Hi all,


Yesterday I purchased a very clean 1998 V70 non-turbo manual locally, since I was in the market for a wagon/minivan, and I really like the car but not an hour after I purchased it I found myself at a crossroads that has me looking at my options - the first being if I should cut and run and relist it for sale (this would be my "Option 1").


After doing a basic ignition system tuneup, it's apparent to me that the car has lifter tick and, as I noticed a couple of hours later, clutch throwout bearing chatter. The car is otherwise in great shape (it has 152K miles), and manual V70s aren't that easy to come by around here. The car appears to have been somewhat well maintained, with all wear items seemingly replaced with Volvo OEM parts, and the timing belt/water pump replaced within the last 2K miles (weird they didn't address the lifter tick then). I should note that I changed the oil and threw in some Lucas hoping it would quiet things down (it didn't really), and the oil that came out of it was very dark and thin, and through the oil fill cap the wear on cam lobes and overall level of cleanliness suggested a poor oil change history.


To replace lifters and clutch throwout bearing (and at that point, rear main seal and anything else that would be good to get to) is a fairly substantial scope of work that I don't want to do myself, as I live in a big city and don't have garage space. I've had enough experience working on my other Volvo (a rusty POS 242DL B21F/M46) while parked on the side of the street in NYC, and it sucks. So I'd be looking into an indy to do it, probably Mike's Volvo Clinic in Jamaica Queens, since they are not too far away. At that point I'm probably going to be into this car another $1K (or more?), but I suppose I should get a quote first. This is "Option 2".


From what I've read across multiple forums, 90% of folks say "Option 3" is a bad idea and I should just buy another car: swapping the B5254S currently in the car with a turbo engine. Based on my inspection and research, the B5254S in this 1998 V70 runs Bosch Motronic 4.4, which other contemporary whiteblock turbos also used as an engine management system. There is a 137K mile B5234T engine and auto trans from a 1995 850 currently listed on eBay for $950 (obo) that I can pick up on my monthly trips out to the midwest. That engine should run Motronic 4.3. Now, I read there are issues with putting an M4.4 engine and harness into an M4.3 car because it will fry the climate control, but I'm not sure if it's vice-versa or if the swap would be more or less plug and play. Or if a M4.4 powertrain would be easier/the recommended option. Either way, I'm wondering if it would even be a remotely good idea to have a shop swap in a turbo engine (one with the appropriate engine management system), if they're already going to be tearing into the top end on the N/A engine and pulling the trans to replace the throwout bearing.


All this being said I would like to keep the car, as it's in great shape overall (sans drivetrain issues), but I also don't want to get in over my head, and my budget was really $3K or less for buying a wagon. So for Option 1, at this point I would be willing to part ways with it and recoup all the money I have in it so far ($3,200). For Option 2, it will depend on the shop quote to return it to stock. And for Option 3... I guess this is the main question. Turbo V70 with Motronic 4.4 would be fun and with potential for more power, but could it be worth it? Even if I were able to find a turbo engine for $950, installation could have me looking at an all-in cost of $2K or more, bringing me to $5-6K+ for a clean turbo'ed V70 base model with ~150K on the chassis. Based on what I'm seeing in classifieds and sales, I don't know if I could get as clean of a manual V70 T5 for less than $7K, and they don't seem to be easy to find. What to do?


Thanks,

Dave

 

I never tried swapping turbo for non-turbo harness, the main reason being that they don't unplug in the right place. I don't understand why volvo did that or even how they ever assembled such a mess of a harness. I am not above cutting wires to do it, but I just never could make myself do it because the cars were so cheap. Ultimately that was a mistake, really. I have one car that I wish I had kept.

I don't know if I can help dissuade you at all, but in your situation I would do absolutely nothing. No way do I lift a finger to solve those problems. Whilst I was doing nothing, I might look for a somewhat decent NA 2.4 out of a $500 car. The 94-98 are identical except for the style of timing belt tensioner which is irrelevant. They used to be everywhere, but they're so worthless now, and online selling experiences are so awful, that they're actually hard to find. If a person has one today, it's more likely to get crushed than advertised. It's like trying to find a restaurant that serves peanut butter and jelly. That is the cheap and good solution. Trying to repair engines that have been abused is harder.

If you want to look around for a Turbo, I can't give you any encouragement. I have a huge well-equipped shop at my disposal, lots of parts cars, all the wiring diagrams, and a factory T5M to look at. I love to mess with wiring, and after weighing all that I wouldn't even do it for my own self (my time is free). I don't believe you'll find anybody who can install one AT ALL at any price. If they are actually capable of it, they'll have to do it based on the hours to get the turbo harness in there.

 

Thanks for the advice. Perhaps I'll set my turbo dreams aside for now...

Upon further research the lifter tick condition could be due to the oil sump o-ring issue that these engines have at higher mileage. I also noticed upon first inspection little air bubbles on the oil dipstick. New to whiteblocks, still learning. Taking off the pan and doing that o-ring job seems a lot more manageable than tearing into the head. So I think I will go that route, the parts are pretty cheap and I could set a weekend aside for it. I've done worse on the side of the road. If that solves my issue I would also be wise to replace the PCV unit and hoses, esp since it's failing the "glove test" ever so slightly. Of course, that's a $300 kit at IPD... just trying to avoid the slippery slope of sunk cost

As for the throwout bearing chatter, it's minor and intermittent enough that I could probably live with it for a while (same would go for the car, I hope).