2005 Volvo XC90 V8 - New Purchase & Repairs

[addyguy]

Impressive work, well done!!

 

[Devo242]

Please excuse the delay in reply and thanks to everyone who has commented with positive feedback. I ended up sick right after I posted the last update with whatever is going around and that put me out of action for a few weeks but back to normal now. Starting a new job here shortly so progress may be slow until things warm up a bit more in the region and I get my legs under me in the new position with travels planned and such. I will update with more photos as I have more work to report on.

Since the last update the car has gotten:

• A set of Michelin Cross Climate SUV tires, just in time for the dump of snow we've gotten in the past week. The tires and AWD system have left me very impressed as far as snow performance. I have used a few sets of snow tires over the years so I scoffed a bit at the 3-peaks symbol on all season tires being able to hold their own but these have proven me wrong. A quick test of pulling the car out of about 10 inches of snow on an uphill climb and it clawed its way right up with little hesitation.
• 8 new Genuine Volvo spark plugs replaced what could have been the original Denso units. Lot of oil on the threads of the old plugs, seems these motors are furnaces which blast the gaskets into a brittle state, besides being 20+ years old. I will order a kit and make changing them out a summer project as it seems to be a day long job. The engine runs noticeably smoother with the new plugs.
  
• Speaking of cooking the gaskets, it also got a new oil dipstick as the pull ring on the original unit had broken off, presumably from heat cycling. Level is holding steady from the change I performed with Castrol Edge Euro 5w40 and a quart of HPL Engine Cleaner 30WT. I'll run this to 3000 miles before changing.
• Got PA safety and emissions inspection done and passed with flying colors.

Up next is:

• I have an FCP Euro box on the "to-do" shelf with an assortment of Genuine Volvo and Red Line fluids to flush the trans, front bevel gear, rear diff, and Haldex units.
• Hengst fuel filter ready to go on, I tried to replace what was presumably the original filter under the passenger rear side of the car but the 10mm head on the bracket holding it stripped when attempting to ratchet it off by hand. I have an Astro bolt removal kit which I have a lot of success using which I will use here to drill the old bolt out. The passenger side running board needs to be removed to access this properly, then I have a new bolt ready to go as well.

Think the transmissions were the issue in those early years?

You may be referring to the GM 4T65 4 speed which I believe was exclusive to the T6 AWD models, don't think that one had the best rep. The V8 got the Aisin TF-80SC 6 speed which has a decent rep as far as I can tell. The vehicle I purchased does not have a tow hitch equipped so I deemed that a plus for the transmission having lived an easier life so far. If you reference my signature you'll notice I'm not an auto trans aficionado so someone may wish to correct me.

What steamer do you use? I've been thinking about picking one up.

I own a Dupray Hill Inox Injection unit I purchased in 2011 when I was performing a lot of detailing work. It's a fantastic unit for commercial work and has been bulletproof for me but absolutely not worth the price for hobbyist use. I would still recommend the Dupray line though as I believe they have some reasonably priced models designed for occasional use.