Just Bought a 2006 XC70

LewiiV

Bought my first Volvo, a 2006 XC70 about a month ago and boy has it been eventful, Here's the full story.....

Typical Young Guy I saved my pennies to buy a mad Turbo charged AWD Beast.....

....Two Months into Owning my Subaru WRX someone has driven into it and written it off. Insurance Paid out and I was on the market again.

While looking around town I stumbled across this XC70 in a local yard. It's Turbo, It's AWD so why not! after many years of mother rambling on about how nice her old 240 Estate and how good volvos are I bit the bullet and bought it!

Car had a few "no oil pressure" messages not long after I purchased the vehicle. The Car yard were really good and after multiple oil flushes they have got it 99% right. Turns out it was a clogged oil strainer. Car yard cleaned all the gunk out of the strainer, a couple of oil flushes and a new filter and it 99% fixed the problem. The problem now only occurs after sustained hard driving, would another oil flush help with this? The yard said they only did two flushes.

Once I've sorted the oil issue out I'm looking at making the car a bit more mine, adding some personality if you'd like.

what are some tasteful mods to make to one of these? Both aesthetic and performance wise?

While I do like the Ground clearance I Really Bought an XC for the AWD, what kind of options are available if any for coilovers or lowered springs?

How should I go about perhaps making some more power? I have learn that the ECU Controls everything on these cars and some decent gains can be made just with a chip or retune. How exactly does this make more power? is it do with the ECU controlling the wastegate? What is a good place to start on the power front

also loving the 5 cylinder scream! also wouldn't mind a little more torque any recommendations for a Turbo Back exhaust system?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Philia_Bear

The bearing surfaces on the engine are exceedingly sensitive to low oil pressure,
The engine is 99% toast if the oil strainer is clean and its still showing a low oil pressure light
The bearings have probably clearanced themselves to the point that it cant maintain oil pressure

Low oil pressure on them is 14 or 7 PSI (depends on year)
Either one is stupidly low as it SHOULD run a minimum of 60psi at idle
and climb to ~90PSI when above 2000rpm

Force the car yard to buy the car back or put a good engine into it

The XC70's are a steaming pile of shit on a good day
I've had 15 pass through my hands in the last 7 years and ALL of them have failed horribly
Which is sad because they are really comfortable and drive really nice otherwise

Find a good one with a dead auto and convert it to the 6 speed AWD manual from the V70R (Volvo M66)
With a rebuilt angle gear and servicing everything (assume about a $10k investment) it will last for a good 10 years and be one of the most fantastic cars you will ever own

OR

Buy a BMW 530d and have
1. A better ride
2. Better handling
3. Far more power
4. Half the fuel use
5. Better resale value
6. Cheaper and simpler maintenance

LewiiV

Philia_Bear;85486 wroteThe bearing surfaces on the engine are exceedingly sensitive to low oil pressure,
The engine is 99% toast if the oil strainer is clean and its still showing a low oil pressure light
The bearings have probably clearanced themselves to the point that it cant maintain oil pressure

Low oil pressure on them is 14 or 7 PSI (depends on year)
Either one is stupidly low as it SHOULD run a minimum of 60psi at idle
and climb to ~90PSI when above 2000rpm

Force the car yard to buy the car back or put a good engine into it

The XC70's are a steaming pile of shit on a good day
I've had 15 pass through my hands in the last 7 years and ALL of them have failed horribly
Which is sad because they are really comfortable and drive really nice otherwise

Find a good one with a dead auto and convert it to the 6 speed AWD manual from the V70R (Volvo M66)
With a rebuilt angle gear and servicing everything (assume about a $10k investment) it will last for a good 10 years and be one of the most fantastic cars you will ever own

OR

Buy a BMW 530d and have
1. A better ride
2. Better handling
3. Far more power
4. Half the fuel use
5. Better resale value
6. Cheaper and simpler maintenance

I'm planning on running it up to my Volvo mechanic in the city at the end of the month, he's been working on my Mothers 240 for a while and is quite knowledgeable with the newer Volvos as well. I'm wondering there's a chance the flush could have dislodged more sludge and it's been caught in the strainer. The mechanic did do multiple tests on the pressure and said it came up okay, however I'll get my specialist to check it again for me and ask him what the pressures are.

Car has good service history with the longest interval between services being 15,000km most intervals are 8-12k. Only done 160,000km is that enough time for the bearings to wear out?

I know the Mechanic replaced the O Rings & filled it up with fully synthetic 5W30 so oil viscosity and the rings have been eliminated

If it's a major issue I'll ask the yard to fix it or move it on, I won't be buying now BMW however I'll be going back to what I know and trust with Subaru

Rob

Apart from your obvious oil pressure issue the number 1 problem with these is the auto transmission. Fortunately you have a later one so that is a positive but it is still a huge risk. Make sure your all software is up to date (Visit a dealer) and ensure the transmission is flushed and the fluid replaced often, regardless of what the dealer, your mechanic, or the manual tells you. This will minimise the chance of auto failure.

