2006 V50 Back from the Dead

mf70 · Mar 27, 2015

The thing is, with that 2" of foam, there can be a LOT of water that doesn't slosh. .. and the surface of the carpet can seem completely dry!

I get it that something like a TWO FOOT hole in the roof might let water in. I'm disappointed that Volvo didn't make that tube one inch longer so it wouldn't come out of the bottom elbow, and that there's no fail-safe drainage arrangement.

In addition to the actions in the previous post, I'll look into adding a strategic bit of silver tape to the bulkhead just above the carpet edge so that water running down the bulkhead from the ""A" pillar will be diverted to the TOP of the carpet where I'll notice it if another drainage failure occurs.

mf70 · Apr 6, 2015

So, with one warm weekend, I loosened the seats and slipped the three carpet sections out from under, heavy and dripping (!!!). One week of drying in a sunny room, along with vacuuming and Febreze, restored them to service.

A second warm weekend, and two hours work: the battery disconnected, seats removed, carpets slid (with difficulty) under the center console, seats replaced, and car re-energized without triggering any SRS warnings. Yay!

I bought one of these:

and placed the sensor at the lowest point, the pocket under the rear heat vent. Hopefully I will get an earlier warning next time the "drainage system" malfunctions. It looks like I can mock up a second sensor for the passenger side to catch leaks on either side.

AnotherWagonFan · Apr 15, 2015

I've been visiting this site for a while now and it's already helped out quite a bit for me so I figured my first post might as well share some help as well. In regards to the sunroof drain issue, mine had it right off the bat when I bought it in February so it got to be the first fix I had the pleasure of cursing at. I read nearly every sunroof drain post here and hadn't seen this exact thing yet. Here's what I changed along the process:

I have relatively big hands and removing the elbow down in the dash and cutting the end off just wasn't a very viable option for me to do. I ended up taking the headliner loose and removing the drain tube from up inside the roof and using a basketball pump to blow the crud free. I tested by pouring water in the drain to be sure it flowed properly. Now I know as well as everyone here, that removing the headliner each time to blow out the system isn't something we want to do.

I went to Lowes and picked up some new plastic tubing that is the same diameter as the sunroof drain, some waterproof silicone, and a small section of tubing that has an inside diameter equal to the outside diameter of the drain hose. I ran new hose to the elbows on both sides and used silicone to permanently attach them in place. About halfway up the A-pillar, I cut the hose and put in a splice with the larger diameter tube and used silicone to seal it to the lower tube so it wouldn't leak. I then just plugged the existing tube from the sunroof into the splice and closed it all back up.

Should I ever need to get in and blow the elbows out again, I only have to remove the A-pillar cover and take the joint loose, rather than the whole side of the headliner. Below are some pictures, I hope this helps make the process a little less painful for someone else.

Now I know it's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it gets the job done and it's hidden from view so it's fine with me.

-Logan

mf70 · Jun 22, 2015

... and, four months later, the water was over the (driver's side) carpet again. Not a peep from my water alarm. It looks like I placed the sensor in the one spot that was not going to touch water. Sigh.

I went back in. I tested the sunroof gutter, and, sure enough, it was blocked (again???). water was leaking from the TOP of the driver's "A" pillar drain, however.

I removed the sunroof windlacing, the driver's grab handle, and the sun visor (I should have also removed the sun visor clip). I then carefully bent down the headliner and again tested the sunroof gutter. It turns out that there is a rigid "S" shaped tube and another 3" piece of tubing above the visible flexible tube in the "A" pillar.

Water was leaking from each of the upper joints in the drain. Over the ten years of its life, the flexible tube had lost its grip on the various hose barbs -- and one other thing, "special" for this car. I tried blowing through the "S" tube, and got four squares of window glass out! More fallout from the "event" that brought the car to me.

Before I buttoned things up, I also tried blowing through the rubber lower "L" fitting. Also blocked, again. This time I pulled it out, rather than repeating my "roto-rooter" idea. There was another good-sized glass chip. To get it back in, I used a three-part system. I threaded the "L" fitting over a 10" length of 1/2" copper tube. I then threaded a length of stiff wire through all. I used the wire to blind-locate the bulkhead hole. Once the end of the "L" fitting was started in the hole. I pulled the wire and used the tubing as a tool to snap the "L" fitting home in its final location.

