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Just bought a 2001 V70 for $400

8K views 106 replies 20 participants last post by  nsjames 
#1 ·
So I just bought a 2001 V70 base model for $400. I was surprised at the condition of the car and for four Benjis I kinda couldn't pass it up. Pretty sure the guy I bought it from was a tweeker cuz it had a hand grenade shaped air freshener and a Nickelback CD still in it.
Anywho, No body damage except for some typical parking lot scratches and never been wrecked. The interior is okay with typical wear and tear except for the cargo area. It's missing the interior trim around the tailgate but that's not a huge deal.The sunroof is stuck partway open and the rearview looks like a lava lamp filled with poo. Otherwise everything else works tho. Power seats, AC, heat, dome lights, wipers all work. So I'll call that a win.

Mechanically it needs a few things- radiator, struts/shocks, and brakes. Oh, and of course an ETM.

So I think I'm gonna chronicle my shoestring budget build here.

First thing is to get a new radiator. Second is going to be and ETM.

But I really need to get the craptastic plasti-dip spray job off the wheels.
 
#78 ·
Welp.
Changed the plugs. Used Bosch Dbl plat. The old plugs were Autolite platinum. At least they were platinum plugs.


All 5 looked the same.

And of course the coil boot on cyl2 was boogered. Just gonna pick up a whole coil pack cuz it includes the boot.

And the windshield washer pump on my Jeep is shot. Luckily I've done this before. it'll take me longer to get to the store than to actually change it out.
 
#84 ·
Welp.
Changed the plugs. Used Bosch Dbl plat. The old plugs were Autolite platinum. At least they were platinum plugs.

All 5 looked the same.

And of course the coil boot on cyl2 was boogered. Just gonna pick up a whole coil pack cuz it includes the boot.

And the windshield washer pump on my Jeep is shot. Luckily I've done this before. it'll take me longer to get to the store than to actually change it out.
so terrible.
and nice photobucket username.
 
#80 ·
Uber!
And of course I moved the wagon into pretty much the exact middle of my driveway so I'd have room to wrench. And now that it's immobile...

oh well. Looks like I'm off to Autozone AGAIN
 
#82 ·
I have never used it.
I'd assumed the middle of the dw meant the other car couldn't get out.
Progress? Does it rev normally now?
 
#85 ·
Status Update

108 octane booster and 5 gal 93 dumped in the tank. New plugs, #2 coil. Still starts up just fine, and idles fine. Throttle response is a little better and I can get it to rev to 3k now. and it would sit at 3k then vroom up to about 6k. So I figure the "tune up" had an effect. Granted I only ran it for about 5mins. Gonna start it up today and let it run for a good while to try to get everything circulated.

Next option is new fuel filter and MAF sensor. I can with certainty say the fuel filter has never been replaced.
I think cleaning the MAF sensor helped, but with a bit over 200k on the clock, it just needs to be replaced as well.

Bought some Plastidip to touch up the grille, and also sprayed a section of bumper molding just to see how it looks.

Still gotta get some trim rivets for the top of the bumper and slap on the lower air dam.
Might swing by the local indie shop on my lunch break, get some info, and maybe ride it dirty down there some time before dawn next week just to get it plugged in and get some definitive answers.

And I keep forgetting to get a few of those funky festoon style dome light bulbs.
So once all that's done I can move on to suspension/brakes/tires.
Still need to find another 15" wheel, either a steelie or similar to what are on the car to use as a full size spare.


And the windshield washer pump was $17 from Autozone. So now I can see thru the Jeep windshield again.
 
#86 ·
Here are my thoughts as a fellow 2001 XC owner. Sorry if I missed some posts, I only skimmed through.

1) ETM: There is no way in hell you are going to avoid replacing this. The issue is not that they get gunked up. The issue is that the throttle position sensor uses a resistive wiper to sense position, and this wears out over time. Even if you buy a new one, it will fail in the exact same way. To me, the ONLY thing to do here is replace it with the Xemodex rebuild that uses a magnetic TP sensor. This is what is causing your throttle issues. You're just throwing darts at it with the MAF stuff.

2) While you have the intake off to replace the ETM, also do the PVC system, as it is mounted on the bottom of the block below the ETM and is impossible to get to without removing the intake and ETM. The PVC system eventually clogs (and with 200K, yours is clogged) and it ends up filling the plug wells with oil, among other things.

3) The engine should not exceed 4k while in park. At least, mine appears to have a rev limiter in park.

4) 87 octane (US) fuel is FINE for the 2.4 Turbo. The manual calls for 87 AKI, which is what is printed on US gas pumps (the average of RON and MON). In areas where RON is printed on pumps (Europe), the minimum is 91.

5) Congrats on your purchase! I love my V70 X/C and though it may now have died, I will certainly look for another one.
 
#87 ·
2) While you have the intake off to replace the ETM, also do the PVC system, as it is mounted on the bottom of the block below the ETM and is impossible to get to without removing the intake and ETM. The PVC system eventually clogs (and with 200K, yours is clogged) and it ends up filling the plug wells with oil, among other things.
Impossible you say [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?p=3715321
 
#89 ·
Status Update:

Project LongRüf is on a bit of a hiatus as now that spring is here in FL. Yardwork is probably my least favorite thing to do, and when the weather gets warm around here EVERYTHING grows at a significant fraction of the speed of light. All that brush you cleared and pruned back in Feb? LOL. Didn't I just mow my lawn 3 days ago? LOL.

BUT- somehow the sunroof started working again. I started the wagon up a few days ago to let it run and get the juices flowing, rolled down the windows to let that horrible air-freshener smell dissipate, and just pushed the sunroof button on a whim. HOLY CRAP! I about peed myself when it started moving. Then it made a bad noise and wouldn't move. And of course it was open more than where it was.
Then yesterday, I started it up to move it and hit the sunroof button again. HOLY CRAP! This time I had enough presence of mind to get it closed.

