2001 V70 with 110,000 miles. Bought in Maryland and brought to Vermont. Car never seen Northeast winter and this year is a bit cold. Problem is car takes a long time to warm up. 15 min of idle at 20 degrees F and the temp needle only reaches first mark past zero. Around town driving brings me to a quarter on guage and if I get on the highway I can actually see the needle move down to almost zero after about 10 minutes of driving at 60mph. I have since placed cardboard under the grille in front of the radiator to block airflow and this has helped a lot. I have lived in Vermont all my life and never had to do this to any car or truck I've owned. Anyone know what's going on? Thanks

 

sounds like the thermostat. My 1998 S70 was not maintaining a steady temp, thermostat replaced, car now warms up to normal operating temp in about 4 blocks, then the guage never moves and the heater blows nice hot air. This car is designed for Swedish winters, this is the way it's supposed to work.

 

agree

 

Hello, It's super easy to change your thermostat. Come 2003 you have to deal with (change?) the whole housing-I'm not 100% sure. EVERYONE on these boards says to buy an OE stat. No cheapies here. Also, your hands are already dirty, refresh your coolant if it's old (which it probably is) and add a can of water pump lube. Kira

 

Hi, related to this subject I recently bought a 2002 V70, my only (sort of) complaint so far is that I am not too impressed with the heater/defroster. Which is surprising given that this is supposedly a Swedish car. Mainly it seems that if I just start up the car and let it idle for 10 minutes or so as I am in the habit of doing with my other vehicles to help clear the windows etc., the temp gauge doesnt get much off cold. Once I actually start driving it gets up to mid-band, and the heat gets warm although its not super hot. Is this typically how the Volvos behave or could I have thermostat issues as well. Thanks in advance.