Okay, So I have a 1999 V70XC and have some questions regarding both maintenance and tuning. I recently purchased it with 169K on it and have only put 4k or so on myself. I have changed the oil twice, sent two cans of seafoam through it and it seems to have a lot of life left. I need help with some transmission speed/wheel speed sensor codes. I am kinda scatterbrained and have a lot of questions regarding this vehicle, as I have never owned or even been within five feet of a Volvo until now. (I absolutely love this car, BTW)

My car throws the following codes (P0722, 1633, 1618, 1550) in random order at random times. It seems to idle rich and has a couple different ticks at idle. It gets rough in between 900 and 1600 rpm. The only thing I can attribute to this is the spark plugs which are single point, rather than the volvo OEM three points I found online. Very rarely, when all four codes come up, I do notice a loss of power and difficulty shifting. It does not shift hard, nor come out of gear, it just seems to shift reluctantly. The car had all of its fluids changed and new belts and hoses by the previous owner at 100K, and was not driven hard, so I do not believe it is a transmission issue. Does anyone have any experience with these codes? As far as I can tell its either the TCM or sensors which brings me to my second set of questions,

As far as tuning goes, I have done a lot of research into their motors and drivetrains. The best I can figure my B5254T makes around 11.4:1 compression after boost (6 psi). I know a lot of people say that the I-5s wont make more than 350-400 hp, due to the fact that the head cant go past 15:1, but a lot of youtube videos would beg to differ, so what is the max I can go with this motor. I have looked at the B5244T4 and noticed that not only does it make 50 more ft/lbs, it does so 300 rpm lower. So is this a HPT or is it an LPT? And is it worth swapping, or can I just install a new wastegate on my LPT push it to like 9 psi? Also I want to put a 6 speed from a 2001 V70 into it, but have come to find through reviews that they seem to be mediocre at best. So once again, Should I swap? Is the 5 speed better than the 6? or can I just put a shift kit onto my AW 4 speed? and finally can I convert it from single to dual VVT? The heads should just change over, right? I should probably state at this point, I am simply trying to break this thing into the 14.5 sec 1/4M bracket and pin the needle. I would be thrilled with 250HP 300FT/lbs. I also would like to lift it and inch or so and put some 235/75 R15s on it, and was wondering where to go for suspension and driveline people that would know the best approach. Finally I would like to swap (I am not sure what type of dash, similar to the V70XC's but with a boost gauge above the fuel gauge) from an 850R? into it, but am not sure how easy that would be and I WILL NOT butcher the dash just for a boost gauge.

 

The B5254T is the "low pressure" model. Given its a turbo, you can do a lot with ECU tune and a bigger turbo (300 HP is easily in range) but you then start worrying about rods etc (I've never heard of a "head" not handling more boost, mostly its the pistons/bottom end). you also need to think of the ability of the transmission to handle the extra power... when you start getting over 300 HP, the automatics become a weak link. If your goal is for 250 HP then you will want an ECU tune, 16T or 18T turbo and 3 inch downpipe - and maybe some bigger injectors. Since you already have AWD, the tire width is less important - I'd stick to the standard plus 1/plus 2 metrics. You'd get more traction by improving the suspension parts - stiffer shocks/sway bars anyways since axle hop from tall/soft suspensions is likely. (ie think about lowering the car vs raising ). 14 low is easily attainable with 250-275 HP.

 

Thank you for your response. I hear what you are saying about lowering, but as I live on a rural road with a rough alleyway behind my house, I cant lower it. I do not want some 6inch tall 3super swamper monster truck, but would like to raise it a little bit and throw some bigger tires on it. (I like sidewalls) I do want to avoid a turbo swap, but only from the stance of I dont know how much low end Ill lose. I love the flat 200ftlb curve this motor produces. So will putting a different turbo on affect the RPM range for the torque band? if so how much. I would rather have a quick car with good torque than top end. I do not under stand "axle hop" and how bad is it in independent suspension compared to a solid axle? Please explain a little bit. An ECU tune is definitely on the list, as well as thrush tubes and cat back system. are the dual exhaust any better? or is the single enough? and what about a dual VVT conversion? your answers have been helpful, thank you again.