Volvo S60 D5 (185hp) - Bangernomics or Bust
Discussion
Oh I am such a happy boy.
You're probably curious as to why I picked such a title.
Well, I picked up this;
...last night, and it's probably the best 500 euro I have ever spent. So why Bangernomics or Bust? Well it's quite simple - I suffer an illness of dumping money into cheap cars because I fall in love too easily
Will this Volvo enjoy a pampered life and be cherished for eternity, or will it show it's age with constant repairs and cause my bank manager to call me and ask "Uhhh, everything ok mate?"....Let's find out!
I was on the hunt for a V70 D5, preferably with the Euro 3 engine and MUST be a manual....so of course I saw this Euro 4 S60 automatic and just had to buy it!....But in all seriousness, Volvos have gone incredibly scarce over here so choice is limited, and when he told me the price, I thought "feck it" and that I'd go for the gamble. If it blows up after 6 months, so be it!
Of course, my mindset manifested itself into reality, and after driving 100+ miles home after collecting it and getting to the last half mile, this happens....
As I'm there at a friend's house showing him the new daily driver, car happily chugging away at idle, he says "Aye, seems like a good purchase!" and as he gives the roof a firm but caressing *tap*, we hear a loud *BOOM* as the fuel filter cover ricochets off into the moonlit sky, and his BRAND NEW driveway is prepared for the next 34 winters as litres of Diesel (aka liquid gold) slowly cascades across the fresh black tarmac....His face is an image I shall fondly remember for the rest of my days.
So this all happened yesterday evening...The Volvo was of course stranded, and after spending this morning gathering the neccesary parts and loading up my Pajero with all the associated tools and equipment and thus making the interior sound like 2 skeletons practicing an incredibly aggressive round of Karma Sutra, I proceeded to spend a couple of hours fighting with the bloody thing to get it swapped out. I must say, lying in a puddle of Diesel whilst getting rained on, underneath a 15 year old swedish tank trying to skin every last one of my knuckles, really brought me back to my younger days of working on rusty old smokey Hondas....Oh wait, I still do that
All back together, it's now running like a dream. The cause of it popping off was nothing exciting, just a common issue on these with age as the plastic filter housing goes brittle and cannot handle the high fuel pressure. Fitting and removal? - Absolute PITA when you're a 29 y/o with a 65 y/o back Do you still love the car? - Absolutely, especially when it was all said and done, and I got back into these seats;
...and cruised the remaining 0.5 miles home. They truly are a wafter of a vehicle. I've had sofas that are more uncomfortable than these seats!
As for the car, it's an SE LUX which I'm not really sure is a thing, but it does consist of the same seats as the R and a rear arm rest that flips out into a mini table! How cool is that? Also not pictured, but the previous owner fitted a massive Android stereo system with dynamatted interior, upgraded speakers and a Pioneer 5000w amp and subwoofer. The missus thoroughly enjoyed catching up on her Netflix during the drive home!
Of course, it's a 500 euro car, so it's not perfect. It needs a damn good clean and polish, the two front springs are snapped and it could benefit with some TLC like EGR cleaning (which is a lovely task on the Euro 4), full service etc. The most important thing for me was the Gearbox being in good fettle. Thankfully my Dad has been rebuilding Autos for 40+ years now and really knows his stuff, so I'm confident from my own testing and the fact it's had regular oil changes, that it's in good shape despite the mileage of 166k, but I shall let the master do his wizardry soon and give me a full diagnosis....He even has a computer that can give you a decimal point percentage of how worn each of the clutch packs in each of the internal hubs is worn. How cool is that??
If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed my rant/essay. If you love old Volvos, stick around! I've some good plans for this one
You're probably curious as to why I picked such a title.
