Volvo XC70 D5 - yet more comfy bargeness
Discussion
Front engine mount changed today @ 175k miles. Old one was original and no longer holding vacuum. Bit of a boring job as you have to disconnect the other mounts too, so you can lift the engine, but put the car on scissor lift to make life easier.
Meyle appears to be the OEM part as identical in every way except missing Volvo logo.
Has made an improvement to the refinement of the car, particularly round town/at low engine speeds. Have the rear to do next when I get an hour free again.
Meyle appears to be the OEM part as identical in every way except missing Volvo logo.
Has made an improvement to the refinement of the car, particularly round town/at low engine speeds. Have the rear to do next when I get an hour free again.
Noticed a bit of 'feathering' on the outside shoulder of the front left tyre - had 30mins to myself this weekend so checked the tracking.
String, axle stands, tape measure and a steel rule has worked well for me over the years:
Takes 10-15mins to setup and measure to 0.5mm accuracy (across diameter 16"/406mm wheel rim):
You can see top left that the FL wheel is toeing-in about 2mm more than it should. I'll adjust that trackrod next time it's up in the air.
Degree notes are camber values used with inclinometer on my phone and a straight face across the rim vertically.
String, axle stands, tape measure and a steel rule has worked well for me over the years:
Takes 10-15mins to setup and measure to 0.5mm accuracy (across diameter 16"/406mm wheel rim):
You can see top left that the FL wheel is toeing-in about 2mm more than it should. I'll adjust that trackrod next time it's up in the air.
Degree notes are camber values used with inclinometer on my phone and a straight face across the rim vertically.
TurboRob said:
Was just a matter of time...
Cheers, Rob
Is it compulsory to take a Swedish car to Ikea? I live about 12 mins from MK Ikea and just got a SAAB! haha.Cheers, Rob
Excellent thread by the way! take much more pleasure these days reading this kind of thread! not considered fitting some slightly bigger wheels OEM ones of course? might change the looks massively.
Edited by AJB88 on Sunday 11th April 15:18
AJB88 said:
Is it compulsory to take a Swedish car to Ikea? I live about 12 mins from MK Ikea and just got a SAAB! haha.
Excellent thread by the way! take much more pleasure these days reading this kind of thread! not considered fitting some slightly bigger wheels OEM ones of course? might change the looks massively.
Absolutely!Excellent thread by the way! take much more pleasure these days reading this kind of thread! not considered fitting some slightly bigger wheels OEM ones of course? might change the looks massively.
Thanks. If it was my primary car I'd probably look at a few mods, but as the third car in the family that now gets driven mainly by the girlf it is just viewed as a workhorse so maintenance only. Plus the 16" wheels and 65 section tyres add to it's sense of invincibility and make it ride sooooo nicely.
As 180k miles nears and it's the warmer summer months I've got a few bits and pieces to do on the old girl to keep her spick and span.
This weekend was the O/S/F wheel bearing which had started to grumble the past couple of months/few thousand miles.
Pretty straightforward job on the lift, nice to see aluminium uprights on this vintage of Ovlov.
Fuel and air filter -
Fuel filter is a cinch on the P2 - it's below the O/S/R passenger seat, accessed from below with plenty of room around it. It's a filter in plastic housing type, similar to a lot of engine oil filter arrangements.
On the XC70 you don't even have to jack the car up and I had the proper tool from Laser from a previous Volvo, making the job 5mins effort.
Air filter a similar two minute affair. Old one 16k miles old and fairly dirty.
Stay tuned.
Fuel filter is a cinch on the P2 - it's below the O/S/R passenger seat, accessed from below with plenty of room around it. It's a filter in plastic housing type, similar to a lot of engine oil filter arrangements.
On the XC70 you don't even have to jack the car up and I had the proper tool from Laser from a previous Volvo, making the job 5mins effort.
Air filter a similar two minute affair. Old one 16k miles old and fairly dirty.
Stay tuned.
A broken front spring gave me the hurry-up I needed to replace the front suspension:
There's lots of supposed deals on Volvo P2 V70/XC70 suspension kits but when you dig in to it they aren't transferrable between the two and are just V70 suspension kits being palmed off as suitable for both:
https://www.ipdusa.com/techtips/10082/Strut-compar...
Therefore the only real option for XC70 front shocks is the OE Sachs/Boge units as per above link. So an (extensive) shopping list was made and I had spent a few weeks buying the bits from different sources to get VFM.
