Hi Guys, My name is Jez Lewis, live in Droitwich and am about to embark on a T5 purchace. Im looking at a 1998 (R) V70 T5 with 130k on the clock at the wekend. What should I be vigilant about (if anything)? Im no stranger to cars, but this will be my first non-aspirated vehicle. Any pointers in the right direction will be appreciated. Cheers, Jez
Hello :welcome: :wave23d: Service History is good...any mods? Usual rules apply. They are all good for lunar mileage if they have a history so be guided by that... Good luck!!
Hi, thanks for replying. As fas as I know, its totally stock, with service history. Looking forward to seeing it.... no doubt I'll be driving it away !! Will keep you posted. Jez
Where are you going to? I am happy to come with and give it the once over. BTW you are only around the corner from T5 central - namely Birmingham*!! and just around the corner from Volvotuning in Bromsgrove. I will happily come and give you a hand if you so desire and point at it a lot. I obviously cannot be 100% on all things and if I miss anything then it aint my fault. *no offence meant to anyone lucky enough not to live here. :welcome: I hope we can help you to find you a good one. There are many threads on this and using the search tool above is no bad thing.
[QUOTE=Wobbly Dave] BTW you are only around the corner from T5 central - namely Birmingham*!! *no offence meant to anyone lucky enough not to live here. [/QUOTE] LMSO!! Can we extend T5 central the the Midlands so as not to miss some of us lucky lot out! x
Welcome to the forum BTW! @ 130k I'd check for obvious signs of wear on the turbo - smoke, lots of lag, and not pulling like a train should give it away. As I have said before service history should be used as a guide and not law that the car has been looked after - I know of many T5's with SH that have been rough as a badgers behind so its not always conclusive that they have been well cared for. Let us know how you get on! x
Hi and welcome. This is something that is asked a lot and there are several threads on it. As Dave says try the search tool. Maybe we should set up a thread specifically for this? Here is my contribution. Make sure the underside of the engine is free from oil. Leaks can prove to be expensive to fix especially the rear crank oil seal which is a box out job with a 6.25 hr labour time. Another source of leaks is the turbo return pipe oil seals and the filler cap seal which hardens with the heat these engines generate. Both these are reasonably easy to fix. If it is an auto check the fluid for level and colour. Should be red and clear and not smell burnt. If not walk away as there could be expensive problems ahead. This must be changed regularly and should have been part of the dealer service schedule. See if the engine is completely cold before starting her up. Blue smoke can occur on start up form cold that is related to valve seals, if it does this when warm might also indicate a turbo related problem. There have been lots of posts on here related to this issue. Ensure that the air conditioning is functioning as it should. If it isn't it could just be it needs re-gassing but there are other more expensive reasons why it may not get as cold as it should. Check the aircon compressor cuts in and stays in. If it short cycles (cuts in and out at short intervals), the gas is low. Could be a condensor (approx £100) as they are prone to holing. Or could be the evaporator. If it is the evaporator it is a full dash out which will cost approx £500 ( Again there are a lot of posts on here and the VOC forum with relation to aircon problems. When I bought mine none of the interior lights worked. I haven't heard of anyone else having this problem but it is worth checking the function of the interior lighting as replacement of the unit is approx £40 in parts. It is an easy DIY job so don't be tempted to let a dealer do it as they will charge a min of 1/2 hour and it takes less than 5 mins. Idle should be approx 900 rpm and be steady. On a standard tune car the boost gauge should get into the white approx 3/4 of the way on full boost. Be advised that most owners won't like you getting to full boost on a test drive :) Cambelt must be changed at 80000 mile intervals so check this has been done. At the same time the serpentine belt should also be changed. The garage that did mine didn't do this and it was only spotted when in at VT last week. If it fails lose water pump, alternator, power steering and aircon. Phew! Look for a service history as is important but as Moppy says not always indicative that the car is a good un. Most on here recommend changing the oil and filter at 3 to 5000 mile intervals dependant on how hard you drive. Other than that look for the usual things that are important when buying any used car. If you get it look forward to seeing you at a meet in the future.
Hi, Thanks for all your input... very knowledgable, you lot !! Im sure I'll be ok, as I said I'm no stranger to buying cars and know my way round the advanced-basics.. My only thought was the turbo, as I've never had a Turbo'd car before. So long as there's no oil leaks or smoke, I should be ok; right? Cant wait to see it ! A for being near T5 central, yes.. its only 15 minutes from here so I might well be familiarising myself with the staff there at some point in the future. Martin, you said about watching the boost guage. I didn't know the V70 T5 had them.. From pictures of instument panels I've seen of V70's, there was no boost guage in the dash. (am I right in thinking that on the 850 T5's, the boost guage was above the fuel/temp guages?) Jez
Yes you are exactly right - only the 850's have the boost gauge (sadly) x
Oops!! Sorry about that. Volvo in their wisdom did delete the boost guage from the V/S 70s. Probably cost cutting.
Well, Ive got it ! 1998 V70 T5 in silver. Engine checks out ok. No smoke, visible oil leaks, engine bay doesn't show signs of being cleaned, so my guess is that its all good under there ! Out of curiosity, how easy is the timing belt to change? Is it best done at a garage or on the driveway? Thanks for everyone's input so far. Im sure im going to asking loads of questions from now on as I explore the workings of this beast! Jez proud owner of his first T5
Congrats on the new purchase - hopefully you might make it next week to the pub (Halesowen) to show it off? Cambelt Interval is supposed to be every 80K. Vt will do the cambelt £100 all in (in Bromsgrove). If you do it yourself then change the tensioner at the same time. Like any job if you have the correct tools then it is not so hard. Check the condition of the serpentine belt and replace as necessary. It has to come off regardless.
YAY :thewave: I look forward to seeing the piccy's! x
:welcome: The timing belt can be changed on the drive way with no problem (i done it about 10 times on the side of the road outside my house) Also change the tensioner, I didnt and It cost me 10 valves!!!