Ok, guys and gals. I have made my introduction and I wanted to make a general repairs/upgrade thread of my own to kind of keep track of my progress with this car. Mods, if this is in the wrong spot, feel free to move at your discretion. I apologize if it is.

My ultimate goal with this thread is to help keep me motivated with any repairs/regular maintenance/any upgrades over stock that I feel are warranted and or necessary, and who doesn't like upgrades? If any of that has started to sound rhetorical, I apologize.

Anyway, a little background first, shall we? For the last five years I have owned an '04 Subaru WRX/STi. It has been one of my favorite cars out of all the vehicles I have owned over the years. It was a blast to drive, never left me stranded, and was probably the most reliable car I have ever owned. I had spent a lot of money on it, lavished it with nice parts, a full doll up every year, things of that nature. I babied the car. My son loved going for rides in it. It had been on two different family vacations and was considered a member of the family. I had sworn to never get rid of the car....I think you see where this is going.

A picture of the STi


Now to bring you current. Things have changed at my house. We had found ourselves in a bit of a pickle. Money was getting tighter, we need to get some things done to our house, and we have a second child on the way. We need more room, have to spend more money, I think you see why it made sense to sell my toy. It was becoming a bit impractical, was going to need a few more expensive maintenance items, and I felt a little bad for using it as no more than a daily driver. I decided that my time as it's caretaker had come and gone. It needed to go to someone that appreciated it as much as I did. I found the right buyer and made quite a bit of cash on the sale of the car.

I had been searching for months for an '03-'04 Mercury Marauder before I sold my car, but everything I found that was for sale had the **** pounded out of it, or these guys wanted pie in the sky money for a nice example. On to the next idea, which was to maybe try and find a fun '80s turbocharged something or other. I contacted my buddy that has owned numerous Starquests over the years and lo and behold, his Palermo '87 Starion ESi was for sale. Talked with the wife about it, and we came to the conclusion that owning and insuring two cars (because I would need a beater for winter) just wasn't in the cards. At that point I was stuck. I had one week left before the guy that bought my car was going to be up from PA to pick it up. Then I thought "Swedish".

My dad had owned a couple of Volvos when I was growing up, and he always had good luck with them. So, the search was on. I decided to focus on any 850 T5-R that I could find. No luck with anything local to me. I got online again and started to do some research, then jumped on Craigslist. Up popped a '98 S70 T5. The only one anywhere close to me. It was listed at a small, low volume, independent Volvo dealer who only showed cars by appointment. I got on the horn and went out to take a look. I drove it, checked a few things over with the help form a couple of you on this site and decided it was a good enough buy.

That brings me to now. I miss my STi dearly, and probably always will, but it was time. I probably get way more attached to cars than I should. I am an enthusiast after all. I can appreciate just about anything. I am learning to appreciate the S70. It's a super comfy car, and it's decently quick. It also makes a neat noise. The exhaust note kind of reminds me of the "blub blub blub" that the STi made, just not as pronounced and smoother sounding.

The S70


That's the only picture I have of it right now. I'll be taking more as time goes on, I'm sure, and they'll be better. I am very nicely surprised at how good of condition this car is in. Someone must have done their very best at keeping up with it. It's been undercoated at some point. There aren't very may dings or dents and what's there isn't anything to be concerned about with a 17 year old car. It could use some paint correction, though. I need to replace a door speaker and both front door clearance lights and the interior could use a good scrub. It's just dingy though and I do detailing on the side. I've replaced the rear pads and rotors, replaced both CV shafts as well as the axle seals, ordered an A/C accumulator, and a heater core, thrown a set of tires on it, and am in the process of ordering up a timing belt kit. I have diagnosed a power steering leak as needing a rack & pinion, sadly, but the part isn't all that expensive. I'll be in touch with the guy I bought the car from to see if he would be willing to help me with either the cost of the part or paying the labor to install it. I am super happy with the car though and am looking forward to throwing some nice, well thought out mods at it when I have the money and time to do so.

Thanks for letting me get this out in type. I welcome any questions or comments, as I enjoy talking cars. Cheers!

 

I called the gentleman I bought the S70 from and presented my case. He said that my request sounded reasonable, and that he would have no problem splitting the cost of the rack & pinion replacement with me. Score!

