Bought a stainless catback system from an unknown Swedish exhaust builder named Rakaror.
Ordered the 3″ inch system as it pairs flawlessly with the 3″ BSR Tuning downpipe.
rakaror.o.se/billiga-rostfria-avgassystem-VolvoS80.html
Finally fitted a new serpentine belt tensioner, needed to wait for a Torx T60 bit to be able to take the tension of when you fit the serpentine belt.
Bought a new BSR Optiflow kit as I wanted a little bit more blowoff + compressor noise. I can also fit my Velocity Stack filter (150mm diameter).
It has been sold in the meantime as the extra induction noise does not fit the S80 to be honest.
BSR Kit: 4900705
Max HP: 410 HP
Fitted some Volvo OEM Privacy Shades, which are better than the standard solution. I removed them from the door cards completely.
When I bought the car, it was missing a skidplate. A skidplate has a number of purposes, like protection, keeping dirt out, but also improving underbody aerodynamics and improving cooling and fuel economy of the car. A car is cooled by pulling air through your radiator (by the flow of lower pressure air under your car), instead of purely relying on high pressure on the front of the car.
I bought this Rezaw-Plast one via Motointegrator.de and it had a very good price (33 euro is a steal!). Fitment is very good, aligns well with the stock mounting holes.
Partnr: RP151901 / 151901 / 8634813 / 30741855 / 8624664 / 30741968
I wanted a cleaner look for the front grill and decided to use plastidip instead of the carbon wrap. It came out great and suits the black S80 very well.
I used Motip Removable Coating instead of classic Plastidip and it holds very well till this day.
Also repainted the front trim with bumperspray (which didn’t hold by the way).
When fitting the 3″ BSR downpipe, I needed a new exhaust. As a temporary solution, I bought a standard exhaust kit (resonator and backbox) and modified the midpipe (cut the resonator out). It sounds quite nice for a default exhaust, but cannot beat a stainless exhaust 🙂
In the mean time, they have been sold already, but I stumbled upon a pristine set of winter wheels. Not far over the border, I found a 19″ BBS ASA TEC GT3 set in candy red, which on paper should look awesome (black car, candy red wheels).
Unfortunately I wasn’t happy with the looks, but they served me well for 1 winter and I got a lot of feedback on it, which was funny!
The are very heavy, but that is also due to the runflat winter tyres. The combo weighed in a hefty 24.3 kg.
I had pretty big plans for the S80, shooting for a 270bhp instead of the 200bhp that the 2.4T has normally. You need an upgrade turbo for this, which I sourced from a T5 model, which has 250bhp bone stock. The swap would involve the TD04HL-13T to TD04HL-16T or 13T to 16T for short.
Fitment is pretty straightforward, but the coolant lines run differently, and this was quite a hassle as information on the internet seems very scarce. I found some, but needed some creativity as the build progressed.
I was also planning to mount the later “R” series manifold, but decided to sell it, as the Japanifold would give much better sound and equal performance.
In the end, I sold the 16T and mounted the 13T, saving the money up for something else. I needed to adjust the car a little bit, and according to the max MAF values, it makes about 240-245bhp, which is awesome.
It’s a totally different car from when I first bought it, that’s for sure!
The TD04HL-16T with the R-manifold
The TD04HL-13T vs TD04HL-16T
Modifications needed for fitting the coolant lines
Rubbing will occur here
When you have an older car, always think about replacing the engine mounts. They are almost always made of rubber, which becomes brittle over time due to aging/drying out.
I replaced all the engine mounts, which tightens up handling and improves performance and reduces strain on components like the exhaust, as the engine swivels way less. Highly recommended!
Added 2 diffusers to the rear bumper of the S80. Looks very nice and makes the S80 less of a Old Man car haha 🙂
URL: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32853258621.html
I had a feeling that the Volvo wasn’t making enough power and when I tested the wastegate actuator, it felt loose and sloppy.
Checking the turbogauge showed me that I was running on 0.3 – 0.35 BAR max, whilst it needs to make 0.5 bar aka 7-8 PSI.
I decided to order a new wastegate actuator from Mambatek which is a direct replacement.
It took a little bit more effort than expected, but I was able to get it done and the results are there. The turbo is able to boost to 0.5 BAR aka 7-8 PSI again. Result!