(Not in the above pic are new droplinks, discs and pads that I had 'on the shelf' and decided to fit whilst the car was apart).
New struts assembled on the bench - the springs are a mission to fit at ~600mm long uncompressed, ~450mm long fitted. Got there in the end with a trusty set of spring compressors that are older than me.
Everything given a coating of Bilthamber on the way in too, to keep them from looking rotten after the first puddle:
Otherside was a mare - a previous owner/mechanic had rounded off one of the caliper carrier bolt heads and no amount of hammering on undersized sockets/blowtorching would shift it so out came the welder at full power to weld a nut on:
Naturally I was exceptionally happy to be alive during that whole mess. Alas, it was worth it:
With a very satisfying pile of bits destined for the scrap yard.
Few more bits that I want to get done this summer whilst weather is nice then it'll be fit for another 100k+ miles. Stay tuned.
There's lots of supposed deals on Volvo P2 V70/XC70 suspension kits but when you dig in to it they aren't transferrable between the two and are just V70 suspension kits being palmed off as suitable for both:
https://www.ipdusa.com/techtips/10082/Strut-compar...
Therefore the only real option for XC70 front shocks is the OE Sachs/Boge units as per above link. So an (extensive) shopping list was made and I had spent a few weeks buying the bits from different sources to get VFM.
(Not in the above pic are new droplinks, discs and pads that I had 'on the shelf' and decided to fit whilst the car was apart).
New struts assembled on the bench - the springs are a mission to fit at ~600mm long uncompressed, ~450mm long fitted. Got there in the end with a trusty set of spring compressors that are older than me.
Everything given a coating of Bilthamber on the way in too, to keep them from looking rotten after the first puddle:
Otherside was a mare - a previous owner/mechanic had rounded off one of the caliper carrier bolt heads and no amount of hammering on undersized sockets/blowtorching would shift it so out came the welder at full power to weld a nut on:
Naturally I was exceptionally happy to be alive during that whole mess. Alas, it was worth it:
With a very satisfying pile of bits destined for the scrap yard.
Few more bits that I want to get done this summer whilst weather is nice then it'll be fit for another 100k+ miles. Stay tuned.
Set the alignment to dead ahead and -0.6/0.7 deg camber. Trusty string method always works well for me:
And drained/replaced the PAS fluid in the reservoir. System volume is 0.9L, with 0.3L in the reservoir, so doing this a number of times with mileage in-between gets it nice and clean again.
For anyone that wants to avoid the Volvo tax on PAS fluid - Halfords own brand CHF is Comma MVCHF, which meets the required Volvo standard.
And drained/replaced the PAS fluid in the reservoir. System volume is 0.9L, with 0.3L in the reservoir, so doing this a number of times with mileage in-between gets it nice and clean again.
For anyone that wants to avoid the Volvo tax on PAS fluid - Halfords own brand CHF is Comma MVCHF, which meets the required Volvo standard.
The Volvo that was bought as a winter runabout continues to get used the most. Summer 2021 saw trips to the SW for camping, it's ability to swallow everything and cruise all day at 85 and still return 45+mpg winning over all other options.
Packed in there is 2x mountain bikes (under blankets on left, chairs, tables, fridge, cooker, tent, clothes, sheets and all the other apparel that girlfs insist on taking camping).
Anyway today was MOT prep. An annoying rattle from the front suspension turned out to be a droplink I hadn't tightened properly when installing the new bits
Fingers crossed for a pass.
Packed in there is 2x mountain bikes (under blankets on left, chairs, tables, fridge, cooker, tent, clothes, sheets and all the other apparel that girlfs insist on taking camping).
Anyway today was MOT prep. An annoying rattle from the front suspension turned out to be a droplink I hadn't tightened properly when installing the new bits
Fingers crossed for a pass.
A very agreeable thread all round.
Looks like a nice example of an XC70 with the right engine and box (an auto wouldn't improve it, they're crap!) and it's being used a Volvos of that era should and being maintained very well too, which is a rarity with Volvos of that era. Great work, keep going.
Looks like a nice example of an XC70 with the right engine and box (an auto wouldn't improve it, they're crap!) and it's being used a Volvos of that era should and being maintained very well too, which is a rarity with Volvos of that era. Great work, keep going.
Davie said:
A very agreeable thread all round.
Looks like a nice example of an XC70 with the right engine and box (an auto wouldn't improve it, they're crap!) and it's being used a Volvos of that era should and being maintained very well too, which is a rarity with Volvos of that era. Great work, keep going.
