|
|
|
I'm back! It's been about 10 years since I had to retire my old brick, an '86 240. Now I've got a new-old brick, a '98 S70. This one is in great shape, the carfax shows one owner, all from the South (Arizona and Mississippi), all dealer serviced (!?). It has a new timing belt and tensioners, brake pads, etc. The cruise control isn't working, but that's minor (I'd rarely use it anyway). I have high hopes for driving this S70 for a good, long time. As a result, you can expect a lot of dumb questions from me in the next few years :)
OK, first off -- Does anyone know of a good Volvo-savvy mechanic around the Newburgh-Beacon-Poughkeepsie-Brewster area of New York? (Mid-Hudson) Heck, I'd go as far as Albany or Westchester if I have to. Maybe even western Connecticut.
Second, is there a list (or a link to a list) of preventive maintenance to-do's for the S70? Oil trap, engine mounts, relays, etc?
Recommendations for must-have upgrades from the likes of IPD? I'm especially interested in upgrades that will help reliability and longevity.
Thanks for any info you can send my way.
--
|
|
-
|
|
|
Welcome back. Looking through 'shops' I found one in N Clinton Street, Poughkeepsie - TJ's Auto repair. Just drop by and shoot the breeze. If there are no other Volvos around, they probably lost a good mechanic. You could have it 'inspected' for $100, dealers charge the same and can turn off the service light.
Dealer serviced means that you don't know what was done to it or when it was done. That means new brake fluid, antifreeze, tranny flush at a minimum.
You didn't mention the miles on the old girl, but you might need new shocks/struts. Check the axle boots for cracks. If the AC doesn't work too good, you might want to add a can of r134a - the evaporators tend to leak.
The CC not working is usually the switch by the brake pedal. There are two switches there, one for the brake light and the other for the CC, which as vacuum lines.
Klaus
--
My name is Klaus and I am a V ♂ lv ♂ holic
|
|
-
|
|
|
Hi Klaus, it's good to be back.
Thanks for the pointer to TJ's, but unfortunately they closed down. So I'm still looking for a mechanic. I'll browse thru the Shop area...
My S70 has 94k miles. The only reason I bought it was because it looks sooooo clean, has those low miles (checked with Carfax) and drives really well. Solid, firm, tight. There's a sticker under the hood indicating that the timing belt was changed at 71k miles.
It probably could use new shocks/struts. It does tend to lean through turns. Nothing alarming. It feels stable, and it seems to like coasting along at 80mph (easily fast enough to get me in big trouble!). No vibrations except for a slight bit you can feel in the steering wheel at about 60mph. But it's slight.
Will check into the CC and other fixes. Thanks again for the info.
|
|
-
|
|
|
Yes, welcome back! I've got a 1998 C70 Coupe, which has to be one of my favorite Volvos ever. <100k is absolutely great for a P80 model. My own car is >229k.
At your mileage, with a recent timing belt change, it's hard to say if you'd have any specific issues. However, I'll offer up what I've learned through a fairly long maintenance catch-up cycle.
Run Mobil 1 oil.
Use Mann filters.
Check the following for wear:
- Upper strut mounts
- Control Arm/Ball-joint boots
- CV Boots, inner and outer (passenger side inner boot seems to wear faster)
- Outer tie rod ends.
- PCT Valve (down by the turbo) it gets very dirty.
Also check for:
Oil leaks at the oil cooler housing (under the crank pulley)
Oil leaks on the cooler hose
Oil leaks at the turbo-block
Heater hoses! Seriously, these are the Achilles heel of the P80 cars
Serpentine belt condition
Any sign of coolant blow-off.
Delta link rear suspension installed correctly (look for a slight weird "lean" in the rear).
Don't use Dexcool. use Zerex G-05.
If you've got a sunroof, check for wet floors after it rains.
Also.. turbo vacuum hoses.. pretty much every hose undet the hood could be worn out.
|
|
-
|
|
|
Hi Jack, thank you for your help!
Mine isn't a turbo. It's the base model with cloth upholstery, but with auto trans, alloy wheels and a rear spoiler. No sunroof. I guess that would shorten the list a little.
It seems I have a little oil leak somewhere, which I'll have checked out. And the SERVICE light goes on at start-up but then goes off after a few minutes of driving.
I put new Bilstein Touring shocks in back, that helped a whole lot. I think it has the original struts in front. Not leaking or anything obvious. I'm thinking of replacing them with Bilstein Touring to match the back shocks. When I have that done, I'll ask my local Volvo shop to carefully check the Upper strut mounts, Control Arm/Ball-joint boots, inner and outer CV Boots, and Outer tie rod ends. (Thanks for the list!)
When getting new front struts installed, will I also need new front strut top washers, stop washers, top nuts, and lower nuts and bolts? Anything else that should go in when the front struts are replaced?
Thanks.
--
|
|
-
posted by
someone claiming to be Willybee
on
Sun Aug 19 15:35 CST 2012 [ RELATED]
|
|
As I replied to your previous thread, my front spring seats were way worn at 97k. Stabilizer arm bushings way worn too. 2000 S70GLT
|
|
-
|
|
|
Your mechanic is going to love you and your check book. Replacing front struts is not that hard; you will need new lower strut bolts and strut spring seats. The top bolts/nuts are not 'streatched' and reuseable. I sugest using spring seats form the XC90 SUV's as they are more robust and a perfect fit. The washers normally do not wear out.
--
My name is Klaus and I am a V♂lv♂holic
|
|
-
|
|
|
Don't worry about the service light. It is an oil change light. I ignore mine. It can be reset by a Volvo dealer.
I'm assuming it is an engine leak?? Most engine leaks are caused by a clogged breather system. I think 98's still had a flame trap. If so, clean the flame trap, replace hoses and throw out the flame trap screen. That should help cure any engine leak. Drive the car for at least 15 minutes then pull the dipstick. If it smokes when idling you will need to clean the EGR too. If cleaning those 2 parts doesn't stop the smoke you probably will need to remove the intake manifold and clean the breather box (oil trap). Also replace all vacuum lines related to the breather system.
Just did the struts on my 95 850 (same car basically). I replaced the struts, upper rubber spring seats, rubber bump stop and all upper and lower mounting nuts and bolts. It's advisable to do the spring seats as the struts are out anyway and they might wear out faster than the struts themselves. Consider using XC90 spring seats. They are beefier than S70 seats. Use only OEM seats. Don't worry about the upper strut mounts at your mileage. I understand they last pretty much forever...:)
Good luck and enjoy your to new to you car!
Jim
|
|
|
|
|