URL: www.ebay.com/itm/262901574044
Bought a flip key on Aliexpress and went to the key service to get it working. Looks much better and takes less space in pockets etc.
Highly recommended modification!
Selfie I took when I was driving home with 19 inch Monaco Mirabeau wheels 🙂
Replaced the tatty old shift gaiter with a new universal one. Lubed up the shifter mechanism, happy days 🙂
Forgot to take an result picture 🙁
Ditched the old floor mats and bought me some original Volvo rubber mats. They might not look as nice, but they are far sturdier and they are much easier to maintain.
Repaired / cleaned the PCV circuit as I saw a lot of oil in the pressure circuit (also see my previous post: https://www.ducked.nl/blog-entries/volvo-s80-2-4t-dirty-clean-turbo-coldside/ ).
Did a little research and the PCV system is almost always the culprit for such issues.
Decided to buy a complete system although ended up cleaning the existing system and only replacing the oil seperator. The tubing was quite some work, I will save that for another time.
Replaced the air filter and the turbo intake pipe.
The intake pipe was upgraded to a blue Do88.se / Do88 silicone intake pipe, which is a fair bit larger, but also deletes some bottlenecks from the original part (like the narrowing bend on the bottom and the “harmonica”).
Gives a little bit more power from the butt dyno and noticed more intake growl (which is a good thing) 🙂
Replaced the air filter. This is what a dirty airfilter looks like.
Change it on time, so your car keeps performing at peak efficiency!
Decided to paint the calipers for extra flair and to be honest it looks way better than that rusty brown color.
Bought some MHW Daytona Yellow paint and combined it with the yellow Prancing moose shield.
Bought me some yellow Prancing Mooses / Moose decal as it’s a Volvo thing to do 🙂
In the meantime, they have been replaced by black “carbon” units, which look better. This will be shown in a later post.
Needed to change the interior / combofilter and was suprised by this malformed unit.
Looks like someone didnt do their job properly…Shameful really.
Easy DIY job, which shouldn’t take more than half an hour.
When I last performed maintenance to the window sliders, I noticed the doors had not been soundproofed yet. Bought me a big mat on Aliexpress and went to work today.
Door card removal is very easy on the Volvo, so I was done in a very small time frame, which is always nice. The impact of such a simple thing like soundproofing is always noticeable, as the resonance from the tinny doors are removed, which allows for better sounding music + less cabin sound/drone.
Highly recommended & easy to do yourself!
I had some Flyeyes wrap hanging around and decided to test it on the running light and the indicator side lights.
I forgot that I had some black wrap lying around and started off with anthracite wrap, which I re-did in the end. Very happy with the results, and it customizes the car a little bit more, which is exactly what I want 🙂
Decided to clean and service the stock Denso injectors. Rubber rings get hard and brittle over time and tend to leak. Also the filter baskets might be contaminated over time, especially if the fuel filter is not part of your regular service intervals (which mine S80 lacked…).
I bought this kit of Aliexpress and the quality looks very nice. It contains all the items needed, including a special tool for removing/mounting the filter baskets.
The pictures will speak for themselves (it was needed!).
A very old fuel filter.
When I had the OEM exhaust, I wanted to have the center silencer removed, as the OEM exhaust is very good in keeping the car silent. But this car needs to make a little noise, so I decided to modify the stock middle pipe.
Gives a little bit more sound, without being to loud.
Also weighed it, and it weighs a mere 6.7KG .
My original gearbox mount was shot and I decided to replace the mount with a brand new reinforced polyurethane mount, which tightens up the shifting and allows for less engine movement, which is better for the exhaust.
One disadvantage, the cabin has added drone due to extra vibration. But the advantages outweigh the one disadvantage, so for me it’s a keeper!
Closeup view
Old vs New. The mount should not be able to move like that 🙂
And this is how it looks under the engine. Easy job, 2x 14mm & 2x 18mm nuts.
Wanted to see if the Hella style horns would fit the S80. First I painted them white (they were green). Mounting them was easy, but the front looks messy with the horns mounted, so I decided to remove them again.