Thanks Davie, glad you're enjoying.Looks like a nice example of an XC70 with the right engine and box (an auto wouldn't improve it, they're crap!) and it's being used a Volvos of that era should and being maintained very well too, which is a rarity with Volvos of that era. Great work, keep going.
It went straight through the MOT, the only advisories some cracking between the tread blocks of the tyres (Avon ZV7 fitted by the PO to sell the car, only two years old and around 20k miles old - garbage). I've ordered some Michelin CrossClimate+ to go on shortly.
And today I gave the headlights another polish, seems like they need doing ~once a year after the summer months.
Enjoying this thread. I don't "like" these cars but am always entertained by threads on them.
Really enjoying nitty gritty fixes too like the stalk, check strap etc. I don't like the throwaway method when you've got 99% of a part that's perfect and a little elbow grease (literally!) gets it working again but it goes in the bin.
Really enjoying nitty gritty fixes too like the stalk, check strap etc. I don't like the throwaway method when you've got 99% of a part that's perfect and a little elbow grease (literally!) gets it working again but it goes in the bin.
Thank you all that's kind of you to say - I shall continue posting my exploits with the car given the feedback.
It's quite good fun hustling, but ultimately the numb steering and body roll set the limits. On the flipside, it's a greater tourer/mile muncher - near silent at motorway speeds with great seats and stereo.
Last week whilst MOT prepping I noticed that the springs which sit on the OB side of the front calipers were 'soft', allowing a small amount of float on the caliper (they're the usual single piston type on sliding pins). I spent a few mins contorting them in to different shapes to see if I could get the caliper 'tigher' on the OB pad but gave in and bought some new ones:
I wasn't expecting anything other than peace of mind, but the transformation to the feel of the brake pedal is gobsmacking - I'm very surprised. I recently bled the brakes/replaced fluid when I did the last caliper and didn't think there was anything wrong with pedal feel per se, but replacing these small bits of bent wire has made the brakes instant, pin sharp and full of feel. I assume the previous springs (original?) were allowing the caliper to float a little and the pads to knock off between braking events.
And I binned the Avon ZV7s and had Michelin CrossClimate+ fitted in their place which gave me an excuse to wash the wheels and tyres...
....the rest of the car can wait for another day. Cheers!
Speed addicted said:
Must admit the more I see these the more they appeal, moving to the sticks has certainly changed what I look for in a car!
Do you find that it can be amusing on the right roads or is wafting more the design brief?
Yes we're in the sticks too (the desolate wilds of north oxfordshire...) so it fits the bill well.Do you find that it can be amusing on the right roads or is wafting more the design brief?
It's quite good fun hustling, but ultimately the numb steering and body roll set the limits. On the flipside, it's a greater tourer/mile muncher - near silent at motorway speeds with great seats and stereo.
Last week whilst MOT prepping I noticed that the springs which sit on the OB side of the front calipers were 'soft', allowing a small amount of float on the caliper (they're the usual single piston type on sliding pins). I spent a few mins contorting them in to different shapes to see if I could get the caliper 'tigher' on the OB pad but gave in and bought some new ones:
I wasn't expecting anything other than peace of mind, but the transformation to the feel of the brake pedal is gobsmacking - I'm very surprised. I recently bled the brakes/replaced fluid when I did the last caliper and didn't think there was anything wrong with pedal feel per se, but replacing these small bits of bent wire has made the brakes instant, pin sharp and full of feel. I assume the previous springs (original?) were allowing the caliper to float a little and the pads to knock off between braking events.
And I binned the Avon ZV7s and had Michelin CrossClimate+ fitted in their place which gave me an excuse to wash the wheels and tyres...
....the rest of the car can wait for another day. Cheers!
RetepSniktun said:
Any idea how it compares with the Citroen C5 estate for space and ride?
Peter
Yes. Have a X7 C5 exclusive, and had a XC70 of this vintage.Peter
The C5 is a better ride (just) and a nicer place to be with better toys. Size wise there isn't much difference but the XC70 has a more usable space. The C5 looks smarter but the XC70 is the better car. It felt like it was made from granite and would go on forever. The AWD system was very useful when it snowed and it just felt more dependable and loyal (I know that's a bizarre statement but it was a bit like a faithful Labrador)
I have been a Citroen fan for decades but having owned both I'd take the XC70 over the C5 every single time.
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