VOLVO V50 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Most of the time when you have a tire that is making a thumping noise its going to have a bump on the tire which usually comes from a broken "belt" on some types of tires such as radials. Other causes for this sound would be that a shock absorber is not functioning correctly or has loosened from its mount.

The term ABS means ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM. The ABS System automatically controls braking at the front wheels individually and the rear wheels as a unit (in most cases) preventing the wheels from locking during a hard braking situation. This enables the driver to maintain STEERING control and also shortens the distance to a complete stop. In cars without ABS, the brake master cylinder actually applied steady pressure to each wheel when the brakes were applied causing the wheels to look under heavy breaking. This led to wheel lockup, loss of steering control & lengthy stopping distances. ABS systems use a hydraulic pump that applies modulating pump pressure during heavy braking. The ABS system in effect pumps the brakes for the driver a consistent frequency. This pulsing is considerably faster than even the most experienced driver could accomplish if he were to attempt to this manually!

The A/C system has lubricating oil that will leak out when the freon escapes. A very likely place to look is the ends of the A/C hoses where the hose is joined to the fitting.

There are Vacuum hoses that operate the ductwork in the dash. Check each outlet vent in every setting, including the windshield defroster. If one or more has no air flow, the vacuum hoses (or 1 hose) could be disconnected. Find it and re-attach it to the vent.

A roaring noise that can be heard when turning on the A/C can generally be attributed to a faulty A/C Compressor but can also come from a faulty A/C idler pulley. Compressor failure should be done by a professional technician only. Idler pulley failures can be identified by removing the belt and turning the idler by hand to see if the bearing has failed!

In Most cases the problem with a hard brake pedal can be attributed to a faulty ABS pump. When the pump fails the pedal gets hard because the pump is no longer assisting during the braking process. In most cases the pumps are included in the ABS hydraulic units and cannot be replaced seperately. The cost of the New complete units range between 1500.00 to 2500.00 and used units are usually around 475.00 depending on the model.

Cleaning a car: a piece of cake, right? Certainly, if you follow the procedures suggested by the Car Care Council. While it's the most basic procedure in car care, it does deserve some thought. The first step in cleaning the car is to wash it. Give it a good rinsing from top to bottom, including the wheels and inside the fenders. Always clean the tires and wheels before washing the body, and don't use the same mitt for both. This way you'll avoid contaminating the vehicle's paint with debris from the wheels and tires.

Use a good tire cleaner with a stiff brush, to improve your tires' appearance even if you don't have white sidewalls or white letter tires.

Next, clean the wheels with a wheel cleaner that removes the brake dust, which often blackens the front wheels. Application of these cleaners vary, so be sure and follow the directions on the container.

Now it's time to wash the body. Use a product sold specifically for automobiles. (Household cleaners can strip the wax from the paint and damage the finish.) Starting at the top, wash one section at a time, thoroughly rinsing away the soap. Work your way down toward the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle. Clean the rear last since it usually has the largest accumulation of dirt and grime, which can contaminate the wash mitt. Wash the inside door jams about once a month.

To rinse, remove the spray nozzle from the hose. Starting at the top, let the water cascade down the surfaces of the vehicle.

Then, to avoid water spotting, dry with a chamois or other product made for this purpose.

Now is an excellent time for waxing, which not only protects the finish but also makes subsequent washing easier. Before proceeding, look for foreign particles on the paint. Use a car cleaner, available at auto supply stores, to remove contaminants imbedded in the paint.

Once the surface is clean, apply the wax, following the manufacturer's instructions for application of the product. Often they recommend not using the product in direct sunlight

Proper Washing And Waxing Add Value To Vehicle
More than one-third of car owners use damaging non-automotive products when washing their cars-products that could contain harmful detergents, abrasives and additives. And almost half of motorists don't ever wax their vehicles.

"Waxing at least twice a year is recommended for maximum protection, yet surveys show that 48 percent of motorists don't wax their vehicles at all," said Jeffrey Webb, director of retail marketing at Turtle Wax, Inc. "That's leaving money on the table at trade-in time, as a clean, well-maintained car can be worth up to 50 percent more than one in 'fair' condition, according to the Kelley Blue Book."

Motorists should avoid dish detergent, which contains harsh chemicals that, intended to cut through grease, will strip away the wax finish on your car. Some are hard to rinse off and leave streaks. For best results, a formulated automotive wash is recommended, one that gently lifts the dirt and grime while protecting the finish.

