P2 2.3 T5 models - what to look out for?

[Leeds_finest]

Guessing it's the same as the rest? Bottom arms? Leaky PAS reservoir?

Also, what's the most cost effective way to decat these? Doesn't seem to be much off the shelf - guessing it's custom or buy from the States?


Thanks

[M-R-P]

Yep... Ps cap, wishbones. Pre 2004 are prone to DIM failure, pre 2003 are prone to ETM and DIM failure. Avoid anything but manual from those years too.
Rear light cluster bulb sockets can get furry and play up. Heated mirrors tend to fail for no reason too.
Other than that, theyre tougher than the P1 cars and more comfortable. Don't know about the decat thing tho but if you find a cheap one...

Oh, the pcv tends to block in one place, making it easier to sort.

[JamesT5]

Guessing it's the same as the rest? Bottom arms? Leaky PAS reservoir?

Also, what's the most cost effective way to decat these? Doesn't seem to be much off the shelf - guessing it's custom or buy from the States?


Thanks

Also watch out for ignition coils playing up and as I have also discovered, the suspension parts in general like to wear out all at once and then you're looking at a 4 figure bill to reinstate it all.

Regards

James

[Leeds_finest]

Yep... Ps cap, wishbones. Pre 2004 are prone to DIM failure, pre 2003 are prone to ETM and DIM failure. Avoid anything but manual from those years too.
Rear light cluster bulb sockets can get furry and play up. Heated mirrors tend to fail for no reason too.
Other than that, theyre tougher than the P1 cars and more comfortable. Don't know about the decat thing tho but if you find a cheap one...

Oh, the pcv tends to block in one place, making it easier to sort.

Thanks for the info.

Just bought a 2001 on a Y plate so I look forward to above mentioned problems

How does yours sit (aesthetically) and ride on the Apex springs?

Also watch out for ignition coils playing up and as I have also discovered, the suspension parts in general like to wear out all at once and then you're looking at a 4 figure bill to reinstate it all.

Regards

James

Ok thanks.

Seems fairly solid apart from horrendous brake judder at 70mph but guessing new discs and pads should sort that?

[Leeds_finest]

PS my DIM is already shot - any cheap repairs? I have orange triangle up but obviously can't see error message with knackered DIM.

[M-R-P]

Ok...
I have plod spec nivomat shocks on the back so the ass-end still sits high but...










She sits nicely at the front, the ride is firmer (I have lots of powerflex bushes and Boge Automatic shocks) but she handles like a car half her size.

The quick fixes for the DIM are as follows...

1. leave it as it is because it won't be showing an SRS fault on the info screen - the first thing that pops-up when the DIM fails (usually) and won't be a MOT fail.
2. If you're any good with a soldering iron, I can show you how to get it going again - it involves resoldering a chip less than 3/4" across with 126 legs and there's no guarantee how long it will last.
3. there's a guy who redoes DIMs on fleabay, offers a 2 year guarantee, for £180 iirc but I've known him to not find/fix the problem (he doesn't specialise in volvo stuff and wasn't instructed where to go with it)
4. Places like HLM can fit a 2nd hand one and code it to the car for about £350 but there's no telling how long the new one will last.
5. Get a new one from Volvo for £732.50 (what I did) for that, you get a 2004-2006 version which won't go wrong (but they only give you 12 months warranty)

It's understandable why so many P2 cars before 2004 were scrapped for just a fekkin' speedo!

[Leeds_finest]

Thanks very much for the pics. It's strange looking at the pics as it doesn't immediately look a lot lower than mine which is standard... But as I look again it does look lower!

I just want a small drop I suppose and was considering FK ones as I know they maintain reasonable ride comfort. As you say though, my standard T5 feels quick but I can tell from the standard suspension it feels like a huge barge.

Thanks for the DIM info. Is there any problem with me actually leaving it as it is? Will it cause any further harm leaving it screwed?

And as for throttle module can I clean it up before it goes bang or is it destined to break?

Otherwise car seems solid apart from shagged brakes which I will renew soon.

[JamesT5]

Thanks for the info.

Just bought a 2001 on a Y plate so I look forward to above mentioned problems

How does yours sit (aesthetically) and ride on the Apex springs?



Ok thanks.

Seems fairly solid apart from horrendous brake judder at 70mph but guessing new discs and pads should sort that?

Brake judder is something that I'm suffering from too (well more to the point my car is suffering from) , it's caused by warped brake discs possibly caused by a currently or previously stuck brake caliper having overheated the disc and caused it to warp out of shape. Everytime you put the brakes on at high speed the pads are making contact with an uneven surface so it causes the 'judder' you describe.

