Volvo tech

[specVogel]

just incase there are any volvos on the board i thought i'd lend a hand to them. i am a certified volvo technician with 5+ years on just volvo and 4 of 8 ASEs. so any questions feel free to ask.

[TROLL]

nice, can you post up some common tutorials or other tech info? if you want to take the time compile as much as you have and i can sticky it.
thanks!
bryan

[specVogel]

with the amount of info that i know and have at my fingertips it would be much easier to help question by question. i work at a dealer and can help with everything from buying a car to fixing it.

[dolphinS4]

Wife just got '06 XC90 2.5t, any issues or common problems I should be on the look for? How about getting some more power out of the 5t? Any chance without blowing warranty?
Thanks,
Mike

[specVogel]

the 2.5t is a solid motor that volvo has been using in one form or another for over 10 years. not alot of major issues with the xc90s. keep an eye on the tires for abnormal wear because ive seen a few go through tires in 12k, and they arent cheap. as far as getting more power out of it i dont know of any aftermarket parts for them. you could adjust the wastegate on the turbo but that will just throw a check engine light and void your warranty. enjoy the new car.

[9 Ball]

with the amount of info that i know and have at my fingertips it would be much easier to help question by question. i work at a dealer and can help with everything from buying a car to fixing it.

I absolutely love the R! My mother is trying to decide between the V70 R and the VW Tourage. I don’t really know much about the R in terms of reliability etc, however, I know Volvos have a history of being rock solid vehicles. She drives long distances, and likes comfort, however, she very much wants a car that “holds” the road. I recommended the R… it would seem to fit her needs.

What’s your opinion on the infamous R… reliability, comfort, safety, handling, etc.

Thanks.

[dolphinS4]

Thanks, I look for the tires. Is it an alignment issue or any other correctable problem?

[specVogel]

I absolutely love the R! My mother is trying to decide between the V70 R and the VW Tourage. I don’t really know much about the R in terms of reliability etc, however, I know Volvos have a history of being rock solid vehicles. She drives long distances, and likes comfort, however, she very much wants a car that “holds” the road. I recommended the R… it would seem to fit her needs.

What’s your opinion on the infamous R… reliability, comfort, safety, handling, etc.

Thanks.
the r is an awsome car both wagon and sedan. i personally would love to have one if i had the money. in terms of reliability they are rock solid. never heard of any major problems. the motor is a redesigned version of dolphins4's inline 5, and like all of the volvo motors is basically bullet-proof. as for comfort, in my opinion the suspension is a little too stiff for your basic soccer mom types, although there is push button suspension settings, comfort, sport, and advanced. safety is not even questionable. just like all volvos they are second to none. ask anyone what is the safest car and they will say volvo. just look at their track record. they developed the first suv with roll over protection, first with advanced airbags, etc.. handling is a dream in the car. on advanced setting body roll is almost nonexistant. the one thing that we get complaints about is brake squeal. but i believe its the way people drive. the car has brembo calipers all around with oversized rotors. and on alot of cars with brembos you need to use the brakes properly i.e. not riding the brakes and allowing buildup. i would recomend that your mother takes one for a test drive and see how she likes the ride.

[silver05bullet]

Question for you i got a 2003 Volvo S-40 and my power seat stopped working do u guys see alot of that happening if so what is the most common cause might try to fix it this weekend

[specVogel]

Thanks, I look for the tires. Is it an alignment issue or any other correctable problem?
yes most of the time its alignment problems, but its not a problem from the factory. alot of people see it as an offroad suv and can drive over anything and not worry about it. the car's chassis is a modified version of the s60, v70,s80, which is why its a suv that drives like a car. so just like any other car its a good thing to get an alignment at least once a year. if your xc90 has the pirelli scorpion tires there were some people complaining of premature wear and were getting reimbursed from pirelli. so no worries.

[specVogel]

Question for you i got a 2003 Volvo S-40 and my power seat stopped working do u guys see alot of that happening if so what is the most common cause might try to fix it this weekend

is your car still under the four year 50k warranty if so its still covered. if not most of the time the problem was with the switch which just needs to be replaced. i would also check the seat tracks to make sure nothing is jammed in there.

[silver05bullet]

Nah the car is at 103000 miles i do alot of driving my 2005 Evo is at 36000 miles right now, i think it almost definitely has to be the switch do u happen to know approximate price for it?

[specVogel]

Nah the car is at 103000 miles i do alot of driving my 2005 Evo is at 36000 miles right now, i think it almost definitely has to be the switch do u happen to know approximate price for it?
the switch is probably between one and two hundred. you will need to know if the seat has memory, and its not that hard to replace yourself. also dont forget about replacing the timing belt and tensioner at 105k.

[9 Ball]

the r is an awsome car both wagon and sedan. i personally would love to have one if i had the money. in terms of reliability they are rock solid. never heard of any major problems. the motor is a redesigned version of dolphins4's inline 5, and like all of the volvo motors is basically bullet-proof. as for comfort, in my opinion the suspension is a little too stiff for your basic soccer mom types, although there is push button suspension settings, comfort, sport, and advanced. safety is not even questionable. just like all volvos they are second to none. ask anyone what is the safest car and they will say volvo. just look at their track record. they developed the first suv with roll over protection, first with advanced airbags, etc.. handling is a dream in the car. on advanced setting body roll is almost nonexistant. the one thing that we get complaints about is brake squeal. but i believe its the way people drive. the car has brembo calipers all around with oversized rotors. and on alot of cars with brembos you need to use the brakes properly i.e. not riding the brakes and allowing buildup. i would recomend that your mother takes one for a test drive and see how she likes the ride.

She’s taking her 1998 V70 xc in for service tomorrow. We’re gonna drive both cars then. Thanks for the write-up. :thumbup:

[TROLL]

hey, if you dont mind, i'd be interested to know the interworkings of volvo's 5 cylinder engine... why they do it and how it works and pros and cons, photos, whatever other info you have.

also, how about some good info on the sweet sweet S60R? love that car to death.

of course both of these topics would warrant new threads. just giving you ideas if you have time, i'd be interested to hear more about these. thanks,
bryan

[9 Ball]

hey, if you dont mind, i'd be interested to know the interworkings of volvo's 5 cylinder engine... why they do it and how it works and pros and cons, photos, whatever other info you have.

also, how about some good info on the sweet sweet S60R? love that car to death.

of course both of these topics would warrant new threads. just giving you ideas if you have time, i'd be interested to hear more about these. thanks,
bryan


Heh, heh. I’ll give you my driving impressions of the R tomorrow. :mrgreen:


Incidentally, the Acura Vigor was an inline 5… I wish they stuck with that motor.

[2point4DSM]

I forget the actual engineering techno ligno to describe it but anytime you have an odd number of cylinders the motor gets smoother and the reason the inline 5 is so nice.

[specVogel]

I forget the actual engineering techno ligno to describe it but anytime you have an odd number of cylinders the motor gets smoother and the reason the inline 5 is so nice.
i am pretty sure all inline motors are smoother due to the fact they are easier to balance as aposed to v motors where you have the offset to fight with.

[specVogel]

hey, if you dont mind, i'd be interested to know the interworkings of volvo's 5 cylinder engine... why they do it and how it works and pros and cons, photos, whatever other info you have.

also, how about some good info on the sweet sweet S60R? love that car to death.

of course both of these topics would warrant new threads. just giving you ideas if you have time, i'd be interested to hear more about these. thanks,
bryan
yeah id be happy to start a few threads about them. ill just need some time to get some data together.

[9 Ball]

We took a test drive the other day. My mother got her 2000 XC70 SE (not a ’98… my mistake) serviced on Thursday. We went to the Volvo dealer in Devon PA. They didn’t have a V70 R (wagon), however, they did have the S60 R (sedan.) The car was silver, but like both R models (wagon and sedan,) as soon as you approach the car you can tell it’s something different.

On the outside, the most noticeable difference would be the wheels and brake package. As you move towards the front, you notice the bumper is much larger and protrudes out to house the intercooler. Step inside and the interior is top notch. The seats and leather are fantastic. I love the blue gauges which also help to set the car’s interior apart from its’ siblings. They only had an automatic, but it wouldn’t have made a difference… my mother has driven manual trannies most of her life.

