(Pt1) Volvo From HELL...STALLS in 3 Minutes?! (05 XC90 Turbo) 

The worst thing that a mechanic has to do is to fix the previous mechanic’s error.

"This Volvo is nuts...What would you do next?" I would wash it down with gasoline and dry it off with matches.

If I had any hair left (I don't) and if I repaired cars (other than my own) I would absolutely pull my hair out when a car this badly butchered came to me. You are a saint for being willing to work on such cars!

That thing is fully optioned with the passenger footbath and everything... I'm so jelly!

Water in the footwell is the sunroof drains, there was a lawsuit about this. There are a bunch of electronics under the passenger seat that cause issues, esp. with audio. The BCM could also be an issue due to water intrusion, which could also cause airbag issues in A-pillars.

Do you ever walk to the fence and call a horse to pick you up and let it be it's guide for hours to clear your head? Morning and evening for me.

Now these things are my specialty. And not an exaggeration when I say I must have replaced over 100 fuel pumps on these things. It's a really poor design. The entire rear seat has to come out to expose both sides of the fuel tank access ports. Make sure that you tie a long piece of wire to old crossover tube before you pull out the old pump. Because you will need to pull the replacement crossover tube back across. And be very careful with it. The plastic tube can bend and crack very easily and cause the crossover to suck air and not pick up any fuel. Oh, and Ivan. If you decide to do this customer a solid and drain the water from the passenger side, do it outside. Because there is a few gallons of water trapped in that cavity under that seat where the yaw control module resides. And it's because the sunroof drains are blocked up. And the wiper has a broken transmission. Ask me how I know all that. lol.

A lowering of amps means the pump is losing its load. Instead of pumping gas it's pumping air. Causing the stall.

You looked so disappointed during the intro😂😂😂 i know bro I've had to work on these too

What a friggin mess! The tow bill is more than that turd is worth. Part 2 is watching it get crushed.

After further consideration, I think a 4th fuel pump should be added. The documentation should call them "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", and "quaternary". Sounds real sophisticated, and should appeal to the engineers even more!

I would tell him “I have to check your work, we need to pull the pump”. That is a really cool test you did with RPM and the scope, with the rpm rising as it did there must be reduced load or not enough gas to the pump of course the load test showed the same but being able to determine the actual rpm over a given time is really cool.

Oh boy 👍🥳. Ivan took us back to a multi episode video. Get your popcorn ready folks. Here we go 🤣

Sounds like some tomfoolery in the tank, hose routing, missing o-ring, something

What I would do is: If the customer waffles about how he replaced everything and wants to negotiate and second guess your services, I would thank him, you are an amazing super genius and please come and pick up your vehicle. (yes, I am an A-Hole)

These Volvo Diag videos are some of my favorite RU-vid videos to watch. I need to find a tech here in AZ that can do this types of electrical diagnosing. I run a small used car dealership that specializes in Volvos and I come across Volvos in very similar states. The high price of Volvo specialty shops and their sketchy reputations lead most Volvo owner to take matters into their own hands. Often resulting in a jumble mess just like this XC90. Great work man! Looking forward to part 2.

“What would YOU do next?”… Have a peek in the tank Could be contamination clogging the screens? When the car sits fora bit, the contamination falls away from the screens My to bits Love this stuff and the channel Best to all John

I'm gonna start a specialized car towing business... my only destination will be PHAD! I will advertise nationwide.

Comes with the full guarantee - if it breaks in half...you get to keep both halves 😊

Could definitely tell Ivan was disappointed by the news of 4 prior fuel pump replacements. Me too, I was with him the whole way on the fuel pump diagnosis. I still think the pump has to be getting starved, because the amps go way down and the RPM goes up which means to me it's not experiencing the load of having to pump liquid any longer. I feel like there is some more discovery that needs to be done on how that transfer pump (or pumps) work. Pulling for a good result to get that thing outta there!

YOU have to take a look inside that tank. IDC if the customer installed 50 pumps, it doesn't mean it was done correctly. We've already seen their idea of re-engineering...

The wire moving killed me. 😂😂😂 What is that!!!

You my friend are a saint. The amount of patients you have to work on cars that clearly no one should be working on. My jaw nearly hit the floor watching this one. I feel bad for this car. What did it do to deserve its abuse?

