1998 Volvo S70 (non Turbo)

It could be the hose from the reservoir to the housing, it could be the housing itself, or it could just be the clamp... it's not really important which component is faulty because due to the age and deterioration of them all and the residue of the coolant drying up all over the place, I'm OK to just replace them all.

Anyone have any suggestions on where to buy these parts online and how to ensure I'm getting the correct parts? Also I'm concerned about the actual procedure involved in doing the job. I don't have a lot of experience working on cars but from what I can tell all I need is a star wrench, the right replacement parts, and a bit of time. Any dangers working around the thermostat?

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Anthony

 

fcp groton is decent for hoses. Look at the resource threads and do some searching around this site; should be able to find info you need...

BTW: torx; not star. Also if you're going to replace hoses and coolant you may as well replace the thermostat and o-ring while you're at it; they're cheap and they fail regularly.

 

Don't bother replacing the housing unless it's pitted or cracked. Just clean it up with a scotchbrite. And like gdog said, change the thermostat while you're at it. They tend to stick open on these cars, and you won't even notice it, but your wallet might when it uses too much gas. Oh, and use a good quality Torx socket on those bolts- they tend to be really tight, and cheap ones WILL break. It's a T40- go get a good one if all you have are from China. Don't put any kind of sealant on the T- stat o- ring. It won't help seal anything, and it's liable to squeeze out and get stuck in the T- stat, thus negating the whole job. The T- stat slips into the groove in the o- ring, and make sure the air bleeder (little brass plumb bob)on the T- stat is positioned towards the front of the car. Overall, it's a ridiculously simple job. I can change a T- stat in less than 5 minutes on these unless something breaks.

 

Thanks you guys very much. Been out of town but will probably venture on this job next week or so. I just realized that the "leaky" area isn't the t-stat housing per se, it's the t-stat housing cover, specifically where it clamps to the expansion hose. It's only a $20 part, so I think I'm going to replace it just for the sake of argument. I actually cannot see the (lower) t-stat housing, so I'm just going to cross my fingers and assume it's OK.

What temperature t-stat should I get??? 200k miles and live in Los Angeles, if that makes any difference. On FCP Groton they sell 88/90/92.

So I need:
1. Torx wrench (T40)
2. replacement expansion hose ($7)
3. replacement clamp for hose (? where do I get this)
4. replacement o-ring for t-stat (comes with t-stat)
5. replacement t-stat ($17)
6. replacement t-stat housing gasket ($2)
7. replacement t-stat housing cover ($20)

I assume it will be immediately apparent if I need to replace the (lower) t-stat housing after I clean it up?

Sounds easy enough...

 

Went with the 92* as it's the OEM part as far as I can tell.

 

I had a simular problem with a 960. The only thing that needed to be replaced was the t-stat o-ring.

 

Took all the parts to my mechanic and all is well. Decided I didn't want to mess about with the bolts, possibly stripping the threads out of the bottom housing, which I did not buy a replacement for. I also wanted a full system flush, not just a drain and fill. He only charged $60 total. Totally worth it.