I have a 1998 S-70 T5 and I'm getting a strong antifreeze odor with some vapor appearing on the lower left corner of the windshield. It doesn't really clear much, if at all, when I turn on the defroster/AC. Any chance this is something besides the heater core? Anything I can try before replacing something?

Also I hear a low "growling/grinding" noise when the AC compresor comes on. I checked with the hood up and that's where it's coming from. What's the most likely problem and fix there?

My remote keyless does not work. I replaced the 2016 battery and still no go. Does it need to be re-programmed or is it toast?

When I accellerate I hear a vibration coming from the dash from just above idle and goes away shortly after that. When I reach about 10mPH it goes away. Any easy places to check?

I guess I saved all this stuff up before asking......

Thanks!!!

Gary

your antifreeze smell is coming from a busted heater core.
your rattle just above isle is coming from either the guage cluster or
the plastic trim piece mounte on the dash were the windsheil meest
check and see if its cracked by the sec. syst. light.
the remote replace it.\and the compressor on my s70 does the same thing
i still cant figure it out.

Re: the antifreeze smell, it is undoubtedly your heater core. This is a common failure on these cars. I just installed my second replacement in my car -- the first was dealer installed, under warranty, at about 30k miles. I now have about 65k miles, and the car is less than six years old. That's one new heater core every 3 years / 30k miles! Gotta love that legendary Volvo reliability, eh?

Regardless, the fix is not all that hard and not terribly expensive. It took me two hours, going on instructions in the UK-spec Haynes manual that I have for 70-series cars. The dealer charged me around $300 (US) for the part, but I've since seen the same part available from internet sources for about $170. That difference would easily pay for an independant mechanic to take care of this for you.

--
Jim Rothe, '99 S70 T5M,
http://www.jimrothe.com/volvo/index.html

Thanks for your help. I think core replacement is in the immediate future.

Gary