Ivan can turn any hell project into a heavy project.

When you see additional wires looped over the engine to the fuse box you know some one has no idea how to fix the problem.Hate repairs like this.

Your going back down that rabbit hole again

What I would do next you ask? I would set up a blind date for the Volvo from hell to meet the Audi from hell 😂😂

Those homemade painted red calipers are a sure giveaway this Volvo is not a virgin.

I'm suspecting a hose connected to the transfer pump is either not connected or damaged. Need to look in the tank.

Great place in the wheel well for the pump controller! The continous rinsing & spraying with rainwater should keep it & all its contacts nice & clean! Check if the fuel pressure problem complication module under the front passenger side footwell might be registering low water pressure & might need a top-up.

This one seems like a bag of worms. So many splices. I'm not a mechanic but I think this one is a doozie. I look forward to the conclusion.

I was going to call you out for hyperbole (certainly not all of your clients' cars can be "from hell"). But I'm thinking that you're right this time.

80.000 miles is nothing for a Volvo in terms of wear and tear. We have a V70 with the 2.4L engine in the family with 200.000 miles. Well serviced, well maintained, always fixed the small issues right when they appeared. The 2.4L i5 is Volvos best engine in my opinion, the 2.5L is a bored up 2.4L and thus has an inherently weaker block which is why the first thing to check with an R model Volvos is if the block is cracked. We run a Liqui Moly fuel additive that has had a noticeable effect on keeping the engine cleaner. She's mint. Super comfy and functional leather interior. During our ownership it needed brakes, tires and the front axle rebuild because the rubber bushings just fall apart at that mileage and the front axles of the P2 platform Volvos are kind of known to wear out quicker. Not a major deal though it happens to the best of us and it can all be repaired fairly easily. We had a freak misfire problem once which was traced to a bad connector on a fuel injector by a very competent Volvo mechanic. Cheap fix and they even took all injectors out and send them out to Bosch Service to get them tested and they all came back good. Apart from that its a rust free car since Volvo really went to town with the P2 and later P3 chassis. These cars really last especially because Volvo used high quality OEMs and high quality OE parts. These cars last forever because of that. Volvo didn't skimp out. This summer it will get an oil change, transmission fluid service since the ol Aisin 6 speeds needs some love too and ive noticed some faint belt/idler/tensioner noises that I don't like. I have no record of those components ever being replaced. The timing belt still has one year to go before its due according to the sticker but I might just do a full belt service and do everything. After 200.000 miles the struts are also not feeling too good anymore, might get into that myself of have a mechanic replace them. I'm thinking about some sweet Bilsteins as a replacement. Volvos are some of the greatest cars ever made, except when people who who should not be let near such a car get their hands on it.

My guess is the pump is fine and there's some tubing issue mess in fuel tank that was overlooked.

I know the Ford Panther platform cars sometimes suffer from "Wacky Wiper Syndrome." The cavity where the motor sits gets shorted out when the cavity fills with water. There are drains that clog. This car has standing water in it; not to mention it appears to be hacked. I would want that out the door as well and 3 hours of diag. and 5.5 hours to replace the fuel pump that has allegedly been replaced 3 times with the original in it now, I wouldn't think the customer would invest that kind of money. I would cast a critical eye at the fuel pump. This seems like deja vu. on these Volvos. GREAT VIDEO!

The owner failed to mention that he had lost the fuel tank cap, he replaced the cap temporarily with an old pair of underpants, somehow they got sucked into the tank without him knowing. He bought a new cap but now the old undies have made their way yo the suction inlet and eventually choke the inlet causing the stall, they fall off the inlet after the pump is cancelled out.

A man needs to know his limitations

Just remember Ivan, you can say NO! to any job. lol

After watching multiple RU-vid channels over the last few years I have come to the conclusion that people out there are sending you specifically these types of vehicles as a challenge. lol

Volvo is like GM. They mount the module under the vehicle exposed to the rain. That’s why GM stands for Green-crusty Motors.

I live in Vegas and I worked on an XC 90 for a lady. When I went to the junkyard to get some interior parts. There was about 6 or 7 XC 90S None of them were wrecked. But they were in the junkyard. Wonder why? Maybe they are junk?

