2013 Volvo C30 Exhibiting Black Smoke, Power Loss, and Rough Idling Issues

Hey folks, I drive a 2013 Volvo C30, gasoline, clocked about 103,821 KM on the odo. Lately, I've been noticing a bunch of issues - black smoke belching out on acceleration, a dodgy check engine light, sudden engine power loss, erratic engine running, jerks when accelerating, and even stalling while idling. Worse, sometimes the car won't even start. The rough idling even shakes the car at times. I reckon this might be an idling control problem but can't say for sure. Has anyone else experienced something similar? What did your mechanic say? I had a tinderbox encounter with my last mechanic and am kinda worried about repeating the past. Would appreciate any help. Cheers!

(Translated from German)

4 comment(s)

Hey, Jacob here. Your situation reminds me of the issues I had with my 2010 Volvo S60. Rough idling, power loss, the whole shebang. The culprit - faulty cable/plug on my idle control valve. This valve, it just doesn't get enough credit. When it goes dodgy, it can cause all sorts of chaos like erratic idling, power issues, and if it's really bad, your ride may not even start just like you're experiencing now. I ain't gonna sugarcoat it for ya - it was a real pain dealing with this, mostly 'cause it was kinda hard for the mechanic to diagnose initially and took a bit of time to figure it out. But once they found the plug issue, it wasn't half as bad fixing it up. Not to scare ya - but don't wait too long to get it looked at. These things can get worse if left unchecked. So yeah, reckon you might want to take your Volvo to a trustworthy mechanic soon. Here's hoping your experience will be smoother than mine was. Good luck!

(Translated from German)

Yo Jacob, appreciate the insight. Sounds like our rides are acting up from the same problem. I've got a solid mechanic up my sleeve, so I'll get him to check out the cable and idle control valve. If you don't mind sharing, how much did it set you back to sort out, ? And have you run into any other related issues since? Keep the fingers crossed it's an easier fix. Cheers!

(Translated from German)

Hey! Good to hear you got a capable mechanic to handle the job. Well, for me, fixing the cable/plug on the idle control valve came up to a total of 155€. Worth every penny, if you ask me, considering the absolute ruckus the faulty part was causing previously. Since the repair, the idle control hasn't been acting up at all, and I must say it's been running smooth as butter. No jerks on acceleration, no more power loss, and the engine doesn't stall at idle anymore. Wish I had fixed it sooner instead of putting up with all the drama! Here's to hoping your Volvo will get back on track in no time. Cheers!

(Translated from German)

Oi Jacob! That's solid. Going by your experience, it seems like the juice might be worth the squeeze after all. The nagging issues have started to wear me down, so a 155€ fix doesn't seem too bad now if it can buy me some peace of mind. Glad to know it's been smooth sailing for you since the fix. Hoping it’ll be the same for me as well. Gonna ring up my mechanic first thing tomorrow. Will keep ya posted on how it pans out. Thanks a ton for the help. Cheers!

(Translated from German)

Join the discussion now: