Hey all,

First time Volvo owner here. Usually a Honda/Toyota guy (We have an '04 4Runner), but one thing led to another and I came home with a Volvo. For $625 the price was right, the body was good, the inside was clean, it had under 100k, the shift solenoids needed to be replaced, brakes needed to be done. (no turbo or AWD, something I wish we had ) Plus it had nokian snow tires with 70%, a bonus for the Chicago winter.

Last night I gave it a mini tuneup, cleaned the throttle body, replaced the spark plugs. They looked original. VOLVO with three electrodes. This was foreshadowing what I was soon to discover that little to nothing has been done to the car. The brakes also seemed original. Pictures to come. The kicker though, was the damn tire bolts (lug bolts? First car not with lug nuts) Took me a whole day to get the 2 front tires removed. Broke 2 craftsman breaker bars, and ended up using a bottle jack and catilevered it with the weight of the car. Worked well. Very noticeable difference after the plugs and cleaning the throttle body. Besides the trans issues, we are definitely happy with our purchase, and look forward for (hopefully) many years. I did think it was weird on the lack of small compartments for change and a sunglasses holder in such a nice car, but the leather, the comfort of the seats and the ride definitely make up for it ha.

Looking forward to exploring the forum.

 

Update on the trans issue:

So the check engine light is on, along with the hazard light in the middle of the dash and transmission service required message.

I read the codes and came up with p0700 (twice) and p0705.

-TCU request for MIL on
-Transmission range sensor circuit (PRNDL Input)

Suggested fix: Repair engine wiring harness.

So when I start the car it says P and will register R when in reverse, but when I put it in D it becomes a dash, as well as any others (4,3,2,L) Then the issue is like its stuck in 4th and always on the clutch and limits the RPMs to 2.5k. Super slooooooooow. I've put 700 miles on it already this week and worried I'm burning it the clutch packs. But then a startling discovery. I went to from park and overshot D and went right to 4. I see 4 on the dash instead of a dash and I'm ecstatic. I'm on a highway oasis, so its a perfect time to really see if it's working.

BEHOLD. THE GLORY! For the first time I've seen what the transmission really feels like on the car. Little rough, but now it's a functioning car (sans 5th for highway driving). Fun little wagon now.

So the PPO had the car for 6 years but only put 9k on it. I've realized now that he never did anything to the car. The tires are from when he bought it. I also found out the car was donated, made its way to a local used car dealership, in which the PO bought it from. He only had it for 4 months, never even got the title in his name. That issue started happening and he got a different car, gave up and needed to get rid of it. Poor guy probably got ripped off.

The fluid does need to be changed, so I'll be starting on drain and fills with 3309.

In the mean time, does anybody have any suggestions on where to start for the wiring issue?

Thanks for reading!

 

In addition, I know I need the trans mounts done and maybe the engine mount too. Dreading the timing belt. I know it's the top priority now. It's original. 😬 GASP. Especially driving at 4k on the highway for periods.

 

Where did you hear it was a wiring issue? Highly unlikely. Much more likely to be a gear position switch on the trans.

 

Just the suggested fix when I pulled the codes. After some research I saw that it is most likely the GPS like you said. That makes this car a literal steal now haha. The PO brought it to two shops, one said it needed a rebuilt trans and the other said it needed solenoids.

 

Yeah, hopefully that'll be an easy fix.

 

Well those are generic codes and the P0700 does not correspond to a Volvo code. The 705 does and is usually a bad GPS so you could be in luck.

 

I see the airbox is loose/mounts mangled so I'm assuming someone tried to align it recently. I'm trying to find a thread with pictures. I tired rowing twice today, both resulted in no changes, but I did notice that N,D, and L were the only ones that wouldn't register while doing it. (And also don't register normally) I really don't want to tear it down just to have the same result. (Although when I replace it it'll be allot quicker lol)

 

For anyone looking for a video to replace the gear position sensor. Was a great help to me. About to go tear it down and clean the contacts and give that a go before I take a visit to the local pick and pull. Being in IT is a good fit for owning a Volvo ha.

https://youtu.be/bFej2ej5TDY

 

Bah. So I took apart the PNP (or Gear Position Sensor, or Neutral Safety Switch) earlier, cleaned the contacts and board. Epic fail, waayyyyy worse then before. Tried to get to a pick n pull, but was 5 minutes too late. Now as I sit here checking out stuff online and drink some beer, I realized my fatal mistake. I didn't put the damned springs in. :facepalm: Well at least now I can get some proper nuts and bolts to completely seal the unit back up, as well as sand down the contacts slightly. (The older gen had philips heads, these have aluminum compression fasteners. I simply drilled them out and opened it up)

 

Gave up on finding all 6 springs, instead went to a local pick and pull and picked up the switch for $10, 90 day warranty. Works like a charm. No more check engine light and transmission is 100% normal now, BUT transmission service required and the hazard/exclamation point in the center of the cluster is still on. Not sure what that could be now.

 

Update: the transmission service required and hazard/exclamation point are gone, but now the check engine light is back on with the same codes. I disconnected the battery while doing the repair to clear the codes.

 

Had a repair shop clear the codes, no return so far.

Middle muffler / resonator was rusted out at the seam. Paid a shop $40 for straight pipe instead of replacing it. Rear muffler still in place. Sounds awesome, like a Mercedes-Benz stock exhaust. Not loud at all. Though, I never heard it with the middle muffler working. Noticeable "butt dyno" improvement in the 30-50MPH range.

Did a drain and fill on the tranny. The jerking while at a complete stop/releasing brake was gone, fluid is totally black again after just 200 miles and the jerking is slightly back.

Noticed my airbox thermostat was stuck in hot air mode. Modified it to permanent cold air (until I find a working replacement).

That oil filter cap is a PITA! I had to pay a shop $15 because none of my wrenches worked. You could tell it had been awhile since the oil was changed.

Still need an alignment, rotate and balance. Timing belt is due in 3k. Struts need to be replaced. Not looking forward to the last two.

I'm pretty happy with the vehicle. So far, I would definitely buy another.