I just purchased a pre-owned 1998 Volvo AWD and on the very 2nd day of driving it (less than 80 miles) the Check engine light is now on. I will have to call the dealer and check into this, but was curious as to if this happens to anyone else? Thanks!

I assume that you've opened the hood and checked to make sure the engine is still there? I mean, these guys seem to think you have a "check gas cap" light on or something.

:)

Sheesh. "Check Engine" What could be more informative than that? It should say something more accurate like "Faulty Design Alert."

Sorry. Wish I could help, but in all instances in which I've been involved

with a "check engine light" it has been the gas cap.

- Darell

This just happened to me a couple of weeks ago with my 2001 T5 after filling up. I checked the gas cap, it was on tight. The ignition was off during fillup. Besides the orange "Check Engine" light, the message window displayed "Emission System Service Required". The lights did not go out on their own. The dealership checked it and determined it was a faulty Lamda Sensor (I guess that's Volvospeak for O2 Sensor, but I'm not positive). Of course the part was not in stock, so I get to go back again in a week or two. In the meantime, they were able to turn off the light and warning message.

I've got a little over 6,000 miles on my 98 v70 t-5 since January, 01. My c.e. light has come on 4 times, usually after gassing up the car. I make sure the gas tank cap is on tight, giving it at least two "clicks". After a week or two, the light goes off by itself. It's never been on long enough for me to get worried about it.

Do you turn the engine off when you add fuel?

Yes, always.

It's not just a good idea...it's the LAW! Yet I still see people smoking at the gas station. Yikes.

- Darell

I had quite a history with the dreaded light. Came on at 1500 miles and kept coming on every few months. After several dealer visits during which they would replace some part or another I ended up writing to the service manager, who, to his credit, got personally involved and also involved VCNA. Ended up replacing my gas tank after over a month at the shop (I was driving a nice '01 V70 loaner the a whole time). Turns out sometimes tanks get little clogs due to manufacturing process flaws and that causes problems with fuel vapor recovery system, which causes 611 and 612 codes and Check Engine light events. Since February - so far so good.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your help to Vladimir and Andrew!

I am not sure what action I can take at my dealership, but it's at least reassuring to know that this isn't a Fatal problem. It's just so annoying to see that light in your display all the time. Do you think it is going to be a big problem to try to convince the dealership to replace the fuel tank? Thanks!

Eugene

Yes the problem is far from fatal, BUT, in my state (Massachusetts) the car with Check Engine Light on fails anual emissions inspection. If your car is still under warranty, I recomend you take it to the dealer for EVERY occurance of the CE light. At least this will give you the paper trail if anything happens later. I am sure they will replace all sorts of parts for you starting with your gas cap and going on up to the charcoal canister with countless valves in between. If you have it all in the history of the car, you will have a case if it turns out that the tank was bad. It can also be as simple as loose/misthreaded gascap (though I give most people credit for being able to operate those simple devices correctly). You didn't fuel up with engine running or the ignition on, did you? What about someone before you? I would still take it in and have them read the codes and reset the light. If the codes are 611 or 612 and it shows up again soon, you may be in for a gas tank. I was very surprised, but the VCNA rep was the one to suggest the gastank. He said he's seen a few cases of tanks with clogs. I was going through charcoal canisters like napkins and the car did not keep the pressure in the tank. Yet first 3 or 4 times I came with the 611/612 codes, they didn't seem to notice that. Personally, I thought the software was at fault by design. Too sensetive and not able to tell the difference between a blip in pressure loss and a real problem. Now I am not so sure any more, since my CE light's been dark for the past 4 months (close to a record for me). The jury is still out. As for the annoyance factor, use electric tape technique while it is on. Also, while it is on you have no warning of any other faults, since the light is already on. That's bad, so have it put out by the dealer and don't let go if it persists.

Check to be certain that you've properly screwed the fuel cap on the filler. If the cap is cross-threaded, it will generate a fuel system fault and turn on the 'check engine' light. This seems to catch a lot of new owners of V70/S70. (If that is the problem, just drive it -- after a certain number of starts with no errors, the light will go out.)

If that's not it, the dealer will need to pull the fault code and tell you what's wrong.