This is tangential to your post but the other day a coolant valve went on my 1990 740 left hand drive with A/C. According to the 700/900 faq, the location is different in that car than in yours. Non-A/C cars get it inside the car. In mine, it is on the engine side of the firewall underneath and back of the intake manifold. The valve cost $100 Canadian at the Volvo dealer and it took the garage about 1 hour total to repair it. I would have done it myself but it snapped just as I was pulling in to a garage to get new tires. Geech, you would think it was the family dog going to the vet (wets himself either out of fear or protest - not sure which).

The faq recommends replacing it every 10 years or so (I think) or if the car overheated at any time. Mine did 2 years ago. I was very lucky to have it go at a garage so that the coolant leak was evident. Had I been on the road, I am sure I would have toasted the engine. Should install that idiot light mentioned in the faq. I would have been really peeved if I had damaged the engine because I just sold a perfectly good extra car I had been tripping over for the past year. Lucky...this time.


Bill
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Volvo Info Site 1990 745GLE 16valve