I'm off to get some Phillips Crystal Clear Vision headlight bulbs as well as a fog lamp bulb, because damn....these headlights suck. One is dim anyway and "they" say that you should always replace headlight bulbs in pairs. I also turned the DRLs off. I hate DRLs. I'll turn my lights on when I like, thank you. I'll probably also get back on IPDs website and order up a couple of front door clearance lights, as they are both broken and a complete set of lower bumper cover grills. The outer ones are held on by zip ties, lol and the center one is just barely hanging on to it's original mountings.

Oh, I would like to know if any of you have a source for OE speakers. From what I can tell, they are all working except for the driver's door speaker. I'd really like to only remove one door panel carefully and maybe break one or two fasteners/clips.

 

Hey man, I think your family will enjoy the S70, how many miles does it have.

At any rate, I had a neighbor that had a Marauder and constantly told me stories about kicking a*& and outrunning the police. One day I was coasting down I-40 and low and behold he entered the highway as I was passing the exit. I had to slow to about 40 mph with me and signaled for him to hit it. I waited until he was about 1/2 car length ahead and punched it (I was in a yellow T-5R sedan). as we passed about 75 I started pulling ahead aggressively. So, we slowed down and gave it another shot just to repeat the situation. He hid from me for about a month, not wanting to face the music or see the look on my face. lol My car was stock, not sure about his.

I have access to a ton of speakers at our local junk yard. PM me if you'd like some help. These door panels usually fall apart when they are pulled so be prepared to glue the panel back together prior to installation.

 

Thanks. I'm at 94,4xx miles or so right now. So far my son is pretty excited about the car and the wife doesn't seem to mind it much either. I don't think she wants to admit that my 17 year old Volvo is more comfortable than the '11 Traverse she just bought. If she did admit it, it would just serve to prove my point lol. I've been bitching about it non-stop since she bought the damn thing. It's a turd. I like mine so much more.

That's funny. I knew the Marauder wasn't all out fast. They can be made to be quite quick, but when do you say enough is enough? They post a sub 7 second 0-60 time on the way to 14 second 1/4 mile. It's barely mid pack by today's standards. I just thought they were cool, and durable as hell. Plus burnouts for days. 'Murica.

Anyway, on the drive home from dinner the other night, the wife and I were on a local expressway (531). Came across this dudebro in an older (I think '02) FWD supercharged Impala SS with a huge *** Monster Energy drink sticker on the back window. I think he was all jacked up on said energy drink, because he kept creeping up on my back bumper, then backing off. He could have just went around. We were on a four lane divided expressway with a huge grass median, after all.

He then blasted up beside me in the left lane all erratic like and stayed with me. I couldn't see in the car because the windows were quite dark, so I couldn't really tell what he was up to. I had a feeling though, so I told the wife what to expect. She shook her head in disbelief at the whole thing, but hung on anyway and I booted it. That flatbrimmer didn't have a clue. He thought he was gonna get himself an easy kill. I put what I would guess was a bumper length on him. Now, normally I don't engage in late night street races in Mexico, nor do I condone such behavior, but I was curious to my car's potential. Besides, he offered up the opportunity. I shut it down at around 85 or so. I was probably as surprised as he was. The wife even made a comment to it feeling kind of the same as the '07 supercharged Cobalt SS I had, which was not stock. I'm pretty impressed with this car. I can't wait to get the maintenance out of the way so I can dig in to some mods.

This thing is going to be one hell of a sleeper. As far as the help goes, I appreciate it. I will take you up on the offer when I get some more time to send you a PM. Thanks for yet another wonderful instructional video. I've watched a few of his other ones. Breaking clips is kind of what I expected, but part & parcel to dealing with brittle, old plastic.

 

I ran into one of those Colbolts one night, it was a sad day for the yellow. I thought my foot slipped off the gas on to the brake. That thing smoked me.

 

No kidding?

Story time; back when I had my SS (and we didn't have a child) we took it on vacation. We stopped first in KY to see my dad and stepmom, then headed over to VA to see my mom and sister. On the way back to NY while on the 81, the wife happened to be asleep all reclined out and we were just tooling along. I noticed a very light yellow spec in my rear view, but couldn't quite make out what it was as it had a black hood. When it got closer, I realized that it was a Volvo. Then after he got up along side of me, I realized it was an 850 T5 R. He wanted to play.

