I have a 98 T5 with a leak in the intercooler and need to remove it and put a new one in. Before I go pulling out things that don't actually need to come out I thought I would see if anyone has done this before and give me a rough guide on what needs to come out. Can I do this without removing the bumper assembly? Whats the best way? Thanks in advance.



1998 S70 T5

 

No need to remove the front bumper. The Intercooler bolts to the radiator so you have to remove the cooling fans (disconnect the wires for the fans) and then remove the radiator with the intercooler. You will also need to disconnect the two big hoses (top and bottom) that feed the air from the turbo to the throttle body. Not sure if there is enough room to get the intercooler out without taking the radiator out of the car. Simple enough job but the intercooler is expensive.

 

Thanks, I was hoping I would not have to take the bumper off to get it out. Good news is I already have a replacement for it, so now I just have to do it....it looks like it might actually come out without taking the radiator out but I won't be sure until I get to it. Stay tuned.

 

no i think it would be easier just to take of the radiator with the inercooler it would probably be faster and pull it out from the bottom thats what i did and it was easy

 

I just checked on my XC70 and it looks like you have to remove the plastic under belly guard (two screws) behind the front bumper and then pull the intercooler from the bottom. You can't do it from the top since it is under the header panel. Not sure if you can pull it out from the bottom without removing the radiator. Be careful with the A/C condenser since it is right in front of the intercooler.

 

Well, while starting to remove the intercooler I saw that a seam on the radiator has started leaking and is too much to try to drive with without becoming a big problem later sooooo........it is going to come out while I am in there pulling the intercooler out and replaced. But, looking at the radiator I see that there are the power steering lines going into the radiator and the connections at the radiator itself I am not familiar with. It almost looks like some kind of crimping band is used on this connection and I don't know what tool is needed to remove and secure it back on here. Anybody know how to work this connection and what tool is needed?

 

what power stering lines on the radiator?
there are engine oil lines connected to the radiator on the passenger side and trans oil lines connected to it on the drivers side
I just used two screw drivers to take of the clamps that hold tye lines on but becarefull cause I staged myself several times wile trying to take of those clamps

 

You can cut those metal bands (clamps) off of the hoses and throw them away. Buy some screw clamps to use instead. There should be two pipes for the transmission cooling lines and there maybe two pipes for the engine oil cooler ('98 XC70 has this feature) going into that radiator. Good time to drain / replace the engine anti-freeze and to replace the upper and lower radiator hoses (very cheap).

 

Yes, oil lines and not power steering lines. It's a 5 speed so I don't have transmission lines going in, just the coolant and oil line connections. Why Volvo continues to make plastic radiators is beyond me....is it a weight or cost issue? Usually the top inlet neck gets brittle and breaks making it impossible to connect the hose and impossible to fix or the mounting brackets break. At least the rest of the car is well engineered......

 

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It's a durability issue. Everyone bitches about plastic radiators... but they never seem to realize that brass/ copper ones don't last as long. Ever notice how there's a lot fewer radiator shops around? It's not because plastic/ aluminum radiators are non- repairable... they are repairable. It's because they last a LOT longer. Your S70 is 13 years old and just needing a radiator. Cars with copper/ brass ones usually need one by the 7- year mark.

 

I'll add to my previous comment by saying that this isn't to say that I think Volvo's radiator design for these cars is a good one... Having all the weight of the condenser, radiator, fan, and intercooler supported by those plastic feet on the sides of the tank- and ultimately, the tanks themselves- is a dumb idea, and I've seen a lot of these have tank seam failures, which can almost certainly be traced back to that design. However, plastic/ aluminum radiators, in addition to being less expensive to manufacture than copper/ brass, are still a lot more durable.