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JaredR's Dad's 1999 V70 NA M56LK

55K views 443 replies 51 participants last post by  JaredR 
#1 · (Edited)
Welcome to the most boring progression thread ever! Looking for lots of HP? Move right along. Looking for lots of crazy mods? This thread is probably not for you. This is a thread to document the life of a working V70 and what you can do with it.

Ok, now that we're past the disclaimer, say hello to my dad's 412 Tropic Green 1999 V70 NA M56H! We got it in September 2010 at 166k. This being our first Volvo and, really, our first decent car after a time of crappy American econoboxes (except a manual Ford Escort estate that we quite liked) that we'd had since making the mistake of retiring our 1988 Mercury Sable estate in 2002, we had no idea what we were buying into.

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Mods:

E-Codes because being able to see is awesome! These are SO SO SO much better than the DOT lights that were in here; I can't recommend this upgrade enough. We are planning on eventually converting our entire fleet to E-Codes.


Bernie sticker because sea level rise.


Herreshoff Museum sticker because boats.


Trailer hitch because boats.


I'm not kidding.


Scratches because, well, probably also because boats, actually.


XC grill! Car was in an accident before we got it that required a new hood, bumper, and driver's fender, so our best guess is that it was replaced with a hood from a XC.


The crappy repaint on this hood is so shot. Please PM me if you have a tropic green hood that you want to get rid of.


This brake caliper is not working right; need to do something about that.


New Michelin Defenders because they're hard to beat for 15" wheels.


Other mods:
Added roof rails because boats.

Put the floor mats out of the wrecked 850R in here because they were already a mess and the mats that were in here didn't really fit.

Has a 850 purge valve in it because we just happened to have it on hand in the wrecked R. We spent about 6 months dealing with some very strange symptoms after accidentally going to a full-serve gas station. The problem turned out to be the purge valve being ruined by the idiot there overfilling it. I don't recommend going to Murley's Sunoco in Weymouth. Go anywhere else and just mix your own 91. Before replacing the purge valve, we replaced the MAF, o2 sensor, and did the ETM repair (it looked like it was most of the way through the carbon, anyway). Unfortunately, this also decreased our fuel economy, which we assume is related to the fact that we no longer get the running lean code. The good part is that the CEL has been out ever since replacing these things, which has set a new record for most consecutive days with no codes since we got the car.

It is currently sitting at 228k miles and is out of service due to a broken exhaust pipe, so the T-5R is filling in for it. Once we get it back in service and we can take the T-5R out of service to get rid of the Bilstein HDs and IPD/TME exhaust in that car, we may take this car back out of service over the summer to address some of its other issues.
 
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#370 ·
Anyone remember how the exhaust broke last fall and then it couldn't get fixed last winter because the fuel filter was leaking? Yeah, 2 months later, finally back on that project.
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Exhaust fixed....sort of....more on that later. Got the safety inspection back up to date, too. Legally back on the road! Lookin shiny, too. Wow, these bumpers look even worse now that the rest of the car looks ok.
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New shift knob. Amazing how many pages the instructions are.
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Old one was destroyed.
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Console trim was also super baked from the sun so I repaired and polished up another one in way better shape. Good thing we invested in sunshades for all the cars so this shouldn't need to be replaced again. All of these seem to delaminate on the starboard edge.
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Much better.
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Walnut steering wheel is also delaminating. Hopefully this works.
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#372 ·
It was a bit messy when I pulled the tape off.
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Anyone ever cleaned a steering wheel with a chisel?
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Came out well enough that nobody will care now that the walnut isn't about to start breaking off.
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I love how much wood is in these interiors....glad to have it all back in shape.
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#374 ·
I used cyanoacrylate. Not sure if it is the best choice but it was the best idea that came to mind.
 
#375 ·
The single piece RNC gasket was still leaking so I pulled that out and threw in the individual gaskets. This did not improve the situation. Not sure what the deal is with this aftermarket header.
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Then I discovered that the exhaust is leaking water at the front of the suitcase, so this whole thing is going to fall apart again soon lol. I feel like a normal consumer getting nickel and dimed by their old car continually trying to band aid it together as cheaply as possible. So annoying. Time to go in an entirely new direction for exhaust.
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#376 ·
Have you considered the 5 piece gasket for RNC’s that replaces the single ones? I’m doing that job on the C30 this summer.
 
#379 ·
Years ago, everyone thought it would be cool to add those nets that a lot of XCs got in the sides of the cargo area. Turns out they weren't that useful and nobody ever used them. I added them to this car back before I knew what I was doing, because I added them with the gross original style carpet that turns pink. There was a revision mid MY99 and, this car being a late 99, obviously has the revised carpets.

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A while back, I found and harvested another pair of the revised carpets. I pressure washed them last night and threw them in this afternoon. Much better.

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#380 ·
Who needs a truck to fix up the new house? Thanks to @dannykraus.152 for providing trailer and being a huge help with this project.

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#382 ·
Oh it's the same problem here. I am moving with my parents. Terrible time to buy but they also have something to sell so it cancels out.

Before covid I was getting close to being able to afford a house but nothing I actually liked. Now I am definitely waiting for the bubble to burst.
 
#383 ·
That would have been the best time to buy, now everything has absolutely exploded. The prices of houses right around me are absolutely insane right now. The house 3 houses up the street from me is for sale right now for just under $500k. It was last sold for around $190k in 2011 (I think).
Part of it is I'm not used to seeing it in my county. We're WAY cheaper than Charlotte. Once you get into Charlotte, the prices go way up for way less, as with most larger cities.
 
#384 ·
273k.

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Oh yeah. 28 mpg towing a trailer for like half of the tank too. And with the cross bars on.
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Thinking about making some changes to this suspension setup. Currently yellow marked springs all around with sport Nivomats and Sachs up front. Even empty, the rear is always riding too low. Perhaps H&R up front? Or maybe sedan H&R all around? I am betting the sedan H&R are stronger than the Nivo springs but maybe still low enough to keep the Nivos from jacking up the car when empty. Maybe I will do some experimenting with that since swapping rear springs is so easy. Regardless I need to swap out those Sachs struts for some Bilstein B4 up front.
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#385 ·
I'd love to make 28 mpg towing 😂
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#388 ·
wtf are you guys doing 🤯 I almost never see tank averages below 24 in any of our cars.
 
#392 ·
I'm averaging +22 in mine with some longer drives lately and pretty close to 18/19 in the other P2s. Since the XC came back from a decent bit of work, mileage is improving quickly. It used to be in the 16 range.
 
#389 ·
What are you doing is the more important question! lol

At this point, I drive the car maybe once or twice a month, so that probably contributes to it. The general driving characteristics of this car just seem to be bad for gas mileage, for example, how much the car lugs to take off from a stop. Especially with the AC on, it's dangerous pulling into traffic. My cousin complains about the same thing with his '99 T5, so I'm assuming that's just how these cars are. It's awful. My '98 never did that, but it was automatic and LPT, plus mechanical throttle.

I can't tell if it keeps getting worse, or I'm just used to my BMWs. Those have all the torque I could need right off the bat.
 
#390 ·
#391 ·
Yes I am using a hilton tune, 800cc injectors, Walbro 255lph pump, AFRs seem to average between 14.5-15.5. Some of this is driving habits im sure, not sure how frequently you guys are romping on it. For instance, yesterday otw to the gym I tried maxing my mpg and I got 22 mpg average on that trip, all city driving. I also am still trying to figure out/learn managing fuel economy as a manual regarding when to shift and when I want a lower gear or higher gear. If im crusing at 45 in 5th gear its like 25-30mpg but I rarely am in that scenario. When driving as casually as possible, how high are you bringing each gear up before shifting?
 
#399 ·
Yeah, I'm running a Hilton tune... revision like 45 of my original stage 1. My car is mostly stock mechanically, save for the do88 IC, Snabb intake pipe, and DW200 fuel pump. Stock rebuilt 19t turbo and freshly cleaned and flow tested green injectors.
I seldom shift under 4k, but like I said, my car seems to make very little power until it's over probably 2.5k. If I shift around 2.5k, it's too soon and it'll lug the next gear. Granted, those figures may not be 100% accurate, because like I said, I don't drive the car much.

I really want to get a better tune once I install the interocooler piping I mentioned in the other thread, but it's a matter of justifying the cost, just for me to still not be thrilled with how the car drives. I could also use better tires, that thing is all over the road when I get on it.
 
#400 ·
Not to thread hijack but for what its worth, I took @V50_M66 and @JaredR advice on shifting earlier, and using lower RPM with a higher load and my mileage did go up. The 2.5hr drive to the VCOA meet and back, and driving all around my town I have been averaging ~21.5 mpg. This morning I'd tracked 225 miles on my tank with 180 DTE, which would be on track with what Jared said of getting 400 miles to a tank

Thanks for the tip guys, made me not cringe nearly as much every time I drive
 
#401 ·
Much better! That's about what I would expect out of these cars.
 
#404 ·
Went to the junkyard for an engine.... which failed miserably to meet expectations so I came home with this super clean tropic tailgate instead 🤣👍

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#406 ·
276k
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this new toy followed me home along the way too
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#407 ·
276k
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this new toy followed me home along the way too
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Nice!
I'm sure you get a lot of confused looks towing that big of a trailer with an old FWD wagon, especially from guys in lifted F250s that use them exclusively for commuting. It's so cool that these cars are so capable for 98% of what anybody would need to do with a car
 
#409 ·
Yeah, I’ve never understood how people daily drive larger trucks. I need a truck, but I want a cheap workhorse that can tow a building if needed. I wouldn’t want to drive it every day.
 
#411 ·
LS430 seats are on par with P2 leather seats. P3 / P1 leather seats are in a league of their own for how plush / comfy they are.
 
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#412 ·
P1 seats are surprisingly great.
 
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#413 ·
Agreed, even the base ones. Usually the sport seats are far more comfortable for me but even base P1 seats have been super comfy
 
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