1998 V70 T5 First attempt at a tune up

PolishRifle · Post by **PolishRifle** » 13 Jul 2015, 10:25

I've had my V70 for 3 months and have been reading up on how to do maintenance on it without taking it to the shop. So far I've only changed the oil and replaced the rear brake pads and took apart the front brakes to inspect them. I had a sputtering issue this weekend when the car was in drive but at a complete stop. It would just have an intermittent stutter while idle. I started looking under the hood and noticed a few things

Spark plug wires are original from 1997
The timing belt was replaced at 76,000 miles
The PVC tube near the oil cap was very hard to the touch
I removed the oil cap and placed a glove over it and it had suction
I get the CEL for SAS error codes

The car is currently approaching 165,000 miles so I ordered new plugs and a wire set. Are there any tips and tricks I should be aware of, I've never replaced spark plugs before.

I also ordered the diode for the SAS bypass but after soldering it in place I'm unclear if there are any parts I need to remove or if diode itself will prevent the CEL from coming back?

I know originally Volvo said Timing belt every 70,000 miles but are newer belts designed to last 100K between changes? For someone with limited mechanical experience is the timing belt something I can attempt on my own? When I looked at the PVC stuff it looked pretty intensive and I'm not sure if I could do it on my own. Is there other tests to see if the PVC needs cleaned or replaced?

I do know a guy that works at a foreign car dealership that can do the work for me and normally just charges me for parts and fits me in after hours. I always throw him a few bucks and a case of beer.

Post by **kahl** » 13 Jul 2015, 10:50

Make sure you make a diagram of what spark wires go, there has been confusion in the past. Do not forget Bosch rotor and cap. What brand were the wires and plugs?

I would do the timing belt. At your mileage I would also replace water pump and hydrolic tensioner. TB change on the 98 is pretty straight forward.

If you have passed the glove test you can defer the PCV work.

I got a 98 V70 last November for my daughter with 165K on the clock. Due to this car being a POS I pretty much did everything in the engine compartment. TB, WP, tensioner, idler pulley, PCV, A/C compressor, oil cooler lines, all coolant lines, top and front engine mounts and alternator brushes and front and rear cam seals.

Just follow the task write ups for these jobs. Easy pessy!!!!

Adler · Post by **Adler** » 13 Jul 2015, 10:59

Do the distributor cap and rotor with the wire set too. Definitely use a torque wrench for the plugs. You don't want to over-tighten them in the aluminum head.

SAS bypass is a great little trick. The diode should prevent that code from coming back. I removed the tube coming off the exhaust manifold and plugged it, capped off any vacuum lines going to that system, removed the air pump under the battery, and changed the air box lid to a later version that doesn't have the port for the air pump hose. The stutter at idle might related to the plugs, wires, etc or the SAS pump trying to turn on. Mine would dim the headlights and drop the RPM because the bearings were rusted and the pump wouldn't spin.

Look up stage 0 stuff and you will see what should be attended to first. Also check out RobertDIY on youtube, he has great videos of these cars.

I don't own a turbo so someone else can give you more info on what to look for with that.

PolishRifle · Post by **PolishRifle** » 13 Jul 2015, 11:43

I had originally ordered AC Delco parts through Amazon because they had a 20% discount on the wires and the plugs were $2.88 a piece. I cancelled that order as I read more and more of the forum posts and went with Bosch Plugs (FR7DPP), Bosch Wires (09340), and ordered the Bosch distributor cap (03371), and Bosch Ignition Rotot (04272). The total for everything came to $136.00 so I think I did okay from a price standpoint.

I assume the spark plugs will already be at the correct gap?

Post by **abscate** » 13 Jul 2015, 12:10

I assume the spark plugs will already be at the correct gap?

You would think so, wouldn't you?

No, they probably won't be. For a turbo. Volvo says 0.030 inches but many here say gap to 0.028 inches for a turbo.

Post by **cn90** » 13 Jul 2015, 12:54

Great job at trying. Many people these days simply go to dealer and empty their wallet.

- Spark Plug wires: Bougicord only (check autohausaz.com, eeuroparts.com)

- Spark Plug: search for Bosch vs NGK, about $2 at local parts store.

- PCV, mod using 5/8-inch hose. For now, if you suspect any issue with high crankcase pressure, you can temporarily lift the dipstick a tiny bit, about 2-3mm to allow some combustion gas to escape. But do this only if you don't have time to fix the PCV.
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=53448

- Timing Belt etc.:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=53722

PolishRifle · Post by **PolishRifle** » 13 Jul 2015, 13:19

I upgraded the wires to the Bougicord for an extra $20 and more piece of mind.

For the PVC I had suction so I won't mess with it if I don't have to.

I think I might do the TB with my friend at his shop so in case I get in over my head he can bail me out.

I will say this has been the best $2500 I ever spent on a car. The fact that these are pretty easy to work on for the novice with no prior mechanical experience has been a money saver and a great learning experience.

Post by **E Showell** » 14 Jul 2015, 08:13

I'd replace the engine air cleaner filter as well. $15 bucks and 3 minutes to change. There are about 8 clips around the perimeter of the breather box. Unclip/remove top of box and replace filter. Replace top of box, reclip clips and you're done. Be careful removing the top of the breather box. You don't need to take it all the way off, just need to get enough breathing room (pun intended) to jiggle out the old filter. In fact, if you're too overzealous in horsing the top off, you'll likely split the two vacuum elbow that feed into the rear of the box (toward the windshield). These are in very tight spaces and are not available for puchase new from Volvo. I use generic Dorman elbows from Advance Autoparts when mine go -- and they invariably do. I'd be surprised if yours are still in one piece. Also, because of how they are constructed, the elbows can look fine, but be split anyway. Some careful investigation is in order here. Also pay attention to which thin plastic vacuum hose goes toward the top and which toward the bottom (relative position of the two hoses) of the breather box.

I second the advice of those who recommend a timing belt, serpentine belt, water pump, idler pulley and tensioner replacement at this mileage/age. Aisin is the preferred brand of water pump. Folks used to feel the Hepu pump was OK as well, but there have been some recent reports of problems with Hepu pumps.

I'd also order a throttle body gasket and do a throttle body cleaning while you're doing the distributor cap replacement. All that stuff is in the same area and it isn't a whole lot of extra work to clean the throttle body while you're replacing the distributor cap. Four 10 mm bolts come off, throttle body comes loose. Clean throttle body, replace gasket, retorque bolts. 10 minutes tops and that's if you're very meticulous about the cleaning.

I'd also plan on getting in the habit of cleaning the throttle body at every, or every other oil change.

mika · Post by **mika** » 14 Jul 2015, 09:29

Welcome to your new hobby.

I was able to do all the service you mentioned with no prior experience, just patience and some time. However: the timing belt is something that threw me completely off guard and turned into a 2 week ordeal. Looking back on it, I wish I would have done it with a friend like you mentioned. if you are doing timing belt, have the correct seals ordered to have on standby. you do not want to be going back to change the seals after changing the timing belt. There are oil seals behind the crankshaft gear and both of the camshaft gears You also need a way to keep the engine in "time" before you remove anything, especially any of the gears. That is my .02. I have only done a b230 (non interference timing belt) change and seals and I can only image how much harder it would have been if it was an interference with my lack of mechanical/timing skills. Not trying to deter you, just make sure you plan accordingly for the timing. The engine is "interference" so if something is off, you can ruin your valves b/c the engine is not time correctly.