Hi, I live in a pretty cold climate, and I have been having some persistent issues with my 2001 Volvo S40 1.9L Turbo.

Every winter, without fail, usually 2-3 times per year, my lower intercooler hose will get totally blocked up with solid ice. This usually prevents the car from starting entirely, but just today the car turned over, and weakly sputtered for about 5 seconds before being starved of air and dying.

Each time I can see the upper intercooler hose (the one that feeds into the intake manifold) completely collapsing on itself because of the suction. Everything between the manifold and the engine air filter is totally clear.

I have a winter front on my car to try and keep things toasty, and whenever I drive my car, I make sure that the engine has had time to reach optimal operating temperature, but it still happens.

I've taken my car to 2 very knowledgeable garages who specialize in Volvo, but they are completely stumped as to how to prevent this issue from happening time and time again. They have even gone so far as to recommend that I phone Volvo Canada to inquire as to whether this could possibly be a manufacturers defect of some kind.

But being dinged $200 in labor multiple times a year simply to remove and replace my undertray and pull ice out of a hose is really starting to add up and get infuriating.

Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks in advance

 

Next time the temp is above freezing, disconnect the lower hose and see if water comes out. If so, drain it every once in a while.

 

Unfortunately that doesn't happen too often here.
In the dead of winter like this, the temperature rarely goes above -25 degrees, and I don't have any heated underground parking.

Though one time when it was thawed out in the shop they said they drained close to 2 liters of water out of it.

 

Where do you live that the average winter temp is -25? Yakutsk?

 

I bet northern Sweden gets that cold.

 

Winnipeg.