VOLVO V70 D5 INFO pls.

[Lankytim]

Hi gang,

 

The wife's Multipla is getting a bit tatty and she's making noises about wanting a new motor, maybe a nice Volvo estate or something.

 

The local salvage agent has a 55 2006 Volvo V70 D5. 139k on the clock, decent MOT history, full leather, auto etc. It looks like a nice motor,

 

HOWEVER it's a CAT C with lower bumper damage and damage to the radiators. It looks like it's been driven into a high kerb in a car park or something. I haven't seen it in the metal but it looks like an easy Saturday afternoon repair, unless it's actually come off a motorway, over some armco and is missing it's sump and gearbox or something.

 

Does anyone know what these auto D5 VOLVS are like? I've had 240's, 740's and 940's and they've all been lovely

[JohnK]

WilsonWilson had a fantastic* experience with an S80 D5 Auto...

[Dead_E23]

I have one.  They are comfy and fairly nice things to drive, but not without their faults.  Specifically:

• the handbrake mechanism is a shit design. Volvo replaced the adjusters with spacers, so it's very difficult to get it working properly.  I bought mine a set of adjusters for an 850 and binned the spacers.  That fixed it.,
• the clutch has a stupid coaxial slave cylinder that leaks.  It shares its hydraulic reservoir with the brakes, stupidly, so you have to keep an eye on it and carry a supply of brake fluid for topping up.  When it eventually fails, it is a BASTARD to replace; I didn't fancy the job and farmed it out to a local garage.  The mechanic looked absolutely shattered after doing it and said he couldn't believe the amount of dismantling required - even the power steering rack had to be moved out the way.
• The D5 engine seems prone to a mysterious oil consumption issue where it suddenly starts using a pint every 300 miles, and this eventually causes issues with the wretched DPF.  I have found several cases of this described on the internet, but none where the cause has been identified and fixed.   My V70 suffered from this problem for about a year and has now  been parked up in a corner of the drive in disgrace because it started going into limp mode.  I have my own theory about what's causing it, but need to find time to strip things down to confirm if my suspicions are correct and loafing on the sofa is more attractive.

[Jim Bell]

WilsonWilson had a fantastic* experience with an S80 D5 Auto...

My woes were specifically gearbox related. Which I think are model specific?

 

V70s are canny. If youre getting a D5, try and get one with receipts for new injectors or at least propperly reconditioned injectors. Theyre all reasonably high mileage so theyll either be done, or need done. Better the former. Listen to the engine at idle and on the road. If it doesnt sound smooth and sweet, pass. If youre getting an auto make sure it doesnt flare and slip.

 

Best of luck. The good ones are great.

[bigstraight6]

I've run a D5 S60 for 3 years now and it's great, though the EGR valve seems to need cleaning out annually and I've changed the auto transmission fluid twice against the recommendation of Volvo that it never needs doing. The car is now at 122,000 miles and feels like it will easily do the same again.....

[Dead_E23]

How do you know when to do the EGR? Mine was full of Gunk when I checked it, but there didn't seem to be any I'll effects.

[Lankytim]

This is steadily going out of my price range on eBay so the manki multi may be staying a while longer

[Sheefag]

I've had a T5 which I took to 180,000 miles. Expect an embarrassing turning circle, larger than a supertanker and tyres that rub as you do so.

[Jim Bell]

Youre doing well getting any d5 south of a grand.

[Cavcraft]

Mini_Mad has one I think, he'll know the Bobby with them.

[bigstraight6]

How do you know when to do the EGR? Mine was full of Gunk when I checked it, but there didn't seem to be any I'll effects.

The car will sometimes go into limp home mode and the "Engine service required" message will appear on the instrument panel. It's an easy job to do isn't it......

[Dead_E23]

Mine was doing that!   I thought it was connected to this oil consumption issue I'm investigating, but perhaps it was EGR related.    

 

I have just spent the afternoon removing the injectors in preparation for doing the valve stem oil seals.   Took much longer than expected, which seems to be the norm for this car.  I'm a very slow mechanic at the best of times, though.

[tommotech]

The Aisin Warner auto box is a likely candidate to shit itself at 160k ish, unless the oil has been changed at 120k. Oil change is unlikely though, as the boxes are sealed until death!

