[CYB3RBYTE]

Hey everyone. I've been on Swedespeed for a while, but normally in the P80 forums. After getting interest in selling my 850 R, I figured it was time to move to a newer, smaller Volvo. I had been looking for manual cars FOREVER, and there were very few in my area, if any. Finally I happened upon a M66 2011 C70 with only 91,000 miles, in my area, with a book of records. I went to look at the car on a Thursday, and bought it the next day. Big thanks to C30 in WI, the previous owner, he took excellent care of this vehicle and I plan to do the same.

Here is a quick hatch photo I took after getting back with the car:



This is my first manual car (although I've driven friend's cars before) so any tips on how to drive these cars to avoid clutch wear would be appreciated. I don't want to do a clutch anytime soon lol.

Immediately I noticed the cabin air temp sensor was super loud, so I took it apart and blew it out, and after reinstalling it, it's pretty quiet. After that, I went to work on removing the piece of paper that was stuck in the CD drive. After getting it out, reassembling the console, and testing it, I'm happy to report it works perfectly.







Is there anything I can do to remove the green color from the CD slot?

Things to do on the car: I feel as though this car needs motor mounts, the shifts are a little clunky unless you completely baby the clutch. It also makes some good clunks over bumps, don't know if these are related or they are suspension based. Also would like to figure out how to get these spots off of the trim plastic. Any thoughts are appreciated!

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the wax spots from the black trim on this car? Also looking for suggestions on how to prolong the life of a clutch!

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Did you try mineral spirits?

Clutch, Are you new to a clutch? As long as you are not abusing it by burn-outs, toe-heeling it at lights or on hill starts, it should last well over 100k miles.

I have driven manual cars before. On this one, the clutch "bite point" is near the middle top of the pedal. Is that normal? Also there is a small clunk going into first or second. Maybe that is engine mount related.

The car is currently at 92k, but was "adult-driven" according to the seller. Should I prepare to replace it anyways?

I've never used mineral spirits on black trim, is it alright for it? (sorry for all the questions!)

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

That car actually looks pretty sharp on Thors. Nice purchase and good price!
What was the paper in the CD??

Of all things, a dry cleaning receipt from the guy's wife, lol. And then there were more stuffed down near the VIN cutout in the windshield! I still haven't gotten one cause it's so far down there.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Okay, passenger side mount (which I know is blown for sure) and new OEM coolant bottle is coming. I heard a popular upgrade is to use a ford torque arm instead of the Volvo one since it’s tighter?

I also get a slight whiff of exhaust when I start the car, it comes through the vents. Any clues?

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Alright, I’ll grab that mount. What’s weird about the smell is it only happens at startup, when the A/C kicks on for a second to test itself, then stops as soon as the A/C turns off. If I turn on the A/C manually afterwards, it doesn’t happen...

What do you guys use to clean up headlights? I tried the 3M kit and it removed a lot of the oxidation but it still looks slightly hazy overall.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Okay, so the headlights turned out a 7/10, up from a 5/10 in my book. I plan to go over both again today and possibly the taillights as well to make them nice and shiny like new.



Also looking for ideas on how to repair these rips, or where to get new seat covers. They are the vinyl seats with cloth.



Really need to find a set of weather tech or stock all weather floor mats for this thing.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Got around to replacing that passenger side mount. Shifts are a bit easier, less clunky, but still not as perfect. Engine idle vibration is greatly reduced. As you can see, the old mount just about had it.



I noticed something covering the VIN plate, so I got out my aquarium tweezers and pulled this out... Milwaukee strikes yet again, lol.



This was sort of alarming, the passenger side window trim is peeling off and leaving all this shrapnel on the side of the car! Can I replace this or do I have to replace the window? Or can I just use a rubber reconditioner to redo it?

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Thanks! Any idea what I can do about the window trim? Is it a replaceable part or is it part of the window?

Do these cars need the adjustable camber plates as well?

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

I plan on keeping the suspension stock as the roads around me suck at the moment. Only thing is a get a slight clunk over bumps, my thoughts are control arms or the sway bar end links?

So the C30 doesn't have the same camber issues as the C70? I remember my dad's C70 had really bad camber, where it would begin to cup the tires on the inside if we didn't align it every so often.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

What year C70? If it's the early one, the entire platform is different. In any event, there are no inherent camber issues.

First thing to look at would be end links. Then possibly struts/shocks, top mounts and then control arms, depending on your mileage & how the car was used.

91k, the car was used mainly as a highway commute vehicle. The C70 was a P1, 2011.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Okay, got the coolant expansion tank in today after fiddling with the connections from the previous Mazda tank of unknown model origin. It's a temporary setup but it will hold for now, the new OEM hoses are coming tomorrow night.

Also found some solid lug nuts that my dad bought for the C70. Are these a good thing to put on? I have yet to take a wheel off the car, probably will change once I tackle the AC clutch shim.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

There is another engine mount on the drivers side if you haven't changed that one yet it might clear up the rest of your issues with how the car feels in addition to the torque mount.

I will have to get a mount, I hear the electric Ford Focus mount is the one to use. You're speaking of the torque mount right?

Got the correct coolant expansion tank hoses in today, I replaced the old ones, with not too much mess. These cars are significantly easier to work in or around the engine bay than P80 Volvo's, but I haven't done a timing belt yet so we'll see how I feel after that haha.

I don't know if I'm stupid, or if this connector is terrible, but it was not easy to get off!

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

No your referring to the Torque mount for the transmission, I'm referring to the left side (driver side) engine mount. Also yes those connectors can be a pain when they don't want to corporate.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-engine-mount-31316498

How difficult is it to replace that mount?

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

I’ve heard from many people that you don’t have to lock the cams, but that seems kind of dangerous on these cars...

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

My friend made a tool, so I may just borrow his when I do it. It’s 120k or 10 years on these cars right?

Also just to ask one last time, the camber on the rear wheels of this car shouldn’t be an issue right? Or is it eventually going to cause the tires to cup?

The 303 rubber seal restore is coming in next week, as is the back to black, so I plan to try that stuff on the trim and seals.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Started the day off right by restoring the window trim. Someone on the forum recommended masking off the car, then using a magic eraser to remove the rougher surface of the trim (effectively sanding it a little), cleaning off the residue left from that, and then applying the 303.



After two applications after drying completely, and wiping off excess, I am happy to say it has done something, and we'll see how it holds up in the coming days to stop the trim from "shedding" again.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Making some small progress, I now have the headlights close to my standards, I'd love for some brighter but recommendations for them, HID wise. Also discovered these cars are good for unloading groceries in the rain.



Finally got my plates! Although the plate office messed up my order, they were supposed to be custom plates! And you can't call them other than Tuesdays before 4pm....



Took a really nice picture of her too, thought I'd share. A/C fix and perhaps a windshield replacement are in the near future.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

I attempted to re-shim the A/C clutch yesterday, and it didn't go well. My clutch puller tool was not doing anything, and when I used screwdrivers, I bent the clutch and pulley up. Now the pulley sounds wonderful, so I'm going to replace the compressor.

Any ideas on if you have to get oil with the compressor when you recharge the system? And how many pounds of R134a do these use?

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Good idea. Sadly, I think there is actual damage to the compressor, so me and a buddy are going to install the new one next week.

Some good news: I cleaned one of the exhaust tips with some nice looking results. So at least the rear end will look a bit nicer!

Shiny Exhaust Tips! by CYB3RBYTE, on Flickr

Shiny Exhaust Tips! by CYB3RBYTE, on Flickr

Shiny Exhaust Tips! by CYB3RBYTE, on Flickr