2008 V70 2.4D very sluggish at times
 

Hi Guys, this is my first V70. It's a 2008 2.4D 163bhp auto SE with 154,000 miles, with full service history up to 149,000. Only had it a couple of weeks and twice now it has really struggled to get up hills on the motorway. The same journey from Rochdale to Huddersfield last night it sat on cruise control at 78 mph all the way home without any issues it cruised along in sixth with no problem at all.
Tonight, with very similar weather conditions it flew up the big hill on the way home between Jcn 21 and 22 on M62 (known as Windy Hill) sat at 78mph then about 5 miles further along it started to lose speed going up a much smaller hill. The gearbox dropped down from 6th to 5th, still losing speed down to 60mph I kicked down into 4th revs were at just over 3,000 rpm and it didn't pull at all. It felt like it had a fully loaded trailer on the back, when there was only me in the car.
Once over the hill it accelerated back up to 78mph but still felt like the engine was labouring. I got off the motorway and stopped the car, took the key out and restarted but it still felt like the engine wasn't revving freely.

This is now the second time it has done this, both times the car was fully up to temperature, virtually no wind or adverse weather, and the next day no problems at all. The gearbox shifts very smoothly at all times even when losing speed, there are no funny sounds from the engine it just feels like it is holding back and takes an age to rev.

All ideas welcome please. The only other problem i have is with a clogged washer pump from what I've read on another thread, so it'll be coming out and getting cleaned shortly.

Another question, does the clone £70 Vida Dice work? or am i better getting it scanned at a Volvo independent garage?

Thanks in advance

Doesnt have speed control does it?

Not sure but there was nothing in front of me or any reduced speed limits either time

Sorry, meant speed limiter, these can be activated by the driver for such as average speed check cameras or if the driver wants to make sure they dont speed for whatever reason... Just sounds similar or the cruise is faulty :(

Even with the cruise turned off it didn't make a difference. Someone has suggested a battery problem but I have a bill for a new battery and alternator from this summer. A better description is its almost I'm limp mode with no balls

Ah, ok, i gotcha, maybe a issue with the torque converter/gearbox would be my next thought then, i would buy the dice at that price as an indy wouldnt be too far of and you may need it again in the future so, 2 visits to the indy and yours would have paid for itself

Would dice show gearbox or torque converter errors? There is a guy on here selling cloned dice with great reviews so I think I get one from him

That i am not sure of, but i would have thought so, there is not much it doesnt pick up on, and the fault could be related to something else anyway so deffo worth buying :)

It certainly doesn't sound like a gearbox issue to me.

For starters, before doing anything else, I would change the fuel filter as these can definitely give poor running symptoms. Unless you have done it yourself or done by a friend, you can't say that it has been changed even if you have a receipt for it.

As for Vida / Dice yes it can do the same as a main dealer diagnostic on your car so well worth having.

Cheshired5 on here sells complete packages with support and that could well be the best way for you to progress that if you want one.

If the fuel filter doesn't sort it, you have not wasted your money as it is good preventative maintenance.

After that you must get the codes read otherwise you are guessing.

Go with S60D5-185's change of fuel filter. I have a S40 1.6 which had a very similar issue, ie no power, hesitation, crawling up hills but would be okay on motorway if easy on the throttle. I changed the fuel filter and problem solved.