I get the feeling Ivan hates Volvos. To hear his oh man why, why me. He looked spooked at the wipers and I lost it when he was like "why is that wire moving" like its was possessed and he was concerned. For some reason I lost it, had me laughing for 5 min " why is that wire moving ". Poor Ivan, I feel your pain brother.

The FML vibe throughout this whole video so far is relatable. lol

I would be dismantling that pump to figure out the failure point. It would drive me crazy not knowing how it broke. Great job!

I hope Ivan has a good therapist to see after these last couple of videos! I think I need one just watching these video!

Secondary pumps are not able to keep prime to main. I would suspect a leaking line in between or a leaking secondary pump. You've already covered the electrical and can prove the pumps are working so that only leaves mechanical. I would actually do a volume test at the manifold next .

Never too late for a case study! Thank you for expanding my knowledge in this carrier these last 3 years

After seeing all the hacked wiring on this heap, I don't trust anything this owner did or says he did. Obviously, he knows nothing and all of his work is suspect. Good luck Ivan, you will have to verify everything.

volvo diesels have interesting set up too. for them you first need to open driver side and remove float unclip hose then i tie a thin rope to the hoses in the tank and go open passenger side and when you remove the pump and the hoses come out with it, and rope gets pulled out too. i use rope to reinstall the hoses back. the hoses are used to pump fuel from one side to another so if they unclip from the fuel pump bowl it could result in the same fuel starvation. waiting until ivan shows the rest.

What’s funny is that the same generation S60 which shares a lot of parts with the XC90, is a very stout and reliable car

Ivan, very thoughtful, in depth diagnosis. Just like the song "The Gambler"..... you've got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to RUN!. I think it's time to put on those running shoes!

I have a 2007 V70 with 180.000 miles on it. It does not have a single problem. Same era of car, with a lot of shared components to this car. If you fix any problems that appear right away, and do it somewhat proper, these cars can go for a long time.

Ivan as you are doing quite a few Volvos, I would strongly recommend you get yourself a dealership software setup (VIDA) You can get a Chinese clone DICE interface or Volvo specific VXDiag interface and you can get slightly illegitimate versions of VIDA on the web for free. There are a lot of variants by chassis number/VIN, so the big benefit of VIDA is that it will give you the exact part numbers and parts diagrams for the exact car variant by inputting the VIN. Also the diagnostic information is far more extensive than you get with the generic scanners, such as being able to see the full history tree for every code with freeze-frame data

The moment I saw that red u-haul connector at 4:00 I knew it was going to be a good video

don't you just love it when they have saddle tanks with a transfer fuel pump on one side and a delivery fuel pump on the other side then a high pressure pump driven off the cam , what in hell could possibly wrong .

The pump even sounds like it's trying to pump air. We're going in!

I’m looking forward to seeing the mayhem inside that tank lol.

It seems that lately Ivan is getting all the cars from hell. Maybe the channel should be renamed hell's garage!

Stuff a rag in the gas inlet and light it?

A guy is selling a nice looking '93 4Runner CHEAP, because after driving it for 10-15 minutes it dies. He has spent $1000 trying to get it fixed, to no avail. I acts like the fuel pump just shuts down. Your videos have me to buying it with the mission of truly diagnosing the problem without throwing any parts at it.

Had one of these at work that had fuel pump issues. That pump is strange to change because it routes in the tank weird.

I hate working on crap other people have butchered, you are a very patient man 😂

Internal fuel pump hose not clamped tight enough.

Would've been nice if the owner took the time beforehand to write a list of every part that was replaced and wiring that was touched. Now you're (mostly) back to square one.

the fuel pump loosing fuel, the speed increase to 11khz, engine shut down, no fuel, drop the tank.

Well done with the intelligent diagnosis, I think the comment from Sandmansa makes a lot of sense.

My next move would be 1/2 stick on dynamite in the fuel tank. LOL. You are becoming the Volvo go to guy.

Volvo loves that early / late production and "chassis number" for service info...

This situation happend on my S80 T6 Volvo. Ended up being a crack in the air intake. The car would start up but after a short period of time would bog down & not want move. On start up was good but the sensor would shut down the system for either too much air or lack of pressure in the intake. Replaced the cracked part never had another problem.

