"useful Life" For '99-01 Volvo Throttle Body?

[Guest Guest_Edmonds17_*]

I would like to pose a preventative maintenance question to Bay 13 and the other good people on this board.

What is the "useful life"/replacement cyle for a '99-01 Volvo V70XC throttle body?

We all know that we have to replace timing belts at a pre-determined mileage, usually about 60,000-80,000 mi.. We do this so the timing belt doesn't break and we don't run the risk of serious engine damage.

How many miles should we drive a '99-01 Volvo V70 XC before the throttle body needs to be replaced? Our Volvo already broke down at 52,000 mi. due to the throttle body. This leads me to conclude that 52,000 mi. is beyond the "useful life" of this part. When I limped into a dealer, they put the same part. I'm pretty certain it will fail again. I'd like to avoid that, if possible.

Nothing in our Volvo Owner's Manual even mentions the throttle body.

Volvo has given owners no guidance except to say it is a maintenance problem. I asked the Service Rep. at the dealership where I bought our car. He wasn't helpful. He shrugged his shoulders and told me twice: "It's the computer, they fail." He didn't give me a mileage figure at which I should spend the $1,000. to replace the throttle body.

Can anyone advise at what point the '99-01 Volvo throttle body should be replaced so as to insure, like a timing belt, that the engine doesn't die? , i.e. every 45,000 mi?, 40,000 mi.?, less?

Thank you, in advance, for your response.

Edmonds17

[WhiteT5]

52k is the lowest number I've heard. It depends on the type of driving you do and how much throttle modulation there is. There is a sticky at the top of this section of the forum that gives more info than you could ever want on the ETM.

[bocavolvo]

From what ive seen it seems to be about 50,000-60,000 miles. Although mine made it to about 90,000 miles

[StickThatClutch]

75k exactly when my ETS came on. I think this really will depend on your conditions. If you live somewhere with lots of debris I would think it would last a shorter time. If you live somewhere relatively clean you will get more mileage.

[gdizzle]

I would like to pose a preventative maintenance question to Bay 13 and the other good people on this board.

What is the "useful life"/replacement cyle for a '99-01 Volvo V70XC throttle body? 

We all know that we have to replace timing belts at a pre-determined mileage, usually about 60,000-80,000 mi..  We do this so the timing belt doesn't break and we don't run the risk of serious engine damage. 

How many miles should we drive a '99-01 Volvo V70 XC before the throttle body needs to be replaced?  Our Volvo already broke down at 52,000 mi. due to the throttle body.  This leads me to conclude that 52,000 mi. is beyond the "useful life" of this part.  When I limped into a dealer, they put  the same part.  I'm pretty certain it will fail again.  I'd like to avoid that, if possible. 

Nothing in our Volvo Owner's Manual even mentions the throttle body.

Volvo has given owners no guidance except to say it is a maintenance problem.  I asked the Service Rep. at the dealership where I bought our car.  He wasn't helpful.  He shrugged his shoulders and told me twice:  "It's the computer, they fail."  He didn't give me a mileage figure at which I should spend the $1,000. to replace the throttle body.

Can anyone advise at what point the '99-01 Volvo throttle body should be replaced so as to insure, like a timing belt, that the engine doesn't die? , i.e. every 45,000 mi?, 40,000 mi.?,  less?

Thank you, in advance, for your response.

                                      Edmonds17

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There really isn't any way to tell. The throttle bodies can last for 120k or just 50k miles like mine.... Also, why would you want to replace it if it's not broken. I don't consider this a "preventative" maintenance item. It's like a wheel bearing, air pump, starter etc... You don't replace the starter every 100k miles do you?! Nothing on the motor is going to be damaged by the failure of the ETM like it would if the timing belt broke.

[Che'_Moderator]

There really isn't any way to tell.  The throttle bodies can last for 120k or just 50k miles like mine....  Also, why would you want to replace it if it's not broken.  I don't consider this a "preventative" maintenance item.  It's like a wheel bearing, air pump, starter etc...  You don't replace the starter every 100k miles do you?!  Nothing on the motor is going to be damaged by the failure of the ETM like it would if the timing belt broke.