It was raining so we really weren’t gonna punch it. I was more concerned with how the car handled the road. My mother drove for the entire time, however, I got plenty of information as a passenger. On the “A” roads, the car felt somewhat like the other high end Volvos. The ride was pleasant and comfortable. The salesman directed us towards the “B” roads, and this is where you could feel the dramatic difference in the R. There are three suspension settings, Comfort, Sport, and Advanced. On the “A” roads, my mother kept the suspension setting to Comfort, however, as soon as we hit the “B” road, my mother switched to Advanced.

From the passenger seat, I could feel the suspension stiffen up. As we drove along, taking all of the twists, turns, and inclines, the R took everything with very little body roll. As a passenger, I got the feeling the car was very “sure footed” and the driver was in complete control at all times. With the setting on Advanced, you have a sense of confidence. My mother acknowledged this because she briefly switched back to Comfort, and then immediately reverted back to Advanced. This car is truly at home on the “B” roads... I felt like we were on a brief road trip. Even after we got back on the “A” road, my mother still preferred the Advanced setting: content with feeling every ripple in the road and receiving as much information from the car as possible.

Great car, and very much worth the $42,000 sticker price. In contrast, the 2006 XC70 was $43,000 (with less power and extremely soft suspension.) The Volvo SUV XC90 was also around $43,000-$44,000. So it would be a no brainer to grab the R instead. :)

[9 Ball]

…And for all you Volkswagen fans, we also took the Touareg out for a spin. First off, the build quality of the Touareg is very impressive… typical German robustness. The car seems big, however, when driving, it rides somewhat like a car. My mother was impressed by this because she’s not much of an SUV person, due to their lack handling. The Touareg, my mother noted, felt very good on the “B” roads for an SUV. The Touareg’s instrumentation had even more techno-wizardry than the R, giving the driver as much information on the car’s systems as possible. Again, like the R, interior was top-notch European craftsmanship. The Touareg especially, is very unique among SUVs. We drove the V6, so my mother was missing the power we just experienced in the R. Not to mention the Touareg’s weight with only a V6 motor. Maybe next time we’ll check out the 8 cylinder.

Both vehicles were equally impressive in their own right. The sticker on the Touareg V6 was around $43,000. The 8 cylinder would obviously be more. With pricing in mind (Touareg vs. XC70 vs. XC90 vs. V70 R,) the R is looking more and more like my mother’s next car purchase.


Oh yeah,

The Touareg gets points for having the bottom of the glove box, in the shape of a wine bottle… very, very classy. :thumbup:

[9 Ball]

**Bump!**

For any new Volvo gurus that have joined recently – spit some knowledge at us.:)

[S60R]

I dont know if Im a guru, what u wanna know?

I cant believe Im the only one with a Volvo here?!?!

[zerioustt]

i have a 88 turbo brick!

[9 Ball]

I dont know if Im a guru, what u wanna know?

I cant believe Im the only one with a Volvo here?!?!

What color is your car?

[specVogel]

just saw the new 2007 s80 yesterday, pretty badass car. this one had the v8 from the xc90 and was awd. plus they redesigned the whole car and the thing looks a hell of a lot better than the previous models.

[S60R]

What color is your car?


Silver with the black/blue int., body kit, 6-speed.

[9 Ball]

Were you at the King of Prussia meet last month? If so, I think I’ve seen your car before.

Yes, we need more Volvos and of course Rs.:afro:

[S60R]

Yeah, I was there. I think it was the last one before Milla moved its meets to Tuesdays

[naDintheHat]

I here by bring this thread back from the dead!

My roomate has a 2000 S40, I was wondering if any of you know of any performance based websites(for parts and tips). I did tell him to google, but he is even more lazy than i am.

-Dan

[specVogel]

http://www.ipdusa.com/
this is another good volvo site http://swedespeed.com/
there's other sites out there, i just dont feel like searching.

[naDintheHat]

http://www.ipdusa.com/
this is another good volvo site http://swedespeed.com/
there's other sites out there, i just dont feel like searching.

