Volvo V70R Rescue Mission! Why was this Rare Swedish wagon DUMPED at auction?

Another project? You bet.
My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business in the Saint Louis area called Importapart. I buy totaled and damaged cars across the country and break them down for parts. I also have a HUGE soft spot for unique and rare cars that somehow find their way to my driveway, This is one of those stories!
The 2004-2007 Volvo V70R Is a fairly sought after car with limited production numbers and in a niche that's nearly impossible to find today, a sports wagon. This 2005 V70R randomly caught my eye morning of the salvage auction and I threw a cheap bid on it as I know these will part out well. Somehow, I won this car on approval, and even crazier, they approved the amount. Including transport, I am into this car just over $1500 which would've fit my parts car margins just perfectly. Once it was shipped in, I spent a minute looking at it and instantly decided to try to get it running to see if the engine was good. If the engine was good, the car was worth saving to me. In this video, I go through the diagnosis and attempt to get this car running and driving, and then.... well you'll have to watch! Felt like Ivan @PineHollowAutoDiagnostics with a lot more rudimentary equipment(And a lot less patience)
This video is kind of a roller coaster but I still feel like I came out ahead on such a rare car.
I really hope you found this video enjoyable and as always, I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
Catch you all on the next teardown!
-Eric

[@Pmpautogroup]

I WONDER WHAT IT IS THAT I "GOT YOU" FOR...

[@vater1760]

Sounds like a future video is what it’s for!

[@samh6761]

foreshadowing?

[@calholli]

All the speeds. Manual Master Race

[@Blake_V]

Yep, that's a cable shifter.

[@Pmpautogroup]

@@Blake_V shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@DMT267]

Never justify yourself bud. You keep us entertained and you have your hands full with a young family. Appreciate your time to do all these videos. Cheers.

[@williamv3134]

Good to see someone actually performing diagnostics, as opposed to throwing parts at a problem like most “experts” do. Keep up the good work and the good videos.

[@SubtractZero]

'Watch Wes Work', dude is diagnostic genius...working on the most horrific poverty-stricken rust buckets in the Mid West.

[@mike_f]

Pine hollow auto diagnostics also fun to watch

[@williamv3134]

@@mike_f thx for the info

[@artysanmobile]

Diagnostic tools aren’t cheap. Way too many amateur mechanics try to do without, which is foolish for anything made in the past 35 years.

[@colinsdad1]

Or, the "mechanics " at your local Stealership, who do the same. "Well... the DTC codes say...." Parts Replacement specialist indeed.

[@mikaeljonsson4686]

Thx for saving it! The 5-speed aisin automatic was really not strong enough for the engine so they restricted the torque on the lower gears... That´s why the 6-speed manual is like 5.9s 0-100km/h and the automatic is around 7.2s if I remember correctly... I was at sales in Torslanda in Gothenburg when it was just released and the showcar was flashgreen with the orange/brown Atacama leather interior and an automatic. The salesman said that if you just want performance you could just buy the much cheaper T5 instead of the automatic R. The 6-speed manual is another story... ;) Volvo didn´t get a 6-speed aisin automatic coping with much more torque until late 2006.

[@TiagoSC]

So... manual swap it?

[@erok2112]

If it has the 6 speed Aisin auto, that one also has some problems that were supposed to be fixed in 2008. Its the same transmission in the XC90 (I have a 2008 V8 XC90)and I get flared and/or hard shifts between 2-3rd and 4-5th. Boils down to a poor design which cause some valves to wear badly. They get stuck, then through pressure they pop into gear. Only happens when its warm.

[@MrCarGuy]

The 2.5T was much closer to the R engine than the T5

[@fporuba]

i miss my V70 T5 manual trans... that car was super fun and kick myself for getting ride of it.

[@hardergamer]

It was common here in the UK to replace the later gearboxes for the 4-speed auto from the pre-2000 cars, as it is a much stronger unit.

