So further to this thread I decided to take a punt on this because it was so cheap. Went in with eyes open, I can manage a fair bit of DIY so felt ok with the concept.. and I always like the idea of saving a (potentially) good car from the junkyard.



So.. issues!

Engine ticks.
Yes, I probably should've walked away immediately. Suspect one of the following:
  • Lifters, pointing to poor oil servicing
  • Oil pickup blocked up – as above..
  • Early signs of rod bearing failure. Again see point 1 & 2..
  • Or with luck, a bad injector or poor fuel. Hmm.
Doesn't seem to increase in volume level with increased load, and after warming up it dropped off. But either way my gut points to bad oil servicing and the resultant knock ons. Some signs of burnt oil around the valve cover, also a worry. So, could be painful. Bearings seem to be a hell of a price for these? Assume it's a head-off job.

MAF sensor/vacuum issues
Pulled code P0100. Probably needs some lines replacing and MAF cleaning up.

Lumpy idle
Possibly related to above MAF issue, will have to clean throttle body etc.

ABS "clunky" under very hard braking
This one I will need someone experienced to take a look at ASAP. Brakes seem fine under normal load but an emergency stop reveals a very mechanical feeling, lumpy pedal, and a clunking noise.

Info display failed
Not sure if I am suspicious of a dodgy dealer or it's just the poor factory soldering I've now read about. Either way the bottom left screen in the cluster is blank.

Occasional pop when reversing
Probably a CV joint.

Other than the P0100 there were no other stored codes. Everything else is cosmetic, but I suppose the above list is enough. At this point I accept I may have bought a total lemon, although it drives just fine for pottering about. Lacks power due to the vacuum issue I suspect, but came down the M31 @ 110kph without drama.

It'll go in for a once over ASAP this week.

I think it's in good time to save the engine, and the gearbox seems good. AWD engages. Rides well enough (for a boat), and engine mounts look ok, no noise from wheel bearings.

I'll post a vid of the engine later.
Needs work but not a lost cause, the ideal enthusiast car! What did you end up picking it up for?
I am a terrible romantic about fixing neglected cars, I admit.

Paid 3500, probably too much but certainly cheap for an XC90. The fact it was Titanium Grey swayed my head a little.

I've always been a Volvo and Saab guy, have just sold a tuned 1999 9-3 Coupe and our previous family vehicle, a 9-3 2.8 V6 Aero Wagon, which was very nice but too small for kids, prams, and dogs. Hopefully I also sell our excavator today, then I'll have a safe wad to burn on this lost cause ;)
Looking forward to the progress on this one. Big fan of the 2.5T version.

The pcv replacement improved a number of things on mine and very noticable.. idle is smooth, more power and better economy.

Perhaps flush that engine with a flush aid and fill back up with some premium oil to give it the best chance of coming right?

Clunks could be the top front strut mounts even.. i see they are a common one. I have some kind of creak/clunk/pop also and seems to only occur in reverse.

Are you a DIY person?
Lifters...
You can ignore the ticking its just the lifters which is supper common regardless of oil service history, if you want to clean the motor out... drop all of the oil, fill it with ATF-TypeF and drive it for 10min and then Drop the oil again and fill with penrite HPR10

Its only if the car is sub 5 years old and has lifter noise that you worry about servicing history
It will 95% need the PCV done and a few other things (t-belt) ASAP... get on it and get it done and don't worry
FUEL FILTER! as well...

MAF
If you want to bring it round to me I can use a real Volvo DICE unit to pull all codes in the car and help you work out what it is... the MAF is known to fail and is cheap to replace

IDLE
The 5 cylinders are all a tiny bit lumpy... some combo of maf and PCV and other issues can easily cause

ABS
Flush brake fluid and then re-check
Use Bendix dot4 Blue fluid so you can easily tell when the flush is done

INFO display
Does not display anything when you rotate the dial on the turn signal stalk?

CV-Joint
Sure its not the 4wd system? it tends to be clunky like this
if it was a CV... just get into a big car park and turn the wheel full right or full left and floor it and see if it goes ckickity...
if no clicking... its not the CV's

It probably has 100 stored codes... its just not going to divulge them to anything thats not an actual volvo reader
Thanks everyone.

