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98 V70 T5 erratic idling and stall fault a mystery - Reddevil
I really need some advice or help here. The car is an S-Reg Volvo V70 T5 and when the engine is switched on it idles at between 2,000 rpm and 3,500 rpm. It is consistently revving up and down between the rpm I just mentioned. When I put my foot on the accelerator so as to drive it, it just stalls. This means I have to start the engine again but the same thing happens. Its been in dry-dock for 3 weeks now and no one seems to have a clue. The first theory was the fuel pump...that appears to be fine. The next theory was the engine management system but that has been tested and it is fine. Does anyone else have any other theories?

Edited by Pugugly. on 24/02/2008 at 12:28

98 V70 T5 erratic idling and stall fault a mystery - MGspannerman
It sounds very much as if you are suffering from a well known petrol Volvo problem. This is a cut and paste from volvoforums.org.uk. You can easily join and post a question there for further advice from those in the know.

"Make sure the car engine doesn't "hunt" when idling with the climate on or off. The car should have a dead level idle which will fluctuate a little when the aircon pump kicks in. If the car revs rise and fall erratically then this is an indication of the electronic throttle module at early stages of failure. They can be cleaned out which can sort the problem but bear in mind if it's at a more advanced stage it going to be a £700 part from Volvo plus labour. Again, if the car is a real peach then use it as a bargaining tool rather than walking away from the car."

Also with the ETM they can fail without warning and at any time, it has even been known for new ones to not work properly when fitted.

I hope whatever it is does not prove too costly for you. MGs