Which heater core should I purchase

Richard L · Post by **Richard L** » 26 Sep 2006, 21:22

I am replacing the heater core in my 86 740 GLE. I have seen them listed from $110 to $270. Are the after market ones any good? Should I spend the extra for a genuine Volvo part? It is very time consuming to replace this part so I don't want to put in something cheap that will go bad prematurely.

Thanks for any advise from those who have done this procedure.

Post by **billofdurham** » 30 Sep 2006, 12:35

How much extra are you prepared to pay for a Volvo box and Volvo stamped on the part? Many after market parts come from manufacturers who make the more expensive 'originals' and will last as long.

Unfortunately, I do not know which manufacturers in the U.S. are reliable but a little research on your part should soon see a cheaper, but just as good, unit in your car.

Bill.

CarVolvo · Post by **CarVolvo** » 02 Oct 2006, 14:31

I agree with Bill,

is this a daily driver or is it a show car?

How much longer do you want to keep the car, even a used one will keep it going for a year or two!

Good luck!

Richard L · Post by **Richard L** » 02 Oct 2006, 17:51

Thanks for the input. This is an aging car and I do not know what else may pop up as a problem. It is a daily driver. I went with the low price but new heater core from eeuroparts for $110.

It sure was a long trail to get to the heater core. I expect it to go a little faster putting it back together, and hopefully I won't find any screws or bolts left over. That one at the top center of the central distribution box may get left behind though. It was a challenge to get to and will probably be harder to get back in.

I noticed something rattling around in the central distribution box after I got it out. After a few shakes a nickel fell out. So at least I am five cents ahead if I can't get the car back together.

Post by **billofdurham** » 04 Oct 2006, 11:46

Don't worry about bits left over. Our workshop wizards stripped a Land Rover gearbox some years ago, put it back together and had 2 bolts left over. It worked perfectly for another 30,000 miles before it was sold.

Good luck with the rebuild.

Bill.

ppcgm · Post by **ppcgm** » 09 Aug 2007, 10:49

first off, congratulations on fixing that one yourself and saving yourself about $700, or more ... I just had mine done by the shop down the street that claims to be run by Christians but I won't believe them after this as they admitted it only