The coolant temp sensor returned everything to normal. The temp gauge reads the correct coolant temperature. The ac engages as it should and the electric radiator fan comes on when it's supposed to.

I was going to buy a used sensor, but Voluparts said that they sell a bunch of them and weren't sure if a used one would be any better than the one that needed replacing. The new one wasn't much more expensive and since it wasn't my car, I only wanted to fix it once.

My mother has had this 96 850T (56K, yes, just 56K miles) for just about a year and it's been nothing but a headache for me. A $.50 part is no big deal if it's on MY car, but when I have to drive 45 minutes, trailer the car back to my house, fix it, then trailer the car back, all while she's without a car--it's just too much. ABS, Winter Mode switch, coolant temp sensor, bad dealer experiences, and anything else I've forgotten at this moment, on top of the usual tires, brakes, fluids and routine maintenance stuff are making me think she needs something else. That's coming from a used car dealer (who sold her the car) and certified Volvo nut. I guess they just don't build them like they used to.