Well, I picked up this;
...last night, and it's probably the best 500 euro I have ever spent. So why Bangernomics or Bust? Well it's quite simple - I suffer an illness of dumping money into cheap cars because I fall in love too easily
Will this Volvo enjoy a pampered life and be cherished for eternity, or will it show it's age with constant repairs and cause my bank manager to call me and ask "Uhhh, everything ok mate?"....Let's find out!I was on the hunt for a V70 D5, preferably with the Euro 3 engine and MUST be a manual....so of course I saw this Euro 4 S60 automatic and just had to buy it!....But in all seriousness, Volvos have gone incredibly scarce over here so choice is limited, and when he told me the price, I thought "feck it" and that I'd go for the gamble. If it blows up after 6 months, so be it!
Of course, my mindset manifested itself into reality, and after driving 100+ miles home after collecting it and getting to the last half mile, this happens....
As I'm there at a friend's house showing him the new daily driver, car happily chugging away at idle, he says "Aye, seems like a good purchase!" and as he gives the roof a firm but caressing *tap*, we hear a loud *BOOM* as the fuel filter cover ricochets off into the moonlit sky, and his BRAND NEW driveway is prepared for the next 34 winters as litres of Diesel (aka liquid gold) slowly cascades across the fresh black tarmac....His face is an image I shall fondly remember for the rest of my days.
So this all happened yesterday evening...The Volvo was of course stranded, and after spending this morning gathering the neccesary parts and loading up my Pajero with all the associated tools and equipment and thus making the interior sound like 2 skeletons practicing an incredibly aggressive round of Karma Sutra, I proceeded to spend a couple of hours fighting with the bloody thing to get it swapped out. I must say, lying in a puddle of Diesel whilst getting rained on, underneath a 15 year old swedish tank trying to skin every last one of my knuckles, really brought me back to my younger days of working on rusty old smokey Hondas....Oh wait, I still do that
All back together, it's now running like a dream. The cause of it popping off was nothing exciting, just a common issue on these with age as the plastic filter housing goes brittle and cannot handle the high fuel pressure. Fitting and removal? - Absolute PITA when you're a 29 y/o with a 65 y/o back Do you still love the car? - Absolutely, especially when it was all said and done, and I got back into these seats;
...and cruised the remaining 0.5 miles home. They truly are a wafter of a vehicle. I've had sofas that are more uncomfortable than these seats!
As for the car, it's an SE LUX which I'm not really sure is a thing, but it does consist of the same seats as the R and a rear arm rest that flips out into a mini table! How cool is that? Also not pictured, but the previous owner fitted a massive Android stereo system with dynamatted interior, upgraded speakers and a Pioneer 5000w amp and subwoofer. The missus thoroughly enjoyed catching up on her Netflix during the drive home!
Of course, it's a 500 euro car, so it's not perfect. It needs a damn good clean and polish, the two front springs are snapped and it could benefit with some TLC like EGR cleaning (which is a lovely task on the Euro 4), full service etc. The most important thing for me was the Gearbox being in good fettle. Thankfully my Dad has been rebuilding Autos for 40+ years now and really knows his stuff, so I'm confident from my own testing and the fact it's had regular oil changes, that it's in good shape despite the mileage of 166k, but I shall let the master do his wizardry soon and give me a full diagnosis....He even has a computer that can give you a decimal point percentage of how worn each of the clutch packs in each of the internal hubs is worn. How cool is that??
If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed my rant/essay. If you love old Volvos, stick around! I've some good plans for this one
Thanks for the replies! Took it for a short drive to make sure the fuel system is happy and treated her to a quick wash. As you can tell from the awful pic, it came up well!
Tomorrow is the start of some big work. Have two front shocks and springs to throw in, a new engine mount, full service including gearbox flush and anti-shudder treatment (precaution) and then the scariest part, full intake and EGR removal. Unlike the Euro 3, the Euro 4 is full of emissions equipment meaning there's a lot to remove before you have access, but it's very worth it on these machines.
I'll keep you all updated!
Tomorrow is the start of some big work. Have two front shocks and springs to throw in, a new engine mount, full service including gearbox flush and anti-shudder treatment (precaution) and then the scariest part, full intake and EGR removal. Unlike the Euro 3, the Euro 4 is full of emissions equipment meaning there's a lot to remove before you have access, but it's very worth it on these machines.
I'll keep you all updated!
I had a remapped one of these that I bought off a fellow Pistonheader.....lovely wafter and had quite a turn of speed especially in the mid range. But what let it down massively was the beyond awful turning circle. It ended up spoiling it for me. But if you can put up with that they are a fantastic car for the money. Mine was a 2004 and it still has the original exhaust and not a spec of rust anywhere.
I'd love to remap this one down the line, or even go further as these D5s can easily see 250hp or more with just bolt ons and a custom tune, but if I recall correctly the Aisin TF-80SC gearbox in my car cannot take much more torque than the car already produces. I'll have to check with my Father when he inspects the box. I must say though, it already impresses me how consistent it pulls despite having only 185hp in a 1700kg car. Whilst not what I'd call rapid, it's very progressive and just continues to pull and pull.
Looking forward to getting stuck in tomorrow with the manifold off job etc....famous last words!
Looking forward to getting stuck in tomorrow with the manifold off job etc....famous last words!
Just enjoy it with the 185 bhp. I have had Saab estates for years, and honestly the Aero (260 bhp) is no quicker in normal driving than the standard 2.3T (170 bhp).
I am guessing tnhis is because the 250bhp is only present when you are close to the rev limiter, and I just don't drive like that.
I am guessing tnhis is because the 250bhp is only present when you are close to the rev limiter, and I just don't drive like that.
The Bearded Tit said:
Always loved these barges. It's the only diesel engine I actually like. I kind of like the idea of taking one of these to the track instead of the usual T5s
It would be interesting to see, especially with one putting out 250hp or more! I was watching a guy in Sweden who has a D5 with 340hp, standard internals but full bolt ons with bigger turbo/injectors etc. The thing looked like a riot and apparently puts out over 700nm of torque 
As an update, I did intend to spend the day tackling the dreaded EGR/Intake clean, but clients took up my entire day so I only ended up swapping in the new front shocks and springs. Drives even better now, as to be expected.
One thing I did notice that I could use help with, is the power steering. If you're going round a long bend or roundabout, you get a slight push<>pull from the steering wheel. It's only faint, but certainly noticeable and was a little unnerving at first. I checked the power steering fluid and whilst it's a small bit low, it's nowhere near minimum but alas I will buy some fluid tomorrow and top it up. I'm thinking pump or steering rack, any ideas or any of you experienced it before?
EDIT; Done some Googling and it's apparently very common and points to a bad rack. Some have reported it being fixed with a flush providing the pulsing sensation is only faint (mines very faint), and I noticed my fluid was black not green, so I shall give it a go!
Edited by NateWM on Friday 21st January 00:28
NateWM said:
The Bearded Tit said:
Always loved these barges. It's the only diesel engine I actually like. I kind of like the idea of taking one of these to the track instead of the usual T5s
It would be interesting to see, especially with one putting out 250hp or more! I was watching a guy in Sweden who has a D5 with 340hp, standard internals but full bolt ons with bigger turbo/injectors etc. The thing looked like a riot and apparently puts out over 700nm of torque As an update, I did intend to spend the day tackling the dreaded EGR/Intake clean, but clients took up my entire day so I only ended up swapping in the new front shocks and springs. Drives even better now, as to be expected.
One thing I did notice that I could use help with, is the power steering. If you're going round a long bend or roundabout, you get a slight push<>pull from the steering wheel. It's only faint, but certainly noticeable and was a little unnerving at first. I checked the power steering fluid and whilst it's a small bit low, it's nowhere near minimum but alas I will buy some fluid tomorrow and top it up. I'm thinking pump or steering rack, any ideas or any of you experienced it before?
In fact upon exchanging the rack with Volvo, they take the old rack and simply destroy it, it's not reconditioned - i think they were quite embarrassed about the whole thing.
I think that it was sorted by 2005 onwards though (different rack manufacturer).
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