Volvo Maintenance and Repair

magnolia3

My 1995 Volvo 850 turbo wagon has only 295,000 miles on it and runs really fine but my problem is the dipstick that keeps breaking on me. Does anybody have any source for an aftermarket replacement or something with metal handle?

detrock

Spent $1200 so far and haven't been able to fix the shake/wobble I get in the front end when I accelerate in my 2000 Volvo S40. Replaced both tie rod ends, both struts, both tires and had the wheels balanced three times. I changed the wheels to check to see if the rim was bent but nothing happened there either. Anyone have any ideas??? Chris

Mr_Shiftright

It vibrates only when you ACC-elerate? Well then you need to check the front axle CV joints.

qbrozen

yup. i agree with shifty. get the CVs checked out.

any vibration when going around high-speed bends in either direction?

detrock

Thanks for getting back to me. Don't know about high speed bends, I live in the city (miss the country where I moved from a few years back!) and drive in slow city traffic. Besides, it shakes so much now, i don't dare take it on the highway. Taking it in tomorrow, hope it works. Chris

daddyandnoah

This sounds exactly like the problem that I am having with my 2000 V40. Started shaking around the bends, now shakes violently when accelerating.

I've taken it to the dealership with no results.

Can you let me know what became of you taking your S40 in? Do you still have the wobble/shake?

Thanks.

detrock

I'm still kind of new to this area but found a guy who comes highly recommended and he deals in strictly foreign cars. Supposed to be expensive but everyone says he is good. Went to see him and he is booked up but he is going to fit me in this Monday and we'll see what happens. I'll let you know. People on this website told me it is probably the C/V joint and I'll bring this to his attention, however, just by talking to the guy, he said it might be a transmission problem!! I don't think so cause I can feel that it's in the front end. I'll let you know more Monday when he looks at it.

qbrozen

well... the transmission is in the front end.

how many miles on your car? i hope he is wrong. if he says tranny, i might be inclined to get a 2nd opinion, personally.

detrock

Yeah, that tranny comment kind of took me back a bit. Hope he's wrong but definitely will get a second opinion if he's adamant about it being the tranny. The car has 143K on it and outside of minor problems here and there, it ran great up until now. We'll see come monday.

qbrozen

143k is alot. On what schedule have you serviced the tranny up until now?

daddyandnoah

Took the Volvo into the shop today and Monday hopefully it will drive without the wobble. I've only got 60K on my 2000 V40, and since I got it in 03 with only 26k and it's been a nightmare to drive since.

Mr_Shiftright

You could have them put the car on a rack where the tires spin free (or jack up the front end) and disconnect the two axles, then run the car in gear. If it still vibrates, then run it in neutral and see if the vibration stops. If it stops, then maybe it is the transmission. If the vibration goes away with the car in gear and the axles off, then the axles were bad, and you've got them off anyway. If the tranny is bad, you have to remove the axles anyway.

So that's the way to test out this "theory".

detrock

I should have known better as I have had this problem once before, albeit not so severe. ENGINE MOUNTS! Took the car in to the shop today and he said the two lower engine mounts are bad, one is totally broken and the other is on the way. I replaced one of the other engine mounts a long time ago and yeah, it did create quite a shaking sensation. Kind of glad, engine mounts will be cheaper to replace than the C/V Joint or some costly transmission job. Check your engine mounts!! Please write back and tell me if that was your problem when you do. Chris

detrock

Did you ever take your car in to the shop this past Monday? What did they have to say??? Motor mounts by any chance?? Chris

mjdrph

Hi, all.....
I have a 1999 S-80 T-6 with only 58,000 miles. At the last minor service, a "Software Upgrade" was done while the car was in for service. Since then, the car runs very rough for the first half mile or so, and then is fine. I had the car back at the dealer, who left the car out overnight, and, naturally, the problem did not happen. The car is normally garaged, and, of course, the rough running is back. Any clues about the recent software issues for this car? Thanks in advance.
mjdrph

daddyandnoah

After reading about the cv joints on this thread, called around and and found a place that repairs axyl/cv joints. Took the right front axyl off my Volvo and sure enough it was in rough shape. 109.00 and it was refurbished, I put it back on and the car drives perfect! Whoever posted about the CV joints...thank you! Fixed the awful problem my V40 was having.

Mr_Shiftright

That would be a tip 'o the hat to gbrozen and your host.

voxboy

Can anyone enlighten me on this? Consumer Reports gives the Volvo S60 FWD an above-average reliability rating, while it gives the AWD model a below-average reliability rating. Logic dictates that this gap in customer satisfaction is 100% AWD-related. But is that truly the case? What sort of problems should I expect and how severe and/or frequent are the issues that arise? I need to understand if the AWD S60 is going to be a reliability headache.

british_rover

What are the specific categories that CR rates the AWD S60 as less then the FWD model???

I honestly wouldn't put any faith in CRs raitings as they used to give corporate cousings/badge engineering efforts vastly different ratings when in reality the two vehicles were exactly the same except for the badge on the hood.

I wouldn't be surpised if the categories that CR has the S60 AWD rated below average are...

1. Fuel
2. Brakes

The AWD model is going to get worse fuel economy then the FWD model and the AWD model is going to eat up brakes faster then the FWD model.

volvomax

that is due soley to the flaws in CR reorting data.
ONLY CR members who own the car in question are surveyes.
Since Volvo sells far fewer AWD S60's than FWD ones, any negative comments will unduly affect the AWD car.

kellicharese

Does anyone have one installed on their vehicle? I just got a new S60 and am wondering if this is an option.

volvomax

If you mean a keyless system or a remote start option, they don't work on Volvo's.

randy19

Recently purchased a 99 S80, 94,000 miles. Front end shakes bad. Brand new brakes, brand new right cv shaft. Shake only noticeable under power, increasing in intensity with speed of vehicle. At 120k, on a pretty good curve to the right, shake is very noticeable, almost scary. Let off gas, goes away.

In short, new right cv shaft, new brakes...mechanic says front struts checked ok...changed top motor mount last week, bottom ones looked ok...not sure what to look at next?

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

randy

Mr_Shiftright

motor mounts
the other CV joint
bad front suspension alignment caused by loose/broken control arm bushing? (ever push a shaking supermarket cart? That's from a bad caster angle, or wheel alignment).

qbrozen

yup... sounds like the other CV might be the problem ... OR the hub bearing.

If the bend to the right produces the noise, then it is the left side (weight is on the left as you turn right).

randy19

Thanks to both of you for your suggestions....going to get it back into the shop next week for another kick at the "volvo" .... :?)

randy

Hope one of the suggestions gets it right......the new cv shaft cost me 675 dollars....with a discount! If it's the other side....wow, talk about breaking the bank..... I bought the car in Florida...blew an ignition coil on the way home, with new plugs, 550 dollars.....then needed new brakes to pass the safety.....675 dollars, new cv shaft, 1000 dollars....this is really starting to hurt! I paid 6375 for it....thought I had a good deal at the time!

Mr_Shiftright

WEll you might be the victim of deferred maintenance by the other party.

randy19

Thanks for the help all, it turned out to be the cv shaft on the other side.....shouldn't have any problems with them for awhile...both sides are brand new now.

Thanks again

randy

Mr_Shiftright

Okay you should be set for years and years on that, so think of it as an amortized cost :P

dsmithwick

My mother-in-law has a 960 that runs well, however from time to time she will attempt to start it and it will not crank. It's happened enough that it was taken to the mechanic but he kept the car for a week but the car started every time. He check the starter and alternator said it was fine. Car came back and within a few days did the same thing. We need some help

skeeter03

check the fuses on the car. Some of these cars had fuses that were not your conventional shape. They are straight and are of a red, blue, or yellow color depending on how many amps they are. It is hard to tell if they are blown because they could crack but still operate at times. For the price of these fuses it would be worth replacing them all. :shades:

blackdayz

Is a 1968 volvo B18B engine internally or externally balanced?

volvomax

What exactly do you mean?

qbrozen

i think he wants to know if there is a harmonic crankshaft balancer on the outside of the engine. i'm not sure why.

Mr_Shiftright

You can also balance off the flywheel using weights as well.

This might be good to know if you got ahold of an engine without flywheel or balancer, or if you want to swap flywheels or balancers.