STEP 1 Don't wash cars in direct sunlight. Do wash cars in shade or in cooler temperatures in the early morning or late afternoon.
STEP 2 Don't use dish detergent. Do use a formulated car wash
STEP 3 Do fill your bucket with warm water
STEP 4 Do use a soft terrycloth towel or washing mitt.
STEP 5 Do spray the car often with water.

STEP 6 Don't scrub the car all at once. Do complete one section at a time, rinsing repeatedly to prevent the soap from drying on the paint.

STEP 7 Do use soft terrycloth towels or scratch-free fabric to dry the vehicle.
STEP 8 Don't neglect waxing the vehicle. Do prep the car for waxing using cleaner/polish to remove contaminants

The problem usually comes from a tire being out of balance that can be balanced out by anyone who has a tire balancing machine wether it be the "bubble" type or a computer ran type of balancer. A loose, worn or out of adjustment wheel bearing, worn tie rod ends, worn out ball joints, excessive wheel run out, bump on the tire, or a bent axelshaft can also cause these vibrations.

Your Volvo may have a faulty Converter if your car will not accelerate or has severely diminished power. If your Volvo has these symptons, the converter may be clogged. If it is clogged, it may glow red while the engine is running. That happens when excessive unburnt fuel causes the converter to overheat as it burns off the unburnt fuel. One quick test can help to confirm if the converteris clogged. Disconnect the exhaust from the header to keep the exhaust gases from flowing through the converter. If the converter is the problem your Volvo's power will be restored to normal with the header pipe disconnected.
The only legal repair is to replace the converter with a new unit.

These problems usually expose themselves when the pressure plate or flywheel is warped, the clutch disc is worn or coated with oil from a leaking seal, worn out splines on the clutch disc, or loose or worn engine/transmission mounts.

When working on hydraulic clutch systems its nothing for the pedal to be going to the floor, usually just a few minutes of bleeding and good to go, but when the pedal just goes out...well thats a different story. Lots of times when the pedal just goes to the floor without much warning its going to be the master cylinder or lines have burst. Just check around the master cylinder for any leaks, sometimes all it needs is a few seals and its good to go. Have someone to press the clutch while looking for a leak in the lines, when they apply pressure (thats if there is any fluid left in the system) then fluid should come out where the line is damaged.
It could be that the reservoir may be out of fluid (which you have a leak that needs fixing). Some more uncommon things that can happen is having a broken clutch release bearing or fork or release cable.

If your clutch pedal does not come up off the floor then most likely the fork is in a bind in the bellhousing or you have a broken release bearing or fork. On other things that can happen is there may be a bind in the master cylinder or bad master cylinder.

Internal coolant leaks can be very harmful to your engine and can lead to engine failure if not taken care of very quickly.
The way to tell if you have an Internal coolant leak would be by your coolant level dropping with no signs of it on the ground. You can check by inspecting your oil. If the oil has a milky white tent to it then you have an internal coolant leak.
Coolant leaks as such would be a cylinder head gasket being blown, you can usally tell this by the oil having the milky white tent to it and also having an excess amount of condinsation in the tail pipe(s). This can cause lots of problems if not taken care of as soon as possible, it could possibly bust pistons, bend rods, and cause the cylinder sleeve to bust due to the little bit of capacity that the cylinder already has and having the extra coolant filling that up and when the piston come up it has no where to go on an intake stroke and thats when stuff bends and bust.
Another place it could be leaking from is the cylinder head if it is cracked. Most of the time a cracked cylinder head comes from overheating an engine.

Coolant leaks are a common problem with just about any vehicle old and new. The older cars most of the time will have deteriorated or damaged hoses going to the radiator or for the heating system. Some problems come from just clamps being loose and others can come from water pump seals and gaskets, from the radiator core or heat core, engine drain, or water jacket freeze plugs leaking or have come completely out.

Other things that can cause problems is if something has punctured the radiator by it coming up off the road or if a coolant hose comes in contact with a moving part.

Coolant loss can be potentionally a dangerous thing if it goes unattended. It can come from over filling the coolant system, overheating the engine and pressure forces it out, internal and external leaking (check our other FAQ on these two subjects), or a faulty radiator cap. If you have problems with the radiator cap most of the times is because the recommended pressure for your car is less then what the cap is made for. Always be sure to get the right cap for your car to avoid any problems with coolant loss or overheating. Always fill your coolant resivoir to what your car is made to handle, don't over fill this thinking it will last longer because you will get the exact opposite reaction.

Worn or cupped tires usually comes from a poor alignment most of the time, but worn shock asorbers, bad wheel bearings, excessive wheel or tire runout, or worn out ball joints can all be the likely cause for tire wear.