But this looks better to be honest…
Fitted some fresh new plugs and decided to try NGK copper plug instead of Volvo OEM Iridium plugs. They work great and cost next to nothing. Decided to try NGK K20TT 4606. Double checked the gap to be sure, they are correctly preset for the Volvo S80 2.4 / 2.5T.
Still have to get used to swapping out 5 spark plugs instead of the “usual” 4.
Found a nice set on eBay Kleinanzeigen for my Volvo S80 2.4T Wasa Limited edition. They are black 19″ inch Monaco Mirabeau wheels, which fit the black Volvo great. Very happy with them 🙂
As a lot of older Volvo’s, my S80 showed the cumbersome “Alarmservice needed” message. I decided to search for a fix instead of buying a new one, which costs about €280 – €300, which is a lot of money.
The process is very simple, slicing open the siren, disconnecting the battery pack and plugging in the new battery pack. The hard part is to remove the security bolt, I used a angle grinder and then tapping it out. I used a normal bolt when I mounted the siren again.
I bought it here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/152151139597
S60, S70, V70, S80 & XC Series
Type: Varta button cells
Rating: 7.2V, 320mAh
P/N: GP320BVH6A6, N2H280
Finish: Green wrapped
Connector: Mini-Volvo connector
Compatible with 8637399, 8622268, 9452709 & 9162941 siren modules
Cable length: 60mm
Replaced some old deteriorated intercooler hoses with new fresh Do88.se blue silicone hoses, which do not collapse anymore. I solved a hiccup when flooring the car from low rpm (due to sturdiness of the new hoses).
My front gearbox mount was shot. Found a polybush replacement part which is a easy swap. Remove 4x 18mm bolts, swap the part and tighten the 4x 18mm bolts. Noticed a big improvement in pickup and shift handling. The engine/gearbox is able to move much less, which helps in driveability.
Easy mod with big results. If you have a Volvo with a choppy window, 9 out of 10, it will be the window sliders. They are quite easy to replace though. Tip: buy them on Aliexpress for cheap!
Decided to mod the intake flap to a more direct version, which should aid in forcing air into the airbox. Performance could be better, although right now I dont have the means to measure this.
Small mod, replacing the orange bulbs with chrome indicator bulbs. Looks better 🙂
When I bought the S80, it was evident that the plastic trim had seen better days. So I decided to spend some time and repaint it black. As expected, it transformed the car tremendously. I highly recommend this!
A highly recommended repair / modification for all older Volvo owners. Replacing the old rubber vacuum lines with strong durable silicone hoses. I bought 3 color hoses (red / black/ blue) as the original hoses also have color stamps on them. Old rubber hoses deteriorate from heat and moisture and will fail over time. Replacing them with silicone hoses ensures a proper running car!
I was missing the option to play my own music using a iPod Classic interface, so decided to convert my HU-801 Volvo headunit to my trusty Pioneer 1DIN / Single DIN using a fascia plate and some converter cables.
I like the original look better, but the functionality of the Pioneer outweighs the look a couple of times, which makes it a no-brainer for me.
Upgraded the rear with a trunk spoiler (stick-on type) and it looks quite OEM, which I am very pleased with. Doubt it will give me any extra noticeable downforce, but it looks the parts 🙂
As the car has already passed thr 300.000km mark, it’s time for renewing key components, like the Mass Airflow Meter (MAF). Decided to go OEM and opted for a Bosch one.
Restored some low down power, which is good news. Highly recommended!
Partnr: 0 280 218 088 / 0280218088
New vs Old
Cheap and easy mod for a little bit more stability, polybush inserts for the upper engine stabilizer.
To modernize the car and make it more future proof, I decided the replace as much halogen bulbs with LEDs. I didn’t want the 6500k Blueish tint, but instead opted for a warmer white color, which are a little bit more white than their halogen counterparts. Very happy with the end result!
Old
And New
Upgrading the rear light dome cluster
Halogen vs LED
Warm white Festoon LEDs
Unhooking the tab
End result for the rear light cluster
Front cluster
As the stock grill is quite dull, it also looks dated. I wanted to upgrade the looks and decided to test a carbon 4D wrap, as the facelift grille does not transfer to the older model. It was quite tedious, but it worked out perfectly! Like the way it looks now 🙂