Thank you sir.. You should treat urself to a beer for being helpful.

[esunbaboon]

I got a 940 turbo. I hope to get a yellow 850R wagon someday, but thats only a dream. nadinthehat check out www.volvospeed.com for the s40. Volvo For Life!

[S60R]

I here by bring this thread back from the dead!

My roomate has a 2000 S40, I was wondering if any of you know of any performance based websites(for parts and tips). I did tell him to google, but he is even more lazy than i am.

-Dan



Well, its been awhile, but heres some

http://www.evolvecars.com/site/index.php
http://www.heicosportiv.de/mainframe.asp?lang=en
http://engstrom.net/scstore/
http://www.tme.se/e_main.htm
http://www.samsteffansson.se/samindex.html
http://www.eurosporttuning.com/

[naDintheHat]

Thanks alot, I will pass these sites onto him.

-Dan

[96'850glt]

Thought i'd reply to this, as me being a volvo enthusiast. I'm currently on my second 850. I had the opportunity to buy an s60 t5 for a great deal, but i'm a P1 fan (everything before '99 was made by volvo, everything after '99 was a p2 and made by Ford) and could not pass on another 850. Alot of the volvo guys tend to hate on the NA volvos, and i'm currently working on the 850 NA to hopefully get at least 260hp out of it. The 850 that i currently have comes stock with 168hp at the crank. My last dyno gave me 170whp so around 200-205hp at the crank with just a chip, CAI and MSD ignition. I'm at work so a little rushed for time (I could talk for days about volvos)

[esunbaboon]

Thought i'd reply to this, as me being a volvo enthusiast. I'm currently on my second 850. I had the opportunity to buy an s60 t5 for a great deal, but i'm a P1 fan (everything before '99 was made by volvo, everything after '99 was a p2 and made by Ford) and could not pass on another 850. Alot of the volvo guys tend to hate on the NA volvos, and i'm currently working on the 850 NA to hopefully get at least 260hp out of it. The 850 that i currently have comes stock with 168hp at the crank. My last dyno gave me 170whp so around 200-205hp at the crank with just a chip, CAI and MSD ignition. I'm at work so a little rushed for time (I could talk for days about volvos)

Good to see another volvo owner! Too bad your N/A. Just kidding. Thats awesome to finally see some on go for some power with N/A. I assume your on volvospeed and I haven't been there in a while, has anyone else built a high powered N/A on there? Keep me updated with your car cause I'm really interested to see a decent N/A build. I know almost nothing about whiteblocks but I know it's hard(expensive) to make a powerful N/A.

[specVogel]

Thought i'd reply to this, as me being a volvo enthusiast. I'm currently on my second 850. I had the opportunity to buy an s60 t5 for a great deal, but i'm a P1 fan (everything before '99 was made by volvo, everything after '99 was a p2 and made by Ford) and could not pass on another 850. Alot of the volvo guys tend to hate on the NA volvos, and i'm currently working on the 850 NA to hopefully get at least 260hp out of it. The 850 that i currently have comes stock with 168hp at the crank. My last dyno gave me 170whp so around 200-205hp at the crank with just a chip, CAI and MSD ignition. I'm at work so a little rushed for time (I could talk for days about volvos)

good to hear that someone knows of the potential of those motors. if you have any questions post here and ill help you out as much as i am legally allowed to. i have alot of expierience with the cars, and they have a solid engine. and by the way, just to bust your stones, the P1 cars are the new s40, v50, c70, and the new c30.

[Piglet]

Hey guys, I've got a 2001 V70 T5 with 96k miles. I've got a pretty bad boost leak, I don't know where it's leaking from and I've gone over all my vac and turbo lines. I'll boost 10psi and it'll fade to 5/6 at redline. I used to boost 13 and fade to 10 at redline. Any ideas on how to fix this?

[96'850glt]

good to hear that someone knows of the and by the way, just to bust your stones, the P1 cars are the new s40, v50, c70, and the new c30.

