Going thru a divorce. Wife took car when she left (7/04). After a few months (10/04 @ 111k)and behind my back, she took the car I was driving and left this one (she was having probs). Up til the time she left, car was fully and routinely maintained by me.

Of the problems on the car, most were minor - quick fixes like AC recharge.
The A2 CEL indicated "4-3-5 Front Oxygen Sensor Slow Heat Response" (also a putrid smell out of the exhaust).
I reset it and for a while the smell was gone and so was the CEL, but then
it came back with "5-2-1 Pre-Heating front Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S1) faulty." and that putrid smell.
I reset it again, and same thing.

I ordered and replaced the front O2 sensor.
I went through a process disconnecting the battery so all would reset.

After driving a few hundred miles, I was extremely dissapointed when the same cycle repeated with the new O2 sensor, but was too busy with work to pay it any attention. Recently when work slowed, I went by the indie, and that is when he pointed out weak vacume lines around the MAF / Airbox (Lines and Elbows around the throtle linkage near the fuel rail were replaced 15k ago).
He indicated that one of the lines even had a small puncture in it and asked if I could not feel a difference in performance, which at that time I did not.

My car had 118.5 k on it at the time.
My T-Belt change (along with WP, Tensioner, Pulleys, Serpentine, etc) were scheduled for 120k - which at that time I thought I would have the indie do.

I replaced all the vacume lines (Kragen, not Volvo) near the Airbox except one which goes deep into the engine (was waiting until this major service to tackle)and reset the CEL.

Again, the CEL came on, accompanied by same putrid smell, and that is when the car started to cut out on the freeway a bit. After a couple hundred miles, the cut outs were getting a little longer in duration and a little more frequent, so I parked the car and started using the motorcycle (which is also more fuel efficient).

I also started to see some oil and coolant pooling on a pan under the car (probably back in Feb). That was weird. One day, I don't recall seeing anything. Then another day, it all of a sudden seemed to be there. I checked the levels, replenished, and kept checking the pan, but the pools did not grow any larger ??

I have spent the past 2 - 3 weeks dealing with divorce stuff and not using the car at all. Then - my first post on this thread.

I don't know how any of these things may or may not be inter-related. After reading posts here, and looking through Bay 13, I had decided to do the T-Belt myself. Yesterday, I was going to put the car up on ramps to look around and see if there was anything else I needed to order from FCP, when I ran into the starting problem.

If all these symptoms indicate a source I am not aware of, please help.

After getting through the T-Belt change over, and regular service, and now the start problems (perhaps A6 too), I will still be left withe the O2 CEL read outs.

As far as the O2 CEL goes, I was wondering if there might be an electtronic or "software" problem as opposed to "hardware"? As I stated, I put in a new sensor, and the problem persisted. Someone told me it might be a bad Cat which could cause the Sensor to foul too, but I have not confirmed that.

Please help - Thanx
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1995 850T Wagon 101k
1998 V70 GLT Wagon 85k