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D5 euro 3 163bhp engine bay photo and what to look out for?

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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 00:33   #1
jgjones095
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Default D5 euro 3 163bhp engine bay photo and what to look out for?

Hi all

Does anyone have an engine bay photo of what one looks like.?

When viewing a car with this engine what should i look out for, what to listern for, and where are the problem areas I should be looking out for oil leaks etc

Do they have the pcv systems?

Sorry I'm new to the world of diesel cars... always had petrol lol

Ta
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 11:37   #2
john langrick
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Hi, not sure if mine has positive crankcase ventilation. But I have a 03 xc90. I guess same vintage and identified by a black plastic engine cover as opposed to the 185 which has a silver cover. My experiences, if it helps, are detailed below.

I purchased my xc90 as had new company cars throughout my working life the latter all volvo v7O. I always wanted an xc90 when I retired as I am a keen yachtsman and what better to cart boating gear down a rough track to the boatyard?

Although you can purchase an early xc90 at a reasonable cost, it may well cost well over £1k more to correct current problems, even if well maintained. Then there will be ongoing and expensive running costs as parts will simply wear out. I set aside £1500 . for repairs to mine, which was about right. In truth this is the same for all older cars, but xc90 is a complex car and parts can be very expensive.

Any fluid leak is a big problem, especially oil from the crankshaft rear. There is a large sump protector which may well disguise this leak for a time.

The other major problem might be the gearbox, I personally would avoid one with either engine leaks or transmission problems.

I would make sure you have a local Indi specialising in volvo. There are many listed on this forum. Mine immediately identified that the car needed new wishbone, front disks, exhaust, plus the obvious broken left wing mirror, SRS problem and stitching lose on leather seat. All signs of an elderly xc90, but not major issues.

Two areas to investigate , firstly try and get any codes read using an odb reader or better still Vida. The latter may be harder as this is not a generic reader and usually part of the'kit' of a serious volvo specialist. When I went to purchased mine I has a simple odb code reader which did give indication of major problems I was concerned about and resulted in me turning down two other xc90 prior to purchase. Just having a warning light on the dash should be a concern and in my opinion really needs analysis prior to considering purchase, that is unless really obvious. For example, mine indicated SRS problems, which is very common on volvo of a 'certain age'. This is generally caused by a faulty alarm battery, which is a simple replacement but I chose to replace with a new unit.

Second is to get a reasonable and up to date service record. This will indicate that the previous owner has not simply run the car into the ground. Also look at the mot history on line, which will also give indications of past and sometimes current issues.

Key to me was overall condition of the outside and inside of the car. My view is that you will inevitably spend more than average maintaining this car so i made sure it looks good cosmetically.

Another suggestion is to always try and use volvo parts and not OEM. In my case and I guess typical of an older car, I replaced cam belt and water pump, front disks, wishbones and drop links, alarm module, handbreak drums, exhaust, all tyres, rear wheel bearings, abs rings, transmission fluid, all the usual service parts, (engine oil, filters etc).

I purchased a second hand nearside wing mirror on eBay, the mirror cradle was broken on mine. But I recouped half of the cost by selling my old one as parts (the case was fine).

My experience only and I hope it helps. I could have cut the cost be servicing myself, but not as young as I used to be and an experienced Indi can repair things in a fraction of the time it would take me.
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Old Dec 16th, 2017, 21:57   #3
ianu
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Hi,
The elephant in the room for the early models (yes the 163 has the black engine cover) is the AWD.
1. Irrespective of any service history (unless it was done and documented <50k miles ago), check the AWD is working by trying to turn the propshaft whilst all wheels are on the ground. There is plenty of advice on here if you search for it. If it hasn't been done, it's only a matter of time
2. Oil leak from rear of engine, again unless documented, likely to be core plug or bearing seal. If evidence of a leak - get them both sorted asap - the core plug will dump your oil in seconds if it blows while the engine is running. Again if not already done, it'll be on the list coming up.
3. If it's a manual box, clutch slave cylinder/clutch. The slave cylinder will leak into the tray so might not be obvious. The first sign might be a low brake fluid warning sign (although if someone is selling it, they'll have topped it up). It can use 1/2 litre of fluid in top ups before it appears on the tarmac underneath - trust me!! Again, if it hasn't been done, life expectancy 70-100k between clutches depending on driving style obviously so it's on the list.

If there's no evidence of any of the above ever being done, I'd say you need to have minimum £1500 contingency fund. If they all need doing you're near the £2k mark. All the above come close to being pretty much the same job to do labour wise, so while it's apart consider them all.

Auto boxes as far as I know, seem to be pretty robust, you wont find many threads on here about issues with auto (except T6), except some suffered from quite marked lag on take off from standing. I don't know if there was a fix for it or not.
Everything else is pretty standard maintenance as already mentioned, suspension bushes, brakes, etc.
Check for leaky inter cooler radiator. It's the middle radiator of the three - evidence will be oily mist across the front of the engine typically on the drivers side iirc. Not that expensive and can be a diy job if you're moderately handy with a spanner (see my guide :-)
If it has a sunroof, check under the front carpets for signs of damp. Blocked drains can result in water running down the inside of the door pillar under the carpet and playing havoc with the ECU module sat under the drivers seat so check all electrical stuff works.
I have a 54 plate 163 manual with 266k I've had from new. The top 3 on the list above have been my biggest expense on this vehicle over and above normal running costs for this mileage.
Buy cheap, but keep a contingency fund similar to what you pay for it and you'll have a cracking car :-) Best car I've ever owned and no plans to get rid of it.
Cheers
Ian.
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