[martynunya]

A new issue ... coolant leak but only once pressurized. I noticed by spotting a small puddle of coolant under the p/s headlight area after a drive. Obviously a leak from the radiator ... I assumed that maybe I just jiggled the hose too much when doing the t-stat.

Well, my radiator had a surprise for me. A nice crack in the upper hose fitting. Sigh. I will figure out if I can glue it, but seems like the best idea would be to replace the radiator ...

View attachment 154388

It made me shudder when you said pressurized coolant leak, glad it's just a crack in the radiator vice a cracked sleeve.

Sent from my ECU

 

[lawdogg]

Haha yeah not THAT kind of pressurized coolant leak ... knock on wood!

In the meantime ... it started taking much more cranking to start when cold. Am guessing it's bleeding fuel pressure ... my hunch is that there's a small leak in the bulkhead-to-fuel pump hose. After a new rad is in, once the tank is low enough to pull the assembly again, I'll put a new hose in and hope that fixes it.

As if that's not enough. It developed a thunk going over speed bumps, from the front d/s suspension when in Comfort mode, more pronounced when cold. It's on the way off the speed bump, almost feels as if it's bottoming out and hitting a bump stop. But, I inspected and didn't find any bump stops in place (did the OEM Monroe 4C struts have bump stops?!)

But I gave everything a visual inspection + grabbing things and trying to feel for anything loose. I can't find anything obvious, and all connections & links are nice and tight. So I'm hoping it's something like a sway bar bushing.

I snapped a pic of the d/s sway bar bushing and it doesn't look great. When the new rad is in, I think I'll disconnect the sway bar and see if the thump goes away.

 

[lawdogg]

New radiator is in, no more leak. Installation was actually pretty easy. The p/s FMIC coupler was a bit of a trick since the Nissen radiator has a raised part of the end tank in exactly the wrong spot, but it went together in the end.

Now, turning attention back to the suspension clunk ... I forgot to disconnect the front sway bar as a test, so that'll be my next step I think.

 

[lawdogg]

Much less exciting but I've been getting "BRAKE SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED" occasionally (which disables AWD apparently - I checked by disabling traction control - nothing like spinning through second gear).

Less often (I think only once) I also got:

BCM-103 Pedal position sensor Faulty signal
ECM-9400 Brake pedal sensor - signal too high

These seemed to point to the brake booster sensor, so I replaced it with one off FCP (Volvo Brake Pedal Position Sensor - ATE 31687032).

Pretty easy install. You can do it with a flat head screwdriver and some patience. Remove a harness plug, take off a big metal C-clip, slide the old one out, take out the old o-ring, then put the new stuff in. Put in the C-clip first, the new one will slide in and click into place (takes a decent amount of force).

So far so good this morning, but time will tell if that solved the issue.

 

[lawdogg]

Knock on wood but BRAKE SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED hasn't come back. Hoping that was it but don't want to jinx it!

In the meantime ... trying to figure out the violent thunk over speed bumps. I checked out the control arm bushings ... wow. Yeah, I need new ones. With a pry bar, they move around VERY easily.

Getting replacement control arms is easy enough, but I might poke around for poly. Anyone have any suggestions about OEM vs. poly?

... Unrelated, but I noticed some seepage out of my front struts. As far as I know these are original 238k-mile 4C struts, and 4C still works fine with no codes.

Cause for concern?

Also, I didn't see any bump stops. Did they come with bump stops?

 

[VolvoJon]

That brake pedal position sensor is definitely your issue. Pretty common on P2. You also lose cruise control with that issue.

Leaking struts are a concern. They will continue to get worse


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lawdogg]

I got the new XC front LCA rear (vertical) bushings in the mail from FCP, but the PowerFlex black front (horizontals) are out of stock apparently. So, waiting for them to show up.

In the meantime, the brake system service alert hasn't come back, so looks like the brake pedal position sensor 100% fixed the issue. Knock on wood.

Current issue is my windshield. Trying to deal with the local dealer and insurance to get something scheduled that insurance will cover. I've read that rain sensing is hit or miss with aftermarket windshields, so hoping that by using a dealership it'll be the best bet to retain that (not that it ever rains in Los Angeles)....

Here are the cracks:

 

[dmechnic]

Lawdogg, sounds like we have the same car, similar issues at similar times. I replaced my 4C’s 2 years ago (the passenger rear wire harness was a real pain to get to). Thought I had a lifter tick for 1-2 years that was an exhaust leak due to a sheared exhaust stud and one missing. Was quoted $2500-$4k to fix it depending on pulling the head or not. Ultimately talked the guy down $1k and paid $6500 for the job: pull the head & inspect/machine, new timing belt & water pump, charge the A/C (was empty, replaced the compressor just before this work), flush the trans…said he had 40hrs in the job at $150/hr. Vacuum lines weren’t connected correctly and coil wires were a NIGHTMARE. Rewired the coil lines, got a new turbo control valve (thought the problem was it went bad) and vacuum lines. Three months after the repair I get a small oil leak. That small leak evolved into a 1qt/250-300 miles leak from the head gasket (confirmed by a different Volvo mechanic). That’s what led to my current ongoing post about pulling the head, shims, etc. Anyway, hope I don’t end up needing a windshield too! (Had a chip filled a year or so ago). Am sending my turbo out to PT Turbo (PureTurbos told me on the phone they don’t do turbos this old anymore and gave me PT’s number, but an email response said they do w a 3 wk turn around). Would you go for just a rebuild or spend an extra $250 for a larger billet compressor wheel? What kind of performance boost would there be and does it require any reprogramming or would it be just a bolt on mod?

 

[lawdogg]

Seems like the exhaust manifold stud issue is becoming more common - I keep hearing about more and more folks who have had issues. Too bad yours didn't button up quite perfectly just yet.

Would you go for just a rebuild or spend an extra $250 for a larger billet compressor wheel? What kind of performance boost would there be and does it require any reprogramming or would it be just a bolt on mod?

You'll need a re-tune if you go for the bigger turbo (and larger fuel pump, injectors, other mods to optimize it). Depending on your state this may make you fail emissions.

If you're not looking for more power, I'd suggest keeping it original.

Personally, I feel like my car is too slow even with a stage 2 tune on the original turbo, so I opted for a larger turbo, and mine was done by Pure Turbos. I have yet to install it though.

 

[lawdogg]

Well, these finally came in. Now I just need to find a good time to drop the control arms and install them.

 

[lawdogg]

In the meantime ... car is at the dealer for a new windshield. Insurance finally came through to pay for an OEM windshield - woohoo!

 

[lawdogg]

Windshield installed. Woo! They re-used my windshield trim which is in horrible shape, it's been on my list of things to figure out for a while.

Interesting to see that the OEM Volvo part is made by Fuyao in China.

 

[D-man9000]

That trim is no longer available. But I think you CAN get the front trim for cars with roof rails. I don't remember where I saw them, but I saw new unpainted front secitons.

Doesn't help you or me, without having the roof rails.

Edit: Skandix is making them

Volvo Windshield Molding Trim Repair Kit - Skandix 1079452

Volvo Windshield Molding Trim Repair Kit - Skandix 1079452

www.fcpeuro.com

 

[lawdogg]

Thanks for the link! Huh, I wonder how hard those would be to just trim down.