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Thermostat replacement

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Old Nov 30th, 2020, 20:49   #21
PeteTheSwede
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Sorry to hear about your health issus and I hope you're doing ok in times like these.
I tried 3 times accessing the invisible bolt, and managed to get a socket on it but as the previous owner had tried to be a "mechanic" he or someone had wrecked the bult head on the screw so after ordering the 3 screws from Volvo i decided to try it again and when I looked for the screw from under the engine I though, yeah, this will work and maybe 1 hour later it was all sorted. :-)
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Old Dec 1st, 2020, 20:17   #22
ratfink_v70_2000
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Cheers Pete, did get virus and with other complications now have 'long covid' but still here so that's summat.
Anyway weird thing with car it was always giving heat no problem just not coming to centre on guage unlike my V70 which was always cold till I did the stat. It went to garage last week and they did a pressure test on cooling system and found a crack on the top of the tank so tank had to be replaced. They said they could find no other issues and had car running for ages on and off road. Since tank was replaced car has got up to centre on guage a few times and also gets up to temp (was only getting to 68 degrees before) and mpg is starting to get better each time I run it.
My conclusion is stat is slowly failing ie slow to work or coolant sensor is faulty.
Given age of car and all I'm inclined to leave it for now and see how it goes.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2021, 21:25   #23
F55MCS
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Hi, sorry to resurrect this thread again but I need to do mine at the weekend. Did you guys drain your coolant first? Only with it being right above the alternator with no real access to put a plastic bag or something over it I wondered if that might be a good idea!

If so, I’ve seen a lot of videos of people doing this on Fords but I think the Volvo implementation is slightly different (e.g. the aux belt tensioner being where it is rather than the PAS pump being there like on Fords), so just wondering whether the radiator drain is the same. And also, where the best place to refill the system is and the procedure for bleeding it afterwards.

Any advice is much appreciated!
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Old Mar 4th, 2021, 06:25   #24
Thassos
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Hi Jb,

Good news, you dont have to empty all the coolant for this job.. i recall just draining off some and then topping up with fresh (volvo) coolant, def not worth messing with other brands of coolant unless it has been filled with something else, not sure what year your car is but the volvo stuff is a bluey colour, and you can get it in 1L and 4L sizes, be worth checking its dilution beforehand to see if its in need of a replacement, but adding some concentrate (i notice a lot of companies are selling 'pre diluted' stuff just to confuse and i guess offer better value 😂hmm think ill buy my evian in the supermarket .. but anyways my top tip for draining off is to locate the drain tap thats on the (passenger side end) of the radiator volvo have for oncemade something easy here, and you just need to position a suitable container to catch the stream that come thru the hole in the plastickery.. having tried removing the bottom rad hose in the past (messy!) was rather chuffed finding this useful maintenance feature...the awquard to get at 8mm bolt however is not in this easy to access camp...

What temp does yours get to?, it seems to be a very common fault on these engines and well worth fixing.. lukewarm heating (never great in the winter) and rubbish fuel and oil consumption are the symptoms as the engine is never warming up to its intended op temp..

Last edited by Thassos; Mar 4th, 2021 at 06:28.
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Old Mar 4th, 2021, 07:18   #25
F55MCS
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thassos View Post
Hi Jb,

Good news, you dont have to empty all the coolant for this job.. i recall just draining off some and then topping up with fresh (volvo) coolant, def not worth messing with other brands of coolant unless it has been filled with something else, not sure what year your car is but the volvo stuff is a bluey colour, and you can get it in 1L and 4L sizes, be worth checking its dilution beforehand to see if its in need of a replacement, but adding some concentrate (i notice a lot of companies are selling 'pre diluted' stuff just to confuse and i guess offer better value 😂hmm think ill buy my evian in the supermarket .. but anyways my top tip for draining off is to locate the drain tap thats on the (passenger side end) of the radiator volvo have for oncemade something easy here, and you just need to position a suitable container to catch the stream that come thru the hole in the plastickery.. having tried removing the bottom rad hose in the past (messy!) was rather chuffed finding this useful maintenance feature...the awquard to get at 8mm bolt however is not in this easy to access camp...

What temp does yours get to?, it seems to be a very common fault on these engines and well worth fixing.. lukewarm heating (never great in the winter) and rubbish fuel and oil consumption are the symptoms as the engine is never warming up to its intended op temp..
That’s great news indeed, thank you. Does the system need bleeding after topping off?

Mine does sometimes get to the centre of the gauge but only if I’m sat stationary at lights or something. Otherwise it’s between 1 and 2 clicks below the centre. Oddly like the chap above I seem to get heat out of the vents (though I’ve never turned it up to see exactly how much, perhaps I should do that later).