Dash electrics can simulate French electrical systems too, other than above comments all good on the whole.

[rantingYoof]

Have a look out for a Mk2 V70 with the 2.5TDi engine...I think that has slightly fewer issues (being a less complicated, older engine) than the D5 did, and they tend to be significantly cheaper than the D5 too due to obscurity.

[drum]

They pull well, especially in 3rd and 4th.

 

My dad has a 53 plate which he spent £1200 on this summer having the clutch and flywheel changed.

 

It will be for sale soon as he's now looking for a 4x4. Probably be wanting about a grand for it. It's manual though, obvs.

[Lankytim]

It sold for more than I thought it was worth... £1200 odd which is getting on for what an undamaged one costs I think.

 

May be interested, Drum. keep me informed!

[bigstraight6]

Mine was doing that!   I thought it was connected to this oil consumption issue I'm investigating, but perhaps it was EGR related.    

 

I have just spent the afternoon removing the injectors in preparation for doing the valve stem oil seals.   Took much longer than expected, which seems to be the norm for this car.  I'm a very slow mechanic at the best of times, though.

I think all your car needs is an EGR clean, keep us informed!

[Dead_E23]

Will do.  It'll probably be a few weeks before I finish the job though, the speed I work at!  

 

Not that it means much, but VIDA/DICE didn't see any EGR codes when I plugged it in a few weeks ago.

[garethj]

I've got a Phase 1 V70 which according to the Volvo forum isn't as comfortable as the later ones but according to my research is likely to be cheaper if it goes wrong.

 

Mine's a manual gearbox and when I bought it last year with 135,000 on the clock (the lowest mileage I could find) it cost me £1500 with a year's ticket.  It's the same engine as the 850 diesels and the old Audi A6 diesel too, simpler but a bit noisier.

 

I had an S80 a few years ago which bled me dry with an engine management fault and a 740 too which cost me nothing so I was keen to go the "simple if a bit cruder" route with the V70.  It's just passed 150,000 miles, taken the family to France and is my daily transport to work, about 55 miles a day.  It runs well, does 48-52mpg and the stereo is better than all the kids' parents cars

[Minimad5]

D5 V70s are good cars, but can easily give you a headache.

As already mentioned, Asin Warner gearboxes need to change smoothly (both hot and cold) and check the oil level at both temperature ranges via the little yellow dipstick, as the gearbox can easily render a car as scrap (new one when i last priced it up was £5k, and recon' ranging from £500 +)

Get one without DPF unless you do the miles.
Pull off the engine cover - And look down at the injectors and see if they are weeping, at £15 per injector mounting kit & with 5 to do it gets expensive (This is without buying new injectors)
Around 100,000+ miles the intercoolers tend to swell and leak / pop, so if it hasn't been replaced budget £200 to £400 for a new one.

Handbrakes can be shit & shoe linings come adrift, any damage here is £90 a corner.

When on the motorway give it some pedal, any warning messages here can be from blocked DPF or EGR valves, coked up Turbo veins, failed boost solenoid or even the engine mounts which are vacuum operated.

eerm...
Cambelts, make sure the water pump and all tensioners were replaced AND the aux belt, because if this auxiliary belt goes it then wraps it's little ass around the crank and destroys the timing/ cambelt.

Good luck !

[warninglight]

Current Volvo dealer recommendation is to do the water pump with every second cambelt, so c. 200k on the D5, as the Volvo waterpump is a bit legendary as to how long it lasts. So I wouldn't be worried about a cambelt that didn't include waterpump unless it's nudging 200k. But definitely tensioners and idlers for both belts, every time!

 

The Ph1 car with the VW engine is a sturdier overall car I reckon. The Ph2 perceived quality is higher, but underneath it's not as tough IMO.

 

As has been mentioned already, the cream of the crop is an early Ph2 V70 with the older VW engine.

 

I found what was probably the last good one in the country a bit less than 2 years ago. 150k, a new MOT, W reg Ph2 manual with the good old VW lump. What's more it was 1 family owned from new and had been cared for like a baby. 2 new rear shocks (non Nivomat thankfully!) had it perfect. £1100 and not a mark on the car. Had the usual haze behind it when accelerating hard but that's a trait of those engines with their belt driven pump. Never managed to get under 45mpg when I drove it either.