[@thomassvedin8701]

As a Volvo guy I’m happy to see more Volvo content on KZbin.

[@paulwitzman941]

I appreciate your passion for old cars that need saving. Makes for great content!

[@AMurph79]

Me too, although I have never seen an old car on this channel. Everything on here has been late model stuff - fairly new.

[@allanhope7018]

@@AMurph79 I agree. 2005 is hardly old. Anything OBDII I consider to be new cars.

[@basmuis7812]

Old😂 dude please

[@mphilleo]

Even if it's not an engine teardown, when I get a notification for this channel, you can bet your sweet prybar I'm going to watch it.

[@villedocvalle]

Old blue!

[@tottzi97]

YES! Finaly a Volvo straight 5 engine on your channel! Hope you get one of those engines to tear apart sometime! For info, these got an electrical turbo solenoid from factory, so the one thats in the car is just an aftermarket one.

[@arianna298]

Eric said he is not too smart but the way he troubleshoots these cars that is not at all the case!! The knowledge this man has about how cars run is just astonishing

[@merylpelosi8485]

As my father (also from Missouri) would have said about the exhaust note: "It sounds like a frog fartin' in a rain barrel".

[@jeffblomquist9463]

Nice to see a Volvo on the channel as I have a passion for them. Appreciate your attempts to save it and keep it on the road, as you say, a very small # of them were made. Look forward to updates!

[@OneJuanWon]

The V70 R is a true unicorn Volvo....the ones equipped with 6-speed manuals are uber rare. I've only seen one in the wild.....very hard to find. Thank you for saving this one Eric!

[@ckm-mkc]

I almost bought one a few years ago for $6k but the turning radius and very low aero just stopped me from doing it....

[@mopsnuf]

I bought a 6spd v70 R a couple of years ago now and it's been an extremely pleasurable experience using the car. And, frankly, *no one notices*.

[@TheRealColBosch]

As someone who has had a Volvo's dashboard apart, I *cackled* when you said it should be an easy swap. I was so tempted to just give the car away to anyone who would take it off my hands, just so I didn't have to put it back together. I eventually did get it reassembled, but never again.

[@tonyking4774]

I had the same issue on my 2007 V70R and swapped it out in about 20 minutes.

[@LTS720]

I actually had this same RPM problem with my 2001 S60, I thought it was the transmission for awhile but it turned out to be the electronic throttle module. When the internal parts of that fails it mimics a slipping transmission. Volvo I believe had to recall alot of older vehicles because their ETM's were so bad. Hope this helps, great video.

[@micke2943]

Get etm magnetic repair kit. Had a new etm from volvo, still issues. Turned out to be cold soldering in the etm when they modified them at volvo...

[@kingearl2596]

I thought you were only interested in broken engines or the disgusting BMWs, but now I know: you have a heart for interesting cars. By the way: The 5-cylinder Volvo is one of the best engines in the world.

[@FriendlyIntentions]

Check ignition coil wiring cool and check all ignition coils for cracks. Thats what the sputtering is probably from. Also check intake hub VVT correction %

[@mhtate3626]

Piggybacking off of this and will throw in a recommendation to either get a camera into the plug wells and/or pressurize the cooling system to ensure none of the cylinder bores are cracked, maybe check to make sure the angle/bevel gear isn't on it's way out. Fun cars when everything is working as it should.

[@hyper8545]

V70R is definitely worth saving 👏 i miss my s70s. Hard to find these days.

[@Ntworld2]

Thanks for saving it, and i'm saying that sitting in my home in sunny old England!!! I love Volvo's and the R versions even more so!!! Currently I own a Mark 2 2006 C70 with the D5 engine in a rare colour and with pretty much all the bells and whistles, unfortunately Volvo didn't do a R specific version of the C70 there top of the range one was a T5 but in diesel form it was the D5. So I love watching Volvo content and taking tips on how i plan to make a home made R version C70. So watch this space as I plan on documenting my progress.

