We own a 2000 Volvo V70 XC AWD. Wow. NICE!

[GearheadTool]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Congrats! looks like you're enjoying it thoroughly

- Was a PPI done prior to purchase?
Normally that provides a lot of valuable info in making a decision on a used car.

- Is GC known to provide good results (UOAs) in this particular engine? is that why you want to use it?
I would feel a bit weird about using a 0w synthetic oil in an engine with more than 100K miles (unless it always had a syn. diet), but that's just me (perhaps)


Q1: No. I inspected it, and let it rin for an hour. Nothing seemed out of place and everything seemed to work.

Q2: I want the thinnest oil that will protect this engine. 0W-30 is fine with me! But I might be ok with 5w30.

 

[JHZR2]

does the owners manual require an acea a3 oil? if you dont have the manual, get on ebay and buy one.

 

[GearheadTool]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
does the owners manual require an acea a3 oil? if you dont have the manual, get on ebay and buy one.


I am checking the glovebox for owner's manual, but are you saying that I should have a 0W-40 or 5W-40 oil in this car?

Please note, I havent done ANYTHING to it yet. Just planning its oil change, etc etc...

EDIT: Manual stipulates API SJ or better, and wants a 40-weight above 86 degrees sustained ambient temoerature. Wondering if I shoudl use that 5w30 after all. The 0W-30 I wanted was thicker, but not available. ?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
does the owners manual require an acea a3 oil? if you dont have the manual, get on ebay and buy one.


I am checking the glovebox for owner's manual, but are you saying that I should have a 0W-40 or 5W-40 oil in this car?

Please note, I havent done ANYTHING to it yet. Just planning its oil change, etc etc...


It may well allow a range of viscosities. But ACEA A3 is not a spec specific to a viscosity. Just saying they may invoke A3 as their requirment for the oil you select. GC 0w-30 may well be a good choice.

 

[GearheadTool]

Manual stipulates API SJ or better, and wants a 40-weight above 86 degrees sustained ambient temoerature. Wondering if I shoudl use that 5w30 after all. The 0W-30 I wanted was thicker, but not available. ?

 

[SLCraig]

It doesn't have rust because its galvanized steel.
These vintage Volvos are made to last, unlike most cars on the road thesedays. The bodies I mean. (The powertrain too)

The seats are also always good in Volvos. I've been in several R models and the seats are second to none. SO GOOD.

I'd say you got a good car.. If I could find an 850R wagon with a manual trans, I would be in heaven.

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

OP, I'm not being a ****, I'm merely stating that you should be able to learn things on your own. If you have a great experience, fantastic, if not, well then I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes....nothing against you.

When I graduated from HS and started Uni, I desperatly wanted to get out of the 81 245dl my parents gave me.

I quickly found the most awesome little 84 Rabbit L to replace it with (against my dad's advise, mind you, this was before the days of forums and no, I also didn't get an actual insp.). It was 5 speed, and 3 door. Boy did I love that little machine, I polished it, got a new windshield, new tires, shocks, struts, etc. I even started running it on synthetic oil.

After a week of doing so I realized the car was consuming that pricey synthetic I was lovingly maintaining it with. So I bought a newer engine from a late 90's Fox...that car cost me sooo much money that I swore off all Mexican built VW's.

Later I started purchasing slightly newer BMW 3 series cars with far MORE milage. But according to the mechanics doing the insp. it was a good car, so I got it and I've been hooked ever since.

 

[Volvohead]

GearheadTool,

GC is not a "thin" oil; it is nearly a 40. But it runs very well in the turbo white blocks.

That said, right now, you don't want the thinnest oil. You don't want the best oil. You want the oil that is going to attack the sludge the quickest. In my experience with this engine family, that is an HDEO like T6 used at very short intervals, in conjunction with a non-solvent based cleaner (ARX). If you want to pass on the ARX, that's fine. But you are looking to clean at short OCIs. You don't waste GC or RL, or other caviar-grade oils doing that. Another alternative is PP, which claims high cleaning ability.

Being a turbo white block, it is best served -- once it is cleaned -- by an A3 synthetic. But in the lower pressure turbos such as this one, you can probably get by with a more pedestrian non-A3 synthetic, provided the OCI stays under 5k. Do not run under a 30 weight in this engine.

