Heater control valve, 1994 940 Turbo

[mikanystrom]

Hello forum,

I have some maintenance responsibilities on a '94 Volvo 940 Turbo, and I had an event that I hear is not that uncommon on these cars. The heater hose burst and the car needed a top-end job as a result (head gasket, head machining, valve job).

Putting the finishing touches on the job, the heater control valve finally broke after leaking
a bit. The plastic body cracked and the plastic pipe came off entirely. I think it was original. Half metal, half plastic.

It happened in a gas station, so I MacGyvered the replacement of the valve for now with a 13mm deep socket working as a pipe! It leaves a gap in my tool box but keeps the system from leaking and the heater working.

But for future replacement, I hear people recommend a motorcraft part, which is half metal, half plastic like the original.

I was wondering if I could use Four Seasons 74603 instead. Can anyone see any downsides with this? 74603 is an all metal unit. It is a replacement unit for early 1970s Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, etc. It seems safer than a half plastic unit, and I have seen the damage that can happen from having one of these fail. On my old Cadillacs, I have never seen one of these develop a water leak (although I have seen them develop bad vacuum leaks after 40+ years, but I'm not sure we care as much about that).

https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/fo...ter+valve,6860