Hello All,
I have a 2000 V40 with less than 80k miles. I'm been having a problem for the past several months that several mechanics have been unable to solve and am hoping someone here might advise. My check engine light has been coming on for no apparent reason. Months ago when the problem began, the car was misfiring a little when idling. Mechanic #1 changed my transmission fluid which needed to be done anyway, and then suggested that the problem might be related to my timing belt. He cleared the code and I opted out of the timing belt because it seemed too soon to replace it. Shortly after that the light was back on. Mechanic #2 said timing belt was fine, replaced spark plugs and that fixed the misfiring but a week later the check engine light was back. Next they replaced my thermostat. After that all was fine for a week or so and then the light went back on, intermittently this time, but still on. Today I was told that the codes indicate that maybe my oil is dirty and they could replace my oil and see if that fixes the problem. I opted out, since I changed oil in November and don't drive that much but now that I'm thinking about it, this light did start coming on shortly after that oil change last year. Could that really be the problem. Any advice? Should I just ignore it since it's not seeming to affect my car's performance (and I'm short on cash!)?
Thanks!

I just bought an OBD II scanner ($40) to read the codes off my 2002 V40, because I experienced a similar problem. My code was P0015 which is suppose to be the Cam Position indicating a possible ignition Timing problem. I used the OBD II to turn off the Check Engine Light as advised by a mechanic. The mechanic said its usually an intermittant problem with some 'Cam Reset Valve' that temporrily changes the cam/ignition timing actuated by oil pressure (so he said). The mechanic said that if the light comes back on with the same code, then maybe that Cam Reset Valve needs replacing, otherwise just leave alone. I recommend buying the OBD II off the Internet to read your Problem Codes, shop around for the best price. You do not need one that requires a CAN BUS. CAN = Control Area Network for the 2000 model, on the OBD II Scanner. By the way, its been 4 months now and the Check Engine Light never came back on.

ive had those same problems on my 2000 v40, but wut happened was the head gasket was shot and needed replacement badly, so i had my mechanic fix it, and have had no problem since