I just bought a 1999 Volvo V70 XC, with 138,000 miles.. Extremely clean, except it has a slight seep (from a crack) in the upper passenger side of radiator. I was aware of this and drove from Lexington KY to Indy with no issues.. In fact, it is only with local driving that I have had to add any fluid. (I have put in one gallon in 800 miles of driving)

I am going to have a new radiator put in next week, but here's the question... I am supposed to be in North Carolina over the weekend... Is it safe to go 650 miles there (& 650 back) as it is?

Runs like a dream, and the reservoir light comes on with coolant still in the tank... really hate to rent a car, but don't want to damage this beauty..

I won't put stop leak in it, so that's not an option....

I am a newby to Volvo's and this site, but looking forward to it! Thx

 

That is iffy.
The radiator could also burst and leave you stranded.
It is a 50/50 on if you will have trouble or not.

 

I think I am going to leave the Volvo at home, and play it safe... It just seems so great on the highway, it'll be a bummer. Oh well, that's life, lol.. Thx again

 

Hello, A long run to N.C. would have been fun in your "new" car. We logged a 1865 mile trip to N.C. this November-my '02's first biggie-and loved every minute of it. Make sure your rental runs smoothly. Kira

 

I just bought a 2001 Cross Country and it has the same issue. Crack on passenger side right below where the hose connection is...looks about 2 inches long heading straight down. Is this a common issue with there radiators?

 

Yes it is a common issue.

 

How do you know if it is the premire radiator or not and how much transmision fluid will be lost by doing a radiator change? What is a good repair manual to buy.

 

ankh3000, love your thought process on the lost transmission fluid, I'd also love to hear the answer if anyone knows.

Jerry

 

You will lose about 1/2 quart or so of tranny fluid.

 

i have looked in the fourms for a while now and i can not find any guides on the steps (best and quickest) way to replace a radiator on a 1999 S70 (turbo). it looks like i have the same issue with a cracked radiator as many others. my plan is to replace it myself. are there any special tools or tips you anyone can share? any thoughts would help!! You guys are AWESOME

 

I just did a radiator replacement on my 98 V70 T5 wagon. You won't need any special tools; however, you will need socket extensions and a universal joints and some patience getting the radiator out.

I ran into several issues:

First, make sure you secure the condenser to the the front panel(not sure of the correct term)- I used some wire snaked through the top of the condenser and wrapped around the panel and twisted tight.

On my vehicle I could not access the driver side mounting bolt that holds the radiator to the condenser. I had to actually drill a hole in the front panel large enough to fit the socket extension through and snake a socket onto the bolt. Certainly a hack approach but on my vehicle there was no other option.

On my vehicle(I believe on yours as well)the radiator drops out from the bottom of the vehicle. I had to loosen the mounting bracket for the secondary air pump(on the firewall by the battery tray) so that I could clear the radiator mounting bracket when removing it. On second thought you could cut off the end of the mounting bracket which what I did to the new radiator when installing - apparently the bracket is made to mount in several models and thus the extra length.

The intercooler and radiator are mounted together by a bracket so they will come out together and as such you will need to remove the lower intercooler hose.

When you remove the trans-cooler and turbo oil cooler lines I found it easiest to pry the brackets apart with two screwdrivers and I was able to re-use them as well. I ordered new o-rings and seals for these lines at FCP Groton here:
Volvo V70 AT Cooling Hose Clamp/Seal Kit (at radiator)
The kit includes clamps that you must use to close the original hose mounting brackets in order to get a good seal to the radiator ports.

I suggest flushing the cooling system after you install the new radiator and also to replace the thermostat if that hasn't been done yet.

Hope this helps somewhat and all goes well!

 

You gave great advise on the removal and replacement. it worked like a champ i did it in about 4 hours with the flush and clean up of the tools and garage. thanks i appreacate this site so much.

 

Got lost in installing radiator on my 95 Volvo 850 T5R. In what order if installed properly, I know the ac condenser is in front, but confused whether the radiator sits in the middle then the intercooler.HELP

 

I can't speak about the '95 specifically although I'm almost certain that the 850TR and the V70T5 are the same configuration. if so then yes, the condenser is in front and the radiator is in the middle and the inter-cooler is attached to the radiator via brackets that sort of "float" between the rad and inter-cooler. When the radiator comes out it comes out the bottom along with the inter-cooler. Observe how the brackets are oriented so that you can install them the same way when you re-install the radiator. On mine it felt as though the two were not going to stay together but they did!
Make sure you check the inter-cooler and inspect all the hoses for leaks.
I have pictures if you need them - just not loaded on this pc right now. Hope this helps you.

 

Comes out from the bottom. Not really hard to do, just different.

 

Did you get this figured out? If not, I can take some pics of mine.