Reason for the light not to come on as the key is turned on can be:

Warning light bulb is defective or blown
Fault in the printed circuit, dash wiring or bulb holder

The light will stay on if any of the following are happening:

Faulty aternator or charging circuit
Alternator drivebelt defective or out of adjustment
Alternator voltage regulator inoperative

Don't rely on a jack when working under the vehical. Always use a jack stand and place it under the recommend jacking points specified by the car manufacture.

Don't attempt to loosen tight fasteners such as wheel lugs while the vehical is on the jack because it could fall.

Don't start the engine without making sure that the vehical is either in neutral for manual transmission or park for automatics and that the parking brake is set.

Don't remove the radiator cap from a hot cooling system, let it cool or if necessary using a cloth to cover up the cap and release pressure gradually.

Don't attempt to drain the engine oil until you are sure it has cooled to the point that it will not burn you.

Don't touch any part of the engine or exhaust system until it has cooled enough to avoid burns.

Don't siphon toxic liquids such as gas, antifreeze, and brake fluid by mouth or allow them to remain on your skin.

Don't inhale brake dust due to it possibly containing asbestos for older models

Don't allow spilled oil or grease to remain on the floor due to being able to slip on it and getting injured.

Don't use loose fitting wrenches or other tools which may slip and cause injury. Also you'll be looking for a new bolt or nut after that ones rounded off.

Don't push on wrenches when loosening or tightening nuts or bolts, its better to pull but if you have to push use an open hand to avoid scraping your knuckels if the wrench slips.

Don't attempt to lift heavy parts alone, always have someone to help you.

Don't rush or take unsafe short cuts to finish a job.

Don't allow children or animals in or around the vehical while you are working on it.

Do wear eye protection when using power tools and when working under the vehical.

Do keep loose clothing and long hair well out of the way or moving parts

Do make sure that any hoist used has a safe working load for the task at hand.

Do get someone to check on you periodically when working alone on a vehical.

Do carry out work in a logical sequence and make sure that everything is assembled correctly.

Do keep chemicals and fluids tightly capped and out of reach of children and pets.

Do remember that your vehicle's safty affects that of yourself and others.

If your brakes are dragging the most common cause is the caliper(s) are sticking and usually just need replacing. Other things that could cause this problem is having restricted brake lines and its not allowing the pressure to come off the caliper. It also could be an incorrectly adjusted parking brake cable.

The following may be the cause of your engine backfire:

Emission system not functioning properly
Ignition timing Incorrect
Faulty Secondary ignition system (cracked spark plug insulator, Faulty plug wires, distributor cap and/or rotor)
Carburetor or fuel injection system malfunctioning
Vacuum leak at fuel injectors, intake manifold or vacuum hoses

Some reasons are:

Idle speed too high
Excessive engine operating temperature
Incorrect fuel octane grade

Reasons for the engine not to start while the starter is being opertated would be:

Dead battery (recharge, use jumper cables, or push start)
Battery terminals are loose or corroded
Battery ground strap loose or broken
Engine ground strap loose or broked
Starter motor (or solenoid) wiring loose or broken
Automatic transmission selector in wrong position, or inhibitor switch defective
Ignition/Starter switch defective
Major mechanical failure (seizure)
Starter or solenoid internal fault

Battery discharged or low
Fuel system malfunctioning
Injectors leaking
Distributor rotor carbon tracked

Some reasons that would cause an engine not to start when hot could be:

Air Filter Clogged
Fuel not reaching the carburetor or fuel injection system
Injectors leaking
Corroded battery connections, especially ground

Things that can cause the enigne to idle ruff or miss at idle would be:

Vacuum leakage
Air filter clogged
Fuel pump not delivering sufficient fuel to the fuel injection system
Leaking head gasket
Timing belt or sprockets worn
Camshaft lobes worn
Spark plugs worn or not gapped properly
Faulty spark plug wires
Incorrect ignition timing
Uneven or low compression

Reasons for this could be:

Incorrect ignition timing
Excessive play in distributor shaft
Worn rotor, distributor cap or wires
Faulty or incorrectly gapped spark plugs
Carburetor or fuel injection system malfunctioning
Faulty coil
Brakes binding
Automatic transmission fluid level incorrect
Clutch Slipping
Fuel filter clogged and/or impurities in the fuel system
Emission control system not functioning properly
Low or uneven cylinder compression pressures

Things that can cause a vehical to miss while driving:

Fuel filter clogged and/or impurities in the fuel system
Low fuel output at the fuel injection system
Faulty or incorrectly gapped spark plugs
Incorrect ignition timing
Cracked distributor cap, disconnected distributor wires or damaged distributor components
Leaking spark plug wires
Faulty emission system components
Low or uneven cylinder compression pressures
Weak or faulty ignition system
Vacuum leak in carburetor or fuel injection system, intake manifold or vacuum hoses

Tools needed to change the oil in your Volvo:

Jack and pair of jack stands (unless you have availabilty to a lift)
Oil Drain Pan
17MM Wrench (size varies depending on model but most 1990-98 are 17MM)
Oil Filter Wrench
Protective gloves should be worn

PROLONGED CONTACT WITH ENGINE OIL CAN CAUSE A NUMBER OF SKIN DISORDERS, INCLUDING CANCER! MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE HANDS AND EYE WEAR TO AVOID CONTACT WITH SKIN OR EYES. WASH YOUR HANDS OR ANY OTHER PARTS THAT WERE EXPOSED TO THE OIL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Engine oil leaks can be very hard to pin point if it has been leaking for a while, everything is covered in oil but here are a few locations where it could be coming from:

Oil pan gasket and/or oil pan drain bolt seal leaking
Oil pressure sending unit leaking
Valve cover gasket leaking
Engine oil seals leaking

Easiest way to find the leak is to clean the engine bay of as much residue as possible. Once its clean you can then start looking for the cause of the leak.

Most times overcooling is not the issue on most cars, but it does happen.
The most common problem is a bad thermostat. What happens to it is that the thermostat is not opening properly and letting the coolant stay in the radiator too long and its cooling it too much. Most cars do not operate properly untile they get up to a certain temperature and lack on power.
Another problem could lie within the cooling fans. Most fans work off what a contact switch tells them, so if your car is equipped with a contact switch and have electric fan(s) then the switch can be telling the fans that the coolant is hot causing the fans to stay on cosistantly causing the coolant to be more cool then what it needs to be.

Some reasons why the engine rotates but will not start can be:

Fuel tank is empty
Battery is discharged (if engine is turning slowly)
Battery terminal connections loose or corroded
Leaking fuel injectors, faulty fuel pump, pressure regulator
Fuel not reaching carburetor or injectors
Ignition components damp or damaged
Worn, Faulty or incorrectly gapped spark plugs
Broken, loose or disconnected wiring in the starting circuit
Loose distributor is changing ignition timing
Broken, loose or disconnected wires at the ignition coil or faulty coil

This can be caused by:

Low oil level
Idle rpm too low
Short in wiring circuit
Faulty oil pressure sending unit
Worn engine bearings and/or oil pump

Reasons for an engine to start then stop immediately could be:

Loose or faulty electrical connections at distrbutor, coil or altenator
Insufficient fuel reaching the carburetor or fuel injection system
Faulty ballast resistor
Malfunctioning fuel injection system
Faulty fuel injection relays

Here are some reasons it may be stumbling:

Spark plugs fouled (dirty with gas or oil)
Carburetor or fuel injection system malfunctioning
Fuel filter clogged
Incorrect Ignition Timing
Intake Manifold air leak

Engine vibration in drive or reverse may be due to faullty or failing engine mounts. What usually happens is the rubber portion of the engine mounts deteriorate causing the vibration from engine rotation to travel through the vehicle. You may be able to find the faulty mount by shifting from drive to reverse with the engine running and your foot on the brake. This cause the engine mounts to come under load and you may see the telltale signs of movement that indicate a bad mount.

Some reasons for the mileage being lost can come from dirty or clogged air filter(s) which is the most common problem. Other more technical reasons would be due to timing not being correctly set, there is a problem with the emission system, the carburetor or fuel injection system is not working properly, or low tire pressure or wrong sized tire.

Another issue that can cause less mileage on a tank of gas would be wheel alignment. If the tires are toed in or out (toe is referring to if the front of the tires are turned in at each other or pointing out away from each other). Toe can be effected by pot holes and hitting curbs. You can tell if the tires are toed in by the car wanting to dart back and forth on the road and toed out by it having slower acceleration and works the engine harder to do the same amount of speed as before.
Most times it can be adjusted back to specs but on rare occasion such as a wreck or hitting a curb hard you may have to replace parts such as tie rods, tie rod ends, and any steering part that was damaged.

The exhaust system is designed to carry away the engine's exhaust gases with a low flow resistance, low noise level and a long operating life. The exhaust system has two parts: a front part with a catalytic converter, and a rear part with one or two mufflers. Mufflers are a combination of resonance and noise absorption material. The exhaust system is held up by rubber mounts and uses clamps to connect the main parts.

