I recently joined the forum as I just purchased my first Volvo. Our family had a single car and I wanted to get a car for myself that met the following criteria:
Same or larger than our 2014 Mazda3
AWD for the winter
Manual - I have never driven manual before
Leather seats
Fun to drive
Something I can tinker with (oil change, replace some worn parts) Since we have the second car I am OK if this isn't driveable for a few days
Originally I was looking for something like a Subaru Legacy GT or VW Wagon. I ended up stumbling across what appeared to me as a fairly well maintained V50 T5 AWD.
2010 V50 T5 AWD M66
207K KM
Passion Red (612)
Quartz interrior (I think that is the colour name)
I am not sure about all the options on the car but it does have the following (some may be standard, forgive my ignorance):
Heated Seats
Dual climate control
Auto-dimming mirror
Leather seats
Those funky auto-turning headlights
High-Performance Audio (USB, Aux-in, Sat radio)
Rain Sensor wipers
BLISS, Heated and Auto folding mirrors
It seems to drive nicely, I have had a few more experienced manual drivers try it out for me. I am still learning but can get around fine so far.
Some cosmetic upgrades I have or will purchase shortly:
Rear spoiler (Volvo)
Mud Flaps (Volvo)
License Plate Cover (Volvo)
Rear license plate mount (rusted)
Replace missing rear tow hook cover
Skid plate (engine cover, I purchased a plastic one for now. The car did not come with one which feels very bad especially with the salt here in the winter).
I would like some input as to how I can help maintain this car, preventative maintenance etc.
Timing belt was changed at 195K KM in Nov 2018 according to the sticker.
Oil was lat changed at 203K and looks clean still.
Items I think need replacing:
Engine Air Filter (Done, the old one was very dirty)
Cabin Air Filter (Not looking forward to this after looking at how it is done, should receive it next week).
I think the boost tubing needs to be replaced as the rubber parts are starting to shed rubber when rubbed by hand.
The boost hard pipe is corroded, not sure how cosmetic this is or if it should be replaced as well (do88? with new intercooler)
I think I may replace all the coolant tubes as well to silicone (IPD?)
Spark plugs? Or should I wait until I think something is wrong?
Passenger side motor mount is soft/squishy and needs replacing. I will purchase all 3.
There is some kind of shielding over the steering that is completely rusted out
The car came with "new" brake rotors/pads and tires (Uniroyal...) I took a look at the brake fluid and there is clearly some particles in there so they did not flush the system. I will do a brake flush.
Rear is now fully assembled and put back together. My rear sway bar bolts are toast so I need to find some replacements. Volvo parts wanted $7 each which seems crazy compared to the $2 or $3 bolts for the control arm bolts.
Also replaced my coolant reservoir as mentioned previously I bungled it pretty bad with hose clamps. I have the correct spring clamps now.
Rad, enjoy teh suspension - I can CLEARLY tell the difference between right and left sides on mine going over bumps. I promised the wife i'd wait a few months before going into the other side since it was a 3 week long process to get it back up and running.
Also, I was incorrect, there is a rubber piece for the FWD rear lower control arms. It was just under a different section on the parts site.
My springs are on back order / haven't shipped yet. I am not sure if I should bother putting the stock springs on the koni's or just wait. Either way, I will start with the LCA swap.
Alright so I am mostly done with all the parts replacements.
Past few days I was working on the front. New inner/outer tie rods and LCA. It seems as though the right (passenger) side was in better shape than the left. The driver side LCA bushings were slightly torn and had quite a bit of play. The passenger side seemed ok.
The tie rods I think were actually fine and there was no play in them. I changed them out anyway as I had purchased the parts, and it was part a learning experience for me.
Definitely harder to get correct torque on all the bolts with the tools I had. I used a paint marker to mark all the bolts as I tightened them, and I should be able to tell if they come loose or move.
My old LCA did not actually have the rivet nut installed, so I suspect they may have been changed at least once. Whoever did it just used a bolt and nut to hold the level arm in place. I purchased the rivet nut installer tool as I couldn't get it to flare out correctly with any of the bolts I had around. For now it is zip tied to the arm.
