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Air blows through the vents as normal (AC is working fine, it can blow cold air) BUT hot air does not come out through the vents. Underneath the steering wheel (where the pedals are) the fan blows there as well (but again no heat).
If you take a look at the picture, are the hoses that are missing the inlet and outlet heater hose (about $60 each to purchase online)?? someone on the volvo forum told me one hose goes to the back of the car and the other hose goes to the engine....
I know what you're thinking (what dumbass would purchase a car with no 'heater hose' attached) I have no idea either. I just want to get advice from volvo enthusiast about the possible hoses that are missing....
My bet is that there's more issues with the Heater in this car than just the two missing hose assemblies ...
They were removed and blocked off at the engine for a reason.
Most likely, the heater core has failed, which is a relatively common problem on these cars. So hooking up the heater hoses to this may show a leaking heater core.
What you haven't shown in the picture is how the ports on the engine were blocked off to allow the car to run. If they did anything beyond a simple capping off with a plugged hose, you may have some additional problems there that will not be easy to address.
Please note that the two heater hoses for this car are crimped together assemblies that require new "O" rings to install them. Don't forget to buy the "O" rings, they are separate items from the hose assemblies.
I saw a similar car in a shop last week needing a heater core and hose replacement. The job estimate was over $600 to replace the three items, and that was at a shop with a low labor rate. The labor wasn't the big issue, it was the cost of the parts that accounted for the bulk of the ticket.
Air blows through the vents as normal (AC is working fine, it can blow cold air) BUT hot air does not come out through the vents. Underneath the steering wheel (where the pedals are) the fan blows there as well (but again no heat).
If you take a look at the picture, are the hoses that are missing the inlet and outlet heater hose (about $60 each to purchase online)?? someone on the volvo forum told me one hose goes to the back of the car and the other hose goes to the engine....
I know what you're thinking (what dumbass would purchase a car with no 'heater hose' attached) I have no idea either. I just want to get advice from volvo enthusiast about the possible hoses that are missing....
Those to nipples are the inlet and outlet of your interior heater core.
There is a reason the previous owner removed them, and I'd say there's about a 99% chance that the heater core was leaking, and that it's an absolutely NIGHTMARE to change it out.
My older Volvo is pretty straightforward, but some of the newer ones are particularly difficult to work on.
If you want ANY heat, you will need to get that fixed.
Based on the picture, it looks pretty clear that the heater hose was removed from the heater core which is why you feel no heat when you engage the heater. I bypassed the heater core in my old car during the summer since i didn't want to spend the time fixing it initially...I did fix it by fall. If your husband has mechanical skills, this could be performed by him...odds are, the heater core is leaking coolant into the vehicles cabin, so, the previous owner bypassed the system. What I did on my old Pontiac, was to buy a U-shaped connector, and use hose clamps to attach both the inlet and return lines from the core. Replacement involved removing dash components to access the core, replacing the core, then reinstalling the lines. After which, I refilled the radiator a bit to ensure no air was trapped.
There is a reason the previous owner removed them, and I'd say there's about a 99% chance that the heater core was leaking, and that it's an absolutely NIGHTMARE to change it out.
If you want ANY heat, you will need to get that fixed.
I'll take the under 4.0 hours of heater core replacement on this late model compared to the nightmare of working on some of the volvo's from the 70's any day ....
this one only requires the removal of some under dash panels and the heater core drops out into the passenger footwell. Not a bad project to access ....
Air blows through the vents as normal (AC is working fine, it can blow cold air) BUT hot air does not come out through the vents. Underneath the steering wheel (where the pedals are) the fan blows there as well (but again no heat).
If you take a look at the picture, are the hoses that are missing the inlet and outlet heater hose (about $60 each to purchase online)?? someone on the volvo forum told me one hose goes to the back of the car and the other hose goes to the engine....
I know what you're thinking (what dumbass would purchase a car with no 'heater hose' attached) I have no idea either. I just want to get advice from volvo enthusiast about the possible hoses that are missing....
All members here pointed you in the correct direction, (heater core failure) reason for hoses being disconnected.
Before you go and do that, (replace heater core) replace the hoses first, bleed the air out of the system, and check inside for coolant leaks.
Another reason a heater core might have been bypassed is maybe the person couldn't get the heater to stop kicking out heat while trying to stay cool inside, (defective heater control valve/inoperative air control deflection damper, etc.) the reason I suggest getting the hoses installed and checking for leaks.
I once owned a Chevy pickup truck with a bad heater control valve and it roasted me in the summer til I got wise and bypassed it, I was to cheap to replace it.
I'll take the under 4.0 hours of heater core replacement on this late model compared to the nightmare of working on some of the volvo's from the 70's any day ....
this one only requires the removal of some under dash panels and the heater core drops out into the passenger footwell. Not a bad project to access ....
We can hope so!
My "Goldie" is an '80s Model 240. I've pretty much gone through the whole thing. Once you get past that "Swedish thinking versus American thinking" glitch, it's pretty straightforward.
I'm not familiar with the S60, but it's all going to depend on how they've got stuff set in there. It could be either very simple, or a horrific nightmare. Let's hope for the former!
My "Goldie" is an '80s Model 240. I've pretty much gone through the whole thing. Once you get past that "Swedish thinking versus American thinking" glitch, it's pretty straightforward.
I'm not familiar with the S60, but it's all going to depend on how they've got stuff set in there. It could be either very simple, or a horrific nightmare. Let's hope for the former!
It ain't "hope", Big George ...
it's having worked on both series of cars and the ability to look up the flat rate times here in my office.
The S60 came from a different planet of car design than the car you own.
I recall it taking well over 6 hours to replace the heater core and the hoses on a 240 ... and I do mean, recall, firsthand. These weren't easy to access on this model, and the heater control valves were a constant failure point on these cars ... seeping hot water into the heater core when summer months arrived and causing the A/C output to be rather marginal. I used to put an in-line shut-off valve into the heater hose to stop the flow; only had to turn it off in the spring and on again in the fall. A cheap fix for a recurring problem on these cars. As well, the heater blower motor was a real P-I-A to access, and it wasn't until a dealer tech showed me their trick of taking off the right side squirrel blower to allow the left side blower and motor to slide out into the driver footwell that I could ever make time on this failure item.
Does anyone know or has anyone worked on these cars/models before.....
does the dash have to be taken off in order to get to the core?
I called around San Antonio and you're right it will cost us $600 PLUS to get the core replaced and to installed new heater hoses.
We won't get this $600 back when we sell the car after getting the heater fixed.
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