Greetings!

Long-time no post. Stopping by with a quick question today: Where the heck does the 960 take its outside cabin ventilation from?

Testing shows the cowling assembly seems to be only one route for this exterior airpath into the car. Nothing in the Volvo parts diagrams give any clues whatsoever. Stumped.

So, does anybody have an idea as to where the auxiliary cabin air intakes are located? Somewhere through the inside of the front quarters???

Thanks a bunch --

 

The vehicle is designed to bring in outside air in normal operation, even in recirculation mode. The slight positive pressure keeps exhaust and other byproducts of combustion from easily being drawn into the cabin.

From a safety perspective, I would not recommend blocking the outside air intake.

 

tony1963:

Thank you for your input. Already well considered.

Now, does anyone know the answer to the OP?

Thank you again.

 

Sorry, but I'm checking out of this thread. What you are attempting is dangerous.

 

To any who may have interest, here's a bit of relevant information:

Life in general is dangerous: Eating is dangerous. Showering is dangerous. Stairways are dangerous. And, in many common instances, driving itself is extremely dangerous. In all of the foregoing, not everyone is incapable of tending their affairs responsibly.

FWIW, no auto maker in the world truly gives a rat's behind about the health and well-being of its products' users at any level which doesn't bear directly on their bottom line (as driven by core liability or PR). This certainly includes Volvo.

Bearing this in mind, I have a portable CO detector which keeps tabs on cabin AQ while driving; and sometimes drive wearing a P100 mask when unfiltered nanoparticle poisons from without are forced into my driver's airspace; by design or "safe" malfunction.

It is in this use context this query was posed. OP sanitized to end these digressions.

Good day.

 

Solution:
Turns out, there is only one ventilation air intake on the 960; and it is located directly under passenger side of the #3538616 "draining channel" (plastic grille). Six T25 self-tapping screws hold this grille in place; and it can easily be removed after the windshield wiper arms are pulled.

The reason for the original post stemmed from the fact that airflow into this single intake is not properly ducted in any way whatsoever; and, therefore, air simply comes in everywhere around and through the plastic grille. When hunting down air sources, it gives the impression of an additional ducted intake somewhere. However, despite nos. 3522596 and 3522246 appearing in the blow-ups, no auxiliary "safety" inlet for the climate control system seems to be in evidence anywhere...

At any rate, the single air inlet opening is perfectly round; and has a soft rubber cuff to mate with some assembly which doesn't seem to have been included when the car was produced. This opening is about the diametrical size of a 1-gallon plastic paint pail lid (hint).

Down inside this inlet is the ventilation damper, which can be pulled up by hand to divert airflow into the blower intake from the cabin (recirculation mode).

For ease of manual adjustment, a small(ish) hole can be drilled into the center of this damper; and an L-ended 1/8" brass rod can be used to pull the damper into any desired position.

Clever use of a paint pail lid might be of help with the rest.

No hysteria required; and YMMV.

Pax --