A fuel leak is a very bad thing to have and needs to be addressed as soon as possible to avoid any fires. A pretty common problem is a fuel line leaking. On older vehicles especially, the fuel lines can become cracked over time and split causing leaks or if the line is held on with a clap, the clap can easily become loose and leak fuel. Fuel tanks can also be over filled and run out if not cautious when filling up. Other things would be if the car has a carburetor it can be over flooded causing a odor and the engine not starting or if the car has fuel injectors the system could have leaks at the injectors, which in most cases can be repaired by purchasing new fuel injector seals.

Hard steering usually occurs when the joints on the front end have not be lubricated and have dried or if your power steering pump or rack and pinion are low on fluid also. Other things that cause hard steering is your front end alignment or low tire pressures.

Replacement of the headlight lense instead of the whole assembly is possible but it basically depends on whether or not the glass part of the headlight assembly is offered separately for your vehicle. In some cases the insert (which is the glass & the housing it is attached to) can be replaced. Insert replacement is easy but you must be very careful not to damage the insert off when trying to push the insert into the headlight frame. Lense (or just the glass) replacement is quite easy. You simply remove the clips that hold the lense to the lense housing and replace the glass portion of the light. NOTE: on some models the lense is attached by heat or by a glue compound. You can soak these healights in a hot water bath to soften the glue and then use a hobby knife to carefully separate the lense from the assembly. To attach the new lense apply a clear silicone sealant, use masking tape to hold the lense tight until the silicone sets up.

The reason that headliners sag on the car is because the foam between the headliner material and the glued portion of the material erodes with time causing the main portion of the headliner to sag. The only repair is to replace the headliner material by removing the headliner, pulling the old material off, cleaning the fiberglass headliner and gluing new material on. Your local upholstery shop can re-do your headliner for approximately $150.00.

A compression check is a test that is done on a car by removing a spark plug and putting in a pressure gauge in its place. The engine is then spun over while the gauge is in there. Once the engine has reached its compression then the guage will stop. The guage should stay in the same area without going down. If the guage leaks down then you have a compression issue. On older cars the typical reason for this is worn out piston rings or valves. Most of the newer cars this will let you know if you have a blown head gasket. The way to tell that is if you have 2 cylinders side by side and the two that are side by side leak down, then most likely the head gasket is blown in between them two cylinders. A way to confirm that it is a head gasket, there will be water in the cylinder, water in the oil, or oil in the water, or all three. A compression guage can be picked up at any local parts store for about $20 and can be very helpful as to sourcing problems internally without taking the engine apart to discover the problem.

Most of the time all you will need is proof of ownership and you can have a Volvo dealership to look up your radio code to enter in at no charge.

Sometimes though the radio in your car may not be the one that originally came in the car. In order to get the code for it you will have to remove the radio and get the serial numbers off the unit and then the dealer can look it up that way. The dealerships should not charge for this service!

On rare occasion the car will have to be taken to them to inspect it to make sure you get the right code. This can cost from $10 to $100 depending on your dealership and what they want to charge.

ONCE YOU HAVE OBTAINED THE RADIO CODE MAKE COPIES OF IT AND PLACE IN DIFFERENT AREAS SO IF YOU CAN'T FIND ONE YOU WILL HAVE A BACK UP COPY. REASON WHY IS BECAUSE IF THE BATTERY GOES DEAD OR A TERMINAL IS DISCONNECTED YOU WILL NEED THE RADIO CODE FOR THE VEHICLE.

Ways to prevent failures would be to make sure that the engine is full of clean oil, keep the air filters clean, make sure all hoses and duct work for the air intake system are free from holes and other things to prevent dust and dirt getting in the system.

Always warm up the engine for 2-5 minuter before throttling up. What this does is allows the proper oil pressure and circulation to be maintained to prevent failures due to oil while placing the engine and turbo under a load. Let the engine idle for about 2 minutes before shutting down, this is called a cool-down time that keeps oil from building up inside the turbo on the wheel and shaft and causing future problems and malfunctions.

Tires must be rotated periodically to make tire wear between the tires equal. Tire wear varies on every corner of the car, with the front you will have different type of wear because that is where all of your steering takes place.

Rotating your tires will ensure max life of the tire as a set so you don't have to get just a single new tire all the time because you have more wear on one corner of the car then the other.