[@robertsimpson1824]

I like watching precision transmissions and the repairs and upgrades they do

[@JohanLind]

As a Swede I love a nice Volvo. This one is from the good old days and I can't wait for it to get the treatment it deserves!

[@MrIdklolidk]

I have 2000 V70 2.4T and 2003 S60 T5 and both are manual aswell. Man all those Volvos are worth the save! My dream is to have S60/V70 R in the future. Good content!

[@mikaeljonsson4686]

Had a 2004 in the exact same color, lightly factory tuned to around 330hp. Blue metallic/black 2 tone leather with 6-speed manual. Great kid-hauler! ;)

[@johnsanders8168]

Boy, your right not very many out there. Even with 150,000 miles they are asking $15K. Love wagons, have a Merc E450 Estate and wagons are far easier to use and than a short but tall SUV. Glad your going to work on it!

[@chmodrick2960]

Eric, great video. I love the engine tear-downs but this one was awesome too.

[@Hankie56]

I once owned a V70R for a couple of years. What a car that was ! And that 5-cylinder sound !!

[@lennartswenson2690]

Now I remember why I lost interest in working on modern cars. So much to learn, all the tools needed, crammed engine bays with no room to work, etc. But happy to watch you work on these cars. I wish you the best, I really do!...

[@Schwedenstahl245]

Unless it's completely wrecked, any VR wagon is worth saving. I'm glad you're taking on this challenge and I look forward to future updates on this caR on this channel.

[@royburnham100]

No parts cannon! Love the steps you take to diagnose, learn something each video. Much appreciated

[@fehilly3]

I’m currently mid way through replacing the engine on my Volvo 850 T5. Great video! Really inspired me to get the car finished and back on the road!

[@jbussey5301]

Awesome and comical score. Just add gas and it starts as opposed to a no start auction buy. Sounds beastly, aside from needed adjustments and work. Once resolved and body work dealt with it'll be an awesome car to own.

[@joshuaw.1069]

That car, put together right, is going to be a ripper. The smiles alone that you're going to get from it will completely outshine the headaches. Bravo for picking it up

[@trevornelmes9331]

Volvo made this car for European police forces. That's it. That was the reason they made them. It was perfect to carry a lot of lane closed stuff, or canines, plus room for perps. It was made to be modded for all the electronics, computers, comms, radar, ANPR, light bars. High speed chases? You bet. Ram baddies of the road? You bet. A lot of them got scrapped before the cops were finished with them. Over here, finding a good one that has not been hammered is really hard, but the scrap yards all over Europe have a lot of salvage parts for them.

[@StopTeoriomSpiskowym]

same engine in fords thats why you can find something for this. body parts not exist i think

[@digitalradiohacker]

Not quite. I had an ex-police V70. The police ones were T5 not the R. The ones the police had came from a separate production line and were known as the "police / taxi chassis". Seam welded rather than spot welded, factory installed wiring loom for ANPR / radio / lights etc, and Volvo single pot brake calipers on the front that were SIGNIFICANTLY more capable than the Brembo 4-pots that the R and civilian T5 got. The police / taxi chassis also got velor cloth interior and poverty spec bumpers and side skirts, with regular AC controls rather than full climate control. On the brakes - I once parked at a motorway services (rest stop in the US?) and when I got back to the car, there was a modern Porsche 911 (don't remember what exact model) parked close by. The 911 front brake calipers and disks looked to be about the same size.

[@gussosa6180]

​@@digitalradiohacker Porsche 993 Front Brakes ..

[@char-rez83]

I really appreciate what you do on your channel. I learn and I am entertained.

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Hands down one of the most informative and entertaining car repair presentations on the Internet ! Thanks mate . 👊🏼 🔥

[@robertwest3093]

At least you are actually working on your project cars unlike the old guys who have a desirable car sitting in their yard for the past 30 years but refuses to let it go because...."he's gonna fix it up ONE day".

