When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just picked up a 2001 xcv70 and I love it. However, the temperature gauge fluctuates between cold and mildly cold. This wouldn't be a problem except that I live in Minnesota so my heat is lacking. I'm thinking the thermostat is wonkey. I priced out having this replaced and the shop quoted two hours and $300. Since I just purchased the car and do not have a manual yet, can someone give me a clue on how "hard" this job would be to do on my own. I am comfortable working on cars and have access to a shop with a hoist, but I've never heard of a thermostat being such a big deal. Thanks,
Thank you for the response family xc70. I tried to pick up a manual for doing this, but the only one available was through 1998. However, I have put enough of these in myself and someone please correct me if i'm wrong but the thermostat should be underneath the housing at the end of the top radiator hose. I'm tempted to just open it up and see. Any quick input?
Ah ha! Just as I suspected. Thanks Family xc70. I know what shop I won't be going to now... what a bunch of sidewinders. $300 for a thermostat change..pffft!
I have a 2002 XC70 was just quoted $360, "different" thermostat, says the mechanic
I brought the car to a mechanic who only works on Volvo's. Have used him in the past and he was reasonably priced and fair, IMHO.
Check engine light was on, Autozone read it as coolant temperature too low. Mechanic is telling me that starting in 2002, replacing the thermostat is more costly, because you can't just take off the housing and replace it. The thermostat is "embedded" in to the housing, so the part is over $150, plus you need to remove the steering pump, and all told, it will cost about $360 to do the job.
I told him to just do an oil change for now. Went to pick up the car and he charged me $90 for the oil change!!!!!!!
Starting to wonder if this guy is trying to take me for a ride. I am calling my local garage who works on all cars, plus Boston Volvo Village tomorrow for comparisons.
Can anyone confirm how long it shoudl take, and whether this really is a "different: thermostat?
It is a different thermostat than previous years. The dealer only sells the entire housing with the temperature sensor as a complete unit, normally around $175CAD. The thermostat housing does seperate and the thermostat does come out, because the thermostat is an odd ball shape compared to the traditional round bottom ones, it's near impossible to find a replacement. However you can beat the system and buy it, I got one from eBay, the brand is Gates and when I compared the new one to the old , it was identical . Fits perfectly.
I was quoted 2 hours labor and approximately $150 in parts for a new thermostat and ECT sensor. The shop I go to is honest but I thought I might be able to buy the parts and do this myself. I found a lot of videos for V70 models but none of the housing looks like my year and model. Is this 2002 harder to do and if so should I just take it to the pros? It looks so easy on all the videos so I was hesitant to pay for 2 hours of labor. I've ordered the parts but the sensor doesn't look like what I have and the thermostat housing is angled differently than in the videos I've watched. Is this due to my year or the turbo model? Again I can't find a video on a 2002 v70 with a turbo engine doing this repair anywhere online.
Two hours to change the "thermostat housing" on the later models is a gift. I've done them before and it takes longer than that. There is also a coolant hose to wrestle with that you will have to reattach with a screw clamp.
Here's a pic of the housing that you have. As you can see, it sits deeper in the engine and is harder to replace.
Thank you Tony1963! I will be taking this in for the repair instead of trying to tackle it myself. Absolutely no videos found for this year, make and model Volvo with thermostat issues and I just happened to stumble upon this thread. Much appreciated!
so to get to the thermostat you need to
1) pull covers from the electrical box on the far right area of the engine compartment, this will give you some room to access the serpentine belt and power steering pulley bolts
2) release pulley belt from power steering pump
3) remove bolts securing the power steering pump
4) restrain power steering pump out of the way
5) remove first top engine cover
6) drain about 3/4 gallon of coolant from radiator, then close off drain
7) undo clamp on outlet hose from thermostat
and here you are
then get your t40 long extension to remove the two T40 bolts of the thermostat housing
and pull it
pull connector and hopefully yours is not as brittle as mine, it broke
if it does get a new one if you know how to disassemble them from TE connectivity 178449-4EJ-2 DBL LOCK PLUG 2P ASSY D
next is the oetiker clamp, you will need to carefuuly expand top loop for reuse unless you bought a new one before you started doing this job
then remove hose off thermostat housing by twist/pull
Last edited by stevepaa; Sep 28, 2022 at 07:16 PM.
Hey I just did this repair on a 2003 volvo xc70. I replaced housing, sensor ,and thermostat. I decided to separate the housing in order to make installing the two bolts attaching the housing to the motor easier. I am now getting a p0128 code. I think I may have installed the thermostat incorrectly. The thermostat has two tabs on it... are they supposed to rest on the tabs inside the housing? When doing this the T stat sat up and I would need to force it down when bolting on the housing. I've tried to find a schematic online, but haven't had any luck. Please advice. Thanks Tom
xcv70 thermostat replacement
178449-4EJ-2 DBL LOCK PLUG 2P ASSY D
