Hi folks! Just got my third P1 Volvo and this one has a few moans and ****les. It's headed to the shop today for a full diagnostic but I figured I'd get re-acquainted with the great community here. I am posting across multiple forums, so apologies in advance for any redundancy.

Pretty clean 2005 V50 AWD T5 with the 6-speed, 185K on the clock, California owned for like the last 15 years. Turbo manual AWD wagon. Yes, yes, yes, yes. All of the things.

Pros:

--Body is almost perfect, interior is quite nice, no visible rust underneath

--Pulls nice

--Timing belt, water pump, "head gasket" done at 155,000

--Bought it for cheap (in CA that is)

--Tires are less than 2 years old and very comfortable.

--Brakes, clutch, lights, AC, heat, sound system, power adjustments etc all seem to be working.



Cons (here we gooooooo):

--Leaking coolant all over the dang place. Nice puddle every time I park.

--Noticing what looks like oil seepage on the timing belt cover, maybe a leak form the cam seals?

--Rough start, kind of stumbles

--All four corners of the suspension are shottttttt

--Smart money says the motor mounts are shot too

--HVAC isn't blending properly, the zone controls aren't exactly "zone" and the driver's side blower is super weak

--Both power outlets are not working

--Some idiot pulled out the headliner and the sunroof plastic slider liner, so it looks bad and rattles annoyingly



This is meant to be a daily driver, with lots of daily highway miles. It doesn't need to be the most perfect or beautiful condition RIGHT NOW, it just needs to get me to work 3-4 days per week, starting in 2-3 weeks. I have a few weeks to get it right.



If I could get some feedback on the following as I gear up to bring it in for a Dx, I would be grateful. Thinking "good enough to safely drive" right now and "make it nice" as I am working on it over the next weeks/months:



1. The leaking coolant can be seen dripping steadily onto the ground after regular and spirited driving. Sometimes it looks like it's coming from the driver's side, sometimes it looks like it's coming from the passenger side, all around. I haven't been able to find the exact location. There's no white smoke, the oil at the dipstick looks clear, and p.o. admits he just changed the reservoir. Thinking he popped a connection?

2. While still hot, the coolant reservoir shows a level under MIN. If you unscrew the reservoir cap with the engine still hot/warm, there is a great WHOOSH and GURGLE and backflush of fluid, and it replenishes a bunch of fluid back into the reservoir. So it appears that the SYSTEM IS HOLDING PRESSURE at the reservoir at least.

3. Having had this exact engine twice before, I've never noticed such oil seepage on the timing belt cover, and what looks like seepage or leaking down that side of the engine. Is this a dead giveaway for cam seals? Are cam seals a very hard job? Should I just bite the bullet and do belt, water pump, and cam seals all at once? Can the car "live with" weeping seals for a month, or is this a must-have fix before it's a daily driver?

4. Engine kind of stumbles at start-up, but settles in once it's turned over. Feels very similar to what I experienced on my S40, and that was remedied with a genuine Volvo replacement Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor. Sound about right?

5. What's the deal with the power ports? Every P1 I've owned has been troublesome with these and I've never gotten the same answer twice when I ask.

6. This is my first AWD on this platform. What are the cliffnotes on maintaining the system, what to look out for, etc.



So obviously, I've got my work cut out for me, but I would really love to have this car for the next 5+ years and tens of thousands of miles, I've driven it a few hundred miles and I love it already. I'll have some disposable income to put towards it and don't mind doing so if what comes out on the other side is a kicka$$ wagon that can last me to 250,000 miles and I can be the cool old Volvo nerd we all aspire to be.



Any insight you can offer is greatly appreciated 🍻 Cheers!

 

Hi. Regarding your Cam Shaft Seals..(Quote: your num3" Are cam seals a very hard job?). No this is an easy process, first remove the Coils and Earth Wires including the Rear earth strap, then move top wires over to the Right you will have to undo the Coil Harness from the Right side of the head to roll the coil wires over the the to the right. Remove the Cam Cover, by Removing the 40 Screws in a crisscross fashion. so the Cover releases the pressure of the Valves evenly and Using a short Crow Bar at the Lifting / Prying Location between the Head and Cover you can then Lift the Cams out. The Seals will come out with the Cams. Place the Cams uptight in a Vice so you can stop the Lobes rotating in the Vice and undo the 3 Bolts for the Exhaust Cam. Pull off the Exhaust Seal and renew. Do the Same for the Intake Camshaft to undo the Torx screw from the Intake Camshaft lift the Cog of and renew the Seal. And Job done Then Replace ever thing in the order you undid it all. I have just finished doing this same job on our 2007 B5244S4 V50. Hope this helps