2004 B5234T3 very unlikely to suffer from rod bearing failure unless ran dry for an extended period of time.
That was my understanding as well…
Do you hear the noise all the time thougth the whole revrange?
Occasionally at idle, but very prominent under load. Based on a very small sample size of some idling in the driveway and a few short test drives.
Last Monday I finally got busy and planned on dropping the oil pan. I expected it to be a much more challenging ordeal. Turns out the oil pan is completely unobstructed from below.
uhoh
Despite all the vehicles and projects that have passed through my garage, this is the first time I’ve ever had to diagnose bottom end noises. I was pretty sure I would know bad when I found it, but maybe not if it was something subtle which I was expecting. I went right for cylinder #2 to verify my stethoscope skills…and found a heck of a lot of play on that rod bearing. Maybe 0.100″ radially. All the others felt like 0.020″, likely just enough for an oil film.
Anyway. Rod bearing #2 was toast. Well, less than toast. It was totally gone. Steel on steel at this point.
No saving the crank either.
I immediately started researching replacement options. I doubted T5’s would be readily available, and figured sourcing a replacement would be a struggle so I kept my options open. This is where I started to get a tad overwhelmed by the staggering number of variants of the 5 cylinder engine, and even variants within the B5234T3 block. I was under the impression I could drop in just about any motor if I had the accompanying ECU, but a large part of the appeal of this car is the T5 motor. The previous V70’s I had were equipped with the torque happy 2.5T, and I loved the ride it provided, but I’m itching to see what the T5 can do. I know it won’t knock my socks off, but if its even more ‘sporty’ than the 2.5T I’ll be in for many happy miles.
My friends and I scoured car-part.com for local salvage options and very quickly was pointed to a independent repair shop that has a strong partnership with a local Volvo dealer. This Tuesday I borrowed a 8′ trailer, drove into Milwaukee, and brought home a 94k mile B5234T3 from a 2002 S60 for a grand.
By using more physics than muscle, I was able to get it off the trailer and onto an engine stand without assistance (which is good, because I had none). Definitely proud of this one.
They had the engine laying on a pallet, resting on some of the water pipes….which I had never seen before. Ugh, what a rats nest.
Question 1 for the forum: The black pipes that end in banjo bolts that are fit into the water outlet pipe, are those just press fit with an o-ring? Some are a little loose, but don’t appear to be damaged.
And this is the current state of things. I’m slowly working on removing, disconnecting, and labeling everything in the existing V70 engine bay while trying to learn more about the B5234T3 variations.
As it sits.
I plan on leaving the trans in place, and just pulling the engine. I initially thought about pulling the front end off, but I don’t have a way to evacuate the AC now. I cannot believe how much crap is in this engine bay.
Having heard nothing but bad things about the PCV system, I’m trying to determine if a catch can would be a suitable alternative. Although with everything disassembled, maybe the PCV can be made to be trouble free. I don’t have a good enough understanding of this system yet.
The drop in engine will get a timing belt service (with water pump, idler, etc), new plugs, and send it. Anything else I should address while it’s out?