When rotating tires KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE! Tires and wheels come as directional and Non-directional. On directional tires there are usaully marking on the tire telling the mechanic which way to put them on and they can only be spun in that direction. Wheels can also have a directional pattern that only are supposed to go on the car one way, it can be switched sides of the car but the rims direction will be opposite then what was intended. Also, on some Mag style wheels they have a different offset for front and rear so they can only be switched with the wheel that is same size as it.

The method displayed above is used when rotating Non-Directional tires only!
This means the tires can be placed in any spot on the car without effecting the tires and rims.
Remember to make sure the offsets on the front and rear are the same and that the rims
are not directional also.

This method displayed is for Directional Tires and Non-Directional tires.
This is the only rotating that can work with the Directional tires because the tread pattern used will not dispurse of water on the road correctly.

Things that cause this would be fork for the release bearing can be installed improperly, or you have a bad or worn out release bearing. Most cases its going to be the release bearing. If you take out the bearing, spin the bearing and if its worn it will not spin evenly or will sounds like there is no grease and bearings are just grinding.

Reasons for hearing these type noises could be that the fluid is low, damaged or worn bearings or input gear shaft and/or output gear shaft. The first thing to check is the fluid if its full see if you can detect any metal and if so that should answer where the noise is coming from.

This problem is likely due to having damaged or worn constant mesh gears or synchronizers and will need to be rebuilt.

Poor circulation of coolant can cause overheating. Common problems that are associated with poor circulation is a bad water pump or propeller, restrictions from debris in the system, drive belt for the water pump has broken or loose, or thermostat may be sticking.

Other problems that can cause poor circulation would be collapsed hoses leading to and from the radiator. When replacing hoses its best to buy direct replacement hoses, if you buy just a flex hose make sure its the right lenght to avoid it being too long and becoming crimped.

Most Volvos have a radio code to prevent theft. This code usually is a 4 digit code that should be stored in a safe place at all times! When the battery dies you will need this code to make the radio play again, but sometimes the radio will go into lock out mode and say "OFF." The only way to get by this so that "CODE" is displayed again, is to turn your switch to the 2nd position on the key switch and let set for 2-3 hours until it comes up.

Once it has been reset you should be able to enter the code into the radio and should work. If you enter the code incorrectly it will say "RPT" and you get another chance to enter it in, but if you enter it incorrectly three times it will go back into lock-out mode and say "OFF" and you will have to restart the entire process.

Almost half of the time turbocharger failures are due to oil related issues. This can be from having contaminated or dirty oil which can scratch or score the bearing and can lead to bearing failure. Another reason could be the lack of oil in the system. The turbocharger runs at very high speed so the lack of oil will quickly cause overheating and destroy the bearing.

Other problems that can cause Turbo failure is inlet restrictions from dirty air filters, collapsed hoses or undersized air pipes. The less air took in by the engine the heat in the exhaust will increase and lead to cracking and scaling of the turbine housing. This can also be caused by over fueling the engine.
Hot engine shut downs can lead to oil leakage by causing oil to coke up in the oil drain and forcing oil out around the turbine and seals.
Foreign objects are another commen cause for damage to the compressor or turbine wheels.

Things that also could happen is droping objects into the air intake system such as nuts, bolts, and tools.

The following are times or miles that a car should be checked over on certain things.

Weekly, 250 miles, or before a long journey check:
Tire pressure and inspect tires
Engine oil level
Coolant Level
Brake Fluid Level
Top up Washer reservoir
Inspect Engine Bay and Under vehicle for leaks
Check function of lights, horn, wipers, ect

At every 6000 miles or six months check:
Replace engine oil and filter (if the car is daily driven or driven hard the oil needs to be changed at every 3000 miles or 3 months)
Power steering fluid level
Coolant antifreeze concentration
Replace Spark Plugs
Inspect battery
Check Idle speed and CO level
Inspect tires thoroughly

At every 12,000 miles or 12 months check: (additional to work listed for 6,000 miles)
Operation of power brake booster
Handbrake adjustment
Automatic transmission selector adjustment
Grease hood hinges
Front wheel bearing adjustment
Security and condition of steering and suspension components
Brake pad wear
Brake Lines and hoses
Bolts and nuts on trailing arms, control arms, strut and steering gear fasteners, and front axle crossmember bolts
Clutch adjustment
Transmission oil level
Inspect driveshaft, center bearing and universal joints
Condition and security of exhaust system
Rear axle oil level
Condition of fuel lines
Condition of underseal and paintwork
In-line fuel filter
Condition and tension of accessory drivebelts
Inspect distributor cap, rotor and HT leads
Turbo boost pressure switches (if applicable)
Turbo tamperproof seal on wastegate and actuator rod
Operation of kickdown cable (automatic transmission) and adjust if necessary