My advice is this, replace the discs and if your calipers look rusty as hell and corroded, bite the bullet and replace those too along with the front pads. When the caliper sticks it warps the disc and the tell tale sign that they were or are getting too hot is that the edge of the disc goes a permanent orange colour. The pads can wear down and begin to unbond from the backing or metal plate to which they are glued.

I'm replacing every major brake component next month (apart from the one front caliper that was changed as a matter of urgency back in Sepetember along with the front pads). The other 3 are coming off and I'm having them replaced along with 4 new discs, new pads (yes front ones are getting done again as well thanks to my quest for perfection), also new brake shoes on the rear and I've even brought a brake shoe fitting kit!

On top of that I'm also having new strut mounts all round, new struts all round and new coils all round too. If there's any money left after that I'm getting the rear trailing arm bushes done as well.

Ok, don't ask me what it is costing me because believe me, it would scare you silly. But suffice to say, once you have these 'little issues' sorted, the car will behave itself for quite a while.

One last piece of advice, please.....DO NOT buy the parts from a Volvo dealers, they will rip you off big style. For instance, a Volvo Stealers want £107 each for the back strut mounts, but you can get them online from Parts For Volvos for around £20 each including postage. Need I say anymore......

Regards

James

[M-R-P]

The DIM will only get worse mate. No telling how long it will take but you'll start losing other functions, you'll get it doing fruit machine impressions, the dials will work intermittently, until it eventually stops completely, preventing you from locking the car. (it'll still drive tho)

Cleaning the ETM may help but you'll be cleaning the bit the air flows through and not the bit that's playing-up.
Check what label is on the ETM - if it's white, I'll be amazed if it is, then it'll definitely fail. If it's yellow, it means it's been "fixed" and will probably take longer to fail. Replacement bosch ones are getting pretty cheap now.

[Leeds_finest]

Thanks for the advice James.

I'm glad you've said that as I have owned BMW models before and brake judder on those can be down to a multitude of worn links and bushes and in fact nothing to do with brakes but glad it's just my brakes that need attention.

Ill test the calipers then and potentially have them reconditioned. How much are new ones and where's best place?

[Leeds_finest]

MRP...

This disappoints me. I had overlooked this common fault. My 04 plate SR dim worked fine so never realised they were a fault!

I'm not liking the sound of this, I don't fancy spending 700 odd at Volvo either! What do most people do?

As for the throttle... What do replacement units cost?

[JamesT5]

Thanks for the advice James.

I'm glad you've said that as I have owned BMW models before and brake judder on those can be down to a multitude of worn links and bushes and in fact nothing to do with brakes but glad it's just my brakes that need attention.

Ill test the calipers then and potentially have them reconditioned. How much are new ones and where's best place?

Do check out stuff like wishbone bushes and front lower ball joints because they do have a nasty habit of going too. Thankfully the parts aren't that expensive if you avoid the main stealers, it's just the labour to do the job. Ball joints are splined to the hub assembly so I'd get them done at a garage unless you're a very skilled home mechanic with a huge set of tools...

You'll know if you've got ball joints gone as you'll feel it in the steering - wooly handling, knocks and clunks and also when you jack the car up and try and move the wheel you'll get play in the wheel and you'll hear it tapping and knocking around.

As for where to get the parts - either off Fleabay or Parts For Volvos. You can get caliper repair kits for about a tenner but to be honest they're only a short term fix and if your calipers are screwed or nearly screwed you're better off getting new ones, at least that way you know where you are with them. PFV do them for about £70 - £80 each I think which may sound expensive but compared to warping your new discs and wrecking your pads over and over it's not a bad price.

http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/...oducts_id=5070

Hope that helps...

Regards

James

[JamesT5]

Another reason for using a garage is that if you pull the hub assembly out to far you'll knacker your driveshaft, pulling it apart. Repair bill is around £170 for the part plus labour... (it happend to me).

[M-R-P]

DIMs were fixed from 2004 onwards.

Like I said, if you're any good with a soldering iron, or know of a tv/mobile phone repair shop for that matter, I can show you which chip is at fault and all it needs is the resin cleaning off it and the solder joints reset.
You'll still need to have the orange triangle reset - £60 from a stealer or anybody with a good code reader.

I don't know about the price of an ETM. I've been told that you can just get a bosch ETM from a scrappy, plug it in, leave the ignition on for an hour and it'll sort it's self out. Since I already have the bosch unit in mine, it's something I've not had to look into. Hamish (HLM) or Niles know about these things.

[M-R-P]

Another reason for using a garage is that if you pull the hub assembly out to far you'll knacker your driveshaft, pulling it apart. Repair bill is around £170 for the part plus labour... (it happend to me).

Or just undo the hub bolt and keep pushing the driveshaft into the gearbox every so often. Leeds-Finest would probably know this, after doing the polybushes on his S60R a while ago

[JamesT5]

MRP...

This disappoints me. I had overlooked this common fault. My 04 plate SR dim worked fine so never realised they were a fault!