I followed him through some heavy traffic for a bit, then when it cleared, we slowed down, his friend started filming, and he honked three times and we were off.
Holy.
****.
He had quite a bit of work done to that car. He pulled at least a couple of car lengths on me each time we went at it. He did comment on just how loud my blower was, though. His friend said he had to roll the window up all the way because it was ear piercing. He had just come from a meet in Carlisle and told me that he was somewhere around the 330whp mark. I was only at about 240whp at the time. We were both surprised at how well I kept up with him. Cool guy. Awesome car, and it made the long ride home a little easier to bear. The wife wasn't thrilled though lol.

 

Nice! My favorite thing to do is drop into the slow lane and blow by a 18 wheeler just after it pulls in the fast lane to block it for 5 minutes or so. When I drop, a few cars try to follow but usually don't make it as I slingshot past the truck. I know they are thinking "what just happened, how'd that old station wagon make it and leave me back here".

 

I think if he had the wagon and not a sedan, my ego would've been bruised just a bit more lol. I still have much respect for that car. It's hilarious when a wagon makes a mockery of other "fast" cars.

 

Nothing major to report. The rack & pinion showed up today and will be installed on Monday along with the A/C accumulator.

Got on IPDs website yesterday and ordered a LF marker lens (original is cracked), a RF fog lamp (bulb and socket are missing due to a broken tab), and two front door clearance lamps (both lenses are broken, but the lights still work). Got all that for just under $110 shipped. I don't think that was bad at all...the only issue is that the marker lens and fog lamp are on BO. The fog lamp is 60 days out and the marker lens is 14 days out.

I changed both my headlight bulbs out for some Phillips Crystal Clear Vision bulbs. I had what I thought was a dim bulb on it's way out and it turns out that in the past, a bulb must have blown out and smoked the inside of the lamp. I'll have to order up a RF headlight now. Back to IPD....

I figured while I had the hood open, I might as well check for maintenance items. Pulled the spark plug access cover off to see if there was any indication of a tune up being done in the past. The wires, cap, and rotor aren't original and it's got Champion plugs in it. Time for another tune up. Volvo actually recommends one every 30K. Silly. There was also evidence of a bunch of sloppy oil changes, so I cleaned all that mess up. PCV system is in good shape as well, so I'll put that off for now.

I pulled the timing cover off to inspect the timing belt next, as I had thought a timing belt service was next on my to-do list. To my surprise the belt is in good shape with no cracking and the water pump is not leaking. No need to do that at this time. I do need to get a battery hold down at some point, which means a trip to the dealer. It looks like it's able to slide right and left, but it fits into groves in the tray, so it can't bounce up and down. All looks to be in really good shape otherwise.

 

If you need any used parts from here (rust free), let me know. The battery hold down can be purchased from iPd as well. FCP is closer to you and shipping will be a lot shorter, maybe cheaper as well.

Volvo recommends plugs every 30,000 because they use the copper tip plugs. They run better in these T5's. The cap, rotor, and wires can be done every 100,000 (or 90,000).

Timing belt parts really can't be checked with the belt on. If you have no history of it being replaced, I'd schedule it ASAP. It is hard to see the cracks in the belt unless you are folding it in your hand. Water pump leaks are hard to see unless the car is running or it is so bad that it leaks while the car is parked. I guess you can see residue if you look from the bottom.

Good to read things are going well.

 

Cool. Thanks.

I got searching on the google and found a couple of sources for the battery hold down. One of which was FCP. I guess I'll throw a set of plugs at it for now then, as it's probably been 30K since it was last done. I like NGK Iridium plugs though. I've run them in the last two forced induction cars I've had. Subaru recommends them, and the EJ series engine can be quite picky.

Well, I guess I'll leave the timing belt service on my to-do list. I was turned off by the price of the kit w/water pump on RockAuto. I have an older engine serial number, so I have to get the more expensive kit. Oh well. I guess a little money spent now is better than eleventybilliondollarbucks spent later. I'll have to get this next round of repairs done before I can dig into the timing belt service, though.

 

These cars do NOT run well on upper end spark plugs. The like the old school coppers a lot better. Super Bosch or something like that. I always get the OEM Volvo plugs. I have never had issues and like the fuel economy I get.

