Reg_Bo11ox' Volvo S80 D5 adventure

[KruJoe]

Are all the speakers in the doors?
I've had speaker wires break with the flexing caused by 20 years of the doors being open and shut.

[Ghosty]

Very good point - the balance control on Volvo radios in the 90s was achieved by pulling out the volume knob to a second position. Check that this one isn't the same. 

[paulplom]

It has separate knobs for fade and balance.

I would't mind swapping/buying this once you've fettled it. I need another volvo. I have the bini and a diesel 9-5 to swap.

 

[beko1987]

Vauxhall do this too. The factory radio stopped working when it first happened, I just pulled the wire for the rear broken speaker, which was by Charlie anyway, and he was a baby at the time so it wasn't a massive deal. 

I then fitted a new headunit and when the other door went it threw up a wiring error which at least was helpful! (rear door looms snapping) 

[rantingYoof]

Just to add to the TADTS stories in this thread, in the year I owned the 2002 V70 it needed its handbrake doing twice and a front wheel bearing, and the S60 I had also needed its handbrake doing once and a reluctor ring.

They literally eat these things for breakfast.

An S80 is something I'd love to try. Preferably the ultra rare 2.9 (B6304) used in very early models (2000-2001), with a relatively recent bill for a new/reconditioned slushbox.

[Lankytim]

I do like the S80, they look like a proper classy barge. I’ve had musings about transplanting the front end from an S80 onto a V70 and creating an S80 estate, maybe even swapping dashboards etc. I think the underlying structure is broadly similar although the side panels have a different profile. I’d probably create a right gopping mess of it. 

[rantingYoof]

I do like the S80, they look like a proper classy barge. I’ve had musings about transplanting the front end from an S80 onto a V70 and creating an S80 estate, maybe even swapping dashboards etc. I think the underlying structure is broadly similar although the side panels have a different profile. I’d probably create a right gopping mess of it. 

Do you want me to start the thread for you, or are you about to do it?

We'll need some post lockdown lunacy to balance the scales, and this sounds perfect.

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[Lankytim]

I’m still at work at the moment and I’d rather not drive to work in a car with no outer panels or dashboard after finding out absolutely nothing fits. Maybe one day once I get a couple of clunkers for £100 I’ll experiment a bit. 

[Shirley Knott]

Have you done the timing belt yet?

I'm quite enjoying this topic. Of the three Volvo's I've owned (940 turbo, V70 na pez  and S80 D5) I actually think the D5 was the best engine.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Not yet, got other stuff on today, will probs get on it Monday or Tuesday weather permitting.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Wow cheers TMQ, that's very handy. Nice one.

[paulplom]

I've the crank pulley nut is immensely tight and can be a bastard to loosen.

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[Shirley Knott]

As mentioned I did the timing belt on mine a couple of weeks ago and didn't have to remove the crank pulley, I managed to just slip the new belt around it but that's on the 2.4 petrol engine, I'm not sure if the same is possible on the D5? An impact gun will make short work of it if it does have to come off and helped a great deal when I changed the belt on my old 940.

RE waterpumps, Volvo OC wisdom suggests the original OE pump is good up to 200k, I checked for leaking/play and left well alone as the cars only done 90k 

[KruJoe]

12 hours ago, paulplom said:

... crank pulley nut is immensely tight and can be a bastard to loosen.

*Bollox  spunks £100 on "the right tool for the job"*

*Bollox gets stuck in and finds the bastard's only finger tight*

[Mr_Bo11ox]

This thing has been sat on my drive for 3 months now waiting for me to get my arse into gear and do the timing belt on it. This weekend I finally had a go at it.

Fitted a new timing belt, tensioners, water pump and expansion bottle. I wasnt gonna do the water pump but TMQ above reccomended doing it, and I guess at 189k its a reasonable request so i bought an FAI one off ebay. It fitted a treat but the pulley on it was only 26mm wide and the belt is 28mm, so theres 2mm of belt width unsupported which feels a bit bodgy. Its defo the right part number though so what can you do? Anyway its on and working.

Didnt take stacks of pics as it was a bit of a dull story really. Used my cheap Machine Mart impact driver on the crank pulley and to my astonishment it just whizzed it off!!! I always expectc that thing to struggle but its had quite a good success rate so far on crank pulley bolts.

I found that the aux belt idler (not the tensioner.... its the one in the pic with a domed cover) is tired and has a noisy bearing. Just ordered a new one off eBay for £15.

It started straight up after the belt swap but now I have a permanent 'low coolant level' warnign despite the level being obviously fine. Maybe I've knacked the level sensor while swapping it over to the new bottle. New ones are cheap so I'll have a fiddle with it one night this week.

Not achieved very good VFM with this car really, as I have not driven it at all and instead have just had it cluttering up the drive awaiting repairs to this and that. I think when this idler pulley arrives I'll have to swap the insurance over and get some use out of it!!!

 

 

[Ghosty]

Coolant level warnings on Volvos have been commonplace since the 850, eyeball it and take them with a pinch of salt. Whiteblocks often need either the tank, cap, or sensor replacing. Tanks and caps have a habit of cracking,
I replaced the tank and cap on my T5 as it leaked, fair enough after 25 years and 180k. Caps are easy to get from breakers and tanks are available new for £cheap. 

[angle]

On 4/4/2020 at 10:14 AM, rantingYoof said:

An S80 is something I'd love to try. Preferably the ultra rare 2.9 (B6304) used in very early models (2000-2001), with a relatively recent bill for a new/reconditioned slushbox.