I'm not liking the sound of this, I don't fancy spending 700 odd at Volvo either! What do most people do?

As for the throttle... What do replacement units cost?

There is a chap that repairs the DIM for about £150 I think, MRP will be able to help you more on that one. As for the ETM's, don't buy new ones, get a guaranteed second hand part from a scrappy but as Martin says, make sure it's either a BOSCH unit or if it's magneti marelli unit, it's got a yellow sticker on it.

[M-R-P]

To be honest, if I was parting with any amount of my hard-earned, I wouldn't touch a Marelli one with a barge-pole!

[JamesT5]

DIMs were fixed from 2004 onwards.

Like I said, if you're any good with a soldering iron, or know of a tv/mobile phone repair shop for that matter, I can show you which chip is at fault and all it needs is the resin cleaning off it and the solder joints reset.
You'll still need to have the orange triangle reset - £60 from a stealer or anybody with a good code reader.

I don't know about the price of an ETM. I've been told that you can just get a bosch ETM from a scrappy, plug it in, leave the ignition on for an hour and it'll sort it's self out. Since I already have the bosch unit in mine, it's something I've not had to look into. Hamish (HLM) or Niles know about these things.

And if all that fails, get yourself down to B&Q on 15% off day and acquire a chainsaw.....

[M-R-P]

Been a while since I posted this...

[Leeds_finest]

Do check out stuff like wishbone bushes and front lower ball joints because they do have a nasty habit of going too. Thankfully the parts aren't that expensive if you avoid the main stealers, it's just the labour to do the job. Ball joints are splined to the hub assembly so I'd get them done at a garage unless you're a very skilled home mechanic with a huge set of tools...

You'll know if you've got ball joints gone as you'll feel it in the steering - wooly handling, knocks and clunks and also when you jack the car up and try and move the wheel you'll get play in the wheel and you'll hear it tapping and knocking around.

As for where to get the parts - either off Fleabay or Parts For Volvos. You can get caliper repair kits for about a tenner but to be honest they're only a short term fix and if your calipers are screwed or nearly screwed you're better off getting new ones, at least that way you know where you are with them. PFV do them for about £70 - £80 each I think which may sound expensive but compared to warping your new discs and wrecking your pads over and over it's not a bad price.

http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/...oducts_id=5070

Hope that helps...

Regards

James

That's great thanks I had better check for the faulty calipers then and replace if necessary.

I did the B/J's on my S60 and they were a pain in the back side. What a silly design being splined into the bottom of the hub, pathetic, my VW Polo ones bolt to the arm and then to the hub but WITHOUT the spline - job done!

Another reason for using a garage is that if you pull the hub assembly out to far you'll knacker your driveshaft, pulling it apart. Repair bill is around £170 for the part plus labour... (it happend to me).

Or just undo the hub bolt and keep pushing the driveshaft into the gearbox every so often. Leeds-Finest would probably know this, after doing the polybushes on his S60R a while ago

Been there, done that

Pulled apart the pass side outer CV joint when I did my bushes and arms etc. Would hold together when the hub and whole assembly was bolted together but if you wanted to remove the shaft or hub etc the outer CV would fall apart inside the boot into two pieces.



Well guys here's the run down:

2001 'Y' plate T5 SE manual.

Dark metallic green (but some parts are a lovely rustic orange colour - where some plank has let the arches rust - not severe though).

97k with FVSH.

HPI clear and previous MOT's seem to confirm mileage is legit (at least between 2005 and 2012 anyway). Service book covers 2001-2012 though.

Tow bar.

Seems to have roof rails but no boot spoiler UNLIKE mrp's V70.

Has elec windows/mirrors/sunroof.

Cream leather (some bits look like a small child has wiped their bare ar$e on them but will clean up).

CD player.

Broken DIM.

Functioning ETM - for the time being.

It seems to drive well to be honest. I was rather annoyed at the body damage to the arches but my friend will grind back, treat and repaint/repair the bad areas. I paid £1,400 for it which seemed a fair price for the miles but has 12 months TEST and no TAX.

Feels VERY similar to my '04 S60R to be honest. Interior is virtually identical apart from the dials. Five pot engine is silky smooth although I don't like the lazy revs when you change gear in the redline - maybe a decat, decent exhaust system and map will sort? My S60 was the same. Feels solid to drive though and engine is silent from freezing cold.

Only other thing to mention is, the temp gauge shuffles a fraction above and below the 12 oclock mark. Drives fine and no warnings but that is exactly what my S60 did as the fan kicked in and out - right before the engine pretty much packed in is this normal even when cruising gently with plenty of cold air rushing past the engine?

Shame my girlfriend went to switch it on while the engine was already running, I bet the starter motor loved that, must be a quieter engine than I thought!