i have a few problems with my s80, sorry for this being my first post, i just gothome from the military and my wife just aboutkilled our volvo.

#1 the brake light fuse in the hood, keeps blowing #5 fuse. everytime you hit the brakes it will blow
#2 when i start the car sometimes, it wont go into gear and i need to turn off and try it agian, sometimes 3 times before it will get out of park.
#3 reallyrough idle jumps from 1/2 to 1 and sometimes past 1 on the rpm, seems like the car just wants to die, but it raises the rpm and keeps on.

anyone have or know what is the problem here and can give advice on how to fix.

thank you.

 

Welcome to the forum, and respect for serving the nation (Although I'm a Japanese, I consider the States as my homeland).

As to the problems, please note I'm an 850 driver and am not privy to the S80. I can only assume the following:

1. There may be a short-circuit of electrical wire/faulty switch.
2. On the 850, this problem is noted for faulty PNP switch. Not sure if it's the same for the S80.
3. Neglected tune-up, dirty throttle body, fouled plugs, fuel/ignition system problems, faulty EGR/PCV system, etc... Have a visit to a local AutoZone or other auto parts shop that provides free diagnostic service and request resulting codes & brief description of the problem that appears on their scanner and post it here.

>seems like the car just wants to die,
I don't blame the car, after nearly being killed by your wife.

Wait either other S80 members who have had similar problems reply, or a gentleman by the name of Moderator Tech; the top-dog of the forum replies.

I wish you the best of luck,


JPN

 

When you say it won't go into gear do you mean it won't come out of park?
If so then the brake light fuse blowing will affect that. The brake light switch is what moves the soleniod to allow the shifter to come out of park.

For the RPM is the check engine light on?
Your car might be having the normal ETM problems. When I say normal I mean every one pretty much has the problems. But the ETM throttle body's are under an extended warranty now 10 Years 200,000 miles. You may need to have the Dealer look at it and do the recall software.

 

tikdvolvo: Hello and thank you for serving our nation. I feel your pain. In the last couple of months, I have sank over $5K into my 99 S80 T6. My last issue was an intermittentrough idle which eventually led to an "emmission service required" message. Codes showed random multiple cylinder misfire, O2 sensor bank 1 no signal, and plugs 1-3 were seriously fuel-fouled. Long story short, found 4 cracked coils (1-4). They all cracked in the same spot: on the right corner on the back side (opposite from the plug socket) near the hole where you can see the brushes. I am learning this is a common problem, and you can spend $hundreds$ at the dealer before they diagnose it correctly. The cracks are pretty small-you may need a magnifying glass to see them.. Car has been fine since replacing the coils (so far)...

 

Hello all,
I'm new to this forum. I currently own a saab 93 conv. My wife ( who totes the kids around most of the time) has just killed our chevy SUV. I have to get a new car ASAP for her. My cousin is willing to give me his 1999 S80 T6 with 190k mi. He has admitted that he has had serious tranny issues. He had to replace it about 60k mi. ago. Today it has issues with the gears. He explains that it doesnt drive correctly untill it hits about 3rd meanning it might still have some tranny issues. he also believes that there might be an O2 sensor out as well. Considering that he is giving me this car, I feel like I shouldnt be so choosy. I am getting it for free. I estimate putting about $2500 into repairs to have it really road ready for her. Am I being realistic with this figure? I own a saab, so i am no stranger to more than average repair costs. This is my first encounter with a Volvo. I have read up on this model and read a lot of good things about it. It also has a nice bold look without being too overwhelming. A nice family car. Should I go through with it? Or would you say it sounds like the car is a money pit and would be a waste of time and my money.

 

The 1999 was the first year for the S80. Alot of them have problems.
But there is a few out there that are good. It is all up to you about buying it.
Alot of people say the 1999 S80 is the Bas**** child for 1999.
But there is a few out there are are pretty good.

Did he have the Dealer replace the tranny?
If not it may only need software to fix the tranny problem.

 

A vovlo dealer...I will look into it. I read about getting codes yourself from another area of this forum by recording the blinking light patterns on the box under the hood. I will eventually bring it to a dealer to have it hooked up to a computer, but i want to get some answers about this thing as soon as possible without kicking out any excess money. $80 just to plug it to a computer. If the car has too many issues, then I will just turn it down and let it go...

Thanks for the info.

SC

 

The way you describe is only on 1995 and older cars.

Auto zone can only read engine codes usually.

 

Auto zone is the way to go then. Thanx. Is there anything else that you think I should look for or check into before getting this car. What things can I figure out by test driving it and visually inspecting? What typical repairs should I expect for an S80 with 199K mi. Lastly, what repairs would you consider ONLY TO BE DONE BY DEALER vs. who ever gives me the best price?
Any input would be helpfull and greatly appreciated.

SC

 

Pretty much anything electrical needs to be done by the dealer.(Inside the car stuff)
This car has between 15 and 20 computers in it. All will need to be replaced by the Dealer if something happens. Software will need to be downloaded to make them work.
You would only have about 1k left on the Extended warranty for the ETM.

I would try to find someone to do a prepurchase inspection on it. Most of the time it costs like $60.00 or so.
But only have a shop that knows Volvo's look at it.

 

Thank you again. I have some research and footwork to do now.

 

well i'm back again, thanks to all those who posted replies. i hardly drive my Volvo, it has been sitting around sometimes for weeks on end and i finally got around this summer to doing a massive tune up to it. about 450 in parts.

new fuel filter
removed, cleaned throttle body and intake manifold and replaced gaskets
6 salvaged fuel injectors from 2006 Volvo 45,000 miles est.
6 new coils
6 new spark plugs
ran sea foam twice

that fixed the erratic idle,

brake light was grounded out and repaired at no cost,

now i have a problem with low oil pressure that is causing the car to idle at half an rpm continuously with a clicking noise in the engine after mild warm up, it will stay at normal idling rpm's until warm up.

i bought all the parts to replace the oil pans seal, dealer quoted $1000.00 to do the repair with parts.

i went ahead and bought all the parts, thinking i could do it myself... but now it seems like its a huge project... should i try and find another place to use my Volvo OEM parts and just pay to have the job done professionally? what should the normal labor for this repair be? i have called many Volvo dealer ships and the labor ranges from 4-8hrs. at 100-150 an hour.

thanks.

the parts i bought were, (oil dipstick broke and seemed to be melted, i was told it was recalled and updated now)

oil dipstick
oil disstick tube
o-ring kit part number: 30750783
liquid chemical oil pan seal
oil drain plug and o-ring

 

How handy are you?
Did you see my post about replacing them?
It really isn't that bad just more time consuming.
You can try to find an Indipendent shop and see how much they will do it for.

 

i have all the time in the world, i think i could get it done with a good guide or pictures. do you have a detailed guide? i mean i can justify $500 for this repair not $1000+

that's just ****ing outrageous and this would have been fixed along time ago, had it not been for every shop blaming it on the software throttle upgrade problem. that was a waste of about $400

 

Sorry no more info than in my post which I believe alot of people have already used.