Again, I really would not be thinking about which caviar-grade motor oil to use in a sludged interference engine that may have an over-ripe timing belt.

I get the sense that you don't even have basic hand tools such as metric sockets for this car. If you are not experienced and with a decent tool box, this is not a good first car to learn on. I apologize if that is not the case. But if I am right, then you need to have someone else do the heavy lifting such as timing belt replacements. Too much is at stake if you make a mistake.

I don't know anything about Sams. If Sams is experienced with Volvos, then let him look at it. The best mechanics on these are "Volvo independent mechanics", or what we call "Indys". They are usually the best former Volvo dealership mechanics who now have their own shops and only service Volvos. They know the cars inside and out and will service it right.

I would ask on a place like Swedespeed who the folks out your way use.

Whatever you do, don't take this to a service chain like Sears, Pep Boys, NTB or Firestone. They will quickly mangle it.

 

[hattaresguy]

If you have no record of a T belt change and being this car is an auction special, I'd be doing that pretty quickly.

 

[kendrickson]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
If you have no record of a T belt change and being this car is an auction special, I'd be doing that pretty quickly.



I agree!

Gearhead, I don't mean to harp on this point if you already realize the seriousness of it, but the timing belt is your most important concern right now. I know others have pointed this out, but let me re-state that if you do not know when the timing belt was changed, then it needs to be done IMMEDIATELY. The timing belt is not something that gives you a warning and time to wait for it to get worse until it absolutely must be replaced. It just snaps, and when it does your purring engine will leave you stranded on the side of the road somewhere with an engine that is now RUINED. The engine will need to be replaced or totally rebuilt. With the miles you have on your car, that timing belt is likely on borrowed time. Volvohead also mentioned some important items that must/should be replaced when the car is opened up for the timing belt.

Again, you may already know all this. However, many people have no idea they need to replace their timing belt, and are surprised when their car dies an early death. I just didn't want your excitement to turn to a major disappointment if the engine is ruined. By the way, it looks like a nice car that should serve you well after the timing belt and other maintenance is done.

 

[GearheadTool]

Forgot to add another pic. The owners manual was in the glovebox, in PERFECT condition.. This car likely has many things original.

^Also: Its a little hard to make out, but I looked at the paper, and yes, it was advertised as having the 5 cylinder. Was bought as-is, but turns out I have the 4?

Great help, so far. And should I even try to POR15 the bottom? I am paranoid about underbody rust now! (Salt, etc.)

I returned the Mothers, and am shopping for oil again. Unsure whether to go with xW-30 or 0W/5W-40 oil. (PP, RP, whatever. My question is as to the GRADE to use.)

I am re-reading some, but this car won't see actual, daily use until a month or so, when it is registered, insured, etc. So it makes no sense to top off a half quart from halfway full on crosshairs to all the way full on crosshairs... yet...

 

[NothingNew]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool


^Also: Its a little hard to make out, but I looked at the paper, and yes, it was advertised as having the 5 cylinder. Was bought as-is, but turns out I have the 4?




I'd like to see that 4-cylinder engine swap. You have a 5-cylinder in your Volvo. BTW, nice car for the price.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
And should I even try to POR15 the bottom?


. . . no.

It's not an '82 Reliant.

Don't tart up the car.

Just repair it.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
Also: Its a little hard to make out, but I looked at the paper, and yes, it was advertised as having the 5 cylinder. Was bought as-is, but turns out I have the 4?


Grasshopper, get thee to Swedespeed and Matthews posthaste.
With this horse, you otherwise tread the valley of disaster.

The only owner's documents you should be excited about are the service book stamps.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
^Also: Its a little hard to make out, but I looked at the paper, and yes, it was advertised as having the 5 cylinder. Was bought as-is, but turns out I have the 4?

Nobody said you have a 4-cylinder engine. People said you don't have a T5. You still have a 5-cylinder engine, just not the T5 version.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
Great help, so far. And should I even try to POR15 the bottom? I am paranoid about underbody rust now! (Salt, etc.)


is there rust down there? If so, pony up about $3500 and do the job RIGHT. Anything else will continue to rust and be unsafe. Rust repair isnt cheap to be done correctly and systemmatically.

PORing over surface rust from just one side will just allow continuation of the rust from the other side.

