hi i was told earlier that the 98 v70's have alot more mechanical parts on them then the 99 v70's have. i heard that the 99's are very unreiable and most things on them are electronic
i want to know if this is true because i am considering buying a 1999 v70 t5m

 

Do some research; '99 was first MY for the ETM (electronic throttle module) which had problems. There are aftermkt replacements for it though..

'98 MY was best for S/V70 platform IMO.

 

ok but can you put a 98 etm into a 99?

 

Hello, No mpower916, you can't. The throttle of a '98 is mechanically driven by your foot via a cable. Come 1999 it's an electrically driven throttle. Your foot's position as well as the position of the throttle body and lots of other sdata is sent to the engine's computer. There would be no way to utilize a mechanical throttle in a car designed around a more modern electronics package. All that being said, don't be spooked by the limitations (failure rate) of the first generation ETMs (Electronic Throttle Module). As gdog said, there's an aftermarket rebuild service called XeMODeX which removes the original fragile mylar strip and replaces it with something better. Keep on car shopping. Just don't be scared off by a 1999 or 2000 Volvo. We can always say something like "The new ones have too many computers", and we'd be right. Almost all cars do. Remember that a 1998, or older V70 is 13 years old, or older, now. There'll be tons of other things to replace on a car that old besides the possibility of a $600 DIY ETM swap. Everyone loves the 1998s. A '99 or 2000 in very good shape could easily be a much better deal however. Since you're likely to buy a V70 with an automatic transmission you'd be smart to avoid any 2001 or 2002 V70 as there are many with bad transmissions. That would be a far more serious problem than an ETM going bad on a '99 or 2000. In the same vein, avoid AWD unless you absolutely need it (you probably don't). The early AWD systems required exactly matched tires or the stupid system (which was rushed to market) would burn out it's bevel gear (aka transfer case). There's more to know about them. Also, if you're not completely into it or if you are on a budget then avoid buying an old turbo charged car from any manufacturer. Just thinking of your pocketbook friend. Kira

 

ok thanks guys