I may try to do the string method of alignment just until I get it to a shop. I will need a new alignment when I install the springs (still not shipped), so depends how much I need to drive I think.
Some tools I purchased for this project, and whether I used them or not:
Ball Joint spreader tool - Amazon, was too big and I couldn't get it seated correctly.. didn't end up using it. Pickle Fork - Didn't end up working well.. Just squished all the grease out of the tie rod/ball joint. I used an impact hammer on the top to get it off (friend lent me). I likely needed to position it a bit better and hit it harder and it would have worked. 21mm Wrench - I didn't actually have one, used for the ball joint to tighten. I had a 21mm socket meant for a wheel (protective sleeve over the socket) to loosen it, but I needed to remove the axle to use it. Paint markers - Really useful to mark the bolts I had tightened.. could have used a permanent marker too maybe. Pass through socket/ratchet set - Was going to use this on the rear shocks, but without the tool to also hold the shock shaft you might as well just move the bump stop down and use vice grips to hold it from spinning. I then used an impact socket on the top nut and it came off no problem Inner Tie Rod Tool (W83027) - Used to remove the inner tie rod as there are no flat spots on the stock one. The aftermarket ones I bought do have a flat spot for a large wrench, but I still used to this tool to tighten it back on.
So in summary, every control arm has been changed, rear shocks installed. Just waiting on springs so I can then install them with the new front struts. Also some paint repair on subframe, still have to do the center portion of the front subframe. I have some Cosmoline rp-342 rust protection arriving next week I will apply.
Question, does anyone know what this bolt circled in red is for?
There has been a very slow drip of what I think is transmission fluid from the torque mount (pic also below). The bottom of the transmission is also "sweaty" but not dripping. It seems the source may be from this bolt, which is a bit rounded off for some reason. The oil is fairly clean, and also it isn't engine oil as I used molygen with the uv dye in it last change, and this stuff doesn't glow under light (and luckily nowhere else does either).
Picture after I cleaned the area to hopefully spot where it starts, although appears to be near where the circled bolt is.
Picture before I cleaned the area. Also the bottom of the transmission is "Sweaty" all the way to the drain plug, but it really doesn't seem to be coming from the drain plug (also new washer + torqued correctly).
Today I decided to install the new front struts, I will see how the ride is without lowering springs.
I used the suicide sticks to compress the factory springs, it went very well. This was the most worrying part, but they worked well.
I had only ordered 6 new bolts for the top strut mount, not realizing that there is also a metal spacer there. I tried to clean the metal spacer, it was fairly rusted. I think I ended up stripping a screw on the right side, it is stuck and won't loosen or tighten. I will take another look tomorrow.
I also put a small hole in my brand new tie rod end... I had to remove it so I could gain access and put the proper rivet nut in for the headlight leveling. I mangled the first one I tried, and didn't realize it.
I am fighting that stripped bolt on the top strut mount.. hopefully I get it fixed today and then alignment time.
Update: got the stuck bolt out and replaced it with one of the other old ones for now. Replaced my rear sway bar bolts. Called this local shop to do the alignment, they claimed to do european cars (VW/Audi,BMW, Volvo etc). Was told they no longer work on Volvos. So I will find another shop, not sure about Frisbee tire or Canadian tire.
Had one other question. I bought new covers for the struts, they seem the same as OEM. I notice that they don't attach to the bottom of the Koni struts, they are loose. Is this ok? On the Sachs struts there was another piece of plastic that increased the diameter of the strut so that the bottom of the cover would seal.
I didn't want to re-use them as they were very dirty and stuck on the old struts.
As I mentioned in a different thread, I re-installed my OEM end links, they were not worn out but I had replaced with IPD HD. They were rubbing and I couldn't figure out why unless it was just their thickness.
I also installed a new boot on the passenger side ball joint that I tore removing it. It sucks because it was brand new. I even got another tool that is thinner to help remove it this time, but the opening is not wide enough. I am going to use a grinder and open it up a bit so it slids into the ball joint correctly.
I will try to find a new rubber one, these ones seem ok but they don't have anything holding them in place.