 

Ok. If these things love copper plugs, I'll go get some copper plugs. They're easy enough to swap out, so I guess it really doesn't matter. Try swapping out plugs on something like my STi and tell me how much you hate it. I had it down to a science and the right combo of extensions and swivels. This thing will be cake and a welcome easy service.

The rack and pinion has been installed and the alignment done. What a PITA. Had to jack the engine, then drop the crossmember. Then it was time for someone with China man hands to get at the lines. After the new rack was in, the steering shaft gave me a hell of a fit trying to get it on the input shaft. Grrr...anyway, it's done now. It took a while to get all the air out of the system too. I thought I had bought a bad rack.

A/C accumulator has been replaced along with a couple of new o-rings...also found some evidence of a leak at the condenser fitting, so that got an o-ring too. Pulled a vacuum on the system for a half an hour and called it good. I didn't give it a full charge, but close. I didn't want to put a full charge in it and possibly pop something else.

 

Glad you got that rack done. I have not done mine yet.

 

Drove it to Letchworth State Park on Saturday and gave it a good workout in the process. It did well. No weird noises, no overheating, no transmission shift flares or any irregular behavior.

Stopped for a photo op. My kid is fascinated with windmills....



Started the car up this morning to let it warm up and got climate control lights flashing in my face for about twenty seconds. Yay. Code in the climate control. Wonderful. From what I have read on here, the codes can only be read by the dealer. Only the A/C (that I just had serviced) is affected. Everything else works. I don't think the cleaning of the ambient temp sensor and blower motor will work in this case. Any other ideas?

 

Not really. If the ac isn't working it may be low on freon or the clutch gap is off.

 

Well, it's not low. I just had it serviced. I suppose the clutch could be the issue, but I'm not sure and like I said, I just had it serviced. It WAS working, even with the refrigerant extremely low.


Lol. My dad is a hoarding old coot. He sent me this yesterday....



The man is a trip. He had set these aside from when he had his '94 940 turbo. He also still has a friend in the Volvo world who works at Rick Hendrick Volvo. The man also happens to be one of my godparents. I'm surprised I haven't heard from him....anyway. I thought it was a neat little surprise to brighten up the rather ****ty day I had yesterday.

 

Welp......thought I'd get a little more maintenance done on the car today...

Changed the spark plugs and cabin air filter, which is all I had time for. After finishing up, I started the car and let it idle for about ten minutes, then it started to run like ****. Check Engine light is on as well. I haven't been back out to the car to confirm my suspicion, but I'm pretty sure it's running like garbage due to the plugs I just put in. I'm going to wait for the car to cool down a bit, then put the old plugs back in. They were actually Volvo plugs and looked really good. . . proper color, timing marks, no deposits, and the gap was right around .030, which is where the owner's manual says it should be set.

I guess that's what I get for trying to be pro-active.



Edit: Disaster averted. Plugs were junk and as black as night after idling for ten minutes. Do not ever buy Autolite spark plugs. Ever.

Edit: Still a disaster. Still runs like absolute dog ****. All I did was change the ****ing plugs. Now I'm sorry I even did it. Lesson learned. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

Jumped the gun a bit with my initial reaction to the plugs being bad. Turns out the check engine light being on and swapping the plugs are not related. Scanned it and got a code PO102; MAF or VAF A circuit, low voltage. So, most likely a bad MAF, but I'm going to check for leaks and clean it first. . . .

 

Ok, ladies & gentlemen... please, please, please do your heater cores. I had one on deck for when it was time. Good thing I did, because this is what I found...



I don't know how this wasn't pissing all over the place. I had been smelling coolant in the car with the heat on since it got cold enough to need heat. You can see why.

Again, put a heater core in these cars if you have no history of it being done. It really isn't that hard to do. I took my time doing this and was extra careful with it to make sure I didn't break anything and/or get any coolant all over the interior and it took me an hour and a half. Plus I figured while I was in a heated garage with a lift, I might as well do a fuel filter.

I wish I could just figure out my performance problem now. I put the new MAF sensor in and it took care of the code, then I swapped the plugs out for good ones. I still have what feels almost like boost cut above 4k revs under high load, but could still be an ignition problem. I'm going to put new wires, cap, and rotor in to see if that takes care of the problem, but I'm not confident that it will. Any input that someone might have on this would be welcome.