Love my new Volvo but....just a couple issues
 

Hello all, first post here as I just bought my teens a 99 S70 T5 (dark blue)as a 3rd car for the family. I have always loved the looks of these cars and found one in decent shape for a decent price. I have gone over the front end and am ready to replace axle shaft and inner tie rod on right side and sway bar links both sides. Should I do anything else while I have it torn apart, before it gets aligned? The second issue is a whirring noise coming from the engine compartment. It sounds to me like a power steering pump that is low on fluid but the noise doesnt change when I turn the wheels. Could it be a dry bearing in the belt tensioner? The third issue is the clips that hold the door panels on. I have read about red ones and white ones and I saw metal ones on that auction site. I have 2 panels that need to be reattached at the bottom. Any advice? Thanks in advance and I look forward to sharing this new experience with you all!

Suspension and whiring sound
 

I have an S80 and from what I can tell, these 2 cars a pretty different so these are just opinions/issues I've had with my car.

As far as the front end is concerned, not to sure about S70, as I have an S80. But when I did my front end I also had to replace the 2 Steering Stop Front Outer roller for front control arm, the part number for the S80 is 31212191. See the VIDAS PIC below, doesn't appear to have those on your model car, but you'll have an idea of what you might want to replace. The ball joint on the drivers side was also bad. Also check the control arm busings, I'd replace if you have the money.

The whiring noise can either be bad bearings for the alternator or in the case of my S80 the ETM whining. Your is well different it seems in VIDAS so I'm just throwing out ideas.

I found some of the door clips for my S80 at PepBoys. They weren't an exact color match, but they work none-the-less.

Good luck with the suspension!

If you are going to do inner tie rods, may as well do the outer tie rod ends at the same time. They are inexpensive. Check the lower control arms too- easy to replace, if necessary.

I found a bunch of door clips while scavenging a couple of old Volvos at the bone yard.

Thanks for replies!
 

I have driven the car a couple times in the past couple days and noticed a couple more things.. When locking the doors, the button on passenger front side moves up and down but doesnt lock. The driver side rear door must be locked/unlocked manually.
The sunroof does not slide back but the back goes up. I hear a slight click above the mirror when I push the button but dont hear any kind of a motor type sound, like its trying to open.
After turning off the car, there is sometimes a sound like a tea kettle letting off steam. Its a high pitched whistle like compressed air being released fron somewhere. Any ideas?
Also, the fabric on the door panels is coming off the small panel around the handle. Can these be taken off and reglued with contact cement or something of the sort?
There will probably be more "symptoms" coming soon.
Thanks again as I have never owned a Volvo before and your experience is appreciated!

I'm pretty sure the tea Kettle sound you hear is the ETM, at least it is on my S80. You should also hear a clicking sound just as the whistling stops. To test, open your hood, have someone crank the car then turn it off. The sound should come from the engine compartment where the intake hose is located. Should only last a couple seconds.

Not sure about the buttons for you locks, but I would check the fuses to ensure they're not blown.

I completely redid all my interior from the headliner to the carpet. You can take the fabric off of the door panel, but be careful when doing it where-as to not tear it. Use a putty knife or flat head screw driver. Also make sure to use the 3M Spray Adhesive. It's a little expensive but well worth it because once it sticks, IT STICKS!

The door locks are a common, cronic problem with these 12 year old cars. The motors in the door latch that operates the auto locks gets weak and simply can provide the torque to function properly. The proper repair is to replace the latch assembly which is about $180 a pop at the stealer I believe. There are after market sources that vary from $90 to $135 each.

As for your sunroof. There is likely a clip or something broken in one side of the track stopping it from going back. I had the problem and gave it a good wack on the back edge while holding the open button. The roof has to drop down a little before sliding back and something was broken and in the way. The wack finished the broken piece off and the roof worked fine after that. Not sure what broke but it didn't seem to matter.

