Can anyone recommendations an engine management technician?

[andy625]

I have a 2003 S60 2.0T which has an engine management problem. The light came on a month or so ago, rough running, particularly from cold, codes read by a garage with a generic code reader, and also an independent specialist Volvo garage with the Volvo software. Both point to an air leak/ weak mixture on the intake side. Both garages have checked the car out, and cannot identify the problem. We've eliminated plugs/coil packs, its had a new Bosch MAF, and the throttle body has been cleaned. No engine management codes relate to anything else on the engine.

I've been recommended to find a company that can monitor the engine management system whilst the car is being driven, and the faults are occurring (ie first thing in the morning, starting from cold). Can anyone recommend a company, ideally in the South of England/Southampton, Hampshire area?

Edited by andy625 on Wednesday 24th September 13:15

[martinrpeachey]

Can you post the codes that were pulled from the car? They can be misleading if you don't know these cars and their foibles well. (that counts for the Volvo tech guys too)

[andy625]

I didn't write them down when he told me initially, however I should be able to find out tomorrow as the car is still at the garage. I'll post them as soon as I've found out.

[morgrp]

I'm assuming the garage has checked all the turbo pipework?

[morgrp]

Additionally have you cleaned out the injectors?

[andy625]

Unfortunately, I haven't managed to find out the codes from the garage. However yes, they did check out all the turbo pipework, the intercooler, as well as all the vacuum pipes on the inlet side. Everything looked ok.

I asked them to clean out the throttle body, as apparently these cars are prone to that being a problem. When they got it out they said that it was a bit dirty - not too bad, but there was a small amount of oil in there. Apparently this is not uncommon with the turbo cars. They cleaned it all up anyway, and I heard yesterday that after putting it all back together, the car seems to be running ok again - even though none of the codes pointed towards the throttle body.

If that hadn't have worked, they advised me that the next step would've been to look at the fuel side - injectors and pressure. That was why I was asking about recommendations for a diagnostic company. When the engine management light initially came on, I wrongly assumed that it would tell us exactly what the problem was. As the codes were just saying that there was an air leak/weak mixture on the inlet side it was a bit ambiguous.

[morgrp]

As Martin has already said, don't read too much into the codes

[martinrpeachey]

I have a set of injectors that I know work, although old, if you want to rule the injectors out.

Air leak codes tend not to point to injectors or fueling tho, I'm still interested in the maf, it's age and condition. Oil in the pipes is ok, it means the PCV is healthy (usually). It'll also be worth changing a few things like the BPS (boost pressure sensor) located on the pipe between the intercooler and the throttle and the tcv (turbo control valve/boost control solenoid - same thing) - even if they don't fix the problem (they might) it's worth doing them on a car that age.

[andy625]

Thanks for offering your spare injectors, however the car is still running ok at the moment. If it deteriorates again I may take you up on the offer. Replacing the BPS & TCV also seems like a good idea.

I had the MAF sensor changed when the problem first started, as that was what the codes pointed to. Turns out that it was nothing to do with that, and that was £350 we needn't have spent. I did get the old one back from the garage, so at least I have a spare one of those anyway.

[martinrpeachey]

andy625 said:

Thanks for offering your spare injectors, however the car is still running ok at the moment. If it deteriorates again I may take you up on the offer. Replacing the BPS & TCV also seems like a good idea.

I had the MAF sensor changed when the problem first started, as that was what the codes pointed to. Turns out that it was nothing to do with that, and that was £350 we needn't have spent. I did get the old one back from the garage, so at least I have a spare one of those anyway.

Ouch!
You should try some of the Volvo specific forums. There's a few about and you can find all the help you need and cheap parts too.

Also, I live in Poole (bournemouth end) so if you fancied a drive to the seaside, I be happy to give the car a once-over while you're here.

Edited by martinrpeachey on Monday 6th October 13:45

[andy625]

Unfortunately I didn't know that it was just the MAF when I left it with them. If I'd have realised, I'd have done it myself.

Thanks for the offer to check the car over. Touch wood, it seems ok after the throttle body clean, but if it starts acting up again, I'll let you know. Do you run a business in Poole, or just an enthusiast?

[martinrpeachey]

andy625 said:

Unfortunately I didn't know that it was just the MAF when I left it with them. If I'd have realised, I'd have done it myself.

Thanks for the offer to check the car over. Touch wood, it seems ok after the throttle body clean, but if it starts acting up again, I'll let you know. Do you run a business in Poole, or just an enthusiast?

I'm what you might call a hands-on enthusiast. I've spent the last 4-5 years bringing a battered old ex-police V70 back from the brink and then beyond. I now find myself maintaining, repairing and modifying other people's Volvos for them too which is fun .

Here's a few snippets from my shenanigans...

2003 V70 T5 SE from Leicestershire traffic. Bought from the force by the father in law at 124k miles and handed to me at 173k miles.

Replaced DIM (new from Volvo - ouch!)
replaced PCV
Lowered on Apex springs
New shocks all round
XC90 336mm front brakes
Braded stainless brake hoses all round
Dot 5.1 fluid
V70R exhaust
Powerflexed pretty much everything at the front
Custom 3" intake
Painted block/head etc in black and white
New oil dipstick
IPD TCV
Oil catch can
Refurbished blue injectors (came from plod with knackered orange injectors!?!)
Replaced coil packs
Replaced vac pipes with black silicone
Timing belt
Meyle HD drop links
Clutch/slave/DMF (ouch!)
Fitted beige leather
New headlining
New Beige leather steering wheel
Full LED interior lighting conversion
Carbon wrapped interior trims
White vinyl wrapped the roof (badly filled holes from light bar and antennas causing water ingress)
Refurbished wheels in sparkly black
Avon ZV5 225/45 17 all round
Filled dents and scratches around the body
Fitted front splitter
Converted all front lights to 4300k HIDs
P1 rear spoiler, painted and textured to match black trims
Black eyebrows
Remapped at HLM with Autotech map, last dyno'd at 278.7bhp
3" downpipe and sports cat.
Ultra Racing Strut Brace

There's probably more lol but here's some pics...

[martinrpeachey]

Current mileage is 213500

[andy625]

Wow! Nice project! I suppose doing something like that from start to finish, would teach you a few things about the cars!

The car looks great, what made you pick a Volvo, or are you a longtime fan??

[martinrpeachey]

andy625 said:

Wow! Nice project! I suppose doing something like that from start to finish, would teach you a few things about the cars!

The car looks great, what made you pick a Volvo, or are you a longtime fan??

Thanks

The father in law owned it for a few years and when it came to sell it, the £280 tax, group 16E insurance, 23mpg, size, galactic mileage, and it's general condition meant that nobody wanted to buy it. We were in a financial pickle at the time so they gave it to me and the wife to get us by. I started by just doing the basics to keep it running and then the DIM (speedo) failed, costing £735 to fix it. We were then in a position where it owed us too much to scrap it and I set about making it a better car. This quickly became a hobby, which then grew to something close to an obsession although it's only recently it's at a point where I don't need to do much with it any more. I've some bodywork to sort and general maintenance.

So, in short, I didn't pick a Volvo - it picked me

[confused_buyer]

IIRC the Volvo code for an air leak is ECM-130A. A dirty or bad throttle body will generate the same code so, in the case of no obvious air leaks, the official Volvo first thing to do is to clean the throttle body.

Bascially it means the air flow going in is not what the engine management thiks it should be so an air leak or incorrectly operating throttle will have the same effect.

[andy625]

Thank, that makes a lot of sense now. It definitely seems to have sorted mine out. Done about 800 miles since and still going fine.