Discussion
Any love for a 14 year old Volvo? No? Oh well, I’ll carry on anyway 
For the last year or so I’ve owned an Impreza WRX wagon. It’s been a decent enough car but I’ve struggled to really bond with it. It was amazing in the snow earlier this year, but on normal everyday duties I was getting bored with the lack of low down grunt. I toyed with upgrades, remaps etc but decided that was a slippery slope for a daily driver so it was sold, and for pretty much the same money I gained an extra cylinder and 500cc… enter the Volvo V50 T5:
20180811_095207_001 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
I like to think of it as a more-subtle Focus ST Estate. A lot more subtle!
With 220bhp it’s only slightly down on power against the WRX, but with boost available much earlier it gains the low down grunt that the Scooby lacked making it much nicer to drive at lower speeds. Plus, the 5 cylinder noise is much better too, IMHO of course.
The seats are as comfy as a I remember from my old 360 GLT – I’m glad this is something Volvo haven’t lost. It also gets the slightly funky floating dash, with the less-than-funky wood trim:
20180811_102032 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And being a Volvo it was going to be nice and reliable, right? Wrong! 2 weeks in:
20180713_205606 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
This was the result of the oil pressure light coming on. It would flicker on and off for a bit then stay on. Initially I feared the worse, but the car drove fine and the engine still sounded healthy. Some research suggested that the PCV valve was an inherent weakness and could get clogged up which caused the light to come on. It’s a sealed unit and part of the oil filter housing so I ordered a new Volvo item. The photo above is mid-replacement – a bit fiddly but not too bad. This was the offending part:
2018-08-11_02-29-34 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
With everything bolted back together and new oil the light initially stayed off. Happy days. Until it came back on. Bugger. Thought it was probably wise to change the oil pressure sensor too, and with that done the light has since stayed off. Phew!
The other thing that had subsequently gone wrong was the air con. It worked for the first 10-15 minutes of a drive but then gave up. So, it appeared fine on the test drive! Once again, Google to the rescue – a common fault is the clutch gap on the air con compressor gets too large and therefore disengages when it gets hot. A quick check showed that the gap was around 0.9mm, whereas it should be 0.4-0.6mm. In theory the clutch pack needed to be removed and some shims adjusted to get the gap right, but I was headed on a long trip and didn’t have the time to do this. So a bit of improvisation… firstly take some old twin & earth I found in the loft and extract the earth wire. Next, hammer it flat:
20180730_182609 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And keep going until you get to the desired thickness:
20180730_182533 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Finally, cut to size and then fit to the spring of the clutch pack:
20180730_184458 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The result is that the gap is now within tolerance and the aircon works perfectly. Not bad for 30 minutes work! At some point I will do it properly but for now it’s sorted.
With the essentials done it was time to start modding!! This is where it gets exciting… I’ve added a sunglasses holder:
2018-08-06_11-22-04 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
An old mk2 Focus of mine had this and I thought it was a really neat idea as I don’t really need a grab handle and it’s much better than leaving your glasses in the cup holder! Volvo wanted £60 for a new part, and no 2nd hand ones were available. I wasn’t prepared to pay that so bought a Focus version for £10 off Ebay in the hope that it was taken from the Ford parts bin. I wasn’t, but with a couple of tweaks it fitted nicely.
Since this initial flurry of activity last month the V50 has been performing daily tasks well – commuting, school runs, tip runs and generally load lugging:
20180806_193706 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The only slight issue is a squeak from the engine bay when cold, which appears to be the alternator clutch pulley. I didn’t even bother checking the Volvo price, but the OEM part number revealed it was an INA part and, by luck, I managed to pick one up off a special offer on Amazon for £15. Another £20 on the special tool to remove the pulley means I should be able to do that myself once it turns up. After that I probably need to get the cambelt done too for peace of mind.
If you got this far, well done! If there’s any interest I’ll keep the thread updated as I carry on with my tinkerings.
For the last year or so I’ve owned an Impreza WRX wagon. It’s been a decent enough car but I’ve struggled to really bond with it. It was amazing in the snow earlier this year, but on normal everyday duties I was getting bored with the lack of low down grunt. I toyed with upgrades, remaps etc but decided that was a slippery slope for a daily driver so it was sold, and for pretty much the same money I gained an extra cylinder and 500cc… enter the Volvo V50 T5:
20180811_095207_001 by CarlosV8, on FlickrI like to think of it as a more-subtle Focus ST Estate. A lot more subtle!