Fuel economy is clearly not good though, looking like I won’t even get 300 miles on this tank. I’ve only just got the car so not sure exactly how bad this is but I was hoping for at least 400!
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Old Mar 4th, 2021, 19:24   #26
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Just thought I would update - I did it this afternoon. My god what an arse of a job! Took me 4 hours but had I not lost my only universal joint it would have taken less I imagine. Thought I’d do a little step by step guide as there aren’t really any that I could find on the Volvo implementation of the engine (it is different to Ford’s). Very much an idiot’s guide because I am very much an idiot. At your own risk, I’m not responsible for any damage or injury etc etc etc. Coolant is nasty stuff so take suitable precautions and dispose of it properly. Plenty of recycling centres accept it.
  1. Disconnect the battery negative terminal and move it out of the way
  2. Jack up and support the car safely
  3. Use a 17mm spanner anti-clockwise on the auxiliary belt tensioner (top right if you are looking at the side of the engine) and slip the belt off. Make a note of the way the belt is routed
  4. Unbolt the 3 10mm bolts holding the tensioner on and remove it
  5. Slip a plastic bag or something similar over the alternator. There isn’t much space but you can just about manoeuvre something in
  6. Position a suitable drain pan (and tarp if like me you live in a rental and really really don’t want to spill anything on the drive!)
  7. Open the two spring clamps holding the thermostat hoses on. I undid them fully so they slipped past the notch and held in the open position. In theory you don’t need to do that. Pipe grips are good if you don’t have hose clamp pliers
  8. Remove the hoses. Coolant will pour out so check the pan is catching it and the alternator is protected. The small hose can be manoeuvred into pointing upwards using some of the bits attached to the intake manifold
  9. Remove the top two 8mm bolts on the thermostat housing. Ensure you don’t drop your tool because it will transit to another dimension never to be seen again (ask me how I know)
  10. Go underneath the car, and with much patience and swearing remove the third 8mm bolt
  11. Get yourself out of the way and remove the thermostat
  12. Check the new thermostat matches the old one
  13. Mop up any coolant left where the housing meets the block
  14. Clean any remnants of the old gasket away from the block
  15. Lubricate the gasket of the new thermostat with coolant
  16. Install the thermostat, insert the three bolts and tighten to 10 Nm or an approximation (good luck getting a torque wrench in there!)
  17. Reinstall the hoses, ensuring they seat correctly. Position the spring clamps and unlock them if you locked them open like me
  18. Reinstall the aux belt tensioner using the three 10 mm bolts
  19. Use the 17 mm spanner to release the tensioner and reinstall the aux belt
  20. Remove expansion tank cap and SLOWLY fill it to be between MIN and MAX (noting that the car will be in the air still). Doing it slowly allows most of the air to escape
  21. Place a rag over the extension tank fill hole, reconnect the battery and start the engine. Let it run with the heater set to hot for a while (mine didn’t get up to temperature when idling but does after a drive). I left it about 20 minutes. If the coolant drops below min, remove the rag and top it up carefully with the engine still running
  22. Check for leaks while the engine is running
  23. Shut it down, replace the expansion tank cap, lower the car and let it cool
  24. Once it is fully cold, top up the coolant to MAX and then go for a short test drive to make sure everything is ok. Bring some coolant with you just in case. Keep the heater set to hot
  25. Let it cool once more and top up the coolant as required. Periodically check it over the next few days and weeks
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Old Nov 22nd, 2022, 11:06   #27
Kroes
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Hi Thassos,
I just bought a new thermostat, but have trouble finding how to get to the old thermostat and how to unscrew it. Do you, by any chance, have any tips/ guiding?
When I drove past a workshop they said it would take a days work and they'd have to unscrew the manifold, that won't be necessary right?
Thanks in advance!
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Old Nov 22nd, 2022, 12:42   #28
Thassos
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Hi Kroes,

I guess your having trouble with coolant temp taking a long time to get to warm?.. anyways you can swap the stat out without removing the manifold although as you may have guessed from the previous post one of the x3 8mm head bolts that holds the stat to the block is a pig to remove/replace, you cant see the area easily even with the aux belt tensioner removed, so you probably need a mirror on a stick or you can get some cheap camera with led light in the end and plug into your phone or something similar to get a view of the bolt..which is up under the curve of the inlet manifold (front side of the engine) i would get a selection of 8mm sockets (short & deep) ext bar (short) on a small 1/4" ratchet (a flexi extension and or flexi joint may also be a possible way to undo the bolt but getting it un done without rounding the head off is the important thing ! Maybe also some ratchet hose clamps to help with releasing the hose clamps, i dont recall what variety are used on the C30..assuming they are the spring variety..

Anyway good luck, having the right tool is key to getting those bolts off, the others are easy to get at and not such a problem.. and have some catch net towel or similar is a good insurance for stopping the thing you drop into the abyss...

I have some pics of the old stat if your interested, those ford stats do seem prone to failing after 8-10 years .. the smaller take off pipe bypasses the stat which closes the flow of coolant on the big hose to the radiator as the car warms up (or should do).
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