At every 24,000 miles or two years check: (additional to the 6,000 and 12,000 checks)
Replace Automatic transmission fluid
Replace fuel filter
Replace air filters
Clean any crankcase hoses, flame trap, ect
Check Valve Clearences
Perform a compression test
Replace coolant
Replace brake fluid by bleeding

At every 48,000 miles or four years check: (in addition to 6,000 mile 12,000 mile and 24,000 mile checks)
Replace camshaft drivebelt

When you get a code or reading stating that you have a problem with the secondary air intake, it is referring to SAS or secondary air system. What this system will do is under certain conditions pump air into the exhaust system to aid in heating the catalytic converter. The main problem that causes you to get this code is the pump and valve has went bad in the system but you will have to test everything in the system to accuratly diagnose the problem. The more easy way is to have someone knowledgable to test the system with a scan tool.

Reasons for starter being noisy or rough can be:

Pinion or flywheel gear teeth worn or broken
Starter motor mounting bolts loose or missing

Some reasons why a starter is spinning but not turning the engine could be:

Flywheel gear teeth damaged or worn
Starter motor mounting bolts loose

This is some reasons why the starter turns the engine slowly:

Partially discharged battery (recharge, Use jumper cables, or push start)
Battery terminals loose or corroded
Battery ground to body defective
Engine ground strap loose
Starter motor (solenoid) wiring loose
Starter motor internal fault

A whining or high pitched whirring noise that happens when you start your Volvo may indicate a faulty starter assembly.

If after making a corner and you have to physically turn your wheel to be back straight then you may have some binding of the ball joints or steering column. Other causes on this would be the lack of grease in the front end parts or lubricant in the power steering or rack and pinion, a front end alignment may also be the problem.

When you have tire wear on the inside edge of the tire most of the time its due to tire alignment. When its like that the tires are pointed outward or toed-out. It can also be caused by inflation pressure incorrect or loose or damaged steering components.

Tire wear on the outside egde of the tire can come from the tire pressures not being correct, going to quick through corners, Front end alignment is incorrect and tires are toed-in or the tires are pointed in, or suspension arms can be bent or twisted.

Having one spot on the tire that is bald or worn can come from the tires being out of balance, damaged or bent wheel that needs to be inspected, or a possible defective tire.

The probable cause for this would be that the Throttle Valve or downshift cable is out of adjustment.

If your fluid is brown or smells burnt, it needs changing. Its a good idea to change the filter while you are in there. Do NOT over fill the transmission when refilling, if over filled it can cause seals to leak.

Automatic transmissions are very complex and not easy for just anyone to diagnose whats wrong with it or where its leaking. Best way to find the leaks are to jack the car up and put on jack stands for safety. Then use a degreaser or cleaner to remove all the dirt and grime from the transmission. Lower the vehicle and drive it at very slow speeds to keep from blowing the leaking fluid far from its source. Then put the car back on jack stands and look for the leak.
Common places for it to leak from is the fluid pan, filler pipe, cooler lines, or speedometer sensor.
If its coming from the pan, most likely its going to be the gasket and just needs changing (its a good idea to change the filter while your in there if the car is equiped with it). Other parts, depending on where they are leaking, either will have to be replaced or tightend.

Some of the probable causes for the transmission to leak is that the transmission was over filled. If you over fill the transmission the fluid will find its way out through a seal or wherever because the transmission is not meant to be over filled, loose or broken input shaft bearing retainer or its o-ring or lip seal is damaged. If you just filled it up and its leaking, it could be due to over filling or not retightening the plug all the way.

This problem can be caused by a few different things such as worn or improperly adjusted linkage, transmission is loose and not all the way up on the bellhousing/engine block, shifter linkage is binding up, input shaft bearing retainer broken or loose, or you have a worn shift fork. The likely cause for this is probably going to be the bolts have backed out of the bellhousing or engine block or you have a problem with the shifter binding up on something.

These symptoms can be caused by many different things on an Automatic Transmission because it has so many things that can go bad. The main concern for someone checking this out at home would be the fluid. Make sure that the fluid is full in the transmission. Another thing that can help the problem is to change the filter and fluid if the fluid looks dirty, sometimes the filter can become clogged up with stuff and this will cause shifting or slipping problems.
A way to tell if your going to have to change the transmission is by inspecting the fluid when you change the filter, if the fluid has any type of metal or shavings in there, you're going to have to get a new transmission because that one is going to go out before too much longer.

