Hey all,

I've got a 98' S70 that's been losing coolant quite rapidly, and it was not until about Wednesday when I decided to pull apart the lower driver and passenger's side dash and take a quick peak under the carpet to only realize that there is a big puddle of coolant under there.

Anyway, I am in the process of replacing this thing, but I am having an extremely difficult time pulling out the old heater core. I've loosened all of the screws of the plastic shell that is holding the core, but I just can't seem to give it a good enough jolt downwards to pull it out.

My room is really limited and I am doing everything I can, the shell casing seems to come down little by little, but its hardly noticeable.

Can anyone tell me what exactly am I doing wrong? Am I supposed to pull the shell casing straight downward or towards the rear of the car (or more like the center console), I really want to avoid taking apart the dash to do this (and I really don't even know how to take apart the dash) and would like to get this thing up and running by next Thursday.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

Check this link and see if it helps.
http://www.volvospeed.com/vs_forum/i...showtopic=9717

 

damn you tech, you beat me to it!

 

I am somewhere in between that 3rd and forth picture on that thread. Again, I can see the actual heater core, but I am just having a really hard time pulling it down, I do not know if I should use as much force as possible to bring it down, or if there is some easier trick to loosening it up.

 

Okay, I was able to pull it out. I guess the problem was, was that I was unable to pull it out because those metal hoses that go into the core were connected into the engine firewall.

So I pulled those out and was able to wiggle the core out freely.

Now, the bigger and more complicated question is, a bunch of little o-rings fell out as I pulled out those hoses, after looking at those pictures I noticed the guy has those metal hoses still connected to the firewall.

I will obviously put the hoses back but I need new rings and such that surround them because most of them are bad.

I also need to know which o-ring goes where, and how many are there and what not.

Thanks,

 

If you are talking about the o-rings that go into the plastic coupler there is a kit you can buy that comes with everything.

 

Here are the pictures of both the heater core and the plastic coupling. You'll have to bear with me on the quality as they are cellphone pictures.

I hope they show up and work.

The first picture is obviously of the heater core, the o-rings, and the hoses, and the second picture is of the coupling still attached to the firewall.

 

Sorry those pics are way to big.

But on the other hand see how many o-rings and plastic washers came out and see if you can see if there is more.

I have a feeling you will have 4 rubber o-rings and 2 plastic washers. If so then you will install one o-ring/plastic washer/o-ring and that should be it.

 

Ah, that's a bummer those pictures did not work.

But yeah, I do have 4 rubber o-rings, and 2 plastic washers (but those have broken apart so they are no good to me now). The O rings still look like they are in good shape however, but if the heater core that was ordered comes with brand new ones I'll just install those ones instead. I am also hoping they come with the washers as well.

One last question for ya, would you recommend that I replace those metal hoses or stick with the original ones? They look like they are in good shape still and the problem obviously was not sourced back to the hoses but rather the core itself.

Thanks

 

The pipes will be fine leave them alone.

The heater core should only come with the 2 rubber o-rings.

Usually you only loosen the t-25 screw holding the pipes to the heater core assembly and remove the heater core.

Let me look tomorrow I might have a couple of the plastic washers from the outside setup they might work.

Do you have a way you can measure how thick the pieces are you removed?

 

Yeah, when I was pulling the core out, it said to loosen the screw at the bottom of the core in between the two plastic humps (where the hose goes into) and I did just that, but the hoses were not loosening up, so I went ahead and unplugged them directly from the firewall (or plastic coupler). I realized that when I pulled the core out, I may have loosened the wrong screw as the hoses came freely as I unscrewed the correct screws.

Anyway, the only real way of measuring the thickness of the pieces I removed was by taking some good old U.S. coins and determining that the plastic washer piece is about as thick as a U.S. dime.

But I am confused about one thing, and that is the number of o-rings. I stated before that I had 4 o-rings total, now do those 4 rings go around the metal hose that goes directly into the plastic coupler, or is it just one plastic washer and o-ring for each hose mouth. A couple of posts ago you said that for each (I am assuming) hose mouth, you put in one o-ring, then a plastic washer, then another o-ring, right?

I just want to know if at the very end I should have 6 rubber o-rings total or just four, and if its four, where do those four o-rings go?

I am probably making this more complicated then it should be, haha.

I am looking at this guy's thread and noticed that he has 4 plastic rings, but I only found 2 when I pulled it out.

EDIT: Okay, I found the remains of the 3rd and 4th plastic rings then, but I am still confused. I just need to know what rings go where and how many and in what order.

http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index...howtopic=35445

 

Ok here is what I will do Tomorrow I will post a picture of the Volvo parts diagram and see how many they have. See there is a few different setups. It is all done by how thick the plastic clip(white one) is that locks onto the black housing. If it is a thin one then it should have the 4 on each pipe. If it has a thicker clip then it might have the 2 o-rings and one white plastic washer.

You might end up buying the o-rings new from the Dealer but I will post the pic and you can get the part #'s as well.

 

All right, thanks I really appreciate it.

 

No problem anytime.

 

Here is the pic it is showing 4 on here. But you can buy as a kit. The part # is highlighted on the top right side.

 

Hm, all right that helps quite a bit.

I guess I'll run by the dealer on Wednesday and see if they carry that kit with them, hopefully it won't be too pricey.

One last question, on that diagram where the number 33 is (I know it's a part number for the screw but I am talking about the end of the hose) where the hose will connect to the core. My question is, I do need the two o-rings for that piece right? If I recall correctly a couple of posts ago you said that the o-rings for that piece will come with the heater core that was ordered.

I just want to make sure that I am not short of any o-rings, I leave for vacation in a little less than 2 weeks so I just want to get this car back up and running before then.

 

Its not showing the o-rings there but every heater core we have ever used came with new o-rings.

 

just want to thank everyone that's commented on this thread regarding the heater core replacement. it's such a beautiful thing and saved me a lot of money!

anyway, i replaced mine last week and certainly encourage just about anyone else to do so. it was rather easy and took me about 1 hour along with $140 total. i got the part from fcpgroton.com.

i noticed the same clues; whiff of coolant in car w heat on, refilling coolant, film on windows, poor defrosting and finally soggy, nasty front carpets. im afraid the carpets could need to be replaced and almost certainly the noise-reduction foam padding as well. it's likely soaked beyond repair and i need to cut it out. any help on this is appreciated!

my thoughts...
- you just need to get in there and see it for yourself. it's rather simple and straightforward. the pics on other sites' threads are helpful.
- drained the coolant from radiator under hood first. then flushed w distilled water.
- did not need the o-rings
- did have to remove both passenger and driver kick panels in order to better get up and under
- make sure you have a long, thin torx screwdriver to fit into the final torx screw at the bottom of the heater core. my adapter was too thick and wouldnt fit between the two plastic tube covers.
- i definitely had to force the heater core down and back up into its slot. just lots of wiggling, it has to be at an angle but nothing too bad. i would recommend applying some grease or vaseline to that rubber hose below heater core to make it easier.
- definitely lay down some garbage bags to catch excess coolant when you unscrew the core and ready to remove.

i think that's all i can add. i'm so relieved to get rid of that nuisance but now it's just begun as i've got to find a solution for the carpets.