Slower than Grandpa! How to recover my performance?

[FireFox31]

My 2000 V70 NA automatic has below average acceleration, timid shifts, and a general lack of performance. It has 215k miles and has just completed a year of overhaul including changing all fluids, spark plugs, timing belt, coolant pump, accessory belt, brakes, coolant hoses, tires, and cleaning the PCV.

Tonight, I drove my car and Geronimo in immediate succession on the same city/highway course. Geronimo is an identical 2000 V70 NA auto with 350k miles, a decade of neglect, worn spark plugs, 20k miles overdue timing belt and whining pulleys, many fluid leaks, unknown fluid levels or condition, 8 month old gas that's surely 89 octane, and countless other ailments. Yup, Geronimo noticeably outperformed me. It accelerated faster and more responsively. Its shifts were confident, faster, and when I wanted them.

Some data: I always use 93 octane gas. I get 23 mpg city and 26 mpg highway according to the dash computer. I lose an average 0.25 Liters of 5W40 synthetic oil per 1000 miles, likely burning it. My coolant level has been dropping slightly since 10/1/21 when I changed the belts, pump, hoses, and tank. It also dropped 12/20-3/21, then stayed constant 3/21-10/21. My parking brake shoes are dragging just a little because that's what I read to do.

How can I recover my engine and transmission performance so I'm not slower than Grandpa Geronimo? Perhaps first, how can I measure my performance to see the problem? Who else out there is suffering from this and doesn't know it? Thanks for your help.

[abscate]

How is compression between the two of them? Are they both 4 speed or is one of them a 5 speed AT?

[volvolugnut]

I suggest performance testing using a little used road and full throttle acceleration between say 25 and 60 MPH. Have a helper with a timer to watch the dash speed gauge from behind the driver. Repeat a few times for each car in the same section of road and average the results for each car. Have both engines and transmissions fully warmed before testing. Test both cars on the same day and weather conditions.
volvolugnut

[rzacc]

Suspect the catalytic converter is clogged.

[erikv11]

How is the cap and rotor, or was that also replaced just left off the list?

[scot850]

Erik have you been on the eggnog again? It is a 2000 MY = No distributor!!

Both cars are 2000 MY NA's so should both have 5 speed autos. I like the 5 speed auto as it has more shifts but it keeps in the power band better. I am not a trans expert but has the 5 speed not got an element of adaptive learning?

A few years ago the local Volvo dealer did a software update on the ETM/trans on my 2000 V70R 5 speed auto. The trans used to be super responsive, almost like a hair trigger. Now it seems to have a delay. I was not amused that they did a software change as it was for the ETM with a swiper contact. My car has the Xemodex contactless ones so the change was not required. I asked them to change it back but they couldn't back date it. I was far from amused!!

So it could be that your car has had the update and the other has not? Maybe Canadian supplied cars are just better?!

I am trying to recall if you have done the full trans flush on your car? If not maybe it needs it done.

Otherwise, other than the suggestion already given of a possible blocked catalytic converter I am struggling to think what it could be.

The things I am thinking are:

1) An issue with the VVT or the timing belt not aligned correctly.
2) Fuel injectors needing cleaned.
3) Low fuel pressure.
4) Are the plugs the right type/same and gapped correctly?
5) ECT issue
6) Is the warm up valve in the airbox working?

I'm sure there are other suggestions others will think of.

Good Luck tracking it down.

Neil.

[regent]

Erik have you been on the eggnog again? It is a 2000 MY = No distributor!!

I don't have a clue about Eggnog but when I open the hood I can't see any spark plugs so what good would a distributor do?

[scot850]

That is a Volvo test to see if you are worthy of owning one of these fine beasts! Could be worse, you could have a P! V50/S40 and have to remove the intake to get to the spark plugs and coils!!

Neil.

[abscate]

Be nice to Erik. They have to make eggnog with potatoes.

[Oro]

Have you flushed the transmission fluid?

I bought my 2000 V70 XC without a test drive. Drove it a few miles away and I knew the TCV was bad (I'd had a P2 with a bad one upon purchase in the past). I'd expected that and literally had brought some pliers and a new Pierburg Porsche unit w/me. The rest of the drive home was SOOO much better. This doesn't apply to you, but what I am getting at is that when you know it's off, it's off and there are a few high-profile suspects.

Back to that car, I knew I still wasn't getting quite what I should, and I suspected the 117k mile car might have the original atf in it. I did a 9qt swap out the radiator return fitting, easily and in a very short period of time. Then the car really popped, dramatically different acceleration, shift points. If you have not base-lined the transmission fluid health, this is a baseline fluid you have to correct before you can judge other performance parameters.

I also did this atf swap this past fall with another P80 V70 XC owner locally I had met through swedespeed. We did the same to his car and we went out in it and he was just (this is literal), "Oh, oh. This is so different!" "Never been like this before!"

So do that if you haven't touched it recently and I didn't see anything that indicated regular AT service. There is a saying that oil is the life-blood of an engine. It's even more so true in an AT because it's not just a lubricant, it's a critical part of the mechanical working of it as the interaction of many parts of the transmission (solenoids to create line pressure, torque converter actuation, individual clutch disc function) all depend crucially on healthy fluid. The system is incredibly tolerable of bad fluid before it fails, but performance falls off dramatically.