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<Sarcasm>Replace it once a year and you will probably never have a problem.</Sarcasm>

[gdizzle]

Replace it once a year and you will probably never have a problem.

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<Sarcasm>this is true, my vote is for bimonthly.</Sarcasm><Sarcasm> </Sarcasm>

[Bay13]

Ok some thoughts about the life of the ETM. These thoughts are from me, and are just my opinions. I have been working at a Volvo Dealership since 1997. I was in the bays working when the first ETM car rolled into the dealer. (the S80) No thought was given to the ETM, some causual coments about drive by wire, etc, but for the most part no one really knew what was coming down the pike. As you know later the module was fitted to every car from 1999 to present(except the S/V40 series), with a change in supplier in 2002.

1999 was also the year that Volvo jumped to the 7500 mile service interval. Volvo has what I call a dirty intake/PCV system, by that I mean that the crank case gases can come into contact with the throttle plate. Not changing the oil as often makes this even worse. I personally paid for out of my pocket for 7 oil samples on a S80 T6. The customer brought the car in every 1000 miles for me to sample the oil and send it off for analysis. I used Black Stone Labs. Long story short the 4K sample showed that contaminants began to double, and this continued all the way to the 7K sample. This showed me that at 3K the oil should be changed. Now I've worked with PHDs for seven years and I know that one car isn't exactly a huge data point but it made my point and it has proven to be the case as I look at the extreamly dirty oil coming out of the thousands of cars I've changed oil on. Look at your own car. Pull the oil cap off and look at the varnish, if I have serviced your car the cap will be clean, cause I clean them off, but most oil caps have a crusty oil varnish on them. If you don't have the splash vent under the cap look at the top of the head, it's all brown with varnish. I've mentioned all of this to say that, you should change your oil every 3K to keep the crank case fumes as clean as you can, within reason.

There is no maintenance mentioned in the owners manual or on the Vadis Cart, that breaks down what should be done for the life of the car. Lots of things are not mentioned, and quite frankly it's because they want to sell cars. The more they can get the anual maintenance cost down the more they can say "our car only takes X amount of money from your pocket". All the manufactures are doing this. It's not going to change. Some things can be proven to actually last longer, like the spark plugs, not because the plugs have jumped to some new super plug, but because the ignition system is very high tech and the plugs will last. Your air filter however still gets just as dirty as it use to, so the 37.5K interval instead of the 30K, is again a game. The 7500 mile oil change is not good if you want to keep your car longer than what a company lease might pay for. If this is your car, and you want to keep it, change the oil.(especially if you live in a Metro type area)

I don't know how long the ETM will last, if....... you change your oil every 3K, and clean the ETM every 20K. but thats exactly what I'd do if I had a newer Volvo. Keeping the throttle plate clean means the computer isn't going to be "Fine tuning" the throttle plate as much, so the throttle position sensors should last longer. I will be posting a Bay13 maintenance post on cleaning of the ETM, this will help the DIYs. If you don't want to tackle the job, have it done where you have your car serviced.

Long post but it's a long subject.

[StickThatClutch]

Wow. Great post Rich.

[MrWinkey]

This should be linked with the seafoam thread ......I'm doing a tranny on a 99 C70 with 49k on the clock older lady owns it no abuse alwas serviced but it went south? got no explanation for it?.....remember they are only cars and cars are designed, built and repaired by human beings? So I guess there is a little room for error ey' ...well written Rich ;)

[Bay13]

I'm doing a tranny on a 99 C70 with 49k on the clock

Thats a whole new topic. Just to keep it short, the Volvo transmissions should be flushed about every 20K or when the fluid turns brown. (yes I paid for the oil samples to prove that as well) Flushing a trans will not fix a broken trans, but keeping the fluid clean and not oxidized will prolong the life of the transmission.

[Guest Guest_Edmonds17_*]

Thank you Bay 13 for your reply. You have a well deserved reputation for having technical knowledge about Volvos. I was not aware that crankcase fumes were being vented through the throttle body mechanism.

The response of "gdogg16" of replacing the throttle body "bimonthly" was bizarre. Throttle body units cost $1,000. each. No one could afford to drive a Volvo if they followed moderator Gdogg16's advice. Even the response from "Volvospeed Admin." (member #1) was scarry. Even $1,000. annually, as suggested by Volvospeed Admin., is bad.

Unfortunately, people who live in the West need reliable and serviceable cars. We can't rely on nearby dealers to repair an unreliable car. Our weather and our distances are just too great. We are often 200-300 miles from a Volvo dealer. If our Volvo breaks down unexpectely in Yakima, WA (a town of 80,000 people) in Winter then we have to "limp-in" or be towed through a mountain pass with 6' of snow to get to the nearest dealer. Not a fun thought. Summer temperatures often exeed 120 degrees in many areas of the West where we travel. A dead engine is dangerous under such conditions.

I will, per your post, abandon Volvo's recommended 7,500 oil change interval and go back to the more common 3,000 mile interval. (I've always been uncomfortable with the 7,500 recommendation anyway.) I'll also have a cleaning done at about 20,000 mi. from installation of the throttle body.

I will probably also go to a 40,000-45,000 mi. interval for totally replacing the throttle body. This should give us some assurrance (without breaking the bank) that we won't have the car die on us due to the throttle body.

It is truly unfortunate that Volvo approved the '99 and later cars for production without adequate design and testing. It may not be illegal to sell a bad car, but it sure won't help repeat business! Our 2000 V70XC is our 3rd Volvo. It will be our last.

Again, thank you for your post and the good information.

Edmonds17

[Che'_Moderator]

Thank you Bay 13 for your reply.  You have a well deserved reputation for having technical knowledge about Volvos.  I was not aware that crankcase fumes were being vented through the throttle body mechanism.   

The response of "gdogg16" of replacing the throttle body "bimonthly" was bizarre.  Throttle body units cost $1,000. each.  No one could afford to drive a Volvo if they followed moderator Gdogg16's advice.  Even the response from "Volvospeed Admin." (member #1) was scarry.  Even $1,000. annually, as suggested by Volvospeed Admin., is bad.

Unfortunately, people who live in the West need reliable and serviceable cars.  We can't rely on nearby dealers to repair an unreliable car.  Our weather and our  distances are just too great.  We are often 200-300 miles from a Volvo dealer.  If our Volvo breaks down unexpectely in Yakima, WA (a town of 80,000 people) in Winter then we have to "limp-in" or be towed through a mountain pass with 6' of snow to get to the nearest dealer.  Not a fun thought.  Summer temperatures often exeed 120 degrees in many areas of the West where we travel.  A dead engine is dangerous under such conditions. 

I will, per your post, abandon Volvo's recommended 7,500 oil change interval and go back to the more common 3,000 mile interval.  (I've always been uncomfortable with the 7,500 recommendation anyway.)  I'll also have a cleaning done at about 20,000 mi. from installation of the throttle body.

I will probably also go to a 40,000-45,000 mi. interval for totally replacing the throttle body.  This should give us some assurrance (without breaking the bank) that we won't have the car die on us due to the throttle body. 

It is truly unfortunate that Volvo approved the '99 and later cars for production without adequate design and testing.  It may not be illegal to sell a bad car, but it sure won't help repeat business!  Our 2000 V70XC is our 3rd Volvo.  It will be our last.

Again, thank you for your post and the good information.

                                    Edmonds17

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I guess we left out the <Sarcasm> </Sarcasm> tags. The best real advice I have for people who ask me about the ETC is you want a Volvo on warranty. BMW and Benz have the same issues. I just got out of a bad my02 540 last year. There is something to say for carbs and throttle cables. Sorry to hear of your bad luck.

[gdizzle]

I guess we left out the <Sarcasm> </Sarcasm> tags. 

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Fixed it!<Sarcasm> </Sarcasm>

[MrWinkey]

Thats a whole new topic.  Just to keep it short, the Volvo transmissions should be flushed about every 20K or when the fluid turns brown.  (yes I paid for the oil samples to prove that as well)  Flushing a trans will not fix a broken trans, but keeping the fluid clean and not oxidized will prolong the life of the transmission.

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Did you read that it was always serviced?...I had just serviced it at 30k...I wasn't trying to start a new topic just making a comparison on failure ;)