery, too. These cars can take a month to go " inspection ready"

[erikv11]

... Plugged in the code reader and found a P1040 fault for the O2 sensor. Resetting that code turns off the ETS light, at least until the car is restarted. Will check the sensor wiring first, and replace the sensor if that looks ok. Hopefully that will solve that dash light. ...

Just FYI, that p1040 is a Volvo-specific code and I don't think it has anything to do with the oxygen sensor. Here is a link with at least a little information: http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=33534

P1040 = ECM-9300 Clutch pedal sensor Faulty signal

[CamsV70]

Very likely s bad battery cable rather than a starter. Don't rule that out until you get it started and see if the cables run hot. You can also remove them and test with an ohmmeter.

Don't forget to get your radio code before disconnecting your battery and make sure you have passed inspection before disconnecting your battery, too. These cars can take a month to go " inspection ready"

Thanks for the suggestion! Yeah I looked under the hood this morning and it looks pretty easy to access the starter so I'll start by checking the cables and connections. Could very well be that as the car sort of hesitated before the starter engaged prior to this new non-functional mode.

Luckily the car came with the nearly a brand new battery, plus all the original owner's manuals so I have the radio code on the card in the glove box .

As far as inspection ready, we are pretty easy here in VT. As long as there are no OBDII codes I should be all set. I'll need to fix all the lights on the dash before it gets to the inspection station. Looking forward to working on it with my son after a trip to scour the salvage yard for various treasures.

In other news I used a turkey baster to pull out some of the coolant from the reservoir this morning, and suprisingly what I initially thought was oil (based on dipping a paper towel in there) looks more like a layer of scunge on top of the coolant. I think a good flush and I'll be ready to roll.

Took her on a 30 mile or so drive last night and she ran great. Suspension is pretty creaky, but hopefully nothing too loose so I can focus on that after the state inspection which will be due on the 20th (14 days to get it inspected after initial purchase).

Thanks to everyone weighing in here I really appreciate it. I will try to take some pictures and post them up if anyone wants to see the old gal. I'll keep all my posting to this thread for the time being, and hopefully can learn enough about this car to help others later down the road.