My wife just came back in it and the tick had subsided massively. I'll remain cautiously optimistic it's just the lifters. Bloody loud though?

Also seems to have a very loud fan, is this usual?

The ad said the PCV update was done, but worth double-checking. The owner also called the (indie) mechanic who has been servicing it for the last 100,000km and they said it had the belt done at 188,000. Has also had ball joints, battery and apparently a replacement MAF. I'll contact the shop and ask for all the records and info I can get, even if I have to pay for them.

@Philia_Bear I'd love to take you up on that offer of reading out the codes. Must be same as the Tech2 device you need for Saab's – can change setting with it etc? Also be great for someone with knowledge to just have a prod an a drive, and to leech some knowledge. Will PM you.

The Info dispay is totally dead. RHS panel works – show handbrake on etc and thankfully no other check lights. Might pull the gauges out to check it's not just disconnected. The Log book actually shows "Speedometer Replacement" at 199,658 in April 2016. Wonder why.

I'll sort out the flush etc this week – fortunately I am off the next 2 weeks on paternity leave, so should give me chance to sort this beast out a bit.

Oh – which wrecker would you recommend in Sydney? Amongst other things it could do with 2 front electric seats at some point, they're pretty worn out.

Cheers and thanks again for the warm welcome and good info.
pastry;100790 wroteThanks everyone.
Oh – which wrecker would you recommend in Sydney? Amongst other things it could do with 2 front electric seats at some point, they're pretty worn out.

.
No good ones in Sydney
VIc has like 3 different places
ok, will keep my eyes peeled for a sensibly-priced wrecker.
I wonder if the stalk display selector is faulty and causing the display to be on the blank mode.
bigal;100798 wroteI wonder if the stalk display selector is faulty and causing the display to be on the blank mode.
The second you open a door it should give you a message about drivers door open or some such
Try Mark at Berry Motor Group, they may have bits or know of any donors.
@iceton1975
perhaps not the greatest sound recording, but here we are:



Sounds a bit screechy like a bearing but it does fade off after she warms up – though it takes a while. What do you guys reckon? This makes me wonder about sludge in the oil pickup, so...

Starting Thursday, my plan of attack:
  • Oil drain
  • Oil Pan off
  • give rods/bearings a wiggle to check for play
  • check oil pickup and clean
  • new oil filter
  • reinstall w/pan
  • flush with trans fluid per @Philia_Bear's advice
  • drain, pan off and clean pickup again
  • another new oil filter
  • fill with fresh oil
  • profit?
Might sound like overkill but I'd prefer to give it the best possible chance having dealt with turbo cars with oil pickup issues. If it works needless to say I'll be extremely pleased!

All i need is the various o-rings and sealant + roller etc – do I really need the fancy Volvo stuff? @iceton1975 can you supply these express post, and how much?

Might be the horrid recording... but that does not sound like lifter tick at all
Also.... I'm 51% sure you can't pull the pan with the subframe in place because of how you have to rotate the pan to get it off the oil feed

Getting the sealing surface clean enough to re-seal it with pink slime while the eninge is upgright is also near impossible

You can instead shove an inspection camera up the drain plug and have a look
All good projects start with removing the engine.
Yup, sounds like a bearing, huh? When I test drove it the mechanical screech wasn't there, sounded more like lifters or an injector. But since then it has this more shrill sounds when cold.

I'll have a crawl under and look at clearance. Maybe there's room to jack up the engine to get the clearance for the pan... please..!
pastry;101120 wroteYup, sounds like a bearing, huh? When I test drove it the mechanical screech wasn't there, sounded more like lifters or an injector. But since then it has this more shrill sounds when cold.

I'll have a crawl under and look at clearance. Maybe there's room to jack up the engine to get the clearance for the pan... please..!
Just having a look now and it is doable on an xc90 by unbolting the front motor mount and jacking things up a bit and moving them around
brilliant, I hoped that might be the case. Had a quick look just now myself and couldn't really see where it might foul.

The other good things then is I could probably take the head off and do the bearings with the bottom end in the car.
a better video. If someone else posted this I'd say bearings, 100%.



Note the difference from beginning to end of vid as oil presumably circulates.
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