Hi, I am new to the forums and new to volvo's. I just picked up a used 1998 T-5 for real short money. The engine still sounds good but has almost 233K on it. For the most part the car is in decent shape but there are a few annoyances that I'd like to get input on.
First the passenger side power seat does not work both sections(seat and seat back). I read that there are two seperate motors so I find it hard to believe both motors have failed. There are no fuses for these, just a circuit breaker buried under the fuses that is supposed to reset automatically. Anyone have any advice on this?

Second, my ABS/Traction idiot lights come on for a while, goes off for a while, and then comes back on again. Its on more than its off. I think replacing it is $$ so if it is a simple fix not costing $$ I'd prefer that. Any thoughts?


also, I am leaking oil a tiny bit but not so much that I notice any appreciable amount on the ground below it when it sits. Considering the mileage on the motor, should I live with it and just keep up with the losses or is it worth replacing the gasket which I'm told after all the labor will be in the $1000 range. Advice


Lastly, there is an anti-theft radio in this vehicle. it wasn't until I got the car home and started reading the manual that I found out I needed a code to re-start the radio if power is removed from it. Anyone know how I can get this code?

Thanks and I lok forward to anyones advice on these items

 

following up on my first post, I got some answers to some of my questions from reading a lot of the other posts

First I got the radio codes from a local dealer so I am all set there

I have only had the car two weeks now so I am finding all the bugs. After driving approx 1000 miles since i got it, the engine over heated yesterday while my daughter was driving. When I got to her I found the expansion tank for the coolant system was dry. I refilled and started the car and the temp came back to usual. When I got the car I knew the heater blower didn't work and the inside of the car smelled musty. I've experienced a heater core failure on another vehicle but it smelled sweeter than this plus it coated the inside of the windshield. I am not experiencing this but think now that the heater core is bad. Am I on target with this thinking?

Again, any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated

 

The heater cores do fail but I don't think it is your problem.
If the blower motor doesn't work then the heater core and the evaperator might be a little moldy.
That might be due to no air flow.

 

Thanks tech for the response. if not the heater core..what else. I don't see any leaking from the hoses and no puddles forming under the car. the radiator looks dry so its not weeping out there.

Any other place to look?

 

Check really good under the hood.If you have a black light you can use it to help you look for the leak as long as there is coolant in the car.If there was water it will not work then.

 

tech,

I checked a little closer while the car was running and it dawned on me that the auxillary fan behind the radiator was never kicking on. I noticed the relay for it up front above the radiator but I am not sure how to tell if the relay is bad or the fan motor itself. Or, is it possible that the relay is not getting a signal to energize the fan?

Any thoughts?

 

One pretty quick way to test the fan is to turn the A/C on.
The fan should turn on when the A/C is on.
If nothing the you can supply power and ground to the 2 wires going to the fan and see if the motor works.

 

Thanks tech...took your advice. The AC doesn't kick the fan on at all but when I supplied direct power lo and behold the fan turned on just like its supposed to. What next? Is it pointing to the relay or is there some other obscure item I should be looking for?

Also I had my ABS/Tracs lights on problem checked and the mechanic says the codes indicate a problem with the wiring going back to the rear wheel sensors. says there is a "Y" wiring harness that is showing a problem. I've read alot of discussions about ABS problems and it seems like it always ends at the control module no matter what the codes say. I'm a little nervous cuz this mechanic also checked out my over heating problem and never noticed the aux fan wasn't kickin in. If I'm finding the problem...its a problem cuz I'm not car savy but i do know the obvious stuff

Thanks for your help

 

I would say the overheating and the A/C problem is the Cooling Fan Relay.Which is located at the top of the radiator.I have seen these go bad many times.I would start there.

The ABS problem I bet the code was for the R/R wheel sensor.
That is most of the time the code that it throws.
http://home.earthlink.net/~vicrocha/...vo_V70_ABS.htm
Check with this site about getting yours rebuilt. It is a lot cheaper than a new one.

 

Thanks Tech

FYI....I was talking about my fan operation problem and about the relay being bad to a coworker of mine who's an electrician. He said he'd test it out for me and while we were looking at it he noticed that the two control wires had actually become abraided down to the wire where they sit next to the frame and subsequently corroded away. He spliced the wires with butt end connectors and the fan works like a charm now. It wasn't very noticeable and it was only after several minutes of trying to pull the relay connections apart that he noticed the damage. Maybe a good thing for others to check in the future if they have a similar problem

Thanks again....now on to address my ABS issue. I looked at the site you recommended and I am thinking about my options.

 

Im glad you got it fixed and it was easy!!!

Keep me posted on the progress.