We went through the tail of tropical storm Bill that evening, and things stayed dry. Fingers are crossed. I'll try a different spot for that alarm.

mf70 · Jun 22, 2015

Also...

Encouraged by this post:

http://forums.swedespeed.com/showth...ad.php?231575-introduction-and-a-few-questions&p=2537639&viewfull=1#post2537639

I pulled the lower seat cushions and washed them. I would add a few details:

It isn't absolutely necessary to disconnect the battery or remove the seats. Once the seat bolts are uncovered and removed, the seats can be tipped back in place for access to the fastening clips. There doesn't seem to be too much strain on the seat wiring. It is helpful to be able to power the driver's seat around for various sorts of access.
Start at the back. The rear clip is a "U" that merely needs to be pulled down and off the seat pan.
Next, there are four side clips that are also very easy to remove from the tipped-back seat.
Thread the cover up under the seat back to get progressive access to ten red mid-cushion clips. I found a short medium straight-blade screwdriver worked best, twisting to pop the black spline on the cushion out of each clip.
The cover is then inverted over the front of the seat pan. There is a 1/2" plastic strip under five attachment points on the front of the pan.

Wash (delicate cycle?). There was a foam backing that had disintegrated, but the remaining fabric was in good condition. Scotch-Guard, for what it's worth.

Reinstall:

Install from front to back.
Set forward strip in place with cover inverted.
Working back, clip the ten mid-cushion clips in place.
Clip the four side clips.
Tuck the cover as much as possible under the seat back.
The cover has a 1" slit at the back. Using a thin wedge 1" plastic trim tool, slide the tool in the slit, hook it in the center of the rear "U" clip, and press it below the edge of the seat pan.
From the rear, work the length of the "U" over the pan.
Replace the seat fastenings.

Not exactly "easy-peazy," but they are cleaner than they've been for ten years. It's a LOT better than another Blue Coral treatment.

I didn't try to remove the seat back cushions, as a) it seemed like a bigger job, and 2) they weren't as dirty. It looks like the headrest covers are secured with a zipper with its slider removed. (Really, Volvo?) I washed that in place.

mf70 · Jun 4, 2016

Aargh! The Millenia Bluetooth adapter from Crutchfields died after two years. A new Blaupunkt "BT UP" adapter came in three days. Cheaper and smaller. I mounted it in the taillight hatch, so I could get at the pairing button if I needed it. We'll see...

mf70 · Oct 12, 2016

Brake surprise!

I hadn't really looked at the front pad wear since I got the car, and it was about time. Removing the slide pins was easy (though I expected torx sockets rather than Allen sockets on the pins.) The calipers came off easily, and I had full access to the pads and to, crucially, BOTH sides of each rotor.

The pads were good for another 5000 miles, but I noticed that the hidden back side of the left rotor had a band of galling and rust. About 75% of the inner surface was smooth, so it wasn't a "shut down usage immediately" moment, but it wasn't visible without removing the caliper.

New rotors (and pads) are on order.

sucksqueezebangblow · Oct 17, 2016

Can you please show a pic of the rain sensor?

mf70 · Nov 12, 2016

sucksqueezebangblow said:
Can you please show a pic of the rain sensor?

Hmmm, it's behind a cover for the interior rear view mirror. I haven't molested it for 2 yr. How would a pix help you?

mf70 said:
Thanks again. The retractor is on order....

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mf70 · Jan 10, 2017

New problem: a sharp, clear cold-weather (below 28 F) whistle on startup. It cuts off sharply about the time the start-up RPM's sag to standard idle. PVC fix is in place.

Any thoughts? I could post a vid if it wold help...

mf70 · Apr 15, 2017

Prolapsed Headliner

Ah yes, the Volvo Eco-friendly adhesive. Well, the fabric covering of the headliner has failed over 50% of the headliner; essentially all the concave area over the cargo area. I first noticed it last summer when the fabric was actually billowing in the breeze from the open windows.

There are a few points where the fabric at the edge of the headliner is coming loose, and c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y spraying a light coat of headliner adhesive has stopped that, but doing the same for the entire headliner was too much to imagine.

Fortunately, there is a technology that can stabilize the prolapsed and sagging fabric:

They are used to pin anti-Macassars in place on parlor furniture. Sound dated? Well, yes, but they are still available at most sewing suppliy stores as Upholstery Twist Pins.

