Battery Replacement

The original battery lasted seven and a half years. Not bad at all. It could have run for a few more months but I did not want to take the risk of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere and asking people to give me a boost. I bought a Kirkland battery since I was going to pick up a case of wine in Costco. The model number is 10. You could choose the Heavy Duty version and I went with the regular. In addition, they will refund you $9 (in CA) if you return your expended battery.
Before you start working on the battery, make sure you have proper protection. Wear safety glasses and wear gloves. Make sure you wait at least 3 minutes after turning off the engine to give time for the computer to store its memory. Remove the cover on the top of the battery compartment. Use an M10 socket wrench to loosen the screw of the negative terminal pull it out. Then work on the positive terminal. Remove the two screws holding the battery clamp with t he M10 socket wrench. One is hidden and you will need to use a flat screw driver to ply open the side panel to access to the screw. The original battery comes with two handles for ease of installation. Remove the old battery. Turn the ignition key to the II position and make sure no one is in the car in case the airbag deploys. Reinstall the new battery. I stored the Kirkland battery handle somewhere safe to use in the future. Reinstall the battery clamp, the positive terminal and negative terminal in that order. Reinstall the battery compartment cover. Total replacement time should take 10-15 minutes.

Service Light Reset

Unlike many cars, the service light reminder for the Volvo S40i doesn't get reset with the OBD-II scanner. You must use the Ignition and Odometer trick to reset the service light.
1. Insert the key and turn the ignition switch to I.
2. Press and hold the Odometer reset button and then turn the ignition switch to II.
3. Wait until the the information (i) light blinks and release the Odometer reset button. Release while the light is still flashing. It might take up to 15 seconds.
4. Turn off the ignition switch and remove the key.

Fuel Pressure Sensor

An OBD-II Scanner is an important tool to decipher error codes. Error code P0192 on the Volvo S40i means "Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Low Input". A common problem is a defective Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor.
The first thing to do before replacing the sensor is to depressurise the Fuel System. Make sure you are wearing proper clothing and eye protection when working with fuel systems. Inside the fuse box next to the car battery you can find a fuse clamp.


Use the clamp to remove fuse #74 for the fuel pump relay in the fuse box under the passenger glove compartment.


Start the engine and wait until it stops. I had to wait for more than 2 minutes for the engine to die.
Remove the 2 retaining screws of the air intake that covers the pressure sensor. Disconnect the wiring connector to the sensor. Make sure you place some old rags under the pressure sensor to catch any fuel spillage. Remove the retaining screw of the pressure sensor and slowly remove the pressure sensor. You might hear a pop sound. Replace it with a new one and assemble everything back together.




Total repair time is about 30 minutes.

Trunk Lid Open Warning Light

"Trunk Lid Open" warning light on the dashboard might be caused by a broken wire near the trunk hinge. Pull down the cable shroud near the hinge and check if there is any broken wire as shown in the picture. Solder the broken wire and then use heatshrink to cover it. I used electrical tape since I did not have my heat gun with me. Reinstall the shroud and you are done. Thanks to JondevieonS40 from VolvoForums for the solution. Total repair time is about 15-20 minutes.

Windshield Washer

If your windshield washer system is clogged. That is you hear the pump sound but there is no fluid coming out, then either your fuild level is too low or somewhere is clogged in the system. If it is the first case then add more washer fluid and you are done. But most probably your washer system is clogged or a part needs to be replaced. First check the jet nozzle, then work the way down the line. For my case, the filter of the pump was clogged.
To clean the pump, first suck out as much out from the resevoir. I snaked down a discarded refrigerator water tube, sucked it and let pressure and gravity (siphon principle) works its magic. Make sure you are also working outside in case you do not manage to empty the resevoir and leftover fluid wets the floor. Turn your wheels all the way out so you have ample of space to work. The washer pump is under the resevoir and the easier way to access it is through the wheel mud cover on the driver side. Remove the Torx screws and hex screw and then remove the wheel mud cover. The pump is not visible, but you should be able to feel it with your hand hidden behind the resevoir. There is a electrical cable going in and tube going out toward the jet nozzle. Use your hand and carefully pull out the pump without damaging the gasket. There is a mesh on the inlet of the pump that was clogged, so I cleanned it and reinstalled it. Pour some washer fluid and make sure there is no leak. Finally reinstall the mud cover and screws.
The cleaning/replacement of the washer pump should take 30-45 minutes.

The Starting Line

My 2005 Volvo S40 2.5i will take me on a journey through two path: one on the road and another in the garage. Here are some handy tools you might find useful for your journey.

• Haynes Workshop Repair Manual



• OBD-II Scanner
• Metric tools set.
• Soldering Iron

 I am not a mechanic, so follow my instruction at your own risk.

Before you start, find out if there is a recall for the problem from your service center. Volvo willl repair it for free if the problem is in the recall list.

The following link shows the recommended Maintenance Schedule Operations by the manufacturer.