tuner4life Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Hi everyone. I have been posting over on volvoforums and am slowly discovering that the c70 section is about a ghost town, nobody replies to questions, nobody has an opinion, etc... I have been trolling around here and really like the way the forum is set up and organized. Seems to be lots of helpful and nice people around here. Can wait to get to know everyone. Anyways, in this thread (Which I copied over from volvoforums and edited accordingly) I will document the progression of, what is actually my wife's, 1998 C70 Coupe. I will link to any useful threads I start or find useful during the progression as a resource later on. So... Well it looks like it's going to be a fairly substantial project car, so I am going to keep a record (with pics) of what gets done. We originally purchased this car, a 1998 Volvo C70 HT Coupe, for my wife. She looked at tons of cars and kept coming down to the C70, but she had to have an orange one. Somehow we got lucky and one popped up just a few hours away the same day she sold her old car. It looked to be in pretty good condition, and just needed a PCV system and maybe a wheel bearing. I quickly fixed these issues and in the few months we have had the car, we have also had to fix a c/v axle (snapped under very minor torque), drivers side window motor quit, drivers seat quit (Just need to reattach some little spring that came loose, and the car developed a significant oil leak which I and a few other mechanics believe to be coming from in between the block and head, (mind you, the underside was bone dry when we picked it up. Anyways, despite all these issues she still loves the car and so do I (and this coming from a saab/toyota fanboy). I will be pulling it off the road in the next month or so and doing the head gasket, all upper gaskets, timing belt, water pump/t-stat, and most likely pulling and resealing the oil pan. This car was supposed to be a daily driver for my wife, but it i becoming a fairly extensive project, so I will be posting updates in this thread. But first, pics of the car right after picking it up... Alright, I fixed the oil leak. Turns out the hose from the block to the flame trap has a rip in it. I also replaced several vacuum hoses and repaired a bunch of minor boost leaks. Now it runs great! The only problem I an still having is alot of tapping noise from the valvetrain. I tried the ATF trick and it didnt make a difference. So I am assuming I will have to drop the oil pan and change the o-rings. Ok, I got the oil pan job done. It was a pain, buit I feel confident enough to do it again if I had to. I also found alot of other problems though.... The air pump is bad and I did some research and found that the cause is most likely a bad valve where the air blows into the exhaust. Anyways that whole system is bad. I was confused though because there were no idiot lights on in the dash. I pluged the obd2 scanner into the car and found a 02 sensor code (bank1 sensor1) and a rich condition code. I am assuming that they are probably caused by the bad air pump. Anyways, I figured that the cel was burnt out so I pulled out the cluster and discovered that the CEL, ABS, TRACS OFF, and SERVICE lights were all MISSING!?!?!?. Yup, somebody removed all the lights. I replaced the bulbs and now guess what, they are all on. From what I have read, the ABS/TRACS light is most likely caused by a bad ABS module. I called IPD and asked if they could make a tune that ignores the SAS system so I could just block it off. But turns out it is a federal offence to delete a worthless emission system even if I live in an area that doesn't do emissions testing. So I am going to have to fix it correctly. Darn.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My wife has been driving this car for the last couple of years. Finally over the winter we were able to park it and I could start making a list of what all I need/want to do to it. Here's what the plans are: -pass side cv axle -pass side trans output seal leaking -timing belt job/water pump (140k mi and no sign of it ever being done!!!!!! aaaahhh!!!!) -abs control module (abs and tracs lights are both on.) -redo entire front end (everything is loose) -B&G springs -steering u-joint (steering feels like it's binding) -15mm rear wheel spacers -alignment -replace split vacuum elbows on intake tube -air flow directional actuator in dash is starting to go bad -fix several burnt out dash lights -oil/coolant/trans fluid change -install 1998 V70R ecu (yes, I win at the junkyard) -repair drivers window regulator (I rigged it last summer so it kind of works, need to fix right) -derattle sunroof -new headlight wiper arms/blades -new brakes? -some sort of double din screen (stock radio doesn't work) -new speakers all around -and the list goes on, and on, and on... and on.........------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This car is pretty much top priority to get stuff done on this year. The first project I am working on is the front suspension. -new mounts -new bearing plates -new end links -new steering column u-joint -B&G springs -MOOG camber adjustment bolts -new bilstein struts were put on a couple years ago and still seem to be in good shape, so I am leaving those Everything went pretty smoothly except for the column u-joint which was a huge PITA. The front of the car is back on the ground though and looks pretty good even after just dropping the jack (springs haven't settled) it looks quite a bit lower. I cant wait to get the back springs in as well. In progress: Rebuilt strut assemblies: One side installed: Sittin pretty and still needs to settle quite a bit: While changing the column u-joint I discovered some significant vacuum leaks due to these cracked and split elbows. I will replace them before putting the intake back together. Also need to figure out why the intake tube is covered in oil. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the rear is done. The rear is surprisingly easy as long as you can get the car high enough to unload the springs after undoing the shocks. Kind of a weird design for the rear suspension, but it's pretty easy to work with. It definitely needs spacers in the rear now. I'm thinking 15mm. According to the manual the rear is only a couple mm narrower than the front, not sure if its the body shape or what, but it seems like a lot more than that. What size spacers do you guys run on the rear? I'm not trying to hellaflush/poke/etc... just don't want it to look so sunk in. Anyways, Pics: Drivers side: Passenger side: And stance: Yes, the garage is a mess.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not too much to report at this time. I killed 2 birds with one stone last night. I replaced the pass side trans output seal and replaced the axle as well. The trans was leaking from that seal and the boots on the axle were ripped. So now no more leak and no more grease all over the wheel. yay!