Is it the thermostat! Today in MD it was about 7 degress, my temp gauge was not at 3:00 but lower (about 5:30), there was warm (not hot) air blowing through the vents. But oddly enough, when i was idle, waiting for someone to come to the car (about 10~15 min) the temperature rose to 3:00. When I started driving again, it dropped. Any Idea?

That's how my thermostat failed. After a few days, it set an error code. Don't know why thermostats fail when it's cold but that's what happened on 2 of my last 3 cars.

-Sam

Yup. Same here, that sounds like a thermostat on its way out.

Tony. 440 1.8i 182,000miles

great, does anyone know of a place online that i can get a thermostat and ECT Sensor? any help would be greatly appreciated. I saw a few sites that had thermostat kit, but it didn't have the ECT sensor?

another question, does anyone know the degree for the termostat i should get... i would like to get it before i take the other one out. some say 180 degree nd some say 192 (or something like that)

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Good luck,
--
Erwin in Memphis, '88 745t 190,000 miles, '95 855t 92,000 miles

I found that you can save about 10 bucks on the thermostat, but the price is almost the same at the dealer for the ECT. Shipping and waiting and all I found it was best just to get the parts at the dealer. They wanted 88 plus tax to do the job. Another place wanted 1.5 hours labor. Ended up getting the job done in an alley garage for 40 even. Shop around. Or do it yourself.

Is it a big job to replace the thermostat? Is the thermostat in question located in where these things are traditionally located, below the where the radiator tophose enters the head?

Another question, what does the ECT do and why does it need to also be replaced in time with the thermostat?

I am experiencing the same problem here up in VT. We are expecting 30 below tonight.

-John Brabant

I also just encountered this problem during record cold in New England. Any idea what causes the thermostat and ECT to fail at the same time?

Bay 13 on Volvospeed.com suggests using a 7 inch long 40 torx bit(3/8 drive) to remove the thermostat cover, but my auto supply/hardware stores only carry a torx 3/8 inch socket that is too short and fat to reach the back screw. Can anyone suggest a source for the longer torx bit?

If I don't want to drain the coolant, what kind of clamp are people using on the radiator hose to prevent spillage?

Thanks.

I got mine from ebay. It was a snapon tool. You get buy it directly from Snap on Website. It was great to unloose the inner torx screw with this tool.

Ching-Ho Cheng
--
1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Thanks. It looks like Snap-On part number FTXEL40E or FTXL40E should work.