I just picked up a gallon of Volvo coolant at the dealer today. I want to change my 2000 S70's coolant, but can't find a drain plug on the radiator. Do these cars require removal of the lower radiator hose to drain the system? Also, do I need to bleed air from the system after I refill it with new coolant?

Thanks,
Dave

Since no one else mentioned it - there is a separate drain for the coolant in teh engine block. If you don't drain from here also, you only get about half the coolant out. If you slide under car (on ramps, etc) go under where the oil drain plug is and look higher up on the passenger side of the block and you will see a typical block drain. Just loosen that and put a pan under it. Have heater controls set to high temps as well to be sure the heater core is open and drains.
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Mike Sullivan ('91 745 (184k), '95 855T (70k), '98 V70XC (83k). Past Volvo's: '85 744 (256k), '86 245 (165k), '86 245 (195k), '88 745 (208k), '93 965 (147k) .

There is actually a drain cock on the far left part of the radiator near the corner (when facing the car) but it is not your typical plug so it might be hard to find unless you're looking for it. It is easy to break so be careful if you find it and decide to drain from there. Most people do just disconnect the hose...have to be careful replacing the hose too as the connector to the hose is hard plastic and will break if you really wrench down on it. Once you drain the coolant, just replace the plug or hose and refill. No need to worry about air bubbles, just fill about 6 to 6.5 quarts/liters of the mixture and let your engine run and the level will drop. Add more to the expansion tank and keep repeating the process. Just remember that it takes approx. 7quarts (to guage how much you should add). Also, this means that if you buy a gallon of the Volvo stuff and mix it 1/2 with distille water (highly recommended) then you will still not use all of the mixture...should have about a quart of the mixture left over. If it's never been drained, I would recommend running a hose into the expansion tank and letting water drain through the system until you see clear water coming out before refilling it.
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

Yeah, I just found that drain cock right after I posted earlier. I opened it up, and let the old stuff drain out. While under the car, I found coolant leaking from somewhere above. I thought it was the water pump as there was coolant right under the crank pulley where the timing gear cover attaches. I took the cover off to check, but the pump area is dry. It turns out that the thermostat cover to block is where the leak is. I'm going to pickup a new thermostat and sealing ring on Friday morning. Hopefully that will fix it.

Thanks for your help.

Dave

Just did my thermostat a couple of weeks ago. Do yourself a favor and buy a long T30 (or was it a 40?) torx bit. A regular bit is just too thick in the rear screw with the fuel rails in the way to get to and you'll end up buggering up the torx head of the screw. Good luck. www.fcpgroton.com sells the thermostats for really cheap. If you have a turbo, buy the 87degree one and not the 90degree one...you'll be happier with the cooler one because it will warm your engine faster, especially with winter coming on. Good luck.
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

I'll pickup a longer torx bit, too. Yes, this car is a turbo. Thank you for your advice.

Dave

No problem....and let me know if you have any issues. Really, it's easy to do. Let me make another suggestion. You really don't have to drain any coolant out of the radiator to do this...it's a PITA to take the drain cock off and it's pretty easy to break. Just take the green cap off of the expansion tank and then take some clean hose and syphone out all of the coolant from there. This way you have very little spillage when you take the thermostat housing loose, enough you can deal with it. What you syphon out, you can put back in after the job. Once again, good luck! By the way, I checked and it is a Torx T40 size. Make sure the extended bit is slim and about 6 inches long if possible. It will make the job so much easier. Actually, although AutoZone doesn't make a "bit," they do make a slim screw driver like device that you slide different Torx "shafts" into...that's what I finally went and bought (in the other car while I was in the middle of my thermostat job). It worked fine, but I had to buy the whole set and that cost me about $20 or so.
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

Let me throw in another bit of advice. With the long torx bit, rap on the screw head before atempting to turn it to help loosen it. Also, if you're flushing with fresh water, it's hard to get enough antifreeze back in if you pre-mix it. I fill with the right amount of pure antifreeze (50% of capacity---can't recall the exact amount, but it's about one bottle's worth), and than add water to make up any shortage in the system. You should recheck after driving to make up for any air bubbles that work out. Off to birdland.