I'm thinking about purchasing a 99 AWD V70. I have heard some rumblings that the AWD in 99 was a not so good a deal, but I'm not clear on why. I've also heard that it can be easily converted to a FWD by removing parts and that this will decrease weight and increase fuel efficiency.

I'm curious what exactly the concerns with the AWD system is and if they going FWD creates any further issues.

I'd also like to hear any general comments on what to be considering in a 99 S70. I've been told the power steering needs to be replaced and I felt that while driving the vehicle. What else should I look for or be aware of?

It has a problem where the back seat belts lock when put down and you have to unbolt them in order to get the belt to unlock and put the seat back in the upright position. What would it take to permanently fix this?

I have hopefully one last question before I start negotiating a price for this vehicle. I looked under the hood and found something odd. There is electrical tape wrapped around a part I don't know better than to identify as a hose. I've found another pic of a similar engine and have marked where the tape was found. The image is here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iWcoM4SkaEjoNAlS20FjnQ?feat=directlink

The tape is wrapped around the accordion joint, or whatever it's called. I know it's been there for at least several hundred miles and shows little evidence of having damage from heat like I've seen on electrical tape in other situations.

Anyway, is this an issue? What part am I looking at?

This hose is the fresh air/cooling intake for the ECUs for the engine and transmission. The ECUs are located inside the big black box the hose connects to It may also be that the fresh air intake for the center vents is pulled through here, but I'm not 100% sure about that one.

I wouldn't worry about it too much :)
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1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+

I taped my 1998 with black electrical tape also, been on there for over 2 years and 23,000 miles.

Wish my engine bay looked that clean!! Which means I need to clean it up a little :>) without spraying water on top of the engine, the spark plug holes tend to fill up with water when you do that.

Klaus
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Two great Volvos, a 1967 220 and a 1998 V70R

Hello, You're looking at a ventilation tube for the car's intellegence reception and computational center aka "the car's computer". You can live with a patched one. Kira

Thanks Georgeandkira and KlausC. If I could get my account to work, I'd make a bunch of these as great responses.

Things seem to be leading towards this purchase. You guys have been a great resource! I almost want to buy a Volvo just so I can hang around here learning more. :-)

I pulled the CarFax report and it seems the ETM module was checked early on and then reprogrammed at 101k miles. The transmission fluid is a vibrant pink against that yellow dipstick, and it sure is buried. I have record of it having been changed at 70K. I had to remove the air intake duct to get it out. Thanks KlausC for the location tip!

One thing I haven't found any records on yet are the timing belt and tensioner. Is this something I can visually check the life on or should just replace if unknown? What's the expense associate with that?

Concerning keys, I see that in 99 they setup things to require programmed keys. Can this be disabled to avoid the expense of purchasing programmed keys (and would that disable key fobs)? Alternately, is there a known way for someone with technical aptitude to program them himself. I assume the car itself would do the programming while the key is in the ignition slot, given the proper procedure. Maybe I assume to much though.

Thanks Again!

two notes:

1 - you don't have to remove the air intake duct to get to the dipstick - just pull/push the intercooler ducting aside and reach in. Your hand/arm may get a bit dirty so don't wear your suit shirt :)

2 - don't trust the colour of the fluid against the dipstick. Wipe the dipstick with a piece of stark white paper (like computer printer paper) so you can really see the colour. Beware of fluid that looks /too/ good too - The PO may have changed it 10 miles ago to cover a problem. Ask about it anyway.



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1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+

Keys and remotes are dealer programmed ONLY. Some dealers charge $250 for a new key plus new remote. If the remote has a cracked case, you can just buy a new case and move the inards to the new case. You cannot disable the security system without disabling the car.

The Tbelt was probably replaced at 90-105K along with the tensioner. The life of the tensioner that came with 1999s was shorter than 105K for many cars and dealers were instructed to replace them early. Dealer replacement charge is close to $400.

Klaus
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Two great Volvos, a 1967 220 and a 1998 V70R

:-) Okay, so 138k is very unlikely to expect it hasn't been done yet. Thanks!

Check on the passenger side of the engine for a mileage and date sticker indicating when the timing belt was changed.

I didn't read all the other posts. What is the vehicle's mileage?

I believe the timing belt interval is 105k on 1999's. If you do the timing belt, also do the serpentine belt and the tensioner too if they haven't been done yet.
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95 855 GLT Sportwagon, 93 854 GLT (for sale), 90 244 DL 300k :)

passenger side door, thanks! :-)

138k miles, thanks jwalker.

Timing belt sticker was on the passenger side door?
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95 855 GLT Sportwagon, 93 854 GLT (for sale), 90 244 DL 300k :)

I seriously hope you are getting a really GOOD deal. Replacing the pump at a garage is a $500 option. The 1999 has ETM, which can also give you real drivability problems. The 1999 is the first year for VVT (good) and coil over spark plugs that last for 100K.

The timing belt and tensioner are good for 105K miles.

The AWD can have issues. If the bevel gear (transfer case) does not get an oil change at 50K mile intervals, the gear can strip and die which forces people to disconnect the prop shaft. Then you have a normal FWD car which can slip around in the winter.

