So took my V70 R into the volvo dealer to address a few things including a sale on an oil change that was a pretty good deal to get the volvo techs to look at the car without paying the $125 minimum inspection fee...

The tech there was actually really helpful, I got to go back to the repair bay with him to discuss some of the issues. He pointed out that the undercoating wasn't volvo and on the dented front left panel, there had been some shifting of the nuts and a bit of overspray, so he's pretty convinced that there had been some minor work on that side and probably explains my air leak. However, they couldn't narrow it down without taking out the wheel well and that would have required drilling out the rivets for the well and mud guard so I decided to let that go for now.

The mechanic was a bit disappointed I went with synthetic, he said that with regular oil changes at 3k I was just wasting my money. However, I think that with the location I'm at most of the year, the synthetic will be worth the extra cost. Overall I got out of there for only $110.

For the trunk latch, he didn't want to move the post because there was no way to duplicate the issue in the shop...I asked about just loosening them so I could adjust it later because they are stuck pretty tight but he didn't want to do that seeing as it fit very well right now and he didn't want to open it up to not being aligned like it is now..

They diagnosed the ticking/rattling on the right side of the car as the tension pulley, so he lubed it and told me to keep an eye on it.

He managed to finally get the dipstick for the trans out of the tube...said that they didn't grease the o-ring before jamming it in there but commented that the trans fluid looked nice and red, so for 123k miles, it must have been replaced some time just before I bought it...so that saved me +$100 to change out. I know a lot of the brickboarders would do it themselves but my knownledge and working space/equipment is limited so I do what I can.

I got to see the car on the lift for the first time, so I took note of a few things like the rear air dam/protector on the drivers side underneath in front of the rear tire. I had noticed it hanging down quite a bit but never knew why...turns out there is a crack in it near the bolt, so it's hanging down farther than it should. Not a biggie though, getting a replacement shouldn't cost much. Just another small fix-it like the cracked fog lamp..

So yeah, the guy was really helpful and I got to see things from a tech's perspective as I was standing there. When they did the oil change they used Mobil 1 synthetic, just in case anyone was wondering...

"They diagnosed the ticking/rattling on the right side of the car as the tension pulley, so he lubed it and told me to keep an eye on it."

Just went out today and it's still ticking when it put it in gear...oh well..I'll have to have it looked at somewhere down the road. I don't see it being a mechanical issue, just a noise and irritation issue.

Anyone have suggestions on what I could do to get the tensioner to stop ticking?

Hello, Yes, replace it before it seizes. It's the classic "squeeky wheel". You know the saying; It's the squeeky wheel which gets the grease. In your case the grease didn't work. The saying changes to; It's the squeeky wheel which fails,leaves you stranded and costs 10, or more, times to fix. You say your mechanic oiled it for you? How nice of him. I'd rethink the usefulness of his "friendship". Kira

k,

I agree with Klaus, what air leak are you talking about?

The '98's had a problem with air entering through the interior door release surround. There is a TSB about this. It is any easy fix and the dealer can check your VIN to see if the work was done.

You can hear the intake air from the air box located on the left side of the engine compartment, especially is you have a K&N filter installed.

Please provide more specifics.

Bryan

Darn, my wife used to yell at me for smoking with my window open 1/2 inch to let the smoke out. Her gripe: cold air through the door handle! I never new there was a fix. That would have been a good thing to do.

Klaus
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Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

Driving down the highway I can feel a blast of air coming from the footwell. This was easy to feel in the winter as it was so cold I had to wrap a blanket around my legs. Putting my hand down there while driving it felt like it was coming from somewhere around the hood release lever. I took the lower dash panel off and tried to look for a hole myself, but couldn't see anything.

When I took it to the dealer, the mechanic looked at it as I explained the issue and they ruled out everything except the space behind the wheel well. The only way to get that off would be to drill the rivets out and I didn't want to spend the time/money at the moment to find out. I have until the winter to solve the issue because it was way too cold to drive even with the heat on full blast to the floor.

From the outside to the driver's foot, I understand now. You won't find it until you pull off some of the carpeting and the side panel. Sounds like the car took a pretty good hit!

Klaus
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Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

There's a dent in the left fender panel near where the A pillar starts. The mechanic noted that there seemed to be some shifting of the front panel due to scratched paint near the bolt holes. My guess is that some seam got worked a bit losse in the bump the car got...I'm not aware of how significant a single dent is, but I'm starting to put the pieces together. It also explains a lot about the broken door stop in the drivers door and why it creaks when I open it..

At some point I think I need to get that wheel well off and see what happened.

There is nothing between the outer and inner fender, except for a couple of wires if you have side marker lamps. So what air leak are you talking about?

Synthetic is good for your engine, and change it every 5-7500 miles depending on your driving habits. 5 or 10W30 will do just fine in Illinois.


Klaus
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Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound