Buying tips : would you buy with noisy VVT pulley ?

[V40addict]

Today I had a look at a 2000 V40 1.8l, just under 100k miles; interior mint condition, never seen an interior like that, sells for very little money. But it has the VVT pulley noise. The current owner says after I told him mine does it too onnly some of the time it's the same with his. Although I suspect it could be all the time , anyway the noise started immediately from cold (sometimes happens on my 2001 too). Car drives perfectly as far as I can tell.

I had printed out the Buyers Guide ( https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=160312), but didn't have time tocheck everything, if hot air and oil is blown out when you remove the oil filler cap, is it the sign of a problem I remember the tip of putting a rubber glove on there and see if it inflates but I forgot what it means. Here the engine was spitting oil and hot air and it made a bit of a mess. Is the PCV blocked ? And how bad is it ? On mine there is a screen that prevents that. The belt was changed in 2010, before 80 k miles, so per manufacturer recommendation it would have to be changed soon; although I suppose not replacing because of the time limit instead of the mileage is less of a problem. My guess if I don' use it much still good for a year, but the VVT pulley ? How much extra does the VVT pulley change cost when you do the timing belt?
I always wonder about the possibility the mileage is not accurate, I always ask myself why would one sell a car like that at that mileage ? The interior is mint but owner had put covers on the seat.

One thing that I like is the console has a carbon fiber look, really cool on this car, but is it original, didn' t know they made them like that.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by V40addict

Today I had a look at a 2000 V40 1.8l, just under 100k miles; interior mint condition, never seen an interior like that, sells for very little money. But it has the VVT pulley noise. The current owner says after I told him mine does it too onnly some of the time it's the same with his. Although I suspect it could be all the time , anyway the noise started immediately from cold (sometimes happens on my 2001 too). Car drives perfectly as far as I can tell.

I had printed out the Buyers Guide ( https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=160312), but didn't have time tocheck everything, if hot air and oil is blown out when you remove the oil filler cap, is it the sign of a problem I remember the tip of putting a rubber glove on there and see if it inflates but I forgot what it means. Here the engine was spitting oil and hot air and it made a bit of a mess. Is the PCV blocked ? And how bad is it ? On mine there is a screen that prevents that. The belt was changed in 2010, before 80 k miles, so per manufacturer recommendation it would have to be changed soon; although I suppose not replacing because of the time limit instead of the mileage is less of a problem. My guess if I don' use it much still good for a year, but the VVT pulley ? How much extra does the VVT pulley change cost when you do the timing belt?
I always wonder about the possibility the mileage is not accurate, I always ask myself why would one sell a car like that at that mileage ? The interior is mint but owner had put covers on the seat.

One thing that I like is the console has a carbon fiber look, really cool on this car, but is it original, didn' t know they made them like that.

Which engine do you have , it says 1.8i which is the Mitsubishi GDI engine ..
The volvo 1.8 engine is the one which can sometimes have Variable valve pulley noise ...

[V40addict]

I have the 2001 V40 with a 1.6L engine but it was badly damaged by a lady in an SUV I would be happy to have a second V40 anyway so before knowing what happens to my 2001, I am thinking about buying this black 2000 model, 1.8L, its not the GDI engine, same as mine only 1.8L. Downsides are its a phase 1, not as good as a phase 2 for parts interchangeability (what about interior ? I am thinking worst case scenario I have a great interior), and knowing the car has been in a back alley garage, and the owner has worked in a garage before, the computer and the clock may have been tampered with. And it makes the VVT noise.

But other than that, this V40 looks great compared to what's available. I feel like buying it.

[V40addict]

I just read about the PCV failure and the glove test. Does this apply to the V40 as well. The car I inspected today would clearly fail the glove test. I will test mine tomorrow but mine has a screen, as far as I know most V40 have burnt oil residues under the oil filler cap, indicating oil is spit by the engine, thus some positive crankcase pressure. Positive pressure implies loss of performance , oil leaks, didnt notice any of that, saw the parking spot, no trace of oil. So what's your take on that; is it normal for a V40 to blow hot air from the oil filler wehn you remove the cap (engine running of course)?

[Dippydog]

I don't know anything of these engines so can't answer your mechanical queries directly but check out cost of vvt repair/replacement plus pcv replacement if that's the issue add those to the cost of the car does that still make it a viable proposition?As for the mileage query check out the M.o.T. history on the govt. web site this will not only give you mileages when tested but also failures/advisories which can be an indicator of how much care previous owners have given the car.

[ITSv40]

The VVT pulley is not a big issue, especially if you are having the belt changed anyway. It is the cost of the pulley and a bit of extra labour. If everything else stacks up and the price is right, it should not be a deal breaker.

The interiors are not interchangeable between P1 and P2 as the airbag system is different and the window switches are in a different location, making a change in the main loom necessary.

[volvoid]

It can be better to buy the car cheaply with a known fault, than to buy the car then find out why the owner sold it

[V40addict]

By interior I mean the seats mainly.
What bothers me mostly is the PCV - positive crankcase pressure issue, common sense would mean this engine is prone to leaks. Oil consumption too, what are the signs to look for (no smoke here, but oil very recent so maybe there is abnormal consumption) ?

[Dippydog]

Only two ways I know of that an engine can consume oil.First is to burn it[all/most/some engines burn a little oil and manufacturers will publish acceptable figures generally in litres per thousand miles]excessive burning of oil becomes obvious by the appearance of blue oil smoke at the tail pipe[black smoke from a diesel?]this is usually best spotted when on the "over run" or hard acceleration.The second way is to leak it which I'm sure you know would be seen as oil stains on the floor where the car has been parked.Are there any signs the engine has been steam cleaned/otherwise washed down/cleaned?If so this might have been done to disguise oil leakage.

[john.wigley]

Coming back to 'V40addict's original question: 'Would you buy with noisy VVT pulley?', this is what I would be inclined to do in his position.

If I liked the car as much as 'V40addict' appears to, I would:

1 - Obtain a quote from a trusted source for correcting the issue (£A).
2 - Decide what I would be willing to pay for the car without this issue (£B).
3 - Deduct (£A) from (£B) to arrive at (£C).
4 - Make an offer to the vendor of (£C) for the car.

If the vendor accepted this offer (or some other mutually acceptable negotiated figure) I would buy the car and stop agonising over the purchase.

If the vendor rejected this offer, I would stop agonising over the purchase, walk away and look for another car that better suited my requirements.

Buying cars can be emotive, but life is too short to agonise for long over their purchase.

Regards, John.