I had already installed an IPD transmission mount, but had not replaced the rubber bushing on the metal bracket with the 3 screws. Today I installed that. I didn't realize I would need some kind of press to remove the existing bushing. I used a large socket, some wood and a bench vice to press the old one out. The new one installed by hand mostly (squeezed it once in the vice to make sure it was evenly pressed in).
I also received 2 more screws that are torque to yield on the front lower control arms. I miscalculated how many I would need when I first changed them.
Alright, finally dropped the car off for an alignment today.
Also still no word on the eibach springs. I have reached out every 3 weeks but it seems like Eibach is maybe shut down or not responding to the store I ordered from (eurosporttuning). The store has been very responsive everytime I have e-mailed them though.
Yeah, I had the order placed Jul 2nd (well a day or two before).
I am glad that I decided to install new suspension with stock springs, will give me a better idea of the difference when I lower it a bit.
When lowering, my understanding is that I would need to redo the alignment. I also would need to re-torque (loosen, then tighten) the control arm bolts that go through the bushes to match the new height.
Since our car only has front toe adjustment, I assume the alignment with new springs would just be needed on the rear.
Had the alignment done, I didn't really know much before going in... It seems odd the rear toe would be in the red? I mean I have new everything back there.
According to this from the sticky, I am not sure what the difference is between control and adjust values. Seems rear toe should be 0.3 +/- 0.1 or +/- 0.2...
Rear toe is not independently adjustable, it's a compromise with camber. If yours is off after this, you may have to look into making sure the chassis is square, bushings not loose, etc.
Alternatively, you can install adjustable rear camber arms, and add ecentric bolts to tweak the toe. Be sure your alignment guy is ok with all the necessary fiddling first.
I do have adjustable rear camber arms, and I told them when I booked the alignment and asked if they are ok adjusting it if needed.
How is the rear toe adjusted? I thought it was the bolts at the center of the frame holding the control arm in, they are already eccentric with a washer/slotted bolt. All the bolts, hardware and control arms are brand new as well, so this should have been a walk in the park as nothing would be seized or rusted.
Edit:
(Called the shop to have the re-explain what they had already told me) The shop I took it to mentioned they had experienced more tire wear with the volvo spec, and they have worked on other V50s. So they said they try to get it to 0.1 toe-in on each side even though it isn't quite to Vovlo's spec.
The car does drive awesome now, and I finally have much nicer steering response.
The rear end feels good so far, I need to go out for a longer drive to really give more feedback than that. I used setting 6 on the KYB shocks as suggested by MyNameIdeasWereTaken on his video. I haven't played with it, nor the front.
I have the koni fronts adjust to the softest + 1/2 a turn (I read keeping it at full firm, or full soft is not the best). The rears as mentioned are set to 6. I don't have any cargo in my car either.
This is with the stock comfort springs.
Since I changed so many things it will be hard to nail down what really made the most improvement. Everything does just feel more connected and firm. I plan to go up to my parents cottage, ~1500km there and back with some nice hills. That should be a good test, and it is nice I can adjust both shocks/struts without any tools.
About the rear toe alignment in the red, I do believe the shop intentionally set the rears to 0.1 toe in on each side (knowingly out of official spec). Otherwise I don't think they would have tried to make them match so closely (they are both exactly 0.09). It is my first time using this shop, and obviously they could just be making stuff up about having another customer with the same vehicle.. but I will give them the benefit of the doubt unless I hear reason not to.
It has been over a week, drove quite a bit around town and noticed a few things with the new setup.
The rear end feels good, car drives straight etc.
I read a lot of other posts here, and can't quite tell if this is normal but here goes:
When driving slower over bumps (some rough roads here) I notice the steering rock left/right quite a bit, I don't feel the car actually turn (bump steer) It does seem to still go straight (need more testing I guess, also left/right only). I do still feel a bit of the vague steering when driving maybe 40-60km/hour (I can move the wheel a little left or right and not change the direction of the car). The vague steering I assume is maybe just how the car is.
Is the wheel moving left/right over small bumps a normal thing with these koni yellow struts? (I have them set 1/2 a turn from the softest setting).
Finished a trip this past week up to my parent's cottage. About 1800km total going there/back and driving around.
