The return of Jay's V70XC ft. M66AWD. (The official manual conversion thread)

jaykenneally · 2015-08-25T12:34:43+00:00

I'm making a few trips to the usa before then Happy to hunt sf Bay area parts places for you

Ben

Wow, major kudos to you, what a project!

clinton

Thanks for the clarification, seals are the least of the troubles with the old driveshafts then :-)

Andy

JeremyK;66009 wrote
clinton;65942 wroteInteresting build. I am curiously following :-)
The leaking isnt something that can be fixed using different sized seals? And what do you mean by the shafts not grabbing properly?
The leaking probably could be solved using different sized seals, but the proper sized seals aren't made for it. The auto seals ones wouldnt work either. And by not grabbing properly I mean this: The driveshafts went in incredibly easily, like it didn't really feel like they clicked in and engaged like they should. As a result, if you release the clutch too quick or something, you will hear... not a grinding noise, just a clicking noise sort of thing, as basically the differential gear is going right around the driveshaft spline and not actually engaging. I reckon when the V70R manual driveshafts arrive, they'll be a bit thicker.

Good work so far!
I wouldnt drive it at all without the correct matching spline driveshafts... Good chance you would destroy the splines in the trans.

Also did you consult your local dealer to see if they can load on a manual transmission calibration?

Philia_Bear

I think I remember you saying that you already rebuild the angle gear
Did you take the opportunity to check on its health while stuff was apart?

jaykenneally

AshDVS;66025 wroteGreat write-up so far, @JeremyK !
I'd think that if they've gone in quite easily, splines and pitch would have been different - did you count splines on the shaft vs teeth in the box (probably difficult to do now with the box in place) ?

They went in without even a slight bit of resistance, they didn't "click" in like they should. Didn't count the splines. I think they have the same spline count its just not quite as thick as it should be? If that makes sense? When the manual ones arrive I will send comparison photos and measurements (if the difference is obvious enough that I don't need a set of verniers).

Ben;66035 wroteWow, major kudos to you, what a project!

Thank you! Huge project but will be SUPER worth it I reckon!

Andy;66053 wrote
JeremyK;66009 wrote
clinton;65942 wroteInteresting build. I am curiously following :-)
The leaking isnt something that can be fixed using different sized seals? And what do you mean by the shafts not grabbing properly?
The leaking probably could be solved using different sized seals, but the proper sized seals aren't made for it. The auto seals ones wouldnt work either. And by not grabbing properly I mean this: The driveshafts went in incredibly easily, like it didn't really feel like they clicked in and engaged like they should. As a result, if you release the clutch too quick or something, you will hear... not a grinding noise, just a clicking noise sort of thing, as basically the differential gear is going right around the driveshaft spline and not actually engaging. I reckon when the V70R manual driveshafts arrive, they'll be a bit thicker.
Good work so far!
I wouldnt drive it at all without the correct matching spline driveshafts... Good chance you would destroy the splines in the trans.

Also did you consult your local dealer to see if they can load on a manual transmission calibration?

Have only driven it out of the shed it was in, a whole 5 meters. Don't plan on destroying any splines!

No haven't consulted that yet. The car runs fine on the auto calibration so my plan at the moment is to basically leave it, see how it drives for a while and come back. No doubt the dealer would be able to reload the ECM with manual trans software. They can do just about everything else.

Philia_Bear;66061 wroteI think I remember you saying that you already rebuild the angle gear
Did you take the opportunity to check on its health while stuff was apart?

I haven't rebuilt the angle gear yet. Its done 117,000 and has been in for a few roadworthies and checkovers in its time. The all wheel drive is working fine (tested it with all four wheels off the ground, they all turn) and there are no leaks. The thing is pretty clean and the seals look relatively good. I do plan on getting it serviced, oil change and so on, but its not a priority for me right now. No money! The angle gear looks to be fine for now so Im not too stressed. Thanks for the thought though!

Tzantushka

Great work.
Watching with anticipation!

AshDVS

Where are the updates, dammit!

jaykenneally

AshDVS;67357 wroteWhere are the updates, dammit!

Waiting for Volvo to deliver the CORRECT driveshafts this time round.

Auto ones didn't fit. Ordered V70 R manual driveshafts. Got sent something, but they certainly weren't for a V70R. They were front wheel drive driveshafts, and about an inch or two too short on both sides. Sent back and now waiting for the correct ones. Should arrive later this week.

Andy

Are front knuckles and wheel hubs the same part number between your vehicle and the cars that came with the 6 speed gearbox?

jaykenneally

Andy;67366 wroteAre front knuckles and wheel hubs the same part number between your vehicle and the cars that came with the 6 speed gearbox?