Remember when your parents told you not to do something and you wanted to do that more than anything? Yeah. That's me wanting to play with the sunroof.

But for right now it's closed, and I'm super stoked.

The wagon is starting to remind me of my old 78 Buick I owned in HS. It had what my GF at the time called "character". Lots of "Will this part work today?" type stuff going on. At least it's nowhere near the "character" my other cars had.

MG, Fiat X/19, Alfa Spider, and BMW 2002. Good lord those cars were characterful. I almost forgot the 75 Caprice that was basically held together by the paint and my sheer willpower. God I loved those cars.

please don't show me cool/neato oddball Italian coupes for sale. They're basically Kryptonite to me.
 
#92 ·
Good read, LC. Got a good laugh.


Status Update:

Project LongRüf is on a bit of a hiatus as now that spring is here in FL. Yardwork is probably my least favorite thing to do, and when the weather gets warm around here EVERYTHING grows at a significant fraction of the speed of light. All that brush you cleared and pruned back in Feb? LOL. Didn't I just mow my lawn 3 days ago? LOL.

BUT- somehow the sunroof started working again. I started the wagon up a few days ago to let it run and get the juices flowing, rolled down the windows to let that horrible air-freshener smell dissipate, and just pushed the sunroof button on a whim. HOLY CRAP! I about peed myself when it started moving. Then it made a bad noise and wouldn't move. And of course it was open more than where it was.
Then yesterday, I started it up to move it and hit the sunroof button again. HOLY CRAP! This time I had enough presence of mind to get it closed.

Remember when your parents told you not to do something and you wanted to do that more than anything? Yeah. That's me wanting to play with the sunroof.

But for right now it's closed, and I'm super stoked.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#94 ·
Jalopnik is good for this stuff. I enjoyed their bit about Spitfires too http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/heres-what-its-actually-like-to-buy-and-own-a-triumph-s-1794326920 Though being British none of that surprised me. I lived through the dark days :( But none of that would worry me about a Triumph because as they point out, the cars are so basic. Unlike the Italians they never thought "Hey, let's do this in a completely different way to every car manufacturer on the planet."
 
#95 ·
Project LongRüf update:

So, I haven't messed with the wagon in a couple of weeks and decided yesterday to start it up and let it run.

Welp, I hit the unlock button on the remote- nothing
tried to unlock it with the key- nothing.

At this point I'm freaking out a little bit cuz the battery's dead, I can't get into the car to pop the hood or tailgate to access any power points for jump starting.
Tried the tailgate- Oh, it wasn't latched all the way. At least I figured out why the battery is ALL THE WAY dead.
Now I gotta get some jumper cables.

But SRSLY- what happens if the battery dies and the car is locked up?
 
#96 ·
I have read on a Brit site that you have to remove the front bumper to have access to open the hood then you can connect a charger at the front of the car at the jumper points.
 
#98 ·
OKAY!

Project LongRüf has a hard deadline!

Got invited to the North American Cycle Courier Championships this year. Hundreds of the nation's best bike messengers all converging on Milwaukee for a weekend of racing, partying and shenanigans. And since I'm a complete sucker for road trips and absurdity, I think I'm gonna go.
3000(ish) mile round trip.
So.
Time to poop or get off the pot with Project LongRüf.
The plan is:
Drive from FL to either Columbia SC or Charlotte NC, do a group ride with some friends and spend the night. Then drive to Cleveland and hook up with a close friend, spend the night, and then load up his cargo bike and whatever else he's bringing and drive to Milwaukee. Then 3 days of bike fun.
Then do it all in reverse.

This means I have an accelerated schedule of maintenance/repair to do so I better get my act together

ETM- going to go with an XemodeX ETM. plug n play and a lifetime warranty
Brakes- they seem ok, but I need to pull the wheels and check. Hopefully When I put some calipers on the rotors they'll be in spec. Brake pads are cheap and easy to do.
Struts- Suspension is actually in good shape except for the shotgun side front strut. The strut itself is ok, but the bushing(?) and some other small mount parts should be replaced. Gonna do both sides just to be safe
Tires- Luckily I have the tiny 195/65/15s on this. Local tire shops have these for around $50 installed. Gonna do 2 (for the front) and take the best other two and put em on the rear.
Then it's just a matter of typical preventative stuff.
Gonna change the oil and filter, flush the cooling system again, new air filter and wipers all around.
What could possibly go wrong?
 
#101 ·
What could possibly go wrong?
We expect regular updates.

AND I need a new stereo. The OE one works, but I'm not bringing a bunch of CDs and what the hell is a cassette?

Found a nice double din touchscreen unit with Apple Carplay with most importantly 2 USB ports So I can hook up my phone and iPod.
That's not gonna be super expensive, but still a chunk of cash.
Apple users and their fancy pants gadgetry. Project Longrüff cries out for cassettes. Or one of these at the most.
 
#100 ·
AND I need a new stereo. The OE one works, but I'm not bringing a bunch of CDs and what the hell is a cassette?

Found a nice double din touchscreen unit with Apple Carplay with most importantly 2 USB ports So I can hook up my phone and iPod.
That's not gonna be super expensive, but still a chunk of cash.
 
#106 ·
if you want to keep the steering wheel controls functioning.

swrvl 54 I think is the part number.

edit:
and I've got the double din plastic sitting in the basement. I'll make you a deal.
Local mobile audio shop has all the goodies, but thanks. Yeah they showed me the little plug in part to keep the steering wheel controls. Seems like overkill to me, but screw it, why the hell not
 
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