I just purchased a 2000 S70 base with a 5 speed transmission. This car like many Volvos has a few little things that need to be fixed. The first and most annoying is a not too loud high pitched whine while the car is at idle or low speeds. From what I've read here on the boards it’s probably a problem with a piston cooler valve. That seems to be the case with at least two other 2000 S70s on this board in the last two years. Does that sound like a reasonable explanation?

Now, will this piston cooler valve problem cause any damage to my engine? I'm looking at a 300 mile round trip this weekend from Atlanta to a state park in South Carolina. I'm assuming the valve still works it just makes some noise.

The other little things are:
I've read the trip computer is installed in each S70, but just needs to be turned on by a dealer. Is that true for my 2000 model?

I also hear a small chirping sound from what seems to be the front suspension when at slow speeds. It seems to be when the car goes over small changes in the road, not large ones. I was thinking it may be a bad engine mount, the top one, but I have to check that. Any ideas?

Other than that it seems to be a great car. It’s still under warranty, but I drive to South Carolina a good bit to see my fiancé` so it will close in on 100k very quickly. Thanks for the help; I'm just looking for some verification since my service appointment isn't until next week.

JH
http://www.johnharte.net

My piston valve was replaced under warranty.

The chirping noise could be the glove box. A small piece of foam wrapped around the latch will fix it.

Thanks Bill and KC so far.

KC, the chirping sound is definatly comming from the outside of the cabin. I can even hear the suspension chirping through the firewall as it sounds muted with the windows up. That's part of the reason I suspected the engine mount, and thanks to bill I remember reading about numerous noises other owners had from the sway bars. But I remember those postings about the sway bars being a clunking sound, not so much this chirping.. but I guess a noise has to start some where. I look forward to getting this stuff fixed on Tuesday. Hopefully I can trust this dealership.

Thanks for the info on the piston valve. I would hate to do any damage to the car since I've only had the thing for a week.


JH

The piston cooling valve noise is somewhat common on a number of 2000 models. It will not damage the engine. The noise is caused be pressurized oil flowing through an orifice in the valve. There is a TSB addressing this problem and your dealer can replace with a redesigned valve under warranty. The trip computer is pre-installed. All that is required to activate is installing a switch (prewired) in the dash and activating the software by the dealer. Chirping noise may be top engine mount or sway bar links, or strut top spring seats/bushings. This should also be a warranty item.