[@Roylevis]

the sound of these 5c engines are pure magic

[@wglnaeclipse8715]

You seriously need to form, or join, a local AA (automobiles anonymous) chapter 🤣 All kidding aside, much respect for wanting to restore the V70R and get it back onto the road. I look forward to all of your project car updates, and those for this car will be no exception.

[@michaelbrown2456]

Enjoyed the video, I just bought a 04 S60 R for cheap with 155,000 and 5,000 on rebuilt original engine, Snabb upgrades in trunk, replaced pass front Cv axle.It’s like a new ride.👍

[@johnraetz6748]

Eric, Check the Throttle position sensor, the ECU uses that for shifting. My chevy truck shifted hard going into 2nd gear, once the TPS was replaced it shifts smoothly like it's supposed to....good luck!! thanks for the videos....

[@JBurford]

The good news is regarding the transmission is that it's all valve body issues, look up the AW TF80SC shift kits available. Have done half a dozen similar ones for the AW55. It can be done in car, but for your you may need to drop the subframe a little for clearance. I normally just lift the engine up a little bit but the TF80SC takes up a bit more space.

[@crsalomon01]

Thanks for saving one of the few V70Rs. I have a 2004 V70R with 6 spd man. They are a joy to drive; I cherish the number of times the awesome handling has kept me out of crashes and so I willfully accept the turning radius every time I park. OBTW, the Nordic blue leather seats are both beautiful and comfortable.

[@mjchernis]

I love the teardown videos but also really enjoy all the drama with the project cars you buy! Keeps it fresh and fun. Looking forward to the next 911 video!

[@Ramcharger85]

I like these Volvo wagons. Especially the XC with its higher ground clearance. Nice find. Enjoy it. ❤😊

[@michaelgrant6003]

Wagons are so cool, Volvo wagons especially so. Glad that you’re focused on keeping it on the road.

[@axispowerdiesel]

I love R volvos, the first gen 850R wagons were awesome too

[@Slowvo]

I’m so happy you revived this beautiful machine! I miss my s60 that I owned for 7 years these cars are amazing with lots of love!

[@trainmanbob]

Having owned a V70R ( and 7 other v70s) in the UK I can vouch for the whole car as being remarkable for its time. I had mine "adjusted" from the standard 275bhp to 340bhp. How I miss that car! The guy who bought it from me converted it to a gas tank in the boot....madness!!

[@samuelbeasonjr.3308]

I love these diagnostic videos. Thanks for doing them.

[@anthonybertone2336]

You have a wonderful brain that keeps you motivated and what you love to do and doing something you love to do is what life is all about

[@thomaszdanowicz1643]

I hope you keep this Volvo V70 R wagon going! It’s too cool of a car to crush! Hope you can keep up with it! I hope the best for you on this project! It’s nice to see a V70R on the road because you don’t see many of them! I love watching your videos Eric!

[@Ben-Wah]

Eric... you've got a good heart. That can be the kiss of death to a businessman! Good save so far.

[@gonace]

Love your videos, this one brings back memories of when I owned a Volvo 850 T5-R, one of the best cars I've owned! Cheers from Sweden!

[@wankerwithawankel]

right when I heard "transmission issues" I knew exactly what your plan was. so excited to see more on this car, I've loved these and the s60r for years.

[@djoslyn1]

I just discovered you. I can’t stop watching. Your a smart guy in my book I’m an old man now, but in a day I loved doing actually what your doing now

[@endospores]

We love you for buying all those project cars bro. That Volvo deserves a second chance, it's a legendary model.

[@janibeg3247]

i had a 1995 volvo 850 turbo. It lasted 22 years before i gave it to my brother-in-law. It needed a LOT of work. He sold it for $800.00. When it was running right, it was a joy to drive. The most comfortable seats i have ever experienced in a car.