They are a fantastic car to drive and a great car to own if you can prevent the transmission failing.

There are of course other items to watch but this is by far the biggest risk.

Rob

it is auto I assume?

LewiiV

Rob;85491 wroteit is auto I assume?

Unfortunately yes, very much missing my clutch pedal.

Thanks for the advice! I'll keep a very close eye on the trans fluid.

Philia_Bear

Go back to the Subaru now (Just avoid the 2.5's... :-) )
I have a Gen 6 2015 Liberty 3.6R (wife's "Appliance" ) and its simply fantastic
I've got a good mate at work with a Gen 4 Liberty Manual 3.0 and he is up to 450,000km on it and it still drives like new (commutes from the blue mountains to Parramatta daily )

LewiiV

Philia_Bear;85493 wroteGo back to the Subaru now (Just avoid the 2.5's... :-) )
I have a Gen 6 2015 Liberty 3.6R (wife's "Appliance" ) and its simply fantastic
I've got a good mate at work with a Gen 4 Liberty Manual 3.0 and he is up to 450,000km on it and it still drives like new (commutes from the blue mountains to Parramatta daily )

I've had plenty of friends with 2.5L Subies. Yes they aren't as hardy as the 2.0L but they had no issues with very high milage.

Anyways the XC is what I have now. I'll get my specialist to have a look at it and go from there!

Philia_Bear

LewiiV;85497 wrote
Philia_Bear;85493 wroteGo back to the Subaru now (Just avoid the 2.5's... :-) )
I have a Gen 6 2015 Liberty 3.6R (wife's "Appliance" ) and its simply fantastic
I've got a good mate at work with a Gen 4 Liberty Manual 3.0 and he is up to 450,000km on it and it still drives like new (commutes from the blue mountains to Parramatta daily )

I've had plenty of friends with 2.5L Subies. Yes they aren't as hardy as the 2.0L but they had no issues with very high milage.

Anyways the XC is what I have now. I'll get my specialist to have a look at it and go from there!

Ive done over 100 hg in my life on the 2.5's and never even seen a 2.0 with a dead hg

Dump the xc now
5w30 is the worst oil possible for it
10w50 penrite hpr 10 is the only thing you should ever consider running in a volvo t5 in australia

Service history on an xc70 means nothing as even volvos scedule is crap for them

kyril

I love your honesty Bear.

I find service intervals on any car these days should be taken with a grain of salt. As inevitably if you read the manual properly the intervals are for optimum driving conditions!!!

My SV6 commode I've just had the auto serviced at 115000 and the dealer service interval is 160000. It was starting to shift poorly between 1st and 2nd and was a bit noisy. I only noticed it as I had driven it regularly becasue the wife had broken her ankle and couldn't drive.

Now it drives better than ever!!

LewiiV

Philia_Bear;85501 wrote
LewiiV;85497 wrote
Philia_Bear;85493 wroteGo back to the Subaru now (Just avoid the 2.5's... :-) )
I have a Gen 6 2015 Liberty 3.6R (wife's "Appliance" ) and its simply fantastic
I've got a good mate at work with a Gen 4 Liberty Manual 3.0 and he is up to 450,000km on it and it still drives like new (commutes from the blue mountains to Parramatta daily )

I've had plenty of friends with 2.5L Subies. Yes they aren't as hardy as the 2.0L but they had no issues with very high milage.

Anyways the XC is what I have now. I'll get my specialist to have a look at it and go from there!
Ive done over 100 hg in my life on the 2.5's and never even seen a 2.0 with a dead hg

Dump the xc now
5w30 is the worst oil possible for it
10w50 penrite hpr 10 is the only thing you should ever consider running in a volvo t5 in australia

Service history on an xc70 means nothing as even volvos scedule is crap for them

Wooah dude settle! Volvo speacialist who works on the damn things for a living day in day out said 5W30. Recommended. You really don't like these XC's now do you?

if you've had so many go wrong maybe it's your using the wrong oil?

all jokes aside, I'll get it checked before I dump it, the car came with a dealer assured warranty so if there's any issues it's their problem. Just going to get it looked over by someone else before I make any decisions

Ex850R

No , Mike is giving you the advice you need.
Your guy is wrong. Sorry , but he is.
The grade oil Mike and Rob are telling you is THE only one you should use.
Otherwise you are killing the motor.
These guys here give good advice from years of knowledge , it's not just thrown out there for shits n giggles........
Look up any thread here on the XC 70 , it's issues and what is needed to run it properly , they all say the same.

Avoid any advice here at your peril.
This is a great forum , it's not like so many others full of idiots.... (I may be one but..)

LewiiV

Ex850R;85506 wroteNo , Mike is giving you the advice you need.
Your guy is wrong. Sorry , but he is.
The grade oil Mike and Rob are telling you is THE only one you should use.
Otherwise you are killing the motor.
These guys here give good advice from years of knowledge , it's not just thrown out there for shits n giggles........
Look up any thread here on the XC 70 , it's issues and what is needed to run it properly , they all say the same.