The door panels come loose like roof liner material. The problem is that the vinyl shrinks after 8+ years and it causes the material to pull away from the molded panel. If you remove the door panel which takes all of 2 minutes, you may be able to see that the door panel is actually 2 pieces, the fram and the inner section. The R cars have door panel inserts that do not streatch like the other models. Not sure why, they may be leather. I think those door panels are about $200 each at the stealer. Ouch! We have learned to live with it because the car is so old. You can redo them but not with the material that is there.

The most important things to do on the car is the timing belt and the breather system (PCV). If those items are not serviced when due it can be the death of the car.

Don't forget to view and use the 850 section. Your car is basically a newer model of the 850.

Thanks for the responses. I tried to push the sunroof back while my wife held the button, no dice. The back end drops like its starting to go but the roof never moves back.
As far as the tea kettle whistle, is this normal? I have never had a car that made any kind of noise after it was turned off???
At first I thought I had a bad axle shaft but after driving the car a few times, I am noticing a creaking noise at low speed wheels turned most of the way (pulling in or out of driveway or parking space. I dont hear any other sounds when just driving down the road. Strut tower bearings perhaps? Sometime this week I am going to spend a couple hours with it and check out the front end and try to get rid of a couple rattles. Sheez, it seems like every little piece of plastic in the interior is rubbing on something or loose.
How are the stereos in these things? The door speaker is blown and the rear speakers come and go and sound terrible. Could it be a loose connection? Replace with same or aftermarket if needed?
Thanks again. I love the way this car accelerates and it looks great but it looks like it is going to keep me busy!

Power steering and power locks
 

I have a 1998 S70 GLT with the same problems with the locks but mine are the front locks, I have not tried to fix mine because it just isn't and issue with me. The power steering problem is the pump, mine also use to make noises but eventually died, I just had to replace it. One very common problem with these S70's is the ABS module which will also effect your speedometer. There are several options to fixing this, I am including a link to a site that explains the problem. Good luck Link - Volvo S70-V70 Abs Module repair | Car Instructions

I dont think the whirring noise is from the power steering pump. The power steering experiences I have had, made a different noise when you turn the wheel while the car is running. It does sound like that however, but the noise only changes with the speed of the engine. There is no change in the sound when the wheels are turned, leading me to believe its not the power steering pump. On a whim, I stopped at a junkyard today on the way home from work and they have a 98 s70 with tensioner and alternator. I didnt have any tools with me so as soon as I have time, I will return for the tensioner first and if that doesnt work, Ill go back for the alt. If that doesnt work, Ill go back for the power steering pump.

Do you know when the last timing belt and idler were changed? If you have something in the timing belt path that is worn or need to be replaced it can cause you to jump timing or break the belt. If that happens you're done.

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The power steering pump on the 98 and the one on the '99s are totally different. '98 uses a Saginaw pump, and '99 uses a ZF pump. Keep in mind that you have to use special fluid with the '99 models- CHF-11S, which is available at most international auto parts stores, and NAPA carries it, too. It's kind of expensive, though.

As for the sunroof, the glass panel needs to be adjusted on its mounting, most likely. Happens a lot. It's a bit tricky to get access... if you can open it to the "vent" position, it's a lot easier. (Vent= back of the glass raised about 2 inches) Once it's up there, there are 2 plastic trim pieces on either side that cover the mechanism. Pop these off, and there are screws that attach the glass to the carrier. Loosen the screws, then close the roof by holding the switch until the mechanism stops. Now the mechanism is "centered" in its closed position. Move the glass until it's lined up with the roof and not pressed against any edge too tightly, then tighten the screws. Open and close the sunroof to make sure it works, then open to the vent position and reinstall the trim.

Thanks Carrots!!! What the problem was, was the plastic cover came off and was stopping the roof. I took the plastic pieces off and it opened right up! After figuring out what the piece does and how it rides in the track, I snapped it back on and it worked perfectly! Thanks for the advice!!!!!!