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what should I know about V70Rs

masswrecker

New member
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Location
Guilford, VT
I am gonna go look at a 98 V70R on Saturday. It is a 98 with 190k on it. It says abs light is on . Are ABS modules issues in these cars? Thanks all.
 
I am gonna go look at a 98 V70R on Saturday. It is a 98 with 190k on it. It says abs light is on . Are ABS modules issues in these cars? Thanks all.

Yes its an issue that most P80 cars will have at some point in their life. ABS module replacement is simple. Purchase one from midwest-abs.com and swap in. Easy peasey.
 
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Had this issue with my 97 850 R, got a rebuilt from above mentioned company for $99 plus return of core and solved issue. They even supply the required tool (hard to find torx size) which also has to be returned. In my case the ABS issues also caused the speedo to be none operational.
 
I had a 98 Xc I bought from a customer when the fuel pump went on him and he just said enough.

What to look out for..... fuel pump, angle gear, rear driveshaft, heater core, Evap core, radiator, timing belt/w/p, breather systems, spring seats and front struts some had nivomats in the rear, dash mount cracking, all the door lock modules, master window switch hood and hatch struts, hatch panels and clips, a/c compressor reshim and yes the abs module.

The ABS module is an easy fix with a Dremel and cutting wheel to open the box and about 5 minutes of soldering.

Not to be a downer but in retrospect the 70s were not the least expensive Volvo to own. A better choice than a 99-00 S80 T6 or early XC90 but maybe not by much.
 
Anything that old that hasn't had the throttle control module replaced will need it sooner rather than later. Figure about $500 for a reman part and at least that (or more) in labor if you aren't doing it yourself. Mine lasted past 200K so not out of the question in this case.
 
The ABS module failure throws a code that says left rear wheel ABS sensor is borked. This is well known, so when my car did it I did the "re-flow the solder" repair. This didn't work, so I swapped in another unit. This didn't work either. I replaced the left rear ABS sensor, which worked.
 
Yo.

ABS/TRACS can be re-soldered yourself (I've done 5 or so modules now) or ordered fixed/upgraded as it's kind of a bitch to get the halves apart without plastic carnage at first, even with a lot of exacto persuading. Watch for noises/clunks from the bevel gear (right behind the tranny) and clunks from the rear end (where the 'diff'/freewheel is). The tailgate panel mounts will be broken, I've made an overkill-sized and jb-welded fix after 2 ipd kits from some flashing. About 90% of the car can be disassembled with a 10, 12, 13, 17 and 18mm socket/wrench set, and a ton of torx screws. Heater cores are easy to do, oil lines/thermostats have an annoying bolt for a bracket to reach, and the turbo coolant drain which is usually difficult to see/access may as well be in Narnia in its nook on top of the diff and under the cold side. Most of the rest is typical p80 issues, 190k isn't a lot of miles to spoil it but neglect is a very strong deteriorating factor for these cars.

Rear brakes are annoying to get parts for (rebuilt calipers are cheaper than slider pins), nivomats can last a long time (mine have ~480k km's), front right axles are unique to AWD, and the driveshaft is unique in each year of 98-00, not swappable between years due to a different center mount. Top torque mounts go as fast as regular p80 cars, and mine consumes rear pads near 2:1 to fronts. I've replaced a few awd-unique bushings, mostly pressed in with a bottle jack in-situ and while they sucked to do it worked out with a semi-well equipped home garage/shop. Having VADIS available (if you can) is a huge help as there isn't a ton of p80 AWD repair resources out there. Swapping turbos/its drain is an annoying job the first few times due to the hilarious inaccessibility of the turbo oil drain. It's super-snug back there, but I'm rebuilding mine as a precaution despite it having minimal play and no oil consumption so IME there hasn't been a reason to pull it yet. I figure mine is towards the outliers of 98 R reliability, but the car commutes year-round, works like a pickup truck (have hauled engine/tranny combos, 600+lb of logs and bricks, etc), and sees its share of winter drifting (yes, it will kick the back out and hold it there) and is holding together like a champ.

Mine burns no oil (somehow), has very little blowby (top end sucks glove in with pcv test), but I have replaced front hubs, a steering rack, front struts/assemblies twice, radiator, refinished the driveshaft (center carrier fell apart causing vibration while driving, I filled it with urethane), replaced the subframe bushings, done the tie rods and control arms and have has both lower suspension links rust clean through (due to the plastic sleeve on them), along with a few dozen other bits and pieces. If you've got any questions, shoot.
 
I am definitely gonna drive it before I buy it. I will look for the things listed. For the price the car is listed for the body is mint and it is being daily driven currently by the seller.
 
No to derail, but how do you determine if some smoke at idle is seals, rings or turbo seals?

Typical signs of valve seals is a puff of blueish smoke after idling for a bit (as short as a stop sign)

Even with good maintenance 180-200 is when they start going on those motors..
 
I do all my work myself so putting time into a car isn't an issue. I will definitely check for smoke. Again thank you everyone for your input. It is one of the things that make this an awesome place to belong to.
 
^ +1

If you get a puff of blue smoke when you first start the car, or take off from a stop sign, that's valve guide seals. It's a big job but it can be done without taking the head fully off. You need a valve spring compressor. See: https://sites.google.com/site/incarvalvestemsealreplacement/project-updates/write-up If the car hasn't had them done yet, plan on doing it. I agree, around 200k is when they usually need to be done.

If you get blue smoke all the time, at idle, especially when the engine's cold, that's rings. Compression test will verify.

If you don't get a lot of blue smoke at a cold startup, but you do get a lot of it when you stomp on the gas and get get the turbo spun up, then that's likely a turbo issue.

If you get white smoke (steam), that's coolant, could be a blown headgasket or bad turbo.

If you get black smoke (unburnt fuel), especially when you stomp on the gas, that's bad fuel injectors, a vacuum leak, or a problem with the computer's settings, o2 sensor etc. Check engine light may or may not be triggered by a rich state, depending on how rich it is. Pretty common on these cars, one bad vacuum line will get you some major black smoke when you stomp on the gas.


Thanks, after posting this I did a little searching (should have done that before posing the question) and believe my case is the seals, symptoms are similar. Only smokes on idle or coming off the line after it is warm. I will also do the PCV checks.

OP - thanks for letting me derail for a moment... carry on.
 
So that V70R was a trainwreck. Way down on power, heater core leaking, front bumper cover smashed on one corner, and the interior was trashed. So I passed on it. How many miles can you get out of a stick shift non turbo V70? I found one with 224k but its only 600 bucks. It is a standard trans car and front wheel drive.
 
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