Avoid any advice here at your peril.
This is a great forum , it's not like so many others full of idiots.... (I may be one but..)

10-4 I'll take your word for it!

240Joe

Re the 2.5l subarus, I had one earlier in the year, took it to the track and it only lasted 6 laps before the engine gave way! I've now got a 2l, haven't taken it out yet but hope it's better than the last, otherwise I'm off them for good.

Ex850R

What happened with Subaru , the old , real old ones , the ugly things back in the day , they ran however , rusted away before the engine ever did.
I nearly had an early wrx , it had been tastefully made into a real weapon but stock look by an older enthusiast , drove it and it was just insane but had no soul for me plus way too cheap n nasty inside.
Now I get poor bastards all the time on local Facebookpage asking for help with blown motors on their daily driven sedans and Forrester , big money to fix. All this is never a factory recal???
I mean , Volvo and its cheese gearboxes , all them should be replaced too no matter how old , crazy ....

Philia_Bear

LewiiV;85504 wrote
Philia_Bear;85501 wrote
LewiiV;85497 wrote
Philia_Bear;85493 wroteGo back to the Subaru now (Just avoid the 2.5's... :-) )
I have a Gen 6 2015 Liberty 3.6R (wife's "Appliance" ) and its simply fantastic
I've got a good mate at work with a Gen 4 Liberty Manual 3.0 and he is up to 450,000km on it and it still drives like new (commutes from the blue mountains to Parramatta daily )

I've had plenty of friends with 2.5L Subies. Yes they aren't as hardy as the 2.0L but they had no issues with very high milage.

Anyways the XC is what I have now. I'll get my specialist to have a look at it and go from there!
Ive done over 100 hg in my life on the 2.5's and never even seen a 2.0 with a dead hg

Dump the xc now
5w30 is the worst oil possible for it
10w50 penrite hpr 10 is the only thing you should ever consider running in a volvo t5 in australia

Service history on an xc70 means nothing as even volvos scedule is crap for them
Wooah dude settle! Volvo speacialist who works on the damn things for a living day in day out said 5W30. Recommended. You really don't like these XC's now do you?

if you've had so many go wrong maybe it's your using the wrong oil?

all jokes aside, I'll get it checked before I dump it, the car came with a dealer assured warranty so if there's any issues it's their problem. Just going to get it looked over by someone else before I make any decisions

Im a volvo master mechanic
Ill put my experience against anyone else in this country any day of the week

lasercowboy

@LewiiV

Which city are you in? The folks on here can provide some good recommendations of mechanics to visit who know these cars inside out (and won't rip you off). The Whiteblock (5 cyl) is very different to the redblock in your mum's 240, so a mechanic who is a whizz with redblocks may not know the complexities of the whiteblock so well, especially when coupled to the troublesome auto and the computer/software issues that come with both.

Mike @Philia_Bear does not mince his words/sugar coat things, but he is always right. He has saved quite a few people's arses on here (including two people who recently bought duff XC90s) so be prepared to accept he will be correct in the end.

That said, if you can find a manual donor car and do the engine/transmission swap (ask @JeremyK - it's not trivial) then you would have a cracking automobile!

Best of luck - i hope you don't get put off Volvo - they are addictive! :)

[PS - your mum has great taste! 240s are boss... but then, I'm biased...]

Philia_Bear

Ex850R;85514 wroteWhat happened with Subaru , the old , real old ones , the ugly things back in the day , they ran however , rusted away before the engine ever did.
I nearly had an early wrx , it had been tastefully made into a real weapon but stock look by an older enthusiast , drove it and it was just insane but had no soul for me plus way too cheap n nasty inside.
Now I get poor bastards all the time on local Facebookpage asking for help with blown motors on their daily driven sedans and Forrester , big money to fix. All this is never a factory recal???
I mean , Volvo and its cheese gearboxes , all them should be replaced too no matter how old , crazy ....

Most of the 5 speed volvo aw boxes lasted 160k and 7 years which is volvos "lifetime" for a car
Volvos official posistion is that cars should be scrapped after 7 years because the safety innovations that happen in that time are significant enough to render the old car obsolete

The 4 speed gm boxes were way worse than the 5 speed boxes anyways so everything is realative

Ex850R

Mmm , if they think they are done for at 7 years they should give you a new one....

UNM

I have an S60 with the same AW55 5 speed auto. Running great and shifting fine at 205,000km.
When I got the car it did flare between 3rd and 4th gear. I replaced the B4 servo cover and no problems since (my servo cover was badly stuffed). If you notice even a slight flare on changes, you should replace this as a first step - cheap and easy. Smoother shifts reduces stress on the transmission and therefore prolongs its life.

Many, many people say these boxes are unreliable, which suggests that if it is working OK, it is best to look after it and be gentle.