Hi all,
I am currently looking to buy a 1998 - 2002 Mk1 2.4T or T5 coupé. I had a look at a very nice looking 1999 2.4T yesterday with only 45 Kmls on the clock and an immaculate exterior. However there were some things I was very unsure about:
- Interior had a very stuffy/ dusty and intense smell to it. Now I can appreciate that this is a 22 year old car but is this normal?
- Breaking power: I have owned some Volvos (V70, V50) and SAAB 9-3s before and was very surprised about the very weak breaking in this car. I really had to press down hard to get a sense of the car slowing down. Again: is this normal? It is a heavy car but for a GT I would expect a much more noticeable response from the breaks. In case that this is a typical phenomenon on this model, what have you guys done to upgrade?
- Auto box seemed quite sluggish for a car with such slow mileage. Is this warranted? I would then start looking for a manual
- Handling: overall I was not too impressed by the handling. I know this isn't a BMW or Audi but any of my SAABs handled much better even the 9-3 I LPT from the same year.

Thank you very much for your input!
Cheers
Marc

 

Hi Marc,
Maybe it's too late for you, but maybe it helps others:
There shouldn't be any smell: it indicates some moist or water exposure.
Breaking power has always been a disaster on this car. But once you press hard, it works.
Auto box : mine is extremely smooth, even after 20 years. But it can get weak and I have some sluggish behavior once in a while: for example it wouldn't shift from N to D immediately, and get into it after 2 or 3 seconds, but then violently, bumping the car forward.
Handling. That was the biggest issue with all C70/850s.... Any oil tanker is smarter!

But then there are sooo many arguments in favor of this car... Mine is 21 years old and never went to the Volvo dealer for anything else than standard maintenance. It also looks like new, and the big plus: no more or new noise, no crackling after 20 years of service! It sounds like the very first day.

Hope this helps,
Pascal

 

Marc,

I have some details on my experiences with mine here: https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...40/#post506087

Regarding your points:
1. The adhesive on rear windshield sometimes gets loose, and the power windows like to break. So if left outside for years with a window not quite up or a leaky rear windshield that may do it. Please research S70/850 issues on leaking in the cabin because the C70 is based on the same platform.
2. Not sure if these use a brake booster or not, I have not experienced the issue you describe.
3. Mine downshifts oddly sometimes and the fluid has never been serviced. There is a software update from Volvo for the transmission but I have yet to get it. The fluid should probably be serviced but to do or not do is a debatable subject on such a low miles example.
4. Handling and turning is not very good, I've read there is a sway bar to slightly improve it and its on the Christmas list for next year.

 

regarding brakes and transmission... Braking should be on par with any car of that vintage. I've owned both a 95 850T and a 2000 S40 and both have excellent stopping power when properly maintained. Hard pedal pressure could be the sign of a vaccuum booster issue or an issue with the master cylinder or calipers. I believe this model has a vacuum pump to assist the booster on cold start and at idle which you should hear kick on right after start up. There's also check valves in the vaccuum lines to the booster that can fail from time to time. A quick test of the booster is to start the car let it run for a few seconds then press the brake hard. If you don't hear any wheezing or hissing your booster's diaphram is in good shape. As to the transmission, the C70s use an Aisin automatic, same as Toyota and Lexus. If the shifts are sluggish, I'd suggest looking as the color of the fluid and fill levels. Think about it, that stuff is like 17 years old! A simple drain/fill sequence can bring back the sharpness. Normally transmission issues are for flaring (ie revs wander when the shift is being made) or hard shifting (a whump when it hits the next gear). These cars do have issues from time to time with the PNP switch (the park-neutral position sensor) in the shifter. What happens is the contacts develop some corrosion and don't signal clearly to the TCM. A few easy remedies here. 1) do a shifter row (park to lo to park 20x fast) which is usually enough to clean the contacts 2) clean the connector and contacts to the TCM itself. Again its an old car and mileage has nothing to do with aging electrical contacts. 3) redo the transmission driving cycle. Google for the procedure to help the transmission "relearn" its shift points.

 

Its really a PITA to get to the dipstick, and the pan is mounted vertically. I was considering the method where the fluid is evacuated from the transmission cooling hose near the radiator and leaving the pan in place.