Tell me about T4s

[keithyboy]

I've had my Alfa 156 for 2 years which is a lifetime for me in car ownership terms so I'm thinking I might change it in the next 6 months or so. One possibility is a T4 so I need a bit of education.

1. I've only ever driven 2001-on S40s and have read that the ride and handling wasn't up to much on earlier ones. Were they that bad and what can be done in terms of shocks and springs.
2. What goes wrong on them.
3. What can be done to up the power without spending a fortune e.g. upping the boost on the cheap.

Any and all opinions welcome.

[mikeyskona]

Depends what you're looking for in a car.

the T4 is the kinda car you buy as a family car with a bit of spirit. The estate is very practical, and pretty quick. Oh, and a hoot at the lights when you pull up next to a boy racer in a saxo, then blast them off the line in your grandad car .

It's no scooby or evo, the ride (in mine at least) is pretty firm on the 16" alloys, I couldn't live with 17s with the roads here!. It doesn't corner fantastically, but it is adequite for spirited driving, providing you're not expecting to stick to the ass of an Sti or Evo X if you get what i mean.
I have heard a few guys say the strut braces make a big difference.

The engines themselves are relatively bomb proof providing they are well serviced with genuine parts, so service history is a must.
Main things to check are the coil packs on these as they are known for eating them. Fuel pumps tend to get tired around the 100k mark and the Fuel pressure regulators are a common cause of crap starting, so look out for this.
The MAF sensors on these cost a bomb, and if they die are normally replaced with after market ones, these can be pretty painful and cause a manner of problems. Look out for the peirburg name on the MAF, if it's some random chiniese name, or unbranded again, you could have issues down the line.
The wastegate actuators are known to wear on these which will give you a bloody annoying rattle at the back of the engine. This is easily sorted (there's lots of how tos on here for that), but might give you a little bargaining chip if you spot it . Coolant temp sensors and Idle control valves also known to cause a few running issues such as poor mpg and crap idling. You can normally get away with cleaning the ICV, but coolant temp sensor is a replace job (about £30 ish). Also these cars are picky on spark plugs. Use the genuine volvo ones or better (by better i mean £40-£50 a set kinda plugs) otherwise it will throw a fit and run like a bag of nails.
edit: Ooh. I just remembered another pretty common thing (from reading here) cause mine has just developed this fault. Snatchy calipers. Pretty easy to fix, but something else to look out for. Hurts MPG, tyres, handling etc

These motors don't really rust so if you find a rusty one, i would say it hasn't been well cared for and will probably be hiding a few nasties down the line (as i learned to my peril on my T4).

As they share the same platform with the early Evo's there are some parts you can switch between the Evo 3/4's and these although i have not had any experience with this myself.

Alloys: Well, the offset on these is 44mm (which the standard bbs crater alloys are). Aftermarket alloys are often fitted with incorrect offset which will cause wheelrub etc, so if it's on aftermarkets check the inner arches. On 16" rims, it should be running 205/50/R16's but some people put the bigger profile cheaper tyres on. These WILL rub and cause you to rip your inners apart over time.

Hope some of this was useful, i know i didn't answer all your Q's but i haven't really fiddled with mine that much, i'm sure others will add on the stuff i've missed and correct any possible mistakes

Happy Hunting

Mike.

[velocitysurfer]

The recommended petrol grade, for a T4, is 98RON. Most superunleaded is only 97RON. You can use standard unleaded but you won't get full performance, due to the ignition being retarded by the ECU.

Many people (including me) only use Shell VPower unleaded as this is 99RON.

[andy_d]

std S/V 40 "goes wrong" with the head gaskets being known for being popped
but as they are a s/v 40 , spares for things non engine /turbo related are fairly respectable in price.

its not unknown for them to burn a valve out on #1 or #2 pot, (nearest cambelt) and or pop the head gasket , few unlucky peeps have managed to crack the bore/block instead of the headgasket.
Left "std" they can be a lot better in reliablity terms, popping things usually starts to happen when they get played with to get a fair few more horses.

as others have said
they Sulk if not on 98ron or better fuel, sulk if not got Good plugs (preferably gen volvo ones) , sulk as per all s/v40's on tyre patterns

DO put a silly grin on face when this "volvo" just sod's off ...

your betsy is 122bhp ,, there 200bhp 2/3rds as much again for a estimation of "grin size"

theres as always some Right tat out there,,and some Stunning ones.

[gmain1967]

Opinion is divided but yes, phase 1.5/2 ride better/handle better.

That said, I never found the phase 1 THAT bad... Uprated springs and a strut brace may have helped.

They are quite tunable, once you know what you want, and where to get it. Suspension/brakes/interior are partly compatible with the earlier Mitsubishi evos, so that opens up your scope on certain parts.

The earlier 1.9 engines are accepted as being stronger than the later 2.0

And looked after, you can get a good un for under a grand. Usual S40/V40 things to look out for apply, but as above, they are capable of high mileage - even the T4 version

If you do get one and are ever tempted to replace a failed MAF, lambda sensor, O2 sensor, ABS sensor or almost any type of sensor with a non Volvo part, DON'T. It will save you short term (sometimes very short term), but will almost definitely cost you longer term.

And if you are not bothered whether it be a V40 or an S40 T4, the V40 worked out substantially cheaper to insure in comparison to my S40.

Now just find one and enjoy one of the ultimate Q cars!!!

Cheers

Attached was a list that another forum member put together after input from various folks, that may help you

[keithyboy]

Thanks for your input guys.

[t4 tony]

good info there chap's,but must say at least half of all them troubles are extream examples of what can go wrong,and the rest are the same as any other car out there.thought i would just reasure anyone else lookin at this that some time's when some one ask's what the t4's are like it's a little horror storey of people telling all the bad storeys they've ever heard and not much good time's being told.t4's are **** hot motor's in the right hands as with most other cars treat em nice and they'll go for ever.


p.s. mine's still for sale.lol.

[gmain1967]

Originally Posted by t4 tony

good info there chap's,but must say at least half of all them troubles are extream examples of what can go wrong,and the rest are the same as any other car out there.thought i would just reasure anyone else lookin at this that some time's when some one ask's what the t4's are like it's a little horror storey of people telling all the bad storeys they've ever heard and not much good time's being told.t4's are **** hot motor's in the right hands as with most other cars treat em nice and they'll go for ever.


p.s. mine's still for sale.lol.

Yes you're correct - I haven't replaced anything other than parts that I wanted to change, or wear and tear items. Some of them do seem to get neglected mind which is a crying shame. Out of curiousity, as I've committed to another car, how much you looking for yours again?

Cheers

[t4 tony]

sorry mate forgot i posted on ere this morning £2000

[Alfaneil]

I went from a heavily modified Alfa 156 to a V40 after getting a monster dog, almost 2 years ago !!. The V40 is quicker, stops better, has better economy & more comfort... However my missus & I both still miss the 156 !!. The Volvo's a better car in almost every respect, but the Alfa made every drive feel special...