We just replaced the fuel pressure sensor on our 2005 V70 (120k miles) after several months of check engine lights coming off and on but with no noticeable performance problems. Finally, when the car suddenly could not make it out of our driveway without stalling (and had to be towed), our mechanic identified the fuel pressure sensor as the culprit. No recall has been issued for our car so we were out $900 (we do not live near a Volvo dealership but our mechanic was the former head mechanic at the now-closed local dealership).

We thought all was well after a week of driving but over the weekend we had two very rough starts (after which the car runs fine!) and now the check engine light is on yet again. We love this car and up to this point have had no major problems (always have been religious about sticking to the Volvo maintenance schedule) but are at whit's (and wallet's) end. Any thoughts as to what might be going on here; perhaps something our mechanic has missed?

 

Sorry but not near enough info there to allow me/us to provide much help. A starting point would be to get CEL (check engine light) codes being set and post them.

The fuel pressure monitoring/regulating mechanisms got way more complicated (and fault prone IMO) starting in 1999 MY.

 

Our 2004 V70 started stalling as well. Shut off at highway speed. Fault code indicated Fuel Pressure Sensor. RECALL - Volvo recalled 38,700 units of 2003 and 2004. The recall was #181. Obviously they should have recalled more. (Any torte attorneys out there looking for a class action lawsuit?)

Unfortunately our VIN was out of the parameters. The dealer wanted $350 to replace it. The tire place I was at also wanted about that amount. The unit itself cost $75 to $200 depending on who manufactures it. The original was Bosch Part # 2612301109 for non-turbo. (The turbo part # is 0261230110. This is the number on the part itself. Volvo #s are 30756098 (non-turbo) and 30756097 for turbo (I think). There are also Land Rover #s that may work. I wanted to be sure to get the correct part, so I splurged for the Bosch part identical to the one I replaced and purchased it locally. With tax it was one 7 T.

There are several Fuel Pressure Sensors that look identical, but that have different part numbers. I don't know if the work correctly or not given that it's a circuit board. The grey Bosch ones were for Turbos and the black ones were on non-turbos.

It was not any trouble to put on. There's a Schrader valve on the end of the fuel rail front and center on the V70. I let the pressure out of the fuel rail (with a cold engine!!), loosened the hose clamps on the air snorkel hose to move it so I could get a driver on the Torx screw. Popped it off and slipped the new one in. Took all of 10 minutes. Let the fuel pump run for 20-30 seconds to recharge the fuel rail, and it started right up.

Only 20 miles so far, but no trouble yet.

 

Thanks; great info! Please keep us posted with any new developments...

 

Sorry I don't have the codes--the mechanic didn't share and I didn't think to ask. The car in currently in the shop and they cannot seem to identify the source of the misfires and rough starts. Naturally, the car didn't do it for the mechanic during the test drive. Today they said they are looking for vacuum leaks. They claimed the fuel pressure sensor was the solution but unless the sensor is bad, the solution has yet to be found.

 

My 2005 v70 2.5t is back in the shop--had to be towed again because although it would turn over, it would immediately stall. It had misfired slightly while driving and the RPMs dropped to close to 500 at stoplights. After we parked the car for about 30 minutes, we came back out and could get it run long enough to get it out of the parking space. The mechanic said he was getting a crankshaft sensor fault reading and was going to replace said sensor. At this point, we are replacing sensors about every two weeks! I am beginning to think this could be a software problem based on what I have read on the 2004 forums on this same model. Some owners of 2004 v70s have reported similar problems and the solution has been to basically wipe the software off and reinstall. I will keep my fingers crossed that we don't have another tow truck in our future.

 

Sometimes the diagnosis of a problem is not as clear-cut as we would all like it to be. It's possible the issue was an intermittent crankshaft sensor fault all along, but I am not going to 2nd guess your tech, especially with incomplete 2nd hand info. Maybe a hunch pointed him to the fuel pressure sensor initially; maybe it was more concrete diagnostic info; I have no way of knowing for sure.

At the end of the day the best thing you can do to protect yourself from being ripped off by unscrupulous or un-knowledgeable (or both) technicians is to have a grasp of how the systems on your car work (at least as much as possible) yourself. Then if he tries to sell you some BS story about how your car needs new muffler bearings or such, you'll be knowledgeable enough to recognize his story as a bunch of whoie and call him on it. That's about the time you figure your tech is incompetent and/or dishonest, and you look elsewhere for a good mechanic.