Good question. Ive checked the part numbers between the V70XC AW55 and the V70R M66 and the front knuckles and wheel hubs are both the same. The control arms are different but the part numbers are so close (literally 2 digits apart) that I highly doubt that they would be overly different. Probably use a different kind of rubber mount or something, or might have a slightly different setup for the 4C system, but I don't think they are physically/dimensionally any different.

AshDVS

The LCAs will be different due to suspension package differences between R and XC models.
At a guess, I'd think that the XC LCAs would be a little longer actually.

jaykenneally

AshDVS;67384 wroteThe LCAs will be different due to suspension package differences between R and XC models.
At a guess, I'd think that the XC LCAs would be a little longer actually.

Its possible they are a little longer, might explain why my driveshafts were not quite long enough on both sides. But in any case, the driveshafts they gave us weren't for a V70R (because all V70R's are all wheel drive...) so Im not sure. We will wait and see what the new ones look like I guess.

jaykenneally

What a delay! I finally have updates.

So the correct driveshafts finally arrived from Volvo. The part numbers are indeed the correct ones, but they still won't work in the XC70. They are around 5-6 cm too short on both sides. As it turns out, the V70R uses different control arms and front struts than the XC70, thus resulting in different suspension geometry for the two cars.

When I bought the V70R driveshafts, I did so thinking that I wanted the correct driveshaft for the transmission, without realising that I also needed to think about buying the correct ones for the car itself.

Lucky for me, Berry Motor Group has a manual XC70 getting wrecked due to it rolling over. @iceton1975 allowed me to use the driveshafts for this project (at a cost, of course) which is super awesome. Despite being from a 5 speed car, the driveshafts are correct. They are the correct length with the correct number of splines. So finally, we have driveshafts.

As you can see in the photos below, the V70R driveshafts are clearly shorter than the XC70 manual and auto ones. And the manual ones are shaped differently to create a solid seal.

But, the 5 speed ones from an XC70 manual fitted and worked great! They're in now! Radiator is in as well, so tomorrow is fill with fluids and road test I hope.

Ben

Go you good thing!

Ex850R

4 wheel skidz Man!!

Vee_Que

Hm. So can you return the R ones? I'd be annoyed with that amount spent for it to not work...

jaykenneally

Vee_Que;68755 wroteHm. So can you return the R ones? I'd be annoyed with that amount spent for it to not work...

Unfortunately not, Volvo don't do returns. Im stuck with them. I will attempt to sell them and hope someone needs some (they will be expensive, but still a substantial discount from what I paid), otherwise I will keep them and wear the cost. Too good to throw them out. Annoyed is putting it nicely, but look, you live you learn, it was my mistake and Ill wear it. Its not an overly big deal in the whole scheme of things, in the big picture. Im just happy we found shafts that DO work.

In other news, just drove it home. The power steering pump is dead, but the air con still works. Nothing on the steering wheel works (no steering wheel controls, no air bag, not even the horn). "Transmission Service Required" message is on because its looking for an auto that isn't there.

The car feels fairly tight. We did a fair amount of suspension work when we put it back together, and changed the front and rear engine mount pads whilst the subframe was out. I can hear a knock on the left side, so that will get sorted at RWC. But otherwise, I am absolutely so impressed with it.

The M66 just seems to unleash a whole whop of power over the AW55. I was in 6th gear at 60 kph going up a hill in Preston, and it could still speed up, you just never have to change gears in this thing. Its such a smooth transmission as well, the gears just work perfectly. Couldn't recommend it high enough. The All Wheel Drive is working, too. So Im just too happy right now!

Vee_Que

You're over of those people that lug motors too? 6th gear at 60 would be below 1500rpm
. That poor motor! Almost as bad as 20kmh in 3rd that I see people don

jaykenneally

Vee_Que;68861 wroteYou're over of those people that lug motors too? 6th gear at 60 would be below 1500rpm
. That poor motor! Almost as bad as 20kmh in 3rd that I see people don

Haha in all honesty I wouldnt actually drive it like that, i was just keen on seeing how much low down engine power was untapped with the manual. Result? A lot. The auto would always try to shift down, and if you left it in manual mode it would unlock the torque converter. The auto seemed to eat a fair amount of low down power anyway. I actually did another test, going from 40 kph (800rpm!) back up to 60, did it fine. The thing has no problems pulling even at such low revs, chalk and cheese from the auto. Wont actually be driving it like that in the real world, just testing ;)

egads (she/her)

Looks like you should be able to use those R ones with swapping the middle over so at least come CV rebuild time you will be laughing.

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