Swirl flap arm disconnected

[Kev0607]

Hi all,

I was just doing my routine engine fluid/oil level checks today. All seemed to be okay, apart from the coolant being a tad low. I added a small bit of water to the reservoir for now to bring it to the correct level. There's plenty of coolant in the system. I figured a small drop of water won't make much difference... I'll keep my eye on it. I also noticed a squeaky rattle on a bumpy road the other day. Sounded to me like a drop link. Sure enough, the driver's side drop link has split, so I'll be putting a new pair on soon.

Anyway, to the point of this thread... Whilst I was doing my checks, I noticed that my swirl flap plastic arm has fallen off again. Its still attached on one end, but the other isn't connected to anything and its seems a bit oily in that area.

Is there a fix for this? I keep putting these plastic arms on every few months, but they never seem to stay in place. There seems to be no power loss and there's no engine warning lights on the dash. The oil is at the correct level on the dipstick.

Any advice is appreciated.

[GrahamBrown1]

The ball the arm connects to will be worn. There is a Volvo kit that involves pinning it together but is fiddly to fit but doable. It is normally the joint on the swirl flap assembly that wears rather than the motor end.

The oil leak will be from around the where the assembly slots into the head. The complete fix is removal of the cam cover and a new flap assembly. It is DIY but the bits arnt the cheapest with the various gaskets injector seals etc. In an ideal world you would replace the injector clamps as they are only single use and the fuel lines but many re use without issue. Plenty of info on YouTube to show the repair. The P2 euro 4 cars suffered with this a lot. Thankfully they don’t break up and wreck the engine like on some other makes tho. More on this point, there are aftermarket kits on the internet that are much cheaper, I personally wouldn’t bother. It’s a lot of work to do again and there quality is unknown. If one was to come apart……. All the genuine Volvo bits including the fuel lines ext came to about £600 last time I looked.

[Kev0607]

I forgot to note that it seems to be popping off from the stepper motor side, i.e. the ball joint nearest the front of the engine. The other end towards the back of the engine is still attached. I already modified that bit before with some wire wrapped around it, seems to be holding.

[GrahamBrown1]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

I forgot to note that it seems to be popping off from the stepper motor side, i.e. the ball joint nearest the front of the engine. The other end towards the back of the engine is still attached. I already modified that bit before with some wire wrapped around it, seems to be holding.

In that case I’d suggest wiring the front part. The repair kit was for the other end. If the ball is worn on the motor then it’s a new motor. The ball is pressed into plastic and not available on its own as far as I know. You say you have replaced the plastic arms already so there isn’t really anything else to it.

[Kev0607]

Yes, I had that thought just after posting this thread. Haha.

I went out to look at the car again. The wire held one end, but the end that has fallen off has nothing to hold it (stepper motor side). I'll try a new arm (I have one spare) and fit some wire around the ball joint on the stepper motor end to see how that holds up. May even try getting a small nut on it, but I'll see.

[4x4]

The correct way to sort the swirl arm is to replace the flaps. As a substitute there is a repair kit for the balljoint available but it's not the easiest of things to fit onto the car.

As a temporary measure I used a forester bit and cut a groove in the arm (image1) then using epoxy resin I glued an O-ring into the groove (image2), that worked until I had the correct repair done

[Adderross94]

My swirl flap arm has also been hanging off and a bit of oil build up where the arm sits since I bought my v70 in December 2019 and I've done over 40000 miles since then and it has never caused any performance or running issues and no engine light, as its a big and costly job to replace the flaps I personally would leave it if its not causing any problems

[Kev0607]

I'll try and connect the plastic arm and do some kind of mod to hold it in place.

I have no intention replacing the swirl flaps. Although, I understand that its the real way to solve the problem. I don't intend to spend that amount on it.