Anyone ever removed and replaced a radiator from above? (98 V70, turbo, automatic).
I know everything says remove it from below, but I thought I'd read some post somewhere that said it was'nt too hard to get it out from above, but I can't find it now. If not, then its an expensive trip to the dealer I'm afraid.

 

If you get it up on jack stands it will drop out the bottom.

 

O.k, thanks. Any idea of how how high front end needs to be lifted to get it out?

 

Sorry to say but pretty high. High enough to slide it down and out.

 

Thank you for the info. I'm going to tackle this myself because the shop wants around $1000 to do it! I'm feeling in a semi-confident mood since I just surprised myself by successfully repairing my faulty ABS module with just a few tools and soldering iron, at no cost, using lots of helpful advice found on the forums - something that would have cost around $800 at the dealer!

The radiator doesn't really have any serious leaking yet, but it's got over 200,000 miles on the orginal radiator, and I can see signs of coolant crusting and slight seepage where a hose connects at the top right to the plastic tank, so I think I'd better replace it now before something really bad happens on the road!

Next question is - any adivce on which brand of radiator to get? There seem to be lots of different brands available on-line, all the way from around $100 for a no-name aftermarket up to around $350 for an 'OES' (I assume that's the same thing as OEM - i.e. the same brand a dealer would install?). I've no idea if a cheapo one will suffice, or something middle of the range like Behr or Nissen's is better, or I should get the OES one? And if it is a non Volvo specified brand, does it make a difference as to what coolant should be used?

 

If you can buy a Nissen's I have used alot of them. They fit the best and are closest to OEM.
Coolant brand doesn't matter.