Proud 4th Owner of V70
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Proud 4th Owner of V70
Happy New Year, everyone!
TLDR: bought an old Volvo with a bunch of miles, fixed some stuff real cheap, gonna do some more to it
A few weeks ago, I picked up a 2000 V70 with 206K (pictures) miles because it was the cheapest car in good working condition I could find. I am in Phoenix, AZ and the car lived in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, and Florida before me. It is FWD, non-turbo with a 5-speed manual. The Beast runs very well and has surprisingly good power both off the line and on the highway. As you may have inferred by my user name, I am a big fan of Subarus. I drove one for 12 years before jumping around a bit between a Miata and a Ram 1500. The Beast is my first Volvo, my first European car, and my first 5-cylinder.
There were a few problems with the car, but nothing major. I have fixed 3 of them.
First, previous owner put in a new alternator and serpentine belt shortly before selling it to me. However, the battery was quickly discharging and would not turn over without a jump after about 10 days. The serpentine belt was slipping a bit and I thought there wasn't enough tension on the alternator to provide adequate power to charge the battery. This diagnosis was only half correct. The alternator was putting out a healthy 14V, but the battery was only getting 11V. The problem was that some of the wire terminals had rusted over providing enough power to keep the car running, but not to charge the battery. I took some sand paper and cleaned these connections to bare metal. Now the battery gets a healthy 14V from the alternator. Total cost of repair: $2.
Second, the previous owner topped off the power steering reservoir with ATF after the alternator and belt job. After doing some research, I can see how this mistake can easily be made. From what I understand there is a lot of conflicting information regarding 99-00 Volvos as they were manufactured during the exodus from Ford. The color of the power steering fluid was a pale pink with a greenish tint, which means the ATF was mixed in there with Penstoin CHF 11S. I bought 2 liters of Febi-Bilstein S6161, which research tells me is a perfectly suitable substitute for the Penstoin, and siphoned out the reservoir 3 times. I took out about 550mL each time. The fluid is now clean and the steering system is very happy. Total cost of repair: $20.
Third, the passenger side mirror was drooping and shaking. I took some mounting tape and put it back into position. It still vibrates a little, but it's much better than before. Total cost of repair: negligible.
I am also planning to do some more to placate The Beast:
I just ordered a new radio, and will put it in next weekend when it arrives. If anyone is looking for an OEM radio, let me know. Total cost: $72.
One of my tires is pretty low on tread and I am planning to replace the pair. If anyone has a recommendation for an affordable 195/60/15 tire with acceptable performance, I am all ears.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day.
TLDR: bought an old Volvo with a bunch of miles, fixed some stuff real cheap, gonna do some more to it
A few weeks ago, I picked up a 2000 V70 with 206K (pictures) miles because it was the cheapest car in good working condition I could find. I am in Phoenix, AZ and the car lived in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, and Florida before me. It is FWD, non-turbo with a 5-speed manual. The Beast runs very well and has surprisingly good power both off the line and on the highway. As you may have inferred by my user name, I am a big fan of Subarus. I drove one for 12 years before jumping around a bit between a Miata and a Ram 1500. The Beast is my first Volvo, my first European car, and my first 5-cylinder.
There were a few problems with the car, but nothing major. I have fixed 3 of them.
First, previous owner put in a new alternator and serpentine belt shortly before selling it to me. However, the battery was quickly discharging and would not turn over without a jump after about 10 days. The serpentine belt was slipping a bit and I thought there wasn't enough tension on the alternator to provide adequate power to charge the battery. This diagnosis was only half correct. The alternator was putting out a healthy 14V, but the battery was only getting 11V. The problem was that some of the wire terminals had rusted over providing enough power to keep the car running, but not to charge the battery. I took some sand paper and cleaned these connections to bare metal. Now the battery gets a healthy 14V from the alternator. Total cost of repair: $2.
Second, the previous owner topped off the power steering reservoir with ATF after the alternator and belt job. After doing some research, I can see how this mistake can easily be made. From what I understand there is a lot of conflicting information regarding 99-00 Volvos as they were manufactured during the exodus from Ford. The color of the power steering fluid was a pale pink with a greenish tint, which means the ATF was mixed in there with Penstoin CHF 11S. I bought 2 liters of Febi-Bilstein S6161, which research tells me is a perfectly suitable substitute for the Penstoin, and siphoned out the reservoir 3 times. I took out about 550mL each time. The fluid is now clean and the steering system is very happy. Total cost of repair: $20.
Third, the passenger side mirror was drooping and shaking. I took some mounting tape and put it back into position. It still vibrates a little, but it's much better than before. Total cost of repair: negligible.
I am also planning to do some more to placate The Beast:
I just ordered a new radio, and will put it in next weekend when it arrives. If anyone is looking for an OEM radio, let me know. Total cost: $72.
One of my tires is pretty low on tread and I am planning to replace the pair. If anyone has a recommendation for an affordable 195/60/15 tire with acceptable performance, I am all ears.
Thanks for reading. Have a great day.
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