I liked this one a lot . Very interesting video / project / diagnostic ,Super helpful . Entertaining too !! Thanks Ivan . 👊🏼 🔥 💻 📈 💡

Here in Canada we can offer something called "M.A.I.D.". Mechanical Aid In Dying. It would seem appropriate in this case. 😂🤣 But more seriously, I'm thinking that junk in the tank could be the cause. The pump sucks junk, the car stalls, suction releases, junk falls off, rinse and repeat.

I wonder if you have a bad hose or maybe it's been connected wrong inside the tank. It would be interesting to see if the new fuel pump assembly is complete or whether you have to change some parts over

Hello Ivan, I am excited for another series.

LOL Ivan talking to the wiper ghost wire like its a little cat doing cat antics, I love it. Stay gold.

ivan good luck with this car love the black tape on wiper arm hope you do not get more gray hairs love the night owl edition

My mom had a new xc90 same year and it was a complete POS. After months and months of staying in the shop they did a buyback. Volvo from hell! #LEMON

In case you had noticed Ivan, P2 Volvo's also suffer with broken ignition barrels 🤣🤣🤣

Some times we need to know when to advise the customer that it might be time to spend your money on something else. I hate sending repairs away, but I hate wasting a customers money and my time even more. Good luck, I'll certainly look forward to a NPR repair. ;)

Fuel pump being out 4 times makes me wonder if it was installed correctly inside and very possible the pickup tube for the transfer pump is a issue. Should be a hump type tank so a peek inside should show if that is the case immediately

Can't imagine any scenario where I'd invest any money into a car with an indoor swimming pool. They're gonna be chasing electrical gremlins in that thing till it visits the crusher.

What a giant knot left for the master of threads to untie. Someone had no clue what they were doing to the wiring. Yikes.

This is definitely a great work

I had a 1984 Volvo back in the late 80s. I loved driving that thing but it was an electronic nightmare. It had a recurring mystery problem that turned out to be the engine ground left off by the dealer during a previous repair.

Interesting. I do not trust that rail pressure sensor, it does look new (aftermarket?). I think i saw a schrader valve, so i would first verify the rail pressure sensor reading with an actual analog gauge. Could we "fool" the rail pressure sensor, take control of the signal ourselves and see if the car stays running? Thanks, Ivan.

Looking at the quality of work the owner is doing .... definitely necessary to take a look at the fuel pump assembly .

Great diagnosis. Careful with those lights right next to your computer screen. It could get warm enough to warp the screen.

Thank you Phad

Thanks Ivan!

I'm gonna be blown away if the customer actually spends all the money for Ivan to get this turd back on the road. Glad I was never a vintage Volvo fanboy cuz their last 20 years would be heart-breaking

Taking a stab at what to try next: I'd try jumper-ing both pumps directly either with either battery power or an adjustable voltage source (assuming maybe they run off PWM), and then seeing how each pump reacts in terms of amp draw, voltage drop, fuel pressure at the injector rail, etc. If possible, i'd also try disconnecting one of the fuel lines at an easy point, or hooking up my own hose to the tank outlet, running it into a catch bucket, and then powering up the pump directly, in order to see what's going on (if it's sucking air, seizing up, etc). Just some random thoughts...

The OOOO on the front of the car is the number of zeros you add to the repair cost!!

Those water leaks come from the sunroof! the drains need attention!

The water ingress on the passenger footwell is a common problem with these P2 Volvos, it's caused by a a sunroof drain in the A pillar that gets clogged up, and it overflows into the frame and interior. The interior damage looks like it's mostly due to moisture and mold. The fuel pump kept running so I would have pinpointed it to a fuel flow problem, not a fuel pressure, since the static pressure is good but the pump couldn't keep up the pressure once the engine was flowing fuel. It could not deliver enough volume, so perhaps a fuel line or filter is restricted.

That should have been towed to the crusher with all those issues. As always, another great video.

Stick to your gun, drop the tank, you will find some of the hoses either broken or slipped of their hook, the mystery in the tank, this is what I tink,

IVAN, Thank you for what you do and the time u spend to show ur viewer cheeeeers.

One of my customers has 2 of the XC90's that I maimtain for them and they are really good vehicles and have a history of reliability if they are maintained properly.

These guys are watching your old Volvo videos and see the master can fix anything lol

I was starting to wonder if you were alright.

Man, do I enjoy your diag videos... Even stayed up way past my bedtime to watch.... LOL... Regards