The rear seat belts are supposed to have a special button to keep the belt from retracting too far.

Klaus
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Two good Volvos, a 220 and a V70R

Having read through the V70 stuff here, I wondered if you'd be first to respond Klaus. Thank you for your thoughts. I had to look up VVT and ETM, but I think I understand what I'm looking for with that now. Thanks!

The vehicle is 138k miles so I'll be looking for those other things on the maintenance records. They are asking $4k, but I think they probably expect me to negotiate that down and it looks like I have lots of opportunity to find room. Hopefully, all that's in order though.

The seat belts have the buttons, but it was locking up a few inches before the buttons. I suppose I could try buttons further up to see if that resolves the issue, or maybe something temporary to test it if I buy this. Any chance to lubricate it or something?

I just looked at my 1998 seatbelts. The rear seat belt has 2 buttons. One large one to keep the belt buckle from sliding down to the seat, and a smaller one to keep the belt from retracting too far. The small button is designed to slide through the buckle but not the retractor slot.

Once the seat back is moved forward past the 90 degree up angle, the seat belt locks and you will not be able to pull it until the seat is upright again.

Klaus
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Two good Volvos, a 220 and a V70R

Thanks! I've not noticed the smaller button. Perhaps it popped off in previous use. Sounds like a little experimentation could solve this. How far apart are the buttons? Then I just have to find a sufficient replacement.

My 1998 has the outside belt buttons at 7 1/2 apart. The center belt at 17 1/2 inches. The small buttons are a special size and can be dealer ordered if missing, but you need to check that the small buttons do not go through the plastic slot in the seat first.

Klaus
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Two good Volvos, a 220 and a V70R

Seat belt reels cannot be lubed!

I just looked at the Twin Cities CL, and $4K is about right if the tires are in good shape and no dents. Maintenance history is really wanted on the 1999-2000 cars because of the ETM. An outfit in Canada will rebuild and ETM much better than any dealer XemodeX.com

There is a TSB to drill a hole in the bevel gear box to aid in flushing.

Check the tranny fluid, new = bright pink. Dark brown = go home and keep looking. The dip stick has a yellow handle and is under the intake air duct on the driver's side - hard to see.

Make sure all of the electrical components work, SR, windows, locks, climate control, etc.

If the dash temp gauge is in Celsius instead of F, the battery has been disconnected and seller is trying to hide a check engine light.

Klaus
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Two good Volvos, a 220 and a V70R

Thank you again for even more great info. I won't waste time on lubing a seatbelt. :-) I'm told tires have been replaced since Nov and they do look good, the radiator apparently was also replaced. Would this require a tranny fluid flush since the tranny has a cooler built into the radiator, right?

So the ETM is a $550 part, even if I install it myself. Thanks for the tranny fluid color and location tip. I tried to find that TSB at AutoMD.com, but didn't find success. It might because I'm not familiar enough with terminology yet. Any chance you have the NHTSA or Service Bulletin numbers for it (or another means of researching this)?

Dash temp was in F and I didn't note any electrical component with problems. I'll double check them again though. The rear passenger side window apparently doesn't always go up properly, but that could just be a clip or something right?

I think this is the TSB you're looking for, but not being able to see the whole thing it's hard to tell.

http://www.automd.com/tsb/bulletin_b91087/

Here's a good description of the work outlined in the TSB in question (again, I'm not sure if the one linked above is the right one or not)
http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/volvo/1311206/V70/awd_bevel_gear_oil.html



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1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+

Also, the proper fluid has been discussed on this forum before:
http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/volvo/1311206/V70/awd_bevel_gear_oil.html
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1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+

Thanks for the good links. :-) This one is the same as the prior one though and I don't see a reference to drilling holes to aid in flushing. Is this just allowing pressure like the intake on a gas can? I'm assuming I'd have to plug it up somehow so maybe I'd want to thread the hole and find some sort of plug like an oil pan would have?

Sorry about that. The second link (the one that sums up the TSB) was supposed to link here:
http://volvospeed.com/Repair/AWD_bevelgear_diff_service.html

This is to actually install a drain in the bevel gear so that the oil will run out of it and not have to be 'suctioned' out (which is a pretty bad way of changing fluid in a gearbox but sometimes the only way...)

There is already a 'vent' in the bevel gear, though it does sometimes get clogged - this can lead to problems too, and I think there is also a TSB related to installing some hardware in the vent hole to improve it's performance and resistance to clogging, but nobody ever does this because it requires removing the BG from the car, which takes a long time and costs lots of money and is therefore not usually worth the bother. If your BG is leaking this might be the problem though.

Anyway, that bay13 link will show you how to install the drain. I did exactly that to mine and it worked great. I believe KlausC did the same.

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1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+

I did mine so long ago that I actually drilled a separate hole in the bevel gear housing. It was 2 years before the new and improved method was discovered.

I don't even have to remove the vibration dampner.

Klaus
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Two good Volvos, a 220 and a V70R

:-) That makes more sense! Those picture help a lot.