So we're borrowing that 99 V70 that you may have seen me asking questions about last week. We parked it nose up on a rather steep driveway. When we parked it was running fine. When I turned it back on a few hours later I had the ETS light, the check engine light and it limped around the block back to the friends driveway not exceeding 10mph when going downhill.

In good news, it didn't do this when driving in and out of DC. Driving out was an adventure given that it was rush hour and my directions told me to go south on road that only goes north during rush hour... Anyway. Also good news it didn't break down when I drove 200 miles the day before, all with a baby, toddler and my wife so there are things to be happy about.

This vehicle did have the "Engine/powertrain computer/module reprogrammed" at 101k in 2007. It is now 180k. Do I understand correctly that this isn't covered by the warranty extension since it is limited to 10 yrs from sale?

So given that information, I'm expecting from what I've read that I need to at least clean the ETM and probably replace it entirely. I hear XeMODeX has the best and least expensive part. Is this correct?

Assuming I'm correct, are there any good resources for helping me find and correctly clean/replace this part?

Alternately, are there ways I could get it out of "limp home mode" to see if the issue occurred because of being parked on a steep grade and will come back to working fine for awhile, at least long enough to get it better placed for further work?

That is the 'classic' ETM failure. Cleaning the module may not help, the armature physically rubs a groove and destroys the ETM. The XemodeX system permanently fixes this problem, but costs $500 to do so. XemodeX.com is a Canadian company with a good reputation but they are not open on Sundays.

You cannot bypass the ETM, parking on a hill didn't break it. It sounds like the dealer already re-programmed the module to use a different part of the pad and cannot be re-programmed again.

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

Thanks KlausC.

What is the life span of a new ETM properly programmed from Xemodex? (In other words, will this ever happen again?)

Forever! Unlike the OEM version, the Xemodex has no parts that touch and can cause a groove to form.

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

Is it plausible that the Mass Air Flow sensor is causing the fuel to run too rich? That's what the mechanic told me. He said it was not the ETM. My father-in-law seems to really trust this guy since he's been doing business with him for 10 yrs, but this really surprised me.

Running rich is not the fault of the ETM. Running rich is usually caused by a vacuum leak, and continued driving at slow rpms makes the condition worse which will mess up the front O2 sensor.

Yes, a MAF could cause problems, but then the code will point directly to the MAF. A leaking vacuum line can also make the car computer think that the MAF is giving incorrect readings.

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

Well, that's what they fixed, but that wasn't the problem. Good news is I made it back home last night. Bad news is that I had the problem again today. Good news is this time, at home with some decent tools I was able to reset it by disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it. I'm going to have a conversation with the dealer to see what they'd do with this. I'd also like to find a mechanic that isn't dealer associated in the Allentown, PA area.