Bizarre ETM Problem
 

I have a Year 200 V70 T5 that has been suffering from the usual ETM failure, ie car will not idle and will subsequently stall.....fuel consumption was also woeful at 16.5mpg!!

Took the car into Stratsone Volvo in Reading and they did the first step in any ETM failure and upgraded new software....did not fix the problem.

New ETM installed...collected car, drove home and car stalled and would not idle after 5 miles. Car was collected and dropped off at Stratstone and further investigation was undertaken.

The replacement ETM was diagnosed as faulty and a new ETM was fitted. Car was delieverd back to me....took car for drive...within 5 miles car was stalling and not idling...fuel consumption was still dreadful.....NOT HAPPY!

Complained to Stratsone and to be fair they were over pronto to pick the car up...said that they would need a couple of days to be on the safe side and that their master mechanic would work on the car.

Got phone call today to say that they had eventually located the problem and its fair to say that its a bizarre problem and the first time that Stratstone Reading had ever come across the problem.

Turns out that the two previous ETM failures had been major....ie completely fried.

At first they just could not locate what was causing the ETM's to fry.....their master mechanic then managed to find the problem......turns out that the power steering reservoir on my V70 was suffering from the usual problem of unwanted expansion/failure of the reservoir. Normally when the reservoir starts to fail and suffers from the unwanted expansion it will split and you loose all of your power steering fluid. In the case of my car it had expanded to such a size, without splitting, that it was starting to press upon one of the ECU's to such an extent that it was actually lifting the ECU off its base and causing a bad connection which inturn was frying the ETM.

With a new power steering reservoir fitted and a replacement ETM installed the car is now running 100%....idle is rock steady and fuel consumption has improved massively!

Big hats off to the master mechanic+ service manager at Stratstone Reading for locating the problem, as I'm sure that this would have stumped a number of dealers.

Big thumbs down to the 2 Service Receptionists that they employ.....I have never met or dealt with such a nasty, negative, down right rude couple of women in all my life....dreadful individuals and completely ill suited to customer service and completely let down Stratstone Reading

Hi,

Well, well, well... Strange twist to this story...

In the case of the expanding power steering fluid tank is the expansion noticed when the engine is running at tick over?
Or do you have to be driving/steering for it to show?

Good to hear you have it sorted now...

Des. . . ;)

I can only assume that it must have shown up in the workshop when they were turning the steering back and forth and when the power steering fluid was hot.

Or something like ... Its not the kind of thing you'll find with the average "Laptop" and so on ....

Hmm .... Service receptionists eh :rose:

Firms up the case for celibacy me thinks :lightning: