2005 XC 90 4.4 V8 non turbo auto Topic is solved

[nisan17]

Question(s) regarding 2005 XC90 V8 4.4 Yamaha with auto trans and no turbo. My daughter is looking at buying this model with 82k on the odo. What should she be concerned about? It has nothing wrong that we've been told or could see. Doesn't use oil, fluids, hoses and belts are good. Oh the oil level light goes on every now and then, but a supposed mechanic says bad sensor and shouldn't be alarmed. Thanks for any input.

[Masscomguru]

That particular model year has a particularly nasty issue with the center balancing shaft. The bearings let go. It’s reparable if you catch it, but if not it will destroy the engine. It’s also a complete tear down to replace. The mileage varies on failure greatly. Some never do some less than 100k some later in life. Aside from that they all need valve cover replacements at some point.

That being said, the oil thing is ok. They light up with only 1/2qt low and on a 7500 mile OCI that’s not too bad.

If you are looking for these in that year range I would recommend the 2.5 over the T6 or V8.

[jimmy57]

The balance shaft bearing issue is a big deal and worth an inspection by someone familiar with Volvo V8s. The problem has a remedy by removing upper intake and drilling the drain hole that 2006 and later have with a long drill bit. It is not a big job but the drilling only goes 1/4 inch to go into an area where any water can drain. Water is not usually going to be there but if the engine gets washed it is a risk.

[Roger_850T]

I have the same XC90 - I agree with the other posters - the issue with the balance shaft bearing is due to washing the engine, or in my case, I think I got some fuel in there when I changed the fuel pressure sender. To fix it, you have to remove the intake manifold and one of the cylinder heads. That said, it still runs nicely, and that's the only major issue with the engine. It's got a timing chain, so no belt to replace. From numerous discussions, fuel economy seems to be about the same no matter which engine you have, so it's really a function of it being a big, heavy vehicle. I get 17mpg pretty consistently. (The people in England with the diesel engines always post ridiculous mpg, but it's diesel, and they're measuring in imperial gallons...)

Also, I find my oil level sensor is fussy about what kind of oil I put in. Specifically it does not like Castrol Magnatec, and will give me erroneous low oil readings all the time. It took me changing out a $100 sensor and no change to figure that one out.

Roger