[@redalrt4]

Owned an 04 V70R 6MT. Rare indeed. Continuous Chassis Control Concept (4C) Black Sapphire Metallic. AWD, 2.3 L turbo, 300 HP from the factory. Bought it in 2007 w/ 34000 miles. Put Heico Volution rims, a 3" downpipe and a few other minor performance pieces on it. Gorgeous car and blast to drive. Sold it in 2014. I know its new owner enjoyed it as much as I did.

[@ChuckThree]

Swede Speed baby! Those T5 five cylinders are freaking power houses and sound amazing 🥹

[@GeekBabbling]

Wow, what a find to save. That’s a special car and I hope it lands back in the hands of someone who will love it every day.

[@micahreid5553]

I had one of the predecessors to this car for a while, a '97 860 T-5 wagon and I loved that thing. Hope this car gets the attention it deserves and gets to stay on the road for many miles to come.

[@xXturbo86Xx]

I've been lusting for this car ever since it came out.

[@BabyZoomer278]

I love your teardown videos and will often watch one while eating my lunch, just for the entertainment value (it must be so nice not to have to label everything carefully so it will go back in the right place). I also really enjoyed your 911 restoration series and this 'revival' one was a lot of fun (how to diagnose an empty fuel tank the hard way :)). Please post more like this and help keep the channel truly 'balanced'! Thanks!!!!

[@dirtbiketherapy]

I actually yelled “WOOO YEAH” when you said you bought another project car. I built my dads v70r, love those cars. I actually had crank signal problems on it after the rebuild too lol.

[@chaoszombie9995]

Never justify yourself man, your doing things most people wouldn’t! I’m just thankful that your trying to keep this car on the road!

[@xfactor5876]

Nice win! You are a true care enthusiast my friend. This was a fun video to watch.

[@michaelmallard5397]

Man I would love this car, just found out your based 15 minutes from me! Dig the content, love wagons!!! Keep up the great work!

[@reviewaccount469]

I'm on project vehicle 4 now myself. Just when I thought I was getting overwhelmed on number 3, I bought a 4th. One finally made its way to be my daily driver, so down to 3 project. 1 needs a paint job and some new front seat covers and that will be done. Number 3 just had its motor completed at the machine shop and I'll be doing the install on that soon. Number 4 is just dismantled on stands and is a long way off from complete.

[@lougrubb8434]

Rad! Can't wait to see the spaceball shifter in this wagon.

[@NoWr2Run]

Definitely NOT A PARTS CAR, GREAT SAVE. Awaiting future vids. on this ROCKET, LOL.

[@rogerhenry3481]

Thanks for the extra content...enjoyed muchly. Good luck with it!

[@joevk6274]

My first job after high school was at a parts store that had a shop in the back. One day, a guy came in and said he walked from the Tractor Supply down the street to let us know he was having his car towed to us because it wouldn't start. I asked him if he was sure it had gas in it, and he got pretty angry. I reassured him that I knew it was a dumb question, but that we'd actually seen it a few times. I suggested that since the Tractor Supply it was sitting at had full service gas pumps, to put a couple gallons in to make sure that wasn't the problem. He finally admitted that wasn't a bad idea, and left. I never saw him again. 😆

[@BDKennels]

You've taken the first step, admitting you have a problem. Now you have to take the next. Not giving a crap and buying what makes your propellor spin. Fix 'em don't nix 'em! Love the attitude.

[@richardguse3410]

Appreciate your passion for the Volvo V70R. Bit of a unicorn.

[@MickeyMishra]

A Volvo with a Manual transmission is like investing in gold. Its a Rock solid investment.

[@hamie63_m]

You got a great and diverse taste in project cars my friend

[@timbrown9731]

It’s Hammertime don’t get old blue jealous Eric!

[@phlodel]

I have a soft spot in my head for station wagons too.

[@miguelavina1820]

Never clicked on a video so fast! I have one of these it's an 07 V70R same color and interior. I'd like to see one of these motors torn down if you ever get the chance

[@TheTurpin1234]

Please keep at this, car is sick, love this project.