With 220bhp it’s only slightly down on power against the WRX, but with boost available much earlier it gains the low down grunt that the Scooby lacked making it much nicer to drive at lower speeds. Plus, the 5 cylinder noise is much better too, IMHO of course.
The seats are as comfy as a I remember from my old 360 GLT – I’m glad this is something Volvo haven’t lost. It also gets the slightly funky floating dash, with the less-than-funky wood trim:
20180811_102032 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd being a Volvo it was going to be nice and reliable, right? Wrong! 2 weeks in:
20180713_205606 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThis was the result of the oil pressure light coming on. It would flicker on and off for a bit then stay on. Initially I feared the worse, but the car drove fine and the engine still sounded healthy. Some research suggested that the PCV valve was an inherent weakness and could get clogged up which caused the light to come on. It’s a sealed unit and part of the oil filter housing so I ordered a new Volvo item. The photo above is mid-replacement – a bit fiddly but not too bad. This was the offending part:
2018-08-11_02-29-34 by CarlosV8, on FlickrWith everything bolted back together and new oil the light initially stayed off. Happy days. Until it came back on. Bugger. Thought it was probably wise to change the oil pressure sensor too, and with that done the light has since stayed off. Phew!
The other thing that had subsequently gone wrong was the air con. It worked for the first 10-15 minutes of a drive but then gave up. So, it appeared fine on the test drive! Once again, Google to the rescue – a common fault is the clutch gap on the air con compressor gets too large and therefore disengages when it gets hot. A quick check showed that the gap was around 0.9mm, whereas it should be 0.4-0.6mm. In theory the clutch pack needed to be removed and some shims adjusted to get the gap right, but I was headed on a long trip and didn’t have the time to do this. So a bit of improvisation… firstly take some old twin & earth I found in the loft and extract the earth wire. Next, hammer it flat:
20180730_182609 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd keep going until you get to the desired thickness:
20180730_182533 by CarlosV8, on FlickrFinally, cut to size and then fit to the spring of the clutch pack:
20180730_184458 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe result is that the gap is now within tolerance and the aircon works perfectly. Not bad for 30 minutes work! At some point I will do it properly but for now it’s sorted.
With the essentials done it was time to start modding!! This is where it gets exciting… I’ve added a sunglasses holder:
2018-08-06_11-22-04 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAn old mk2 Focus of mine had this and I thought it was a really neat idea as I don’t really need a grab handle and it’s much better than leaving your glasses in the cup holder! Volvo wanted £60 for a new part, and no 2nd hand ones were available. I wasn’t prepared to pay that so bought a Focus version for £10 off Ebay in the hope that it was taken from the Ford parts bin. I wasn’t, but with a couple of tweaks it fitted nicely.
Since this initial flurry of activity last month the V50 has been performing daily tasks well – commuting, school runs, tip runs and generally load lugging:
20180806_193706 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe only slight issue is a squeak from the engine bay when cold, which appears to be the alternator clutch pulley. I didn’t even bother checking the Volvo price, but the OEM part number revealed it was an INA part and, by luck, I managed to pick one up off a special offer on Amazon for £15. Another £20 on the special tool to remove the pulley means I should be able to do that myself once it turns up. After that I probably need to get the cambelt done too for peace of mind.
If you got this far, well done! If there’s any interest I’ll keep the thread updated as I carry on with my tinkerings.
Like these, bit of a sleeper, fair bit slower then a Focus ST due to gearing, weight and slight power drop but make a great noise and will surprise a lot of people still. Presumably you know about cracked liners? People blame Ford about it but forget the ST engine is entirely Volvo design used in many Volvo's that predate the Focus. The "block mod" being developed for Volvo's by Tim Williams before the ST was even a twinkle in Mr Ford's eye
Oil diaphragm valve is also a weak point, as it appears you've already found out.
Oil diaphragm valve is also a weak point, as it appears you've already found out.
zedx19 said:
Like these, bit of a sleeper, fair bit slower then a Focus ST due to gearing, weight and slight power drop but make a great noise and will surprise a lot of people still.
