C70 Prepurchase Questions

[psyshrike]

Howdy,

I've got an 87 740 GLE 175k miles. I am looking at getting a 98/99 C70
coupe as an upgrade. Considering that most of these should have some
mileage by now, I'd like to get a few questions answered to tighten up
my shopping list.

What is the timing chain replacement interval for this car?

Does the engine have to be pulled to replace it?

If you've owned one, what were your experienced maintenance
issues/costs?

Anybody swinging their own wrenches on these things? The engine
compartment looks like a real knuckle-buster. Is that the case?

Were there 2 turbo options these years, (high pressure and low
pressure) or just one?

I want the 5 speed box. Doesn't look like there is many out there. Can
anybody comment on the manual transmission in regards to
responsiveness and gearing?

Kudos to this group BTW. I had the oil light flicker problem the other
day. This groups old posts allowed me to troubleshoot and replace the
old frayed wiring for nearly nothing.

Thanks!
-Matt

 

[Bev A. Kupf]

What is the timing chain replacement interval for this car?

Its different for 1998 and 1999. For 1998, the timing belt and
tensioner have to be replaced every 70,000 miles. For 1999, every
105,000 miles.

Does the engine have to be pulled to replace it?

Not to my understanding.

Were there 2 turbo options these years, (high pressure and low
pressure) or just one?

For 1998 the C70 coupe was offered with the HPT, and the convertible
with the LPT. For 1999, the coupe was offered in HPT and LPT models,
and the convertible in just LPT.

Beverly

 

[Jeff Lesperance]

The timing belt interval is 70000 miles or 6-7 years, I think.

No you can DIY it in your driveway - www.volvospeed.com

My 98 C70 T5M has been very good to own, no repairs other than maintenance -
hoses, plugs, etc. The 5 cyl like new plugs every 30000 miles or so, but
thats easy to do as well. I had the rear side windows replaced under recall
for water leakage - seems to be good after many car washes since. I try to
apply rubber treatment to the weatherstrip too.

The engine bay is tight, but seems like a NYC apartment after looking at the
new V70R. I would replace the serpentine belt and the water pump while
doing the timing belt, and also the tensioner, if it looks iffy. Might as
well take care of all that stuff while you're there and be set for another
70k miles.

I have the high pressure turbo and the 5 speed. I think the manual allows
the HPT to be fun to drive, where the auto sucks power away, shifting before
the boost/rpms build up. The car has enough grunt to do top gear passing,
when its in its happy space (2500-3200 rpm) Mileage is good on highway,
I've seen 27-28 and 21 in the city. I use premium or at least midgrade fuel
and synth oil. I put a K&N filter in as well. I think its also good to let
the engine idle a bit before shutting down to cycle oil thru the turbo, if
you've been running hard. Just a little while, since the turbo gets hot and
the oil pulls away a lot of heat.

I also bought the undercarriage guard to protect the cast aluminum oil pan.
The car is low, and some driveways are steep. Also, hitting a rock at speed
could ruin your day.

Jeff

 

[psyshrike]

Thanks for the great information.

I've seen alarm systems with delayed engine shutdown after key release
for precisely the turbo cooling issue you've mentioned.

How is the turning radius for this car? Do you find it tight enough
for city driving? How about body roll? I expect she stays planted
pretty well, but haven't got a chance to drive one yet.

Are the LPT and HPT basically just a different boost map for the waste
gate? Or are there mechanical differences?

I am more interested in longevity and touring comfort than raw
performance. But it would be cool to be able to reprogram up to the
HPT boost map when you get the urge to "get all up on this thing".

-Thanks in advance
-Matt




-SNIP-

I have the high pressure turbo and the 5 speed. I think the manual allows
the HPT to be fun to drive, where the auto sucks power away, shifting before
the boost/rpms build up. The car has enough grunt to do top gear passing,
when its in its happy space (2500-3200 rpm) Mileage is good on highway,
I've seen 27-28 and 21 in the city. I use premium or at least midgrade fuel
and synth oil. I put a K&N filter in as well. I think its also good to let
the engine idle a bit before shutting down to cycle oil thru the turbo, if
you've been running hard. Just a little while, since the turbo gets hot and
the oil pulls away a lot of heat.

I also bought the undercarriage guard to protect the cast aluminum oil pan.
The car is low, and some driveways are steep. Also, hitting a rock at speed
could ruin your day.

Jeff

-SNIP-

 

[Mike F]

Thanks for the great information.

I've seen alarm systems with delayed engine shutdown after key release
for precisely the turbo cooling issue you've mentioned.

How is the turning radius for this car? Do you find it tight enough
for city driving? How about body roll? I expect she stays planted
pretty well, but haven't got a chance to drive one yet.

Are the LPT and HPT basically just a different boost map for the waste
gate? Or are there mechanical differences?

I am more interested in longevity and touring comfort than raw
performance. But it would be cool to be able to reprogram up to the
HPT boost map when you get the urge to "get all up on this thing".

-Thanks in advance
-Matt

I have a 98 V70 T5 (bought new), and a 98 S70 T5 (bought used), so you
can see how I feel about the 98s. They're the same car underneath as
the C70. Note that in 99 the fuel injection is completely different,
the throttle cable goes away, replaced by a very unreliable electronic
throttle.

They're harder to work on than a 740, but not impossible. I've had no
major issues with either car. However dealer service can be a problem,
so if you don't have a good independent (or do things yourself) I would
suggest you not buy one unless you have that rare, good dealer locally.

The LPT engine is only available in North America with the auto trans,
any manual you find will be HPT. The LPT engine has higher compression
ratio, bigger pistons (thinner cylinder walls) and a different (smaller)
turbo.

I found the manual transmission quite disappointing - in fact I
preferred the automatic and the V70 was my first ever automatic car.

The turning circle is quite good compared to other, similar cars, but
not anywhere near as good as your old 740.


--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

NOTE: new address!!
Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)