New to the forum. I'm in a bit of a pickle and would like some advice.

I purchased a pretty beat up 2008 XC90 3.2 AWD for a dirt cheap (more on why that matters later). 145K on the clock.

~$800 in diagnoses, a fuel pressure sensor and a new battery revealed the following:

1) Complete brake job (rotors, pads, shoes...$1700) pads are apparently 1-2mm all around
2) Both front control arms ($1700)
3) 150K service (belts, tensioners, water pump and alternator coupler...$2700)
4) 2-3 oil leaks (~$500)
4) Oil change, other fluid flushes etc....
5) Then the big one....a "rattle" in the engine (they apparently won't do teardowns to find out what is actually causing an "internal fault," so they're quoting 17K for a new engine, p&l)...talk about throwing out the baby with the bath water...🙃

So a couple of interesting things...

1) When I asked if the car is "shot" they said, if you do the brakes, then it just becomes a matter of if/when the engine blows due to whatever is rattling, but it would definitely be "drive-able" until such time

2) I've reviewed a few rattling noises on these engines (on this forum) and it appears to be the very same pulleys/water pump that they're preparing to replace anyway.

but that's the catch...I wouldn't know unless I drop another 2-3K in repairs [img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]

3) Given the used market right now, I can rationalize spending a bit on this as I would imagine these can run north of 230K miles (which should, as my secondary car, get me about 6-8 years...hence why I mentioned not having paid much for it).

I'm thinking even if I bought one from a dealership, I'll still probably have a few $K in repairs (after spending probably 3-800 getting a mechanic to do PPIs finding the once I want).

My "wrench skills" are probably at their peak with a brake change (not to mention, I'm not sure I want to get an electronic torque wrench as this would be the only time I'd use it in probably the next 5 years).

So that's my sob story. Again any advice is appreciated (mainly, how you might go about determining the best course of action, and what seems dire, vs optional)?

P.S....oh and indy's are saying they'll come in slightly cheaper...yay for me...I guess?

Thanks!

 

OK - why don't you put some brake pads in (if they are really 2mm) and drive the car.

Then you can figure out if the "rattle" is why the car was for sale. If he rattle is related to the READ assembly - you might want to pass your troubles onto the next sucker/ sorry, owner. And why do you need an electronic torque wrench? I only talk this way because you choose an inexpensive car - and I trust you did not plan any large expenses with.

Are you adding coolant? Does the water pump leak? If not wait and watch. Sure I've spent $3000 of customers money replacing all the stuff near the water pump that was bad or marginal - but only when it was bad.(usually that was before 150k, but that's the type of cars I worked on)

 

Okay, I can tell you know your stuff because it's a READ assembly that apparently is generating a "internal fault."

That's apparently why they want to do a new engine, because they'll "need to do a tear down" to isolate the issue.

So does that mean it's not worth any additional money being put in?

btw...The torque wrench would be to reattach the calipers (I'm going off of online tutorials).

 

Nobody (well maybe somebody) uses a torque wrench for the caliper bolts. In the shop everyone uses an air wrench/cordless wrench on any bolt/nut they can get to. With a few exceptions - special wheels/cars a hand torque wrench is used to avoid damage/scratches, common wheels bolts/lug nuts have a torque limiting socket used on them, with an air wrench. A torque wrench is definitely used on internal engine components, head bolts, stuff like that.

 

Got it! Okay, so regarding the READ (which I'm assuming is the Rear Engine Accessory Drive), I've seen some videos on it, but it looks like it's a pain for even the dealers to do (but they seem to be the ones with the special tools).

Since the water pump was recommended for replacement, as well as the "decoupler" for the alternator, I figure the READ would make sense to "recondition" (I guess they don't make it as a part you can just buy?), as it directly attached to those.

It appears, however, that the decoupler is more of a "recommended" repair (10 yrs or 150k miles, according to the report) than an actual "failure."

Any thoughts on what I can ask the shop to help determine severity here?

If I could hold off on the alternator and pump then I most certainly would. But on the other hand, if they've done the work to open up the area, then maybe I save labor by having everything replaced?

 

You just bought the car. You don't (I'm guessing) want to spend a whole bunch on money on repairs. Put some brake pads in it (if needed) and drive it. If the alternator decoupler (a one way clutch) seizes it will pull it's drive gear loose. Battery goes dead, remove manifold, alternator, replace pulley, reinstall or replace drive gear, not a big deal - a few hours time (with a special tool to remove and reinstall the pulley) On the other side if the water pump leaks you will end up replacing the serpentine belt, all pulleys and anything else that moves on that side - the compressor comes off to get to that stuff. Sure that can be $3000 on that side. Wait for there to be a problem before spending that money. If the READ assembly has a problem that is many, many hours of time and special tools needed. There is a company that "rebuilds" those - it's quite an involved process and one I would never try. That same engine is used in a landrover for a few years and those guys fix everything! There are posts with photos here or on swedespeed showing that cam drive system dismantled..

 

Sage wisdom...

So they said there's a crack in the auxiliary belt, which is why they recommend pulley, idler and water pump.

As, I don't necessarily want to end up on the side of the road, would it make sense to replace the belt (assuming the crack is a legitimate issue) and leave all else, or would you recommend doing all of the above since they'd be in the space anyway?

 

Get a second opinion on the belt and have them show you the “crack”

 

How right you were! Preventative maintenance, no failure on the belt. The water pump was "since we're in there, might as well."

So apparently it really is the READ. That's where the decoupler for the alternator comes in. Apparently the READ "dancing around in there" may have put stress on it so they recommend changing it. Car started up fine, and brakes felt firm enough. Should've put it in all the gears, but it felt decent just with the engine running for a few minutes.

Video below, thoughts...

 

Shown below is an "alternator decoupler" and the alternator coupling. Coupling goes between the alternator one way clutch and the gear you see on the READ assembly. The alternator one way clutch is not going to get damaged by the READ "dancing around in there".
When the one way clutch/decoupler/OAP/overrun clutch goes bad - they usually seize. Then when the engine slow down quickly, the mass of the alternator spinning pulls the drive gear loose (on the READ side) and the alternator stops being driven, it no longer spins and the battery goes dead while driving.

This stuff does not break very often and you will find very few that have experience with it. You might want to learn as much as you can - before buying stuff you don't need, or trusting your engine to someone who does not have the skills or the tools to repair your car. For READ info - check this guys website https://www.volvoread.com/the-volvo-read-page/

 

That all makes perfect sense. When I saw it in person it was very clear to me that nothing had been removed, so I'm not sure how he came to these conclusions.

Indy has it now and I should have an update by Monday. Said he's run into, and fixed this once before, but think's it's probably just one of the serpentine pulley's having gone bad. Will keep you posted, and again thank you for your very detailed explanations. Starting to realize this car isn't quite as complicated to wrench as I thought it would be.