Hello. Yesterday was mostly spent driving the Volvo. In the beginning of the day it heated fine, however on the way home it never really warmed up. My father recommends replacing the thermostat. How difficult is that? And what would you recommend? Thanks!
Evan

 

Check the Heater Valve, the one that is on the heater hose above the starter (more or less)... Changing the thermostat to a higher setting one will not make much difference unless the one you have now is not opening at all. But in that case, you'd be getting more heat rather than less.

 

Change you thermostat. It is very easy to do it yourself. Just look at some videos on Youtube on how to change your car thermostat and you will see how easy it is. Will save you a couple of bucks doing it yourself.. A thermostat is just a couple of dollars to buy.

 

What's the logic of a new thermostat? If the thermostat is bad now, not opening, the car would be overheating and the inside heater would be plenty hot. If it is permanently open, then once the car reaches operating temperature the heating inside would be normal... I hate to throw new parts on a car just because... but that's just me.

 

If you thermostat is bad its either open all the time or its closed all the time and thus not working effectively. When open all the time then the water flows through without getting heated upp first in the engine.This means you do not get any heat from the blower fan if you use it. The heat is just lukewarm as the engine is not heated upp first since the water is freeflowing.And if your thermostat is constantly closed,then your engine will run hot and overheat as the thermostat is closed. And you motor will soon overheat.

 

nah, an open thermostat just delays how long it takes the engine to heat up, it will still get hot eventually.

 

If you live in colder climates where the temp outside doesn't reach the freezing mark, it can take a real long time to get decent heat out of the car when the thermostat is stuck open. I'm talking 20 min to get ANY heat out.

If your temp gauge does not get to the 9 o'clock position when driving, then most likely you need a new thermostat. If the temp gauge DOES reach the 9 o'clock position and you still get no heat, then I would check the heater control valve as lev suggested.

The first winter we had our '89 240 wagon, I was disappointed in the heater system in these cars. When my brother told me that they had great heat, I replaced my thermostat and the car then heated up in a couple of minutes.

 

In a cold climate with minus degrees C an open thermostat will NEVER lead to your motor eventually heating upp like Pierce says. Maybe that could happen in a warmer climate. In a cold place with freezing temperatures,snow and ice
it will only get to 60 or 65 degrees c and thats not enough to get good heat from the fan. I live in freezing cold temp so I know it.

 

Just some added info... It seems to help if I put recirculation on. But still every now and then it is just barely warm. It varies I guess. How do I go about checking the heater control valve?

 

The Heater Valve is on the heater hose close to where your automatic transmission dipstick is located. It's simple, two clamps, in and out, with a valve controlled by a vacuum line. Access is not great but not impossible. If the hose is restricted, or the vacuum is weak, then it won't operate... Also, if this valve is of age, change it because they break and you lose your coolant fast. These valve are used by a lot of domestic cars too, like Chevy Citation, etc. so they are cheap and easy to get... Less than $20...

 

older 240's had a cable activated heater valve, I thought? not sure when they switched.

 

On a '92 the heater control valve is under the dash behind the center console by the drivers side. To gain access, remove the knee bolster and the side panel of the center console. It is up by the accelerator.

As far as replacement parts are concerned, I have struggled to find a suitable replacement. The original Volvo part is no longer available and as Pierce stated, it is cable controlled along with a thermostat.

I just replaced mine withe the following part I found online:

Cable Operated Heater Control Valve - Heater Valves & Cables

However, I had to move the location of the valve and install a longer cable (I got a lawn mower throttle cable from Home Depot).

Are you sure it is the heater control valve? Every one I have had fail in a 240 (and I have had 3 fail now), the symptoms were that either the heat was on full blast or entirely off. Does your temp gauge on the dash get to the 9 o-clock position or does it stay low. If it stays low (like 7 o-clock position), then I think your problem is the thermostat as your dad suggested.

 

Sorry, I was thinking 740...

 

Act we are pretty concinced its the thermostat. When its at 9 oclock it doesnt heat worth a crap. When its at like 7, it heats almost fantastically. We'll have the thermostat replaced.

 

just changed the thermostat on 240 because temp at 7 o'clock, and heater blew hot air. however, now temp at 9 o'clock and heater blows ambient air...

 

what year 240? does it have the old style or new style heater valve in it?

if its got the old style heater valve, its quite likely its failed. the old style valves are no longer available from Volvo, they sell a kit to replace it with the new style valve, but frankly, this kit is superior:
New Volvo 240 heater valve kit replaces 1348252 9131998 $59! New Volvo 240 heater valve kit replaces 1348252 9131998 $59 [] - $59.00 : EuroPartsHouse Bargain Parts

 

I Have some pictures that might help a bit. I think the heater valve on my 240 has gone bad as well. i've not yet resolved it, but here are some pictures and a screen shot from the greenbooks that show how it works on a 1991. If it is an earlier model, it might not be so useful.

In the link below, look around post #74. that is the part that may be useful.

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...a-61233/page8/

 

yeah, thats the old style. it has a thermostat stuck into the airbox via a skinny copper tube. the part is discontinued. volvo's replacement is a retrofit kit for the new style, which is a plastic valve, some hose adapters, and a funky bracket, and a new control cable.

the kit I linked above is, IMHO, a nicer setup and easier to install. the linked instructions, Volvo 240 heater valve : EuroPartsHouse Bargain Parts show the old style, volvo new style, and how to install this guy's custom kit.

my daughter's 87, the old style valve failed. her symptoms are, heater lever completely off == ambient air. heater lever on even a tiny bit, full heat.

 

thanks for the information. its an 89, so judging by the comments it is the airbox thermostat that is the problem. will report the findings when i get fixing again.

 

Got my 240 back after it spent a week and a half in Lincoln, Omaha getting its blower motor for heat fixed. Turned out my heating problem was the water pump. The impellers on it were basically gone. Now that I have it back, my Volvo heats better than our Mercedes, which gets hot enough to make you uncomfortable. The air conditioner also got fixed. Such a wonderful car it is... Thought I would let you all know the status of my car's heating!