So I think the steering wheel moving over bumps at low speed is not really an issue. I might have only noticed it since I had changed all the suspension components and it is a bit stiffer now, it feels good after putting some km on it. I have a small clunking noise when moving slowly and turning the wheel slightly, comes from the passenger side. Either end links (as I installed my old ones) or maybe I screwed up the strut bearing. I will take a look tomorrow.
Happy to say no issues the whole trip, car was awesome on the many large hills. Rear shocks seemed good even with a lot of junk in the trunk and two dogs, I still have them set to what MNIWT had suggested in his video. Front is still set to 1/2 turn away from the softest setting, I am happy with it.
Right before I left I notice my steering wheel had a vibration at ~100km/hr. Hadn't really driven that fast since the alignment etc. I had the wheels balanced a few hours before we left and it was great. The only vibration was during braking at about 120km/hr down a steep hill (cars in front were braking, otherwise I would have just coasted). I guess rotors may be slightly warped which I hear is common. I don't think it is much of an issue yet, and I know the place I bought the car from likely installed the cheapest pads/rotors they could find.
Borrowed a friend's thule cargo box as well for more space (really wishing for a V70 or something now but prices seem crazy).
I used to feel that butt push back when accelerating hard in 3rd gear, it seems to be wearing off and I and I am just getting more used to it. I think Stage 1 tune might be in order.
The only other minor issue that might be related to the cargo box is that the sat radio kept cutting out.
The car is looking great. Glad to hear it's running nicely. I, and many others on the forum, have had good luck with Zimmerman rotors. Unfortunately they don't have a zinc coated version for the 320mm brake rotors.
We took ours on a trip to Killarney a couple of weeks ago. Wish it was as well sorted as yours!
When I bought the car it was rusting on the fender. The place I bought it from said they would repair it, rather than reduce the price of the car... I knew they were not going to do a great job.
I started with 60 grit and sanded all the bubbling paint to reveal what was underneath... It was not pretty.
This is basically how it looked after 1 year of their repair. I think it was already too rusted to really just sand, fill and paint.. (Sorry I had started sanding before I took the picture).
I saw rock auto has a brand new fender for $190CDN. Shipping to Canada is $450! I think tomorrow I will go to the local u-pull place and see if there is a decent fender without rust all the way through.
I do have a welder and could try to fix this by cutting out the rust, but I think if I can find a cheap one in better shape it will save me a ton of time.
I will check out tomorrow whether or not the ones locally are any good. I would then take them to a body shop to be painted I think and install myself.
If anyone else needs any parts that I could look out for let me know. I will see if there are any haldex modules on the XC90's they have as well.
Yours is a very comprehensive thread and a pleasure to read. I am convinced by you to purchase the blue silicone coolant hoses for my 2005 V50 T5 AWD manual.
However ipd is currently out of stock. These other Viva guys are offering a similar kit for $30 more and a long shipping delay.
Is this the same kit?
Is there a third alternative?
Do you imagine IPD restocks quickly?
Thanks for all your writeups.
Thanks J5T, I went to the junk yard today. Out of the 3 compatible cars they had, one was missing the fenders, one was worse than mine and the third had less rust than mine and in a different spot (more at the bottom near the driver door). I took them and will see if they are repairable. Practice my painting etc.
dave533i, Thanks for the kind words. I have not ordered from IPD in almost a year now I think. I am not sure how fast they get stock back in, I'm sure you could contact them and see. When I received mine it was missing the metal barbs to connect the overflow (long thin hoses) and they never got back to me about shipping me replacements.. I doubt this is a common occurrence though..
The ones from Viva are DO88 and in my view would be just as good if not better than the IPD ones, they make great stuff as far as I have experience (I bought their intercooler). They ship from Sweden I think and when I ordered from them at the beginning of this pandemic it arrived via DHL fairly quickly (but had to pay tax etc on import). They do seem to have the hoses in stock on their website, https://www.do88.se/en/artiklar/hose-kits/volvo/s40_v50_c70-04-/index.html so I would guess Viva just doesn't have any in stock and would be ordering from them directly and then shipping to you hence the delay.
I don't know if there is a third alternative for these parts, the other place I have ordered from is FCPEuro, but they don't seem to have silicone hoses for our car.
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