My 98 S70 has been showing some strange symptoms. Maybe there are several issues here but I will do my best to describe what's going on below.

Symptoms (I have ECC)
1-Blower motor does not move air. I know the motor is good. I swapped out ECC control from another S70 and mine worked in the other and theirs did not make my blower work
2-If I push the heated seat buttons on with the blower motor off, the lights light up normal. But when I turn on the blower, the lights begin to flicker. Almost like the motor is pulling too much current.
3-Shift lock button needs to be used about 75% of the time to get the car out of park even though this was replaced about a year ago.
4-I also know I have a coolant leak from the heater core but have yet to replace it. I have foggy windows and it smells like maple syrup!!

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated. I took this car to a local volvo shop and after 3 hours, had no idea what was causing this so I decided not to continue to pay for the labor. I plan to just chip away at this myself.

Thanks
Jason

Pardon for entering an 850 issue, but its parallel to the S70 topic- I am replacing a blown heater motor as well. Same flashing AC & REC lights as mentioned by Jason on his S70. Question on the R&R of motor- there is a ribbed metal cannister right in front of the motor that appears to be part of the passenger air bag system. I am spooked about removing cannister in case there is a sensor in it which will give me a resounding KAPOW!!! of the air bag deploying as soon as I remove one of the mounting bolts. With the cannister in place, R&R of the blower motor is virtually impossible..... Anyones thoughts on removal of this cannister to facilitate this repair? Vehicle in question is a 1997 850T wagon. Thanks!

That ribbed thing under the glove box has 3 bolts, 2 one one side and one on the other. That is a knee bolster, not anything to do with air bags.

http://volvospeed.com/Repair/pdash850.php

Klaus
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The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

Multiple, separate problems.
First, check the cabin air filter, it may be blocked. Check both fuses for the heater fan. If the fan makes noise when the speed switch is set on high, then it may be just a failed rehostat. This device is mounted on the firewall to the left of the blower.
If your backup lights do not come on when in reverse, it may be just the PNP switch. Otherwise, it could be the shift microswitch in the center console next to the shift lever, passengerside.
Instructions to replace the heater core are on bay13:
http://www.volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php?showtopic=9717

Klaus
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The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

One other thing. the lights on the AC flash about 19 times or so when I first start the car.

When the lights flash, it means the ECC found something wrong and has stored the code. Unfortunately, since 1996, you can not get the error codes unless you have a multi-thousand $ Volvo code reader.
The most common cause is a blocked cabin thermostat. It is behind the little grill thing in your row of switches, just to the left of the ECC. Once the ECC is out of the dash, you can reach behind the thermostat, pinch it at 9 and 12 o'clock and pull it out. Be careful and do not bend or touch the little metal piece that sticks out the front - very fragile. Then clean out the dust with a tooth pick and make sure the little fan turns easily.
The other reason for the blinking lights is a vent damper not working to spec. This happens to mine when it is cold and the damper hasn't been used for a while. I just turn the center dial to each position, slowly, until all of the dampers have moved. Then turn the car off and restart. Without a restart, the vents will not move and the ECC is esentially shut off.

The cabin filter is in the engine bay, under the tray below the windshield, passenger side. Remove the 3 torx screws and carefully pull up the plastic tray until you see the filter. Reach in and pull it out. FCPGroton has them for a reasonable price, the dealer wants about $20. http://volvospeed.com/pollenfliter.php

If the fan is not working at all, check this out:

http://volvospeed.com/Repair/pdash850.php

The ballast resistor controls the fan speed. The fan not moving at all is strange. Try turning the fan on to high speed and then reaching down below the cabin filter and giving the fan a push with your fingers to see if it is stuck. There are 2 fuses for the fan, check them both. The fan is fairly easy to replace. The ECC resistor is not cheap.
You can check fan operation by hot wiring it with wires from the battery, just to see if it runs.

Klaus
--
The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

Klaus,
I was able to get to the cabin filter. It does not look so bad. It was replaced 2 years ago, maybe 10K miles. Tried to give the blower a push and no response. I then took out the kick plate and glove box to access the blower. It reads 0.5 DCV when turned on. Its not getting power. Any idea as to where I should go next? thanks again

Jason

Probably the resistor pack then. Check the wires going into and out of the resistor for melting. FCPGroton has them for around $105, get a cabin filter and engine air filter at the same time :)
Get some wire and test the motor to see if it works.
To get the blower motor out, you have to unhook 3 electrical wire bundles from it. The one at 11 o'clock pushes up before it comes off.

Good luck

If you get just the blower motor without the cage, the old cage must be pulled off the shaft. It is pressure fitted and a bear to slide off, but others have had success. The staples in the cage are for balance, do not pull them off!

Klaus
--
The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

Klaus- I would add this to your comment about getting the fan cage off old unit when buying just a new motor: Friend of mine who is a good wrench ruined his old cage trying to press it off, had to source a new cage which was nearly as expensive as buying a motor and cage in the first place. Lesson hard learned about saving a few bucks! :-) Kent

Well, I took everything out (resistor pack, blower motor, and cabin filter) and put it all back and now I blow air!! So the heat is back full force. I dont think I am making Air though (its too cold to tell). I dont hear the compressor kick on when I ask for AC.

When I switch from a cold temp to a hot temp, I smell the antifreeze from the heating system. But when I took a look at the core it did not seem as though it had leaked out onto the floor. The carpet was dry. I will email you the photo of the core so let me know what you think.

Also, when I push the recirc button, it functions for about 15 seconds and then the lights on the ECC begin to flash. Any idea on that?

Thanks again Klaus

Jason

Good for you! The recirc is seldom used so it may be a little slow. You could switch the recirc button several times to try to make it go faster. One of the codes is "recirc flapper too slow" and will turn on the flashing lights.
You can visually inspect the flapper, it is between the blower and the resistor. But be careful, the lever is quite fragile.

AC will not turn on below 50F. When you first turn the car on, the compressor will cycle for a system check. These cars are notorious for having evaporator leaks, and the fix requires removal of the entire dash down to the firewall. About 10 hours at a dealer. So I just keep several cans of R134a handy and charge it when it needs it.

Klaus
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The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

ok--good to know. My email is not working so I was unable to send you that pic of the heater coil but basically it doesn't seem to be leaking outside of the plastic housing. The floor and carpet are dry. Is there another source in the heating system that could generate that coolant smell?

When the heater core fails, it usually leaves a lot of crusty junk on the bottom fins. You have to look at both sides. It only take a tiny amount to get the smell in the cabin.
There are O rings where the hot water enters the radiator. Harder to get to are the O rings where the piping comes through the firewall, that is a rough procedure to replace them. Documented in Volvospeed repairs.

Klaus
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The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are a 95 854T and a 98 V70R :)

It's cold out at the moment but I was able to move the center dial slowly to all the positions. Each time I could hear a little motor moving, some positions longer than others. When I restarted the car, no flashing lights.

So I guess the ECC is not detecting anything wrong with the blower or resistor?

I'll get into the engine compartment tomorrow and see if the blower works and change the cabin filter.

thanks

Klaus,
Thanks for the response. The blower makes no noise at all and the fuses are all okay. I have yet to check the backup lights but will do so. Could the blower motor resistor be malfunctioned? Is this part there to ensure the blower motor does not draw too much current?

I'll check the cabin air filter. Where exactly is it located?

Thanks again