You could be having an issue with the voltage regulator. The Electronic Throttle Module needs 12 volts to operate normally. If it falls below that then you start to have issues. If it falls below 9 volts then the throttle stops responding, so when it starts to act up then you really should try and see what the voltage is coming out the alternator. Also how well do you maintane your vehicle? What kind of oil do you use? If the PCV system gets plugged up then the throttle plate gets dirty and starts to stick causing some idle issues and stalling. What you may want to look into since you are running out of time is if your throttle has the extended 10year/200k mile warranty. You would need to call your local Volvo dealer to verify that it does. If it does have the extended warrany then you should just take it in and have them diagnose your vehicle. They will scan for ETM fault codes and run a test on the throttle to check the potentiameters in the throttle. If it fails then they will replace the throttle under warranty. If they find it is dirty then you will need to pay for diagnosis and decide if you want them to clean the PCV system and throttle body? It is a little expensive because the intake needs to come out to clean the pcv nipple.
Here is one I cleaned out. The hose is held by the banjo bolt (PCV VALVE) under the intake manifold and that is why the intake needs to come to have access to it. I am using a thin wire to clean out the sludge. Hole diameter is small so it is easy for it to have build up of sludge that it pluggs up.
Cleaned out the throttle.
This is a special gage used to check the PCV system. Notice it is in the negative side. That is a clean PCV system. If it is at 0 or on the positive side it is dirty. I did this repair because of fuel trim problems and faulty mass air flow sensor codes and other parameters that were out of spec while diagnosing a check engine light problem. Good luck to you and hope you do get a free throttle out of this because they are very expensive to replace once out of warranty. Keep me posted please.
Thursday, October 7th, 2010 AT 11:53 PM