I make alot of mistakes when i'm in a rush! :cyberguy:

[96'850glt]

Good to see another volvo owner! Too bad your N/A. Just kidding. Thats awesome to finally see some on go for some power with N/A. I assume your on volvospeed and I haven't been there in a while, has anyone else built a high powered N/A on there? Keep me updated with your car cause I'm really interested to see a decent N/A build. I know almost nothing about whiteblocks but I know it's hard(expensive) to make a powerful N/A.

Lol.... thats the same answer i get from every volvo owner. :roll: The reason i want to do this is because nobody on this side of the pond has really worked on an 850 NA whiteblock. There is a guy Johann in Sweden that is working on making a 300hp 850 NA http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php?showtopic=67141

This is something i'm planning on doing, ITB's etc. It's an expensive setup, but well worth it if i'm the only guy in the states with it :)

I saw a gray 740 turbo with a narrowband in a pod in the A-pillar anyone know who that is?

[esunbaboon]

I saw a gray 740 turbo with a narrowband in a pod in the A-pillar anyone know who that is?

Where? I got a grey 940 with a narrrowband( :( ) in the a-pillar.

[96'850glt]

Where? I got a grey 940 with a narrrowband( :( ) in the a-pillar.

Rte. 1 by Wick Shopping Plaza (pathmark, heading north.) Towards menlo park mall. I passed you and slowed down, you would have seen me. White 850 with volans.

[esunbaboon]

Not me but I'll keep my eyes open for it.

[specVogel]

Hey guys, I've got a 2001 V70 T5 with 96k miles. I've got a pretty bad boost leak, I don't know where it's leaking from and I've gone over all my vac and turbo lines. I'll boost 10psi and it'll fade to 5/6 at redline. I used to boost 13 and fade to 10 at redline. Any ideas on how to fix this?

throwing any codes? there is a possibility that the turbocharger control valve is bad. the diaphram on the solenoid could be leaking through.

[96'850glt]

throwing any codes? there is a possibility that the turbocharger control valve is bad. the diaphram on the solenoid could be leaking through.

We were thinking maybe the wastgates gone bad?

[specVogel]

it is possibile that the wastegate is causing the problem, but not as likely as the tc valve. i have replaced the valve on dozens of cars, and have yet to replace a wastegate on any car newer than 1990. remember the tc valve controls the wastegate.

[Piglet]

Is the Turbo Control Vavle the same as the Boost Control Solenoid? The plastic thing that has 3 hoses and an electric connector that's next to the airbox?

No CELs. I am hitting 11psi again. I swear my car will only boost when it feels like it

[specVogel]

yes that is the turbo charger control valve.

[Turbo s60R]

damn how come i never saw this thread before!!!!!! i own a 2004 s60r, black with orange interior....

Now over the past couple months the s60r has been a learning experience, i am a little hard on the but have been learning how the car wants to be drivin. i have recently replaced the trans because of a blown angle gear and have noticed that the s60r has a little power steering issue but other than that the only prob i have with the car is blowing tires out on the great pot holes of south philly. Now with this site (tristatetuners) i spend more time sticking up for my what seemed to be lone volvo in here, but now i see that there are many others

[Turbo s60R]

now for my tech question!!!! how do you clear the basic maintance code in the text window, its driving me crazy

[specVogel]

heres how to turn the service light off for all volvos 99 and up.
1. turn the key to position 1
2. push and hold down the trip reset button
3. now turn the key to position 2
4. while still holding the button down you will see the trip odometer reset and after about 10 seconds you will see the triangle in the middle of the cluster flash. after 3 flashes you can let go of the button.
5. turn the car off and start it up and see if it reset.
it may take you a couple of times to get used to it and to do it properly.

[Turbo s60R]

you are god!!!!!! thanx man

[specVogel]

no problem mang. any questions just post in this thread and i will help you as best as i can. cheers.:partyman:

[Turbo s60R]

hahahhaha i got another one for ya, it just happened to me last night....

my car when into a limp mode and the text screen said reduced engine performance and the little triangle went yellow, there where no check engine light but the car was running sluggish...... we scanned the car on my buddies computer and the code cam up as p2127 Acceleration position #2 (g185) signal to low

now if you could help me figure out what this is ill praise you again hahahaha this realy sucked cause i was in the middle of running and m3 when i lost it.....