If you are unable to put your car into any gear you may have a problem with the internals of your transmission and would have to be rebuilt. Other things could be a bad clutch plate, clutch fork or bearing not assembled correctly, a bad pressure plate, or the bolts holding the pressure plate to the flywheel could be loose.
Some transmission have fingers that the gear selector clicks into and if that finger was broken off to pull it out of gear then there is no way to get it out of the gear that its stuck in without replacing the bad part. This is a common problem with improper shifting and "slamming" gears.

Vibrations in a car can be very bad and annoying. Sometimes its not the transmission that causes the car to have vibrations, most of the time is rough wheel bearings, out of round tires or out of balance, worn out U-joint, or damaged axelshaft(s).

It is common to see water coming out of the tailpipe in the morning. Most of time water accumulates in the exhaust system due to the difference in the exhaust to air temperature that occurs overnight. This condensation is common and only happens upon initial startup. The only time to be concerned about that water coming out of the tail pipe is when the water begins to have a sweet smell. A strong sweet smell is an indication that there is a headgasket issue causing coolant to leak into the combustion chamber which then gets burned on startup. This burning of the coolant creates a sweet smell that goes away within a few minutes (once it is all burned out of the cylinder where the leak occurs). In most cases you can determine which cylinder the leak is in by removing the spark plug and looking down into the cylinder. If the piston is silver and not black then that is a good indication that the steam created by the coolant being burned is actually cleaning the black carbon (created from burned fuel) from the piston top. If you see this then there is definately a problem with coolant leaking into the combustion chamber of that one cylinder.

Engine Overheating is cause by anything that leads to the loss of coolant, preventing the coolant from getting rid of heat or causes excess heat in the engine itself.
Somethings that can lead to engine overheating could be coolant leaks from parts of the engine such as the water pump, radiator, heater core, hoses, freeze plugs, head gasket, and other internal engine parts. Other things like the radiator cap not rated strong enough to hold the pressure, cooling system may be clogged by deposits building up in the radiator, thermostat stuck shut, anything dealing with the fan such as relays or switches for electric fans, fan clutch for manual, missing parts of the fan shroud, slipping fan belt on manual fans, bad water pump impeller, collapsed coolant hoses, debris in the radiator, timing on engine off, restrictions in the exhaust system, or undersized radiator or fan.

There are many things that can be the suspect when dealing with an overheating problems but with running the proper test it should narrow down to a few possible problems!

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has crystals from long thin fibers. It became very popular with manufactures and builders in the late 19th century due to its resistance to heat, electrical, chemical damage, sound absorption and tensile strength.

On automobiles it can be found in brakes, gaskets, and clutch disc on the older cars. Since about the mid 1980's parts containing asbestos have been eliminated.

When working on a car that may have parts with asbestos always wear a breathing apparatus to avoid inhaling the dust as much as possible. Exposure to this for a long period of time can lead to serious illnesses like mesothelioma.

When mechanics refer to toe-in or toe-out they are talking about the alignment for your front tires.Both tires should be parallel to one another but sometimes after hitting a pot hole or curb stuff can move. If the front of your tires are pointing towards each other (the center of the car) then that is refered to as toe-in. If they are pointed away from one another, then it is refered to as toe-out. If your tires are toed-in then the vehicle is very hard to keep going in a straight line and the outside edges of the tires will become very worn before the rest of the tire. If the tires are toed-out then the vehicle will loose power and the inside edges of the tires will become very worn before the rest of the tire. The only fix is to have the front end aligned on the vehicle and possibly will have to replace things that may have been bent or worn to cause the problem.

White smoke coming from the engine area may be caused by one of the following reasons.

STEP 1

Turbo Failures: Your Volvo turbocharger could be failing. If the seals in the turbocharger go bad, the turbo may cause puffs of white smoke from the exhaust when coming to an idle or begin to smoke terribly when idling for long periods of time.

STEP 2

Head Gasket Leaking: The head gasket may be leaking into the combustion chamber(s) overnight which leads to white smoke coming from the exhaust (really steam) during cold start. Once the engine is warm this smoke will disappear because it is actually burning the coolant from within the combustion chamber. Head gasket failure between two cylinders is usually the problem. You can often determine if this is the problem by removing the spark plugs to see if any of the piston tops are silver which is an indication that the coolant being burned is cleaning the carbon from the piston top.

STEP 3

Valve guide/Seal Issues: Valve guide failure can cause the engine to smoke during startup. This usually indicates a problem with either the work guides or valve stem seals which allows oil to leak past them once the engine is turned off. Rebuilding or replacing the cylinder head is the only cure.