Sorted. 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/282277272771838/

[Mr_Bo11ox]

quick update on this Volvo which is now my daily driver!!!!

There were a couple of outstanding issues on it before it hit the road...

1) noisy aux belt idler - bought a new one off eBay for £14 and lobbed it on. Easy win.

2) stereo sounding shit on one side. I spent a bit of time fannying about with this till i realised it was not one side but the rear speakers which sounded rubbish. There was some sound but it was really muffled and rubbish. I pulled the stereo out the dash but there wasnt a lot to see, just one round multiplug with all the speaker wires in going to an amplifier under the seat. So, i pulled the seat out.

I tried to 'move the fault round' by chopping the amplifier wires and joining them up differently to see if the faulty sound moveed with it.

It did, so I decided the amplifier must be duff. I soldered the wires back together properly and ordered a new amp off eBay for £15. With that fitted the stereo was back in the game and sounding GR9! i even hoovered the carpets for all the two-bucket wronguns.

Anyway at that point I had done all the issues I could find:

• timing belt and waterpump
• noisy aux belt idler
• broken ABS ring
• shitty handbrake
• droney wheelbearing
• etc.

So when @colc came and took the Croma away there was nowt for it but to insure this and go for a drive.

I must say this thing is a flipping treat to drive. Mega smooth and super comfy seats. The aircon is ice cold, no lights on the dash and the aux-in adaptor means I can listen to my favourite podcasts and bangin' choonz while I waft round. I am LOVING IT.

One minor concern I do have, is that i think that despite changing the expansion bottle it may have a minor coolant leak. I can't find the leak, but I suspect its losing a little. Theres no damp patches in the engine bay, no steam in the exhaust, no water in the oil and no condensation under the oil cap so i dont think its owt terrible and it might even be just me being paranoid as the coolant finds its level after changing the waterpump etc so i jsut have to keep an eye on it I guess.

But for 189k it drives amazingly well, it really pulls like a train and I think uses no more juice than the Croma. i feel like a winner driving round in it. Thanks @bramz7 I love it!!!!!

 

 

[bigfella2]

Really is a handsome car. Have you tried the dye you add to the coolant then shine a UV torch at it to look for leaks? I have some but never had opportunity to use it.

[Parky]

These are lovely.  I used to go to Sweden a bit and whenever getting a taxi I would let people in front if the next vehicle was an E class so I could get the S80 behind.  Always had stellar mileages on them but so quiet and comfy with really solid build quality.  Absolutely would

[Mr_Bo11ox]

7 hours ago, bigfella2 said:

Really is a handsome car. Have you tried the dye you add to the coolant then shine a UV torch at it to look for leaks? I have some but never had opportunity to use it.

I've not tried this but I think I shall probably give it a whirl. Got to do a 100-mile drive tomorrow so I will see what happens with the coolant and if it loses some i will buy one of these kits.

[Ian_Fearn]

@Mr_Bo11ox is this an auto? Totally different scenario but my old Omega was loosing coolant with no obvious signs of leakage or oil contamination but I totally forgot to check the transmission oil.

In that case it was actually a failed transmission oil cooler.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yo, no its a manual box in this one

[dollywobbler]

Genuinely happy here, because another bloke likes his car. But it is a nice feeling when you click with a motor.

[Lankytim]

Does this have any injector rattle on acceleration? Both my D5 V70s had it. It’s really common apparently, both mine had 200k plus under their belts so I can’t really complain. It sounds a bit like pinking in a petrol engine.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yeah I know what you mean @dollywobbler, I really wanted to click with that Croma but it really never happened. It just didnt have one thing that I could get excited about, it was a 6/10 in pretty much every aspect. I'll put up with plenty of 1/10's if I can find a single 11/10 but it just didnt have any!!! This thing is like a 11/10 for driver comfort so I'm sold already. Shame its a saloon, as I prefer estates for carting rubbish about ,but maybe I will get a towbar on it  if I want to start shifting rubble or whatever with it!!!!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I dont know about the injector rattle, it sounds pretty healthy to me but I havent got a lot of experience with these D5's so havent  much in the way of 'baseline data'

[Lankytim]

If you haven’t noticed it then I don’t think it can be making the noise. If it ever does, don’t worry as it’s pretty much a standard thing on these. I was frantically googling it a while ago and some on the VOC forum were complaining about it back when the cars were just a few years old. Apparently a spot of 2 stroke oil stops it, a small amount of veg oil also helps! 

[Roverageous]

If you haven’t noticed it then I don’t think it can be making the noise. If it ever does, don’t worry as it’s pretty much a standard thing on these. I was frantically googling it a while ago and some on the VOC forum were complaining about it back when the cars were just a few years old. Apparently a spot of 2 stroke oil stops it, a small amount of veg oil also helps! 

I'm glad I read this - I've picked up a D5 XC70 and that top end rustle (mine isn't really loud enough to be considered 'rattly') just creeps into the cabin enough to be slightly annoying!

I'll try the 2 stroke trick - thank you


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[cort16]

I had a really easy S80 (99 I think) with the 2.9 petrol and it was a lovely thing to drive. No pretentious of sportiness you get with some of the german stuff just big comfy seats and a nice ride.

I aways thought that shoulder on the door that goes all the way back to the boot and into the tail light was a really neat design.