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Any source for off brand Heater hoses (Not URO) 900 1994

All I can find are $50 Volvo or $5 URO. Anything else like those Mackay brand around? They should be good enough for me
--
89 240 wagon, 94 940, 300K, 94 940, 141K








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    Any source for off brand Heater hoses (Not URO) 900 1994

    My preference is the Australian Mackay hoses. They have an excellent reputation for quality and service life.

    First car I did some years ago and I used Mackay, but I had to wait for the order. The flexibility, construction, and overall feel is that of Volvo quality. I don't expect I'll ever have to worry about it. Years of oily grunge collecting on the underside of the lower bend of the inlet hose is what likely sped the demise of the original Volvo hose when I had to wrestle with it to replace a heater valve.

    On the second car, I didn't have the luxury of waiting so went with a URO hose from a local supplier. I'll describe it as seemingly reasonably well built, quite adequate for the job and I don't expect it to fail anytime soon, but it's definitely a notch down in quality from Mackay and Volvo. As it ages, I'll probably be a little more careful in occasionally inspecting it and making sure it's clean. At the first sign of the rubber getting gummy or feeling less than perfect then I'll order a Mackay hose to replace it.

    Faced with the same problems again I would do likewise. If I could get Mackay that's what I'd go for. By virtue of the price Volvo would be a second choice, but again my local dealer has to order it in so I might as well order a Mackay and save a chunk of money. If I needed my car back on the road I would again go for a URO hose without hesitation.

    While I'm on this thought and as I've mentioned before, between heater valves, heater cores and heater hoses all increasingly prone to failure in our aging 700/900s, my car first aid kits now include a variety of suitably sized barbed hose plugs, a couple of ring clamps and a sharp knife. In the event of a heater system failure it's a relatively simple job to cut hoses and plug the ends without losing too much fluid. You can safely drive like that almost forever while you wait for parts and make time for a repair. Barbed plastic plugs are cheap and commonly available at plumbing supply and decent hardware stores for use with PEX. Brass are also available but more expensive. To bypass the heater valve you simply cut out the valve and plug both ends. Clamps should be used, but suitably sized barbed plugs hold surpisingly well. To bypass the heater core you have to cut both the inlet and outlet hoses, plugging the ends that come from the block. If you can wrestle the hoses off the heater core nipples you can save the hoses, but that is often difficult to do without damaging the hoses or heater core nipples. If you've got extra plugs, you can also plug the firewall side to stop the heater core from draining (ring clamps are not needed).
    --
    Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now








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    Any source for off brand Heater hoses (Not URO) 900 1994

    Hi,

    Made in Australia Mackay are decent hoses. They're premium price as far as aftermarket. available on EBay.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/281962905583?fits=Year%3A1994%7CModel%3A940%7CMake%3AVolvo&epid=738131048&hash=item41a64c7fef:g:nbAAAOSwlmhbLZ8A

    Peter








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    Any source for off brand Heater hoses (Not URO) 900 1994

    Dear j. pelchat,

    Hope you're well and stay so. I'd go with the Volvo brand item:
    (a) heater hoses are hard to install and to inspect (difficult access);
    (b) heater hose failure means rapid coolant loss and so a likelihood of an over-heating, that requires head gasket replacement;
    (c) unless used where high temps prevail year-round, Volvo brand hoses should serve reliably for 15 years.

    In short, spending for a top-notch heater hose is wise.

    Hope this helps.

    Yours faithfully,

    Spook








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      Any source for off brand Heater hoses (Not URO) 900 1994

      Thanks for the typically wise input, spook. I generally agree with your thoughts but in this case, I go a different way.

      I used $10 Mackay hoses in one of the 940's about eight years ago. I see no reason to replace them yet. On the other 940, I'm doing a complete cleaning of the intake, including the intake gasket. The hoses will be very accessible at that point.

      I guess I like $20 rather than the $110 for this application on the 28-year-old car.
      --
      89 240 wagon, 94 940, 300K, 94 940, 141K







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