[@Lindeman08]

Greetings from Sweden! Great content. This car deserves to stick around for longer. Also RIP Peter Horbury.

[@jochenstacker7448]

You appreciate a Volvo stationwagon. Mad respect my good man.

[@randolphpaul5899]

You are a business man yes but at the heart of you is a CAR GUY it is impossible to come across car gems like that and not let the CAR GUY you are to take over. The end result is to fix the car drive it and love it every second you are behind the wheel.

[@richardblanchard5012]

Wednesday special projects are my favorites. Thank you!

[@doughboylg]

Looking forward to this resto!

[@yeahitskimmel]

Repairing Mopars has given me plenty of aches and pains over the years but I regularly see their OEM batteries still doing their thing after 10+ years

[@johnh8268]

The one in my Challenger SRT 392 didn't last more than 3 years.

[@donleamon8653]

The one in my Power Wagon went a little over 5. In Phoenix. Not bad.

[@Korruptionen]

As a V70R owner... thank you for saving this car. Now manual swap it!

[@allenl9031]

Another successful Eric rescue!

[@AB-nu5we]

Awesome project car. Worth the wait. As always, enjoy the troubleshooting on the way to building.

[@SupraTompan]

Sweden is proud of you Eric! Wagons and Volvo.

[@RexRacc]

I watch your videos all the time and I have to say I was really excited to see a volvo! I work on these volvos a ton so I know your pain when that charge pipe blew off haha! As for the trans, those 5-speeds autos were notorious for not surviving esp if the engine was tuned. As for the engine, that light miss when its cold miiiight be a cracked cylinder wall. The 2.5 these came with have a super thin cylinder to cylinder wall which crack really easily at the top of the cylinder esp if its pushing a lot of power. There are shims that can be installed if its not already cracked. If it is cracked, the volvo "2.5T' cars share the same engine minus the rods and pistons which can be swapped over.

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

Nice score Eric...def seems like a car that has a lot left to give a caring owner. Keep us informed on its progress if you don't mind!

[@garylarson6386]

thank you, you are entertaining so many, netflix and hulu are complaining you are taking viewers away

[@sleepynaturenotes]

I you like Volvo fun the 850 T5R is a gem. Keep them coming Eric!

[@DesertGeezers]

Another Grand Slam ! Thank you.

[@gravsson4472]

Hey man, hell of a find. Gotta love when things fix easily like this. Pretty rare but so damn satisfying. I have an s60 R same exterior colour, but orange interior and manual

[@ericw3188]

Lots of respect for your decision on saving the car versus parting it out. I’m sure money wise you’d come out ahead on parting it out, but I totally agree on saving it.

[@eriksreptilechannel3898]

Glad you're saving this one, it should treat you or who ever ends up with this well once fixed . I have a 2000 s80 T6 that I paid $750 for 6 years ago and hasn't left me stranded yet , I did have my transmission rebuilt as mine was slipping too.The automatic transmissions in these Higher torque Volvos I think are the weakest links . Maybe manual would be better for this one if possible . Thank you for sharing.

[@meistertoten]

Been watching your content for a couple years now and I was very excited to finally see a Volvo on your channel and a V70R no less! Since you're planning on rescuing this car, you might want to consider having the driver airbag recall performed.

[@I_Do_Cars]

I will, but I need to swap covers as all the replacement covers are missing the R

[@waynegalvin4639]

A master mechanic in action!

[@rs3unos]

One of my coworkers actually had a car get towed back in a few weeks ago. The car was reading a bit past half a tank, but it wouldn't stay running ('22 Audi A7). Said coworker had put a new fuel sending unit in. I took it back apart (pretty easy tbh) and poked around, saw the car had NO GAS, but the level sensor was somehow stuck on a harness and that made it read above half. I moved the level sensor arm off of that harness bit, put gas in it, ran like a dream. Or at least how it was intended. Oh, and it displayed the correct fuel level.