Hey all, brand new to the forum since I知 considering getting a Volvo as my newest project car. I知 looking at a 1998 Volvo S70 T5, with 200 000 km痴 on it, they claim the only issues with it are a cracked crankshaft pulley damper, a maf issue, a broken engine mount, and a canister valve error code. I知 going to look at it this weekend, wondering what other common issues I should look at, anything I could use as ammo to negotiate hahaha since the budget is a lil tight.

 

There is almost never a "MAF issue", it is usually a fuel trim issue or an air leak. "MAF issue" usually means the MAF sensor reading is not correlating with where it should be. A lot of people replace an expensive MAF because they had an intake leak, bad Turbo control valve, loose hose connection, etc.

Cracked crank pulley damper could be concerning..

IIRC the canister valve is somewhat common on S40's of that year? I can be wrong here though.

 

Sounds like your first job is to fix the pulley and with that the timing belt/tensioner and serpentine drive belt (checking those pulleys as well). You need to confirm which evap error code you are seeing - ie either a large or small evap leak can be the difference between replacing a purge valve, fixing a torn vacuum line (this may require a smoke test since there is a line that runs from the purge valve up by the left side of the radiator all the way back to the charcoal cannister) or the cannister itself. Check all the engine mounts - usual suspects are the top mount over the engine and the one at the nose of the engine but I'd check all since one broken mount can stress the others.

As to common repair issues:
1) PCV system can clog. Google the rubber (surgeon's) glove test and the dipstick test for positive crankcase pressure. Check for oil leaks, particularly around the front and rear cam seals.
2) Transmission hard shifting. Check the transmission fluid level and color (wiping the dipstick on a white paper towel works). If its dark brown/black and smells a bit burnt, then you may want to do a drain (through filter paper to check for bits of clutch...lol) and refill with model specific fluid. The Aisin 4 speeds are pretty stout so most times a set of 3-4 drain fills every 100K miles is a good way to make the tranny last a lifetime
3) AC issues. Does the blower work on all speeds (if not, could be the ballast resistor)? does it blow cold for a long time or does it cut out (common issue is the AC clutch gap gets too large and the clutch needs to be reshimmed to fix). Check if the drain ports for the evaporator are clogged. If the condensation doesn't drain properly it will lead to corrosion and failure of the evaporator (a $1500+ fix since the whole dash comes out)
4) Front suspension. Strut spring seats are prone to fail (the hard rubber mount, not the strut bushing/bearing), check for worn tie rods, control arm bushings, sway bar bushings and endlinks.
5) rear suspension. rear shock mounts can fail but not too often - more common is the delta link bushing (the forward-most mounting point). If this is a northern salted car, make sure there's no signs of rust around the mounting point where the bushing bolts to the floor pan.
6) OBD stored codes. Scan for anything that may be stored just in case.
7) Engine. Pretty sure the 98s still use the old single coil ignition so expect to do a stage 0 tune up if the PO doesn't have anything noted in the maintenance history. Plugs (go standard copper core or OEM), wires, cap, rotor. The cap is held on by a few bolts - Easy way is to pop out the intake air box to make some room
8) Battery. Anything over 4 years old is due within a year or two. Check cables/grounds for corrosion, signs of bubbling/swelling within the insulation of the cables (meaning there's corrosion within the cable).
9) Shifter. A common fail item is the PNP selector switch which tells the ECU where the shifter is. You can do a shifter row to scuff it clean if it acts up but I'd check if its ever been replaced just to know if you're original or not.
10) Cooling system. Car should have green or blue 50/50. Any other color should be drained/flushed refilled fresh. Look for any signs of staining to suggest leaks. I'd suggest also consider replacing the thermostat, ECT sensor and overflow cap as preventative maintenance if it hasn't been done within the past 5 years.
11) All fluids - Generally speaking coolant, brake fluid, PS fluid should be freshened every 2 years. For the power steering, I use a turkey baster to suck out the old, refill, start/turn lock to lock a few times and repeat 3 times which should get you 90% clean.
12) All intake air rubber / vaccuum lines should be inspected/replaced, particularly by the "vacuum tree" under the throttle cable spool. look for any uncapped ports on the tree.

 

I drive one of these all the time; mechanically it's an 850 and there's an excellent thread on 850 ownership sticky in the 850 forum. With proper maintenance it'll last a long time. Don't buy it if you don't work on cars yourself. As soon as you buy it, you probably should catch it up on preventive maintenance. You really should not be paying somebody to do that; just not worth it.

Air and vacuum plumbing is certainly an issue on mine at this age, and the MAF "issue" is likely to be a leak that occurs under boost, with the MAF telling the truth about it, but you be the judge.

 

So true! My list is pretty much a summary of stuff I've fixed on my 95 850T (owned since new and "retired" after 25 years service and 250K miles when we inherited a car). Sad to say, now that I have a bit more time to work on cars, I wish I had kept it...