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally got my vacuum elbows in from fcp. Threw in a new battery and drove it for the first time in months. It desperately needs an alignment. The ABS/Tracs lights went out almost immediately so hopefully I wont have to get a new module for that yet. The cheap hacked together exhaust on the car is now hitting the rear spring, so I'll have to get an aftermarket turbo-back... darn. Also, the A/C has a leak as it is very low on freon and it was full last summer.... The list never ends, but there is at least progress. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burn-E Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Welcome - I came across your thread over on Volvo Forums and meant to reach out to you. There are 4 other saffron C70s in the Midwest (Chicago / Northern Indiana area) and one that used to be here before Justin (Chilled Man) spirited it away to his Frankenstein garage in PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod'sT-5 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Nice looking car! Welcome to VolvoSpeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auk Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 Great looking ride! Pf.. wished my S70 was Saffron! :blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Shadow Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 you will find on here that s/c/v 70's and 850's will get a shit ton of support. Move that timing belt job up to the top of the list, change the coolant and t-stat too, and the ect sensor while you are in there. add PCV to that list asap, add sepentine belt too if you flame trap looks like that then add turbo return line o rings, and gasket, if your vacuum lines looks like that than add in changing out all the vac lines looks like a decetn car that needs a strong stage ZERO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuner4life Posted May 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 Thanks everyone! When we first got the car, I wasnt really sold on the color, but the more I see it the more I like it. The wife picked it out though. Yeah, the 70 series cars get a ton of attention on here, I like how they are grouped together here, while on VF, they all are separete and everything but the 850 section gets ignored. The timing belt is the absolute next thing to be changed. At over 140k miles and no solid proof of it ever being done It is now a huge priority. I pulled the cover off and the belt looks ok, but my next paycheck timing stuffs will be ordered. I already have a thermostat. I did the PCV system a year and a half ago when we first got the car. It was definitely clogged. I have been changing out vacuum lines and elbows as I go along, I am thinking about just getting a roll of silicone line because it seems the stock lines are crap and either crack or slip off all the time. I even try to clamp each one. Ugh... I am almost to a stage zero with it. On a positive note, I did find a V70R in the junkyard and I got the ECU., so that should be fun once its back on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterhalo Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 Don't know the status of your SAS (air pump) but read this - ttp://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/140772-sas-air-pump-deletewrite-up-with-pics/page__hl__%20sas%20%20delete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scandalo Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 Not sure if the SAS is a problem yet (never much of a problem just a CEL and a ton of noise) If you are working on this car consistently then get rid of the SAS pump It is a cheap fix. Love the saffrons. Alain(Burn-E) has a great example of a very clean one. Keep us updated and post questions as you go along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuner4life Posted May 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 Haha, figures, It was one of the more frustrating problems for me when we first bought the car, About the time that the SAS delete thread was being created I was dropping about $500 in all new SAS parts including the pump, ex valve, and all hoses. I really wish I would have seen this back then.. I will definitely keep this in mind if it ever fails again though! Thanks! I am sure I will have several questions along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuner4life Posted May 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 These came in yesterday: 15mm eibach spacers with extended bolts. Wish the bolts had a chrome head like the fronts, but oh well, it still looks great. It is by no means "stanced", but it does look tons better than having horribly sunk in rears. Pics: Before: After: Before: After: It's not flush, but it's at least even with the front wheels now. Timing belt/water pump job is up next. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jardim Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 Forget about it being flush, thats a huge improvement in looks, shoulda been stanced like this from factory, Looking great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVC Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 Forget about it being flush, thats a huge improvement in looks, shoulda been stanced like this from factory, Looking great! Yeah... Mike Burroughs needs to take a lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scandalo Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 Kinda just glanced over this but the intake is covered in oil because of that split hose. That is the return for the PCV and the majority of the oil goes through there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuner4life Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Thanks everyone! I agree about the stance, especially since this car will be driven on a fairly regular basis being "omghellaflush" is just a stupid idea. Looks way better than stock though Kinda just glanced over this but the intake is covered in oil because of that split hose. That is the return for the PCV and the majority of the oil goes through there. Yeah, I realized that when I was fixing that elbow, It's all back together now and seems to be sealed up and working. I also picked these up at the junk yard yesterday for $30. Yep. N/A cams from a 1995 850 N/A! I read through a lot of controversial threads on here and from what I can gather this: Since this car is going to be pretty mild overall (intake, exhaust, these cams, v70r ecu, and other minor stuff), I pretty much just drop these in and set the exhaust cam to +4 deg, and leave the intake cam at 0 deg? Does this seem correct for what I'm doing performance wise? I am about to order the IPD tool so I can do this accurately, but want to be sure about the cam gear timing on these. Can someone confirm this please? Also, Do I have to use the turbo cam gears, or just leave the existing n/a gears? There seemed to be some confusion as to whether they were the same or not? Timing belt/water pump stuff is on order as well, I will be doing this all in one shot in a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
242turbo Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 Bump for another midwest saffron C70. Mines a factory M56 car though There was a M56 swap forsale in MI for $600. You should do it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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