just a update of the job....it actually went really smoothly other than the unplugging and replugging the fan, I probably spent 1 hour doing that(it was a pain because there is not much space to play with). I was able to complete the whole job in a afternoon, started at 11 and finished around 3:30-4 for both the fan and blower motor resistor. For the tool I decided to make one because I found the Volvo tool way over priced for what it is. I also want to note that i did not have the problem with the screw as stated above, mine came out easily with a 1/4 turn.


here is a pic of the tool I made for reference. I had welded a big nut on the top of the handle just incase the fan was stuck and needed to use a wrench but in the end I didnt need it. ​​​​​​The filtered rods did get bent a bit when i took it out.

 

Ah yes, I forgot to mention that it turned out my fan housing did not have a screw holding it, it was just being really fricking ornery to come out. The mechanic was able to get it out, though.

There is another way to get to the housing and wiring, by taking out the instrument panel and reaching in through the hole, but the bottom line is that some sadist engineer decided this had to be a pain to get out no matter how you did it.

 

Back in the shop for the next round. Parking brake cables and pads, brake vacuum pump (the pump and/or seal tend to leak engine oil), and the transmission and power steering hoses that are getting old and have slight leaks.

 

Holy moly, that's going to be a new suv!

 

Not quite...

I am just catching up to all the work this thing needed when I bought it at the beginning of the year. I paid well below Kelly BB for it. And after all this, it's still mine and I don't owe anyone a dime for it.

 

Don't wait, risky is an understatement, I'd do it at about 8 years/100K. Mine failed about 125K, maybe aggravated by a radiator fan failure which caused it to run hotter than normal.

If it fails closed, it could overheat the engine, possibly rendering it not worth repairing which would mean scrapping the car. I'm not sure where the temp sensor is, but on some cars it's on the radiator so you don't get an overheat indication because the coolant in the radiator is cool while the hot coolant is trapped in the block. Bad jus jus.

If it fails open, then the car won't warm up properly... this happened to me on the return from a mountain road trip. I had to tape bags over the grill to avoid running 1,000 miles below normal operating temp (unlike my old VW's, modern engines do NOT like to do that). Descending down to sea level I had to gradually remove bags all the way down to avoid overheat. That was last year, still hoping I didn't stress or wear the engine too much. Fortunately I had a scan tool so I was able to monitor coolant temp and react before the idiot gauge started moving.

Also bad... when the shop replaced the thermostat, they found it in pieces and said I was lucky it didn't jam or damage the water pump.

 

I know where to get used engines at good prices.

 

What's that cost, installed?

 

I haven't done it yet. It will depend on your mechanic and their hourly rate. The engines are easy to find at car-parts.com.

 

As far as I can tell, there is no need for intake or radiator removal, though these are Volvo XC90s, and looking at my LR2 it appears access from the left may be a bit worse.
EDIT: Nobody seems to use a torque wrench here, which makes me nervous because the housing looks plastic -- manual says thermostat housing bolts require 10 Nm or 7 lb-ft torque. Probably going to be tough to get a torque wrench on the lower bolts.