I don't want to lose my xc90!

[jenz82]

Hi everyone

I have lovingly owned my xc90 for just over 10 years now but the garage have said she is beyond economical repair mainly down to a corroded handbreak mechanism. I've had historic water ingress which they say has now caused too much damage but I now have the carpets out of the way and all that's visible is the handbrake damage. Could there be more lurking under the dash? They've said about corrosion to an electrical ecu, possibly abs, but where is it located to check? Are there any others I should check?

I'm reasonably good at fixing things on this car and putting in the new handbrake mechanism looks fairly straight forward.......but is it harder than it looks?? Rear brakes are apparently locked on, it drives with an intermittent squeal.

A number of other wear and tear things popped up as they checked over but they abandoned it part way through. Engine mounts being one. I know of 2 engine mounts, the top and vacuumed lower, is there another somewhere?

I'm wondering if im biting off more than I can chew in trying to fix this but I'm just not ready to let her go until I have exhausted all possibilities. Her engine and body is sound and a lovely car to own and drive. I just don't want to waste too much plugging a hole that keeps leaking.

Your advice is so much welcomed.

[Tannaton]

Hi There,

First of all we need to know what exactly are the symptoms... yes that parking brake mechanism (pedal) is easy to change but you mention ECU and other things - that's a different story.

First and foremost though, you must find where the water is getting in and stop it. Drain hoses on sunroofs becoming blocked are a common issue - have a good search on here.

[jenz82]

That's my next mission before I start work, find the leak!!

Only thing really appearing on display is anti skid. I had the same thing a year ago and that was a ring on the wheel, not 100% what is causing it now and the garage didn't go into detail. I will check with them but I like to know what I'm talking about beforehand, we all know what garages are like! I will aim to have it reconditioned like I have done my CEM as this will keep cost down.

Rest of things on the list were engine mounts (non specific), steering arm osf, lower arms and electrical faults from water.

If I know where things are located and what I should start checking I will. Both front footwells had water, drivers side quite a bit. All looks OK except handbreak. Looked under seats and through into where centre consol and see no evidence of further rusting. Currently drying her out and then chase leak.

[Parknest]

It might be an idea to bite the bullet and replace all the engine mounts.

The dreaded "anti skid service required" message can be caused by quite a few things which include:

Faulty yaw sensor.
Faulty Steering Angle Sensor (SAS)
Faulty rear differential module (DEM) for the Haldex coupling.

A half decent scantool should be able to determine the exact cause or at least point you in the right direction.

[jenz82]

So a few months after I posted now and after a lot of trial and error (I am no mechanic) the new handbrake mechanism is in. A tad looking corroded parking brake sensor seems to now be working properly also. A mechanic will be out to check as there is no resistance in the footpedal so want to double check what's going on but there is light at the end of the tunnel!! Things weren't quite as bad as I was led to believe after all. A ball joint and rack boot left to do and she's on the road.......after I plug the bloody leak!!

[Simmy]

Originally Posted by jenz82

Hi everyone

I have lovingly owned my xc90 for just over 10 years now but the garage have said she is beyond economical repair mainly down to a corroded handbreak mechanism. I've had historic water ingress which they say has now caused too much damage but I now have the carpets out of the way and all that's visible is the handbrake damage. Could there be more lurking under the dash? They've said about corrosion to an electrical ecu, possibly abs, but where is it located to check? Are there any others I should check?

I'm reasonably good at fixing things on this car and putting in the new handbrake mechanism looks fairly straight forward.......but is it harder than it looks?? Rear brakes are apparently locked on, it drives with an intermittent squeal.

A number of other wear and tear things popped up as they checked over but they abandoned it part way through. Engine mounts being one. I know of 2 engine mounts, the top and vacuumed lower, is there another somewhere?

I'm wondering if im biting off more than I can chew in trying to fix this but I'm just not ready to let her go until I have exhausted all possibilities. Her engine and body is sound and a lovely car to own and drive. I just don't want to waste too much plugging a hole that keeps leaking.

Your advice is so much welcomed.

check the rear hand brake shoes for de lamination its a common fault which can cause more damage,

[AB-UK]

Do yourself a favour if you replace your parking brake shoes - buy the genuine Volvo ones.
I followed the forum-recommended and supposedly money-saving path of buying an upgrade set from the internet (auction site of course) and fitted them, but although they had a nice looking abrasive surface, they were useless.
After a few months of not being able to use the brake on anything other than a flat surface, I bit the bullet and took the car to my local indy.
To his credit he kept a straight face though he's seen this loads of times.
He showed me my "new" pads - they were already shiny and smooth.
They also didn't have a flat spot in the middle as do the genuine Volvo ones - this aids grip he explained.
Genuine pads fitted, and after around 500 miles they have just about worn in and the brake is now working pretty well.
Lesson learned!

[jenz82]

Thank you. I will take that on board! Have some guys coming to quote this week so fingers crossed. Main agenda now is to stop the torrent of water coming in!!!

[Lucien]

The two prime suspects for water ingress are the front scuttle drains and sunroof drains (if you have a sunroof). For large leaks my money is on the scuttle drains at the outside base of the windscreen.

There are two drains, one on each side, which drain away through thick (1"+) plastic pipes running down the bulkhead either side of the transmission tunnel. The drains become partially blocked by leaves and stuff over time preventing the water clearing away fast enough in heavy rain so it overflows into the cabin through the electronic control module.

There was originally a one-way valve fitted at the base of each drain tube. If still fitted, remove them (pull off from below, or knock off with a long screwdriver from above) and throw them away. They allow detritus to build up and hinder drainage.

Clean away any leaves on the grille above the scuttle (around the wipers). Then, even better, remove the windscreen wipers, remove the top scuttle grille, vacuum out the scuttle and remove all broken up leaves, sycamore seeds etc.

Now test that water drains away. It is best to use a fast flowing hosepipe, but don't allow the level to build up if it is not draining away. If you look down either side of the transmission tunnel you will see the water draining away. Water needs to escape very efficiently from these drains as in heavy rain they collect a lot of water. Once you are happy that the drains are clear, refit the grille cover and wipers.

Good luck!

regards
Lucien