hey guys. so the plastic belly pan or guard or whatever you want to call it under the motor of the car is falling apart and its starting to drop down. is that thing really necessary? i dont drive on dirt or in snow or gravel. it now just makes an annoying dragging sound over speed bumps? can i just rip that thing out?

 

yes you can take off. It is held in by a few plastic clips and maybe 5x 10mm head screws. Better option though would be to fit a replacement from junkyard. They won't charge much and it will keep engine bay cleaner over time.

 

I took mine of about 4 years ago as it was beginning to fall apart also.
The hastle of removing it to service the oil filter etc was very annoying.
Has not been a problem at all and possibly aids air cooling in the engine bay as well.
I don't drive on rough unsealed roads or encounter snow so the risks are less.

 

The cover does serve to protect the cast aluminum oil pan. My cover has a crack right in front of the pan where it saved mine. It also improves aerodynamics.

IPD has a couple alternatives to the Volvo OEM cover.
https://www.ipdusa.com/products/5947...p1-s40-v50-c30
https://www.ipdusa.com/products/1148...40-v50-c30-c70

 

On the old S40, the cover does not protect the oil pan.

I've seen enough cracked oil pans on the newer S40s to argue it doesn't protect them either.

 

IPD sells a nice thick aluminum belly pan. Too rich for me but it's an option.

 

Yep, I've had my eye on that IPD item for some time for my P3 V70. I've noticed that it does come up on sale about 1x or 2x per year but still pricy. However if it saves you from a damaged oil pan it's a no brainer investment.

 

Volvo actually has a metal shield available but it is even more $$$ than the IPD aluminum. The plastic offers some protection but the aluminum should do better.

 

i would love the IPD aluminum but do they make it for the 2000 s40. i know they make tons of stuff for the 2004.5 and later s40s

if you have a link that would be awesome!

 

Well they used to but I can no longer find it on their website. Parts for the 2000-2004 models are becoming harder to find and more expensive.

 

See my post in Thread "IPD pan for sale for Volvo S40 2007"