General: DEM Repairs

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by gasc2188

BBA did a top job with the DEM. The entire job including the postage cost £128, a big difference from £1480 for a new one..................and the software, labour etc etc. These guys are well worth a try

Glad it worked out ...they have saved the bacon a few times on many modules!

[gshadow325]

Originally Posted by BestGear

Glad it worked out ...they have saved the bacon a few times on many modules!

i am curious what they "repair". i took my dem and turned it over and saw that there was alot of fluid/liquid sludge coming out of it. i took it apart and cleaned the inside of it out with hot water. yes hot water. the unit was sealed but had some leakage. the hot water helped all the sludge get off the board and accosiated parts. the board seemed to have a thin coating of some sort. i figured what its the worst i can do? break it some more? LOL. took it apart, cleaned it resealed it with silicone, replaced the dem pump( code DEM0006) and replaced the sensor(dem0007 code), replaced the haldex fluid and i have working awd. i think if my dem did not have a leak it might not have ""failed". i think the liquid was shorting something out. over time it can make the dem useless piece of junk.

to anyone attempting this repair, please check if your dem is dry or have liquid damage and report back.

[400-ascona]

DEM can be seen to the right of where the prop shaft connects to the differential:



Close up of installed DEM:



DEM removed (2 torx bolts) and internal components (watch for the bolts shearing, the bottom one was tight, put managed to wind it out far enough to get plus gas on it:



Didn't look like any oil had got into this one, although about 20/30ml leaked out the diff when removed.

[tomara]

Hello All again,

I took the car (XC 90 D5 SE 2004) to another Volvo dealer to order the sensor and got talking to the guy in parts and a mechanic. The parts guy said 'are you sure its not the angle gear, we have done 3 already this week !'. Anyway the mechanic convinced me to take it in to check for sure it was not the angle gear. They checked it yesterday and the angle gear is OK, and the only fault is the dem 000b code. This time however they said do the pressure sensor first before the dem, then do the dem if its not the sensor. The other dealer was going for the dem first and as we know its far more expensive and a bizarre way to proceed given the error code.
The were however going to charge me for the diagnosis but I pushed back and avoided it.

I've ordered the sensor now from them and its 114 euro (about right) but in total they are quoting me close to 400 euro for parts and labour if they fit the part. Thus I think they are trying to recoup money for the analysis. The page from the manual posted a few replies back mentions .5 hr labour and the haldex fluid. I said this to them and they said they had to 'align' the sensor, use the VIDA, and clear the DTC code. My questions to you are :

-how much would 1ltr of haldex cost ?. They say 1 ltr will do.

-to make this change is there anly alignment activity or is that bullshi* ?


-what is the VIDA, the diagnostic machine ?. Is it relevant as part of this change ?


-how are the DTC codes cleared.


I am tempted to have my local mechanic do the change at probably half the cost if he needs no special kit.

Thanks,

Terry.

[gshadow325]

Originally Posted by tomara

Hello All again,

I took the car (XC 90 D5 SE 2004) to another Volvo dealer to order the sensor and got talking to the guy in parts and a mechanic. The parts guy said 'are you sure its not the angle gear, we have done 3 already this week !'. Anyway the mechanic convinced me to take it in to check for sure it was not the angle gear. They checked it yesterday and the angle gear is OK, and the only fault is the dem 000b code. This time however they said do the pressure sensor first before the dem, then do the dem if its not the sensor. The other dealer was going for the dem first and as we know its far more expensive and a bizarre way to proceed given the error code.
The were however going to charge me for the diagnosis but I pushed back and avoided it.

I've ordered the sensor now from them and its 114 euro (about right) but in total they are quoting me close to 400 euro for parts and labour if they fit the part. Thus I think they are trying to recoup money for the analysis. The page from the manual posted a few replies back mentions .5 hr labour and the haldex fluid. I said this to them and they said they had to 'align' the sensor, use the VIDA, and clear the DTC code. My questions to you are :

-how much would 1ltr of haldex cost ?. They say 1 ltr will do.

