Hi,

My first post.

Have searched forums. Not finding answers I'm looking for. So!hoping someone here can help me please.

I just purchased a 2001 v70 on June 12th. (it is my 6th volvo, first financed and newest to date. my 5th was a 93 240 wagon. love that car!)

Within 24 hours of buying the car from a used dealership the CEL came on. Was driving great. Had the code read that day-P0420 bank 1- at the auto parts store. The next day took it to my local mechanic whom I trust and has worked on my Volvos for years. Honest guy. Did a revive where he revved the engine to 2500 rpms to try to burn off any buildup that may have been in the cat. He reset code.

Car drove fine for the next 5 days but then same code came back on. Over this past weekend car began to hesitate and drop rpms while driving. It will not accelerate for a couple of seconds when I push the gas pedal at slow or fast speeds. It started to slow idle and stall out when coming to a stop or idling. I can drive it fine for 5 minutes, perfect in fact, then all of the sudden losing power, stalling, and or hesitating.

Brought it back to my mechanic yesterday. Today got the call it needs a new cat. We discussed all he did to diagnose. He checked for any intake/exhaust leaks with smoke. Didn't see any. He checked the MAF. No problem. He ran the scanner on both front and back O2 sensors. He explained the back sensor is reading the same as the front, instead of holding steady which means its a bad cat. I also asked about compression and he claims I would consistently have driveability issues instead of randomly.

Additionally, I reread the CarFax I pulled on the car before I bought it and 2 weeks before the previous owner traded it in to the dealer the throttle body was replaced.

1. Does all of this sound legit? Bad Cat? From rear O2 sensor jumping around?

2. Did the cat just go bad? Or is there something that he may not have checked that is causing it?

3. Could the throttle body that was replaced 2 months ago have something to do with bad cat?

4. Does a bad cat cause intermittent, random hesitation and stalling?

I called the Volvo dealership where the throttle was replaced and the service rep told me totally different info than my mechanic told me. Which has brought me to this post and absolute utter confusion and desperation for answers.

I have loved all of my Volvos but worry I got scammed. Or is it all just timing.

Thank you so much for any help and insight.

Michaela

 

why would you get rid of the '93 240 wagon, the last MY for the 240? and for a first model year'01 P2

that is a workhorse that just keeps going, it won't die

 

2001s have a high ETM failure rate.

When an ETM is replaced, it needs software download by the dealer or the car will run crappy. I bet the used car dealer replaced the ETM with a used one

Before you spend money on an expensive cat, return the car for something else or pay the volvo dealer for the correct diagnosis with the VIDA/Dice machine.

 

Thanks for your response jda2000.

Ironically, the reason I purchased the 01 v70 while owning the 93 240 is because I am moving from Florida to California and I thought it wise to have something newer that would pass CA state emissions. And I agree, my 240 is a beast.

The ETM, which according to a Volvo service tech I spoke to on the phone, is a part of the throttle body and in April was replaced, along with computer reprogramming, at a Volvo dealership.

So to update, today I took the vehicle to a Mercedes/BMW specialist who also works on Volvos for a second opinion on the bad cat diagnosis from yesterday. The 2nd mechanic discovered that the vehicle is running rich. According to him, the fuel is at 60psi and should be at 55psi. As he explained it, the car is pumping too much fuel which would cause both of my O2 sensors to act wonky, and the cat to be unable to burn off excess fuel.

His suggestion today is to check the fuel regulator sensor. He suggested it may be bad/not functioning properly.

1.What would be the symptoms of a bad fuel regulator sensor?

2. Why might it have gone bad? Could having had a bad throttle body damage the fuel regulator sensor?

3. If the fuel regulator sensor is bad could that cause a bad cat?

How exactly are the fuel regulator sensor, the throttle body, O2 sensors and the cat all conncected?

I do appreciate any information as I am trying to understand what is happening and what I'm being told. Thanks

 

How many miles are on it? Would it qualify to be repaired under the 100,000 powertrain warranty? I have an 04 that needed a new cat and the powertrain warranty covered it.

 

No, the car is at 139+000 miles now and an 01 so is past a warranty on the cat.

Today the stalling out was way more of a problem. I have to drive it a under 30mph and pretty steady. As soon as I break to stop at a light or such it idles itself down to stalling out completely. Then will start up easily but stall out before I can even put it into drive. Then after a few minutes will stay running long enough to steadily slowly drive it another few miles to destination.

Starting finally and stalling out upon stops plus major non response, if not stalling out, when I actually am pressing the gas? Is this the cat? Going or almost gone? Fuel pressure sensor? Fuel pump? So curious to know!

Thanks

 

My cat is bad (rattling) and I haven't had any drivability issues - I don't have CEL on though. If you car is pumping too much fuel, sounds like you have another issue (although this condition will probably cook your cat if you keep driving it like that).

 

Lemon Law?

Have you considered taking it to the dealership that did the work? Have them run a diagnostic.

 

if you are able, return the car and get credit to buy another car from the same people.

I feel this 01 V70 will be a headache and make you sour on volvos. The newer volvos require dealer visits for software download when you replace electronic parts in the car, which are 3x more expensive than the 240. Its nothing like the 240, a completely different beast.

 

I would just bite the bullet and take it to a dealership and have it fixed right.

 

Re: your questions:

1. what the Mercedes/BMW specialist said. Excessive fuel pressure causing engine to run rich and driveability issues.
2. Two part question; 2a: relatively new technology at the time and/or normal wear and tear. 2b: No.
3. If engine has been running too rich for long time then yes it could damage the cat. That being said doubt the cat is causing your driveability issues; fix the fuel pressure regulator first, or...

I also agree with jda; sorry to say, you should have researched this before you bought. You happened to pick a MY that was not one of volvo's best efforts. You could threaten to sue the dealer since the ck engine light came on w/in 24 hrs; they must have known about the issue.. Tell them to take the car back or else..

 

As this has unfolded I must laugh...to keep myself sane.

After I got the car back from the 2nd opinion, fuel was very low. Had a very hard time getting the car home. It kept stalling out at stops. Had to sit for a minute or 2 start it back up, etc.

On the way home filled the tank up to halfway. Yesterday, not a single problem. By early evening I wondered if it had something to do with the gas level so I filled the tank.

Can you believe the car is running perfectly? No check engine light. No hesitation. When I gun the gas it soars, just as I'd expect from a luxury vehicle.

Seriously?! Where does that lead me?

Truth is, I love the car already even though I've only had it for 2 weeks now and have dealt with these issues. Additionally, I have loved all of my other Volvos. Plus, if I get rid of this one I'm back on the street with limited funds buying another new-used car and running the risk of it having worse problems. Because I'm just gonna go out and buy another Volvo.

 

I don't want to sour your experience with volvos, but the model year you chose has poor reliability and will cost you $$$ down the road.

The '01 P2 automatic cars have a high tranny failure rate, high ETM failure rate, high brake booster failure rate, high DIM (instrument cluster) failure rates.

All of these failures are expensive and require dealer visits for the downloads (except the booster), so buying used parts from the wreckyard won't work.

Let this one go and do get another volvo (I'm myself a volvo lover), preferably '03 or newer.

Good luck.