Towing with an old (99 V) V70

[ScaniaR440]

I have an Ace Jubilee Courier, 2006 vintage and have recently acquired a V plate V70 2.5tdi manual.

Any tips on what (if anything) I should do to it (her?) I already have a twin electrics tow bar fitted to the vehicle.

Our previous tow car was a BMW e39 530i Sport auto which performed admirably until the auto box expired most likely due to towing(!)

Just looking for any suggestions like is it worthwhile changing the gearbox oil etc...

Any tips greatly appreciated.

[CNGBiFuel]

These make good tow cars.
Definitely definitely flush the ATF. Google Gibbons flush. Black ATF, along with the PCV clogging is what send these cars, otherwise capable of galactic miles, to the breakers pile. Google that too.

Fit a trans cooler, these cars [without towing] suffer slightly undercooled transmissions. Not so much as to cause issues in warranty miles , but much over 120-130K and hte ATF is on borrowed time. The ATF is often found black and allowing the trans to start getting munched by 80-90,000 miles. There is a Volvo kit, but cobble any cooler and some pipework, cheaper and just as simple to do. This as an aux to the stock cooler. Toyota have hte same box, (it is made by Toyota - Aisin Warner) and change at 60,000.

I wrote a long post on this but there's plenty aside from mine. Without a cooler your ATF won't stay rose pink for more than 25,000 miles. The ATF is good for the warranty period only. ie 'Sealed for life' as the mantra goes. I'll bet my mortgage yours is black. Simple job, change it.
There will be a bloke along in a mo' to say "Rubbish" and anyway, he has 220,000 miles on the same box and ATF, and that Volvo say 'Blah'. Yes this is possible, but I suggest you ignore the breakers pile of these cars at your peril.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=235190

[XC70Bob]

Originally Posted by CNGBiFuel

These make good tow cars.
Definitely definitely flush the ATF. Google Gibbons flush. Black ATF, along with the PCV clogging is what send these cars, otherwise capable of galactic miles, to the breakers pile. Google that too.

Fit a trans cooler, these cars [without towing] suffer slightly undercooled transmissions. Not so much as to cause issues in warranty miles , but much over 120-130K and hte ATF is on borrowed time. The ATF is often found black and allowing the trans to start getting munched by 80-90,000 miles. There is a Volvo kit, but cobble any cooler and some pipework, cheaper and just as simple to do. This as an aux to the stock cooler. Toyota have hte same box, (it is made by Toyota - Aisin Warner) and change at 60,000.

I wrote a long post on this but there's plenty aside from mine. Without a cooler your ATF won't stay rose pink for more than 25,000 miles. The ATF is good for the warranty period only. ie 'Sealed for life' as the mantra goes. I'll bet my mortgage yours is black. Simple job, change it.
There will be a bloke along in a mo' to say "Rubbish" and anyway, he has 220,000 miles on the same box and ATF, and that Volvo say 'Blah'. Yes this is possible, but I suggest you ignore the breakers pile of these cars at your peril.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=235190

scaniar440 stated his car was a manual transmission. "V plate V70 2.5tdi manual."
so it will have gear box oil NOT ATF and you cant fix a trans cooler to a manual box.

regarding the manual box I would check the oil level and if its ok and the oil looks clean I would just leave it alone.

[ScaniaR440]

Thank you both.

Indeed it is a manual but I incidentally did the precautionary measure of changing the oil and filter on the previous BMW and consensus seems to be that helped finds it off(!) - most likely dislodged some crud or other and it went boom!

PCV? The term rings a bell, what and where is it please and what's the best way to check and clean it?

Re the manual gearbox, what grade oil is recommended and do I top up until it's coming out of the filler or is it best to drain and refil?


Thanks again guys.

[XC70Bob]

if I remember correctly oil spec is 75W80 GL-4 fully synthetic ( I actually used 75/90 GL-4 fully synthetic to top mine up )
and when topping up you just get it running out of the level plug hole with the car level, and empty box takes about 2.1L so would not be to expensive to do a full oil change for peace of mind.

[ScaniaR440]

Thanks Bob, just the job.

[60041]

I towed a Bailet Pageant with a '99 2.5Tdi for many years, covering about 6,000 miles a year and getting as far afield as Italy and the south of France.
It was a superb towcar in every way.
Changing the oils is good advice; the only other things I would consider are fitting rear spring assisters and finding a full size spare wheel.
I put Greyston auxiliary springs on the back of mine and it transformed the car: previously, with 2 teenage children and 3 weeks worth of luggage in the back, it was very tail down - the auxiliary springs cured that.

[CNGBiFuel]

Egg-on-face, he clearly states a a manual. Oil in those isn't really an issue.

Fitting rear spring assisters and finding a full size spare wheel...
Yes to the spare wheel idea, but you may have Nivomat self-levelling shox on tehre if you're lucky. Pricey but brilliant things. The ULTIMATE set-up.

[ScaniaR440]

I'll most likely change the gearbox oil regardless, does anyone have a link for these springs?

Mine is very low at the back, much more so than my old BMW 530(which had much firmer suspension)

I've already a full size spare albeit steel rim rather than alloy like the other wheels on the car.

[c_lee]

I tow our caravan with a 1999 V70 2.5D auto.

You are probably aware that you need a visual or audio indication in the car that the trailer indicators are working OK.

Mine has a trailer visual indication on the dash and I don't know whether that is there by default or as a result of a software update after the towbar was fitted - it was there when I bought the car which had the towbar already fitted.

I also added audio indication using one of those little modules bought on eBay.

Turn indicator notification is good but I also added audio indication for the trailer brake lights using a second eBay gismo.

They monitor current draw to the trailer lights so a trailer brake light circuit fault or indicator fault would not go un-noticed.

I like to be sure following traffic know when I am braking as well as turning, though only turn signal notification is mandatory.

Colin