-to make this change is there anly alignment activity or is that bullshi* ?


-what is the VIDA, the diagnostic machine ?. Is it relevant as part of this change ?


-how are the DTC codes cleared.


I am tempted to have my local mechanic do the change at probably half the cost if he needs no special kit.

Thanks,

Terry.

Haldex switch part # 30651694 List USD$115 Cost $92
Filter part # 30787687 List USD $18 cost $14.40
FLuid part # 1161641 List USD $21 cost $16.80

I did it on my back with my XC90 on ramps under the rear two wheels. took me 1hr MAXIMUM. That was taking my time too. That was getting out and looking up where the haldex fill plug was too! That was spilling some fluid out too all over the car. That was cleaing off the gunk from the side of the AOC for 15 minutes. Align the sensor is another load of crap.

My advice, do the sensor and order the fluid. change it. then scan the car again and report back.

btw- the fluid comes in a calk tube and one tube will have extra. just squeeze it all in till it spills out.

[tomara]

Thanks Gshadow,

I take it in tomorrow to have the sensor done (if I can get through the snow). Its good knowing the cost of the haldex fluid and filter. Hopefully tomorrow will fix it. I will let you all know.

Regards,

Terry.

[ads001]

I had similar problems on my T6, was told I needed a new dem module costing around £1500, I took it to my local mechanic (he couldn't read the codes hence the trip to volvo) he cleaned the connections and it has been fine ever since.

[tomara]

Thanks all for your help. I had the garage replace the sensor and it fixed the problem. I have now 4WD again (I think for the first time probably). It cost me €370 for parts/labour however they had told me this in advance.
I am glad I found this forum as if I went ahead with what the first local dealer told me they would have replaced the DEM at a cost of €2100 and since it was the sensor, would they then have arrived at that eventually and charged me another €300 also ?, probably. The replies on this forum made me go to another dealer, speak knowledgeably on the topic and with them agree to do the sensor first.
Thanks all. Hopefully the sleeve/splines will hold up now.

[Gazdok]

Did any of the people on here with a DEM problem, that was fixed later, have a warning light come on and a message like "Anti Skid System Service required"?

I am asking because I had this message and went to Volvo.
They read the codes - and I did not ask which were displayed - and then said it could be the cable leading up to the DEM which had a slight crack in the plastic connector or the DEM itself at £200+ or £1200+ respectively.
I asked them to replace the cable but it did not fix the problem.

Of course they forgot to mention -probably just an oversight - that the DEM could be "refurbished" or the pressure sensor be cleaned as I have just read here.

My AWD still works as I could test in 50 cm of snow where I dugg myself in and out - inside the car, but the message comes on occasionally.

[gshadow325]

Originally Posted by Gazdok

Did any of the people on here with a DEM problem, that was fixed later, have a warning light come on and a message like "Anti Skid System Service required"?

I am asking because I had this message and went to Volvo.
They read the codes - and I did not ask which were displayed - and then said it could be the cable leading up to the DEM which had a slight crack in the plastic connector or the DEM itself at £200+ or £1200+ respectively.
I asked them to replace the cable but it did not fix the problem.

Of course they forgot to mention -probably just an oversight - that the DEM could be "refurbished" or the pressure sensor be cleaned as I have just read here.

My AWD still works as I could test in 50 cm of snow where I dugg myself in and out - inside the car, but the message comes on occasionally.

dude your message is not DEM related, Anti skid most likely is the yaw sensor that is getting wet from clogged sun roof drains, or a slipping angle gear sleeve. you need to get the codes that lead them to believe it was the wire going to the DEM.
lets think about it constructively:
A: if the dem cable had a crack in it, it would work and not work on and off. B: you would have no AWD
C: fault codes would say no communication to dem
D: replacing the cable would have fixed it
E: when the DEM fails, nothing comes up on the dash

i am no expert, just a fellow enthusiast that hates getting screwed by the dealer. Parts changing is not my thing especially when it comes to my money you using to guess on the repair!