 

The problem is I found it for my then girlfriend. That ended, she decided everything about Volvos was beneath her, and as she had her sights set on my Rover 75 owning friend at the time, decided a 75 was what she needed. I got offered that car for a stupid price and when I told them where to stick it, it went off to be used as a hack for carrying wet dogs or something. She's still running around in a grim old Legacy auto with gold wheels and cloth seats. And head gasket failure.

[SiC]

My woes were specifically gearbox related. Which I think are model specific?

 

V70s are canny. If youre getting a D5, try and get one with receipts for new injectors or at least propperly reconditioned injectors. Theyre all reasonably high mileage so theyll either be done, or need done. Better the former. Listen to the engine at idle and on the road. If it doesnt sound smooth and sweet, pass. If youre getting an auto make sure it doesnt flare and slip.

 

Best of luck. The good ones are great.

The gearbox was almost certainly the AW55 ... the same box that is giving me trouble in my fucked Saab.

 

If getting an auto, make sure its toasty hot and up to temperature before buying it!

[Lankytim]

I was at a family function yesterday when I was hunted down by the Wife's uncle, as I "know about cars" (it can't be just me this happens to)

 

Anyway, he has a 56 reg V70 D5 with 100k on the clock, he's owned it since it was a year old or so, FSH, kept immaculate, he's a retired surveyor living in a big house with a gravel drive, stereotypical VOLVO owner.

 

After reading this thread I was pretty sure what we was going to say.. yep... he's got autobox issues. Shunting around as he tries to overtake. A specialist hasn't quoted him 3k to replace the gearbox, which he's not going to do.

 

Of course, I've told him to consider me if he does flog it. If it's cheap enough I could replace the box myself, or try to clean the solenoids or whatever.

 

The balls in his court.

[SiC]

At that mileage and age, it may* be savable with a fluid change.

[Minimad5]

You can buy new solenoids, but if you do plan on buying one with a 'borked' box, then do factor in many pennies.
As the fluid (to specification jws3309) if quite expensive, think i got quotes £200 for 20 litres, then i'd also go to changing all the bearings, clutch plates etc etc, as why do half a job.

But saying that, mines just hit 135000 and still has original gearbox - Fingers crossed it continues to behave, or i'll be ripping it out and emptying the mortgage fund.

Good luck

[warninglight]

Another thing to check with these is at idle, pull the oil filler cap off. If it sounds like the world is ending inside there and it's blowing white smoke, you have a vacuum leak.

 

Common culprit for this is the front and rear vacuum assisted engine mounts. Small vacuum feed runs to both and they split, causing leaks. This can play havoc with the turbo control valve too and seem like big problems. The fix is to blank off the vacuum to the mounts, or buy a petrol engine which runs nicely and so doesn't need stupid vacuum assisted mounts in the first place.

 

Both my S60 and 'new' XC90 have these symptoms, as I discovered last week.

[Minimad5]

^ They tend to sound 'not normal' anyway these 5 pots, when you take the oil filler cap off, which scared the shit out of me.
So compared it to another which sounded even worse.

Thought the engine mounts were ran from a Vac Pump ?  *Not looked into this too much, so i could be chatting BOLLHAX*

[Chas4545]

• Bit late with this, but great cars, I have had a number and they have all been great . However, the rads are all one behind the other and if one is u/s as you say , I guess they all could be.   The cost of those could mean its a write off.

Use good fuel.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I had a pre facelift one, 2001 pez model. I would second the turning circle being daft. tires, especially on the larger alloys do rub.

 

Mine had many issues with the instrument cluster. Apparently this is very common on pre facelift models. Just google the amount of firms advertising "Volvo instrument cluster repairs". I might be wrong but I think Renault had some involvement here.

 

I really enjoyed owning and mending it, everything was well engineered and there was no rust anywhere.

[Lankytim]

I've spied a 2004 S80 S5 auto for sale on Facebook, it's on 207k and runs and drives fine apparently. You'd need big nads to take that on from what i've heard.