Some engines are balanced externally because there is no room inside the crankcase to weight the crank itself.

blackdayz

when i got the engine it had no balancer. I need to know if it needs one.It has no weights on flywheel.

volvomax

I contact either ipd or your local indy Volvo shop.

toddio1

I own a 1987 240 DL sedan with 105k miles.The morning after / of rain, the starter turns but no ignition. I had replaced the distributor cap, rotor button and fuel pump four months ago. There was no problem with starting until last week with a rain storm. I installed new spark plugs, coil,and wires.No problem. This past Thursday night, we had rain, and again, no start. I read a post about replacing the fuses (red, white and blue) and cleaning the fuse terminals before replacing the fuses. I will do this.

Is there any other way to diagnose/remedy this problem?

Thank you.
Regards,
Marc

toddio1

I own a 1998 xc/70 wagon with 155k miles. I purchased it used with 145k miles. The lower bearings went at 153k. Solution, used motor from Volvo. Now, the Tracs off and ABS lights come on and off intermittently. I am too shocked to go back to a dealer for any more work. Is this a sensor? The dealer says, I should get at least 75 k before any more work. This car is a bad seed, but I have too much in it and too many miles on it to get a decent trade, so we will be driving it for a while. I might add that I have owned several 240's, a 740 and a 940. Only the 240's and 740 have been good for their lives. What has happened to Volvo? Is this Ford? I am totally discouraged. Thanks.

Marc

Mr_Shiftright

yeah probably a sensor. This can easily be checked by computer.

qbrozen

bearings and an abs light in 150k+ miles discourages you? wow! those are some high standards!

well, here's the thing. Those 70-series have a faulty ABS module. Odds are, that's the culprit. Its an expensive fix if you go to the dealer or buy a new one ($700-$800). search these volvo boards for ABS module and you'll get lots of info. It COULD be a sensor ... but given the fact that these modules will fail at some point in their life, I'm putting my money on that. I pulled mine and mailed it to a gentleman in Cali who rebuilt it for $180. Worked great!

toddio1

Thank you very much. I'll have the code checked. I forgot to add that the first week I owned it, the valves went. New head. I don't want to sound like a whiner, but it came out that way. Sorry.
Thank you.
Regards,

marc

qbrozen

its not that you were whining or anything, I'm just wary of folks who bash a car for minor issues. If you've truly had major issues with the vehicle throughout its life, then I'm sorry you got stuck with a bad egg. Unfortunately, without knowing what the car was put through in its first 145k miles, that's the risk you take buying any vehicle with such high miles.

what exactly happened with the valves? Was this caused by a busted timing belt?

volvomax

Oh brother.
Let me get this straight, you bought a used Volvo with 145,000 miles and you were surprised that it needed work?
Obviously, whoever had it before you didn't take care of it.
Bearings don't just go, unless there has been some abuse and a severe lack of maintenance.
I hate to say it, but when you buy a car with those kind of miles on it, you have to expect these things to happen.
Especially a car as complex as a V70 XC.
Comparing it to a 240 is silly, the 240 was little better than a Model T in automotive complexity.
MOST cars don't live to see anywhere near 150k.
My advice is to take the car to a competent Volvo mechanic, and get the system fixed, unless you don't mind doing without the ABS and stability systems.

toddio1

Thanks. You brought up valid points. The xc/70 is complex. Caveat Emptor.I should have known better.

toddio1

Is there a web address for the gentleman in CA who rebuilt your ABS module? I would greatley appreciate it.
Thank you.
Toddio

toddio1

It was caused by a broken timing belt. My mechanic had assured me that all maintebnance had been done by his shop (Volvo Dealer). I had purchased cars from him, and he had done all my maintenance for 15 years. Never a problem. I have to agree with you, that the previous owner had been rough on it. I guess it boiled down to the fact that I believed him, and I should not have. I put it behind me and move forward. Thanks for your comments.
Marc

qbrozen

well, there ya go. certainly can't blame the timing belt on the car. and at 145k miles, it was overdue for its 2nd belt. i never believe folks unless they can show me receipts. even then it is questionnable. when i buy a used car, i do all maintenance for its mileage, whether it seems like it needs it or not. personally, if i bought a car with 140k miles, i'd change the timing belt immediately. i'm not saying you were in the wrong, necessarily, but its obviously been a learning experience for you.

ask and ye shall receive: http://home.earthlink.net/~vicrocha/

good luck!

toddio1

Thanks

toddio1

Thanks alot. You have been very helpful. I have learned alot in the past few days.

Regards,
Marc