Backyard Mechanic's Resources
My choices for shops manuals and OBDII Scan Tools.
This page last modified on July 16, 2005.
Want a shop manual for your late model Volvo? You could buy Volvo's printed
literature from your local dealer or online. But be prepared to cough
up $25 to $60 (US) at a time for each of the dozens of pamphlets covering
various systems and sections in your car. The last time I looked into it,
it would cost $3000 to $4000 to buy all of the pamphlets to cover my 1999
S70 T5.
As an alternative, All-Data DIY
offers "online service manuals." I’m using this resource for diagnostics
and service procedures for my '99 Volvo S70, and it's proven to be invaluable.
Includes OBDII trouble code descriptions and related service procedures,
as well as recall and technical service bulletin information that is usually
only provided to the dealer. The diagrams and text in the service procedures
appear to be lifted right out of Volvo sources.
I also have the UK-spec Haynes
manual for the 70-series cars. I have found a few discrepancies between
this manual and my 1999 US-spec S70, though, notably in the maintanence schedule.
They also have a tendency to say "don't even try this" when it comes to more
complex procedures, referring you to your local dealer instead. But the photographs
and disassembly/assembly procedures throughout the manual do a nice job of
filling in the gaps in the All-Data procedures. IPD
sells it for about $30 US.
You'll also need some means of getting information out of your Volvo's engine
management computer. Equus makes OBDII
scanners, among other things. I picked mine up from Jeepers and
Creepers for about $140, including shipping. JC Whitney and IPD both
sell the same unit for about $180 plus shipping.
Equus provides a comprehensive user's manual for their scan tool, including
a list of OBDII codes and related text descriptions that are standardized
for all vehicle makes and models. But Volvo, like most manufacturers, uses
a superset of the OBDII codes. In other words, there are some proprietary
codes that you won't find text descriptions for in the Equus manual. For
these, I go to the All-Data site and cross reference the Volvo proprietary
code with a list of codes supported by Volvo's Vadis (dealer-only) computerized
diagnostic system. All-Data then provides troubleshooting information about
each of the Vadis codes.
All told, it appears that the combination of a generic OBDII code reader,
like the Equus, and an All-Data subscription can provide all of the information
that a backyard mechanic is likely to need. Thus far, they've bailed me out
of a few problems that the Volvo dealer couldn't fix after repeated attempts.
Thankfully, as a result, there's very little chance that I'll be going to
the dealer anymore for post-warranty service. :)