Here's the repaired headliner:

I used five rows of four pins, being fairly careful to get the rows aligned, using chalk for marking rows so it could be sponged off. It's a little reminiscent of tufted upholstery (if you squint). It's been three months, and it's holding up (get it?) well.

Okidiver · Apr 15, 2017

Only the very leading edge of the headliner in my C30 is showing her skirt...:facepalm:...I should probably pick a few of those twist pins up but, wonder if I'll be able to hit the cardboard backing that far up (leading edge) on the headliner...guess I won't know until I try...

mf70 · Apr 15, 2017

I had the same thing happen above the drivers side front and rear side. I gently folded the fabric back, masked EVERYTHING, and lightly used spray adhesive. It shows through a little, but does the job.

The pins work well for the hammock hanging across the center. They bite into the formed fiberglass felt backing very well.

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mf70 · May 8, 2017

Oh Dear!

Two-ton truck vs. Me:

Nobody hurt, good enough to go another 80 miles before getting home. But Man! I don't need this!

mf70 · May 29, 2017

Good news bad news

Well Progressive stumped up handsome, and Magnus looks like his old self. Phew!

However, the power seat ist kaput. I lifted it up off the bolts to remove the front carpet to dry it, and when I got it back in, no power adjustments. Sigh.

I have a 2006 PDF of the wiring, "TP3990202 2006 S40 V40 Wiring Diagram.pdf," but it details only the seat with memory. (This is page 121.) I have the plain old dumb seat. While the "memory seat" motors each have four connections, "dumb" seat motors have two, a pair of tri-state connections. Each lead may carry either NC, +12V, or Ground connection. Tilt uses GN & GN-BK; Forward-back uses VT & VT-BK; Up-Dn uses YE & YE-BK, and Tip uses BU & BU-BK.

As far as I can tell, all motors operate just fine on 12V, but the output from the Power Seat module #30669108 is only 9V, and they don't move. The PC board inside the module has the expected micro-switches, but also an armload of transistors and two relays. I suppose there is something that is drawing / restricting power from the motor supplies.

A) Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the 2006 "Dumb" option?
B) Has anyone figured out the circuit logic of the control? If not, I guess I'll haunt e-Bay for a replacement.

pczeilon · May 29, 2017

Must have an old version or something. Page 136/7 has the plain power seats. Page 134 with memory. Drivers side here:

avenger09123 · May 29, 2017

For the next time you have to modify your sunroof drains - I have rather large hands as well, so what I did was stuck a pair of needlenose down in the hole where the drains meet the body and grabbed a full grip of the drain plug and pulled until they gave out. One came out quite easily, one took about three solid minutes of me squeezing as hard as possible to prevent ripping while pulling (meaning gently, steadily, and firmly applied more and more pressure) - and they both came out. When I did the 3/8" ID 1/2" OD vinyl single piece line I didn't need to drop the headliner all the way out, it would flex downward enough to fit my hands up there and to attach the line to the hose barb on the sunroof, and I had already precut the line to the length of that side + the extra length that the elbow was so I knew I could just stick it in the hole as far as it would go and it would be good to go. The way I tested it to be sure it was in the hole was I pulled on it at a nearly 90 degree angle straight out towards my body, if I felt tension I knew it was in the hole because the hose deforms at that angle and presses on either side of the hole, if not, I knew it wasn't in the hole. Subtle but discernible difference.

mf70 · May 29, 2017

Thanks pzelion. A HAH! I see what I did. I used the "search" function, and looked for PSM and the index number 4/52. Neither of those terms is used for the power seat module in the manual seat. Weird.

avenger09123: I'll do something like that if/when it leaks again. I REALLY don't see why they did it in so many pieces.

avenger09123 · May 30, 2017

mf70 said:
avenger09123: I'll do something like that if/when it leaks again. I REALLY don't see why they did it in so many pieces.

After the 90's, simplicity was not the hallmark of the car designer. It became the hallmark of the mechanic.

mf70 · Jan 12, 2018

Aargh! My water sensor went off this morning AGAIN. Pulled the A pillar cover, and found the problem: the down tube had pulled from the elbow.

Tube replaced & sealed, carpet lifted. It looks like it's not saturated, so a few days with the side lifted is the next step. To be continued...

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2006 V50 Back from the Dead

mf70

mf70

AnotherWagonFan

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mf70

mf70

mf70

sucksqueezebangblow

mf70

mf70

mf70

Okidiver

mf70

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mf70

pczeilon

avenger09123

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avenger09123

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