The right thing to do assuming there is no rust is to get to Krown or Carwell and get the car thoroughly oiled.

 

[GearheadTool]

Yeah, there is no rust down there.

We may be taking the car to Sam's...............

Today, the ABS light came on a few times, went back off. the CEL even came on, and went off after it sat for a half hour or so! (It was "low" a quart of oil; low on crosshairs, is now full on crosshairs. Maxlife Nextgen 5w30, selected for Moly content.) And, twice, the gas pedal depressed made the car go forward roughly and slowly. This too only happened once when each of us drove it. No speedometer drop-outs tonight.

What on EARTH could that be??? ?? ? ?? ? ?

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool

Today, the ABS light came on a few times, went back off. the CEL even came on, and went off after it sat for a half hour or so! (It was "low" a quart of oil; low on crosshairs, is now full on crosshairs. Maxlife Nextgen 5w30, selected for Moly content.) And, twice, the gas pedal depressed made the car go forward roughly and slowly. This too only happened once when each of us drove it. No speedometer drop-outs tonight.

What on EARTH could that be??? ?? ? ?? ? ?


I think a couple of folks have mentioned already, but I'll mention it again: it's the ABS module. There are very small cracks in the solder points on the circuit board. One fix is to jam something between the module and the bracket that holds it in place (old credit cards, small wood shims, anything that'll fit). That stops it from moving around (weak solder joints don't like vibration). That may work for a while. There are a couple of places that will re-solder it better than new for $50.00 bucks or so. Do that, unless you're a pro at soldering and have a lot of free time.

I know several people have asked, but I'll ask again: do you know if the timing belt was done? FYI, I did the timing belt myself and didn't change the tensioner (dealer who sold me the parts told me I didn't need to change it). Needless to say, the ensuing repair cost more than you paid for your car--and I removed the head myself! You don't want to go through this, trust me.

 

[hemitom]

confucius says car no more awesome, no purr like kitty. I really don't know what you expect to get out of a 12 year old $2000 car? I hope you didn't get taken, it sounds like you can't afford to start dumping money in this car hand over foot. And volvo parts don't come cheap. I have a feeling this car may have many hidden gremlins.

 

[ueberooo]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
Yeah, there is no rust down there.

We may be taking the car to Sam's...............

Today, the ABS light came on a few times, went back off. the CEL even came on, and went off after it sat for a half hour or so! (It was "low" a quart of oil; low on crosshairs, is now full on crosshairs. Maxlife Nextgen 5w30, selected for Moly content.) And, twice, the gas pedal depressed made the car go forward roughly and slowly. This too only happened once when each of us drove it. No speedometer drop-outs tonight.

What on EARTH could that be??? ?? ? ?? ? ?


Definitely go an re-read all of Volvohead's posts. They seem pretty much right on the mark (though IMO there's not too much harm in adding a little moly). I also agree no need to tar this; these volvo bodies are very resilient. Others have chimed in that you need to look up or find out whether the timing belt was done (I believe the volvo rec'd interval is something like 105k or 120k, so, unless this repair was performed by prev owners it's running on borrowed time); and when these go in an interference engine like this, it happens without warning; often right when you start your car up some cold morning.

Since this is a pricy repair, and records might be missing, I'm wondering if anyone knows whether it's possible to take the timing belt covers off and just inspect to see whether this is the original 12 year old belt or the replacement (which would then be no older than a year or a few years). In my recollection of the V70 engine, it seem it's just a simple plastic cover on the left side of the engine.... seems like it might be very easy to take off and have a peek.

Anyways, here is the Volvohead's ABS related post; he seems to have figured by your speedometer symptoms that the ABS module is not healthy, way back on page 1 of this thread:

Originally Posted By: Volvohead

The speedo fix is usually ABS related, especially if it's throwing an ABS lamp. A simple known module repair on them to replace weak caps is about $100. If the module is more thoroughly tanked, that's $400+, just for the part. Occasionally you can find a boneyard pull from Erie, but it should still go out for the module upgrade.

A lot of strip center used lots don't know the first thing about these cars, and wind up causing more damage when they "fix" them.

I genuinely don't want to rain on anyone's new buy. But I sincerely hope the OP knows what he's getting into.


It's a very nice looking practical sports wagon. Hope you keep it running.