I didn't think the performance difference was that great - both under 7s to 60 and around 150mph top speed. Not that I really mind, as I wanted a quick estate so the Focus wasn't ever an option anyway.zedx19 said:
Presumably you know about cracked liners? People blame Ford about it but forget the ST engine is entirely Volvo design used in many Volvo's that predate the Focus. The "block mod" being developed for Volvo's by Tim Williams before the ST was even a twinkle in Mr Ford's eye
TheVole said:
As the previous poster mentioned, get the block mod done - £550 (inc cambelt) to Tim Williams now will save you a new engine later...
Yeah, I've been considering that. My engine is standard and will remain so for the time being so that lessens the chance of any problems. But if I can work out a way of getting the car to Tim I may get it done with the cambelt later in the year.Ooh, this is a good one to follow. We've got that engine in the S-Max. It's an absolute belter, in my opinion. Pulls from 1k RPM in any gear, at any speed. Economy.....well, it's livable. Just.
That PCV valve thing is interesting though. Nat's brother also has a (now dead) 2.5T, with a very grumbly bottom end (he did continue driving it even after the noises appeared, so I don't know exactly how the symptoms started, but he never mentioned the oil pressure light).
Now, I knew about the PCV valve, but I read that it just concerned the breather side, and upon blocking it would cause the crankcase to not be able to vent properly, leading to blown gaskets and seals etc. But you're saying that it can affect the oil supply too? I need to read into this and check Nat's S-Max out, because if that dies it's game over :O
Like these cars though. Always liked the C30R.
That PCV valve thing is interesting though. Nat's brother also has a (now dead) 2.5T, with a very grumbly bottom end (he did continue driving it even after the noises appeared, so I don't know exactly how the symptoms started, but he never mentioned the oil pressure light).
Now, I knew about the PCV valve, but I read that it just concerned the breather side, and upon blocking it would cause the crankcase to not be able to vent properly, leading to blown gaskets and seals etc. But you're saying that it can affect the oil supply too? I need to read into this and check Nat's S-Max out, because if that dies it's game over :O
Like these cars though. Always liked the C30R.
It may have been more of an indirect issue caused by the gunk accumulating in/around the breather. I cleaned the oil galleries best I could when I changed the oil filter housing. But it wasn't until the oil pressure sensor was changed and the gallery cleaned that the light finally went out. So possibly not a risk of oil starvation for the engine but a sign of too long between oil changes?
The other issue I didn't mention was the engine note changed when pulling out the dipstick - a sign of the crankcase pressure problems you mentioned. Swapping the oil filter housing sorted this.
The other possibility with the oil light was a bunch of oil seals in the sump that can fail but the symptoms weren't quite right for that (oil light at idle, bubbles in oil). Over winter I might try and change these as a preventative measure, whilst also checking the state of the oil to ensure all is now gunk free.
The engine is certainly flexible - no real hint of turbo lag and a linear power delivery, much more like a bigger displacement NA lump.
The other issue I didn't mention was the engine note changed when pulling out the dipstick - a sign of the crankcase pressure problems you mentioned. Swapping the oil filter housing sorted this.
The other possibility with the oil light was a bunch of oil seals in the sump that can fail but the symptoms weren't quite right for that (oil light at idle, bubbles in oil). Over winter I might try and change these as a preventative measure, whilst also checking the state of the oil to ensure all is now gunk free.
The engine is certainly flexible - no real hint of turbo lag and a linear power delivery, much more like a bigger displacement NA lump.
Afromonk said:
I've always liked the look and idea of a V5 T5, but i've got a V70 T5 and find the engine disapointing, maybe I was expecting too much.
I had always hoped they would do a nice 250-280bhp V50-R with AWD.
The V70 is quite a heavy car, so the T5 performance is watered-down a bit. The V50 is lighter and more nimble.I had always hoped they would do a nice 250-280bhp V50-R with AWD.
I have a V70R which makes up for this - but it's rather thirsty.
aland75 said:
The V70 is quite a heavy car, so the T5 performance is watered-down a bit. The V50 is lighter and more nimble.
I have a V70R which makes up for this - but it's rather thirsty.
You're telling me, like a boat with armchairs in it.I have a V70R which makes up for this - but it's rather thirsty.
Can you do the standard TD04 swaps with the V50? eg 15t,16g,18g etc?
I (or rather, my wife) has the engine in a 1750kg S-Max, and I find it brilliant! It's no speed demon (despite all the oddball owners who decree it a 'hot-hatch killer' (yeah, if the hot hatch in question is my C4...)) but it's so, so smooth. Pulls from nothing, as smooth as a six and sounds great. Love it
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