Hi guys,

Just registered to post this.

Last week, my 05' XC70 check engine light came one. I happen to have an OBDII sensor so I pulled the codes. They were P0026 & P0027 intake & exhaust valve control solenoid out of range.

Also, I sometimes noticed knocking sound at idle when the check engine light was on.

I didn't take it to my local mechanic simply because this seemed like a more complex problem. I took it to the dealer and they suspect that the O-rings that hold in the solenoid(s) are bad and it's letting air into the engine causing low oil pressure. The O-rings are of course cheap, but they say the labour is terrible. Total for the job, $480. Not only that, but they recommend the timing belt be replaced (which I expected, the car has 110,000 miles.)

Total for that job was ~ $400. Now we are up to 900+ after tax. No labour overlap?

First, are not the cam shafts on the top of the engine? How hard is it to replace these O-rings really?

2nd, does this seem like a reasonable diagnostic? To me, it sounds OK, but wouldn't the PCV valve get air out of the crankcase pretty quickly? Wouldn't my oil be foamy if it was that bad (it's not, oil is clean and clear and right on the top level).

Just looking for another opinion. It's the only Volvo service centre anywhere near me. Any help is sincerely appreciated!

 

So Gregg, what was the outcome of this? Our (new to us w/86k miles) '06 XC90 2.5 had the CEL come on yesterday on the way to drop it off a detail shop. We stopped at Advance to borrow the tester and it threw the same P0027 code. My wife drove it the rest of the way and there was a racket coming from the head as we pulled in. Had the car cleaned up, but not need to decide if I should have AAA pick it up.

Please let me know!

 

What o-rings did they replace? If they did the oil pan o-rings, that would not overlap with the timing belt. There are no o-rings for the CVVT solenoids, just a gasket. And the gasket wouldn't cause those codes. It could also have been a bad CVVT hub, in which case the timing belt labor would overlap entirely.

 

They replaced the oil pan O-Rings as I understand. It was labor intensive and pretty expensive. I guess that some air was getting into the crankcase and lowering oil pressure enough to trigger the CAM sensors and set the CEL on.

I've driven the car a bunch since they fixed it and the CEL has not come back on. Also, it seems to idle more quietly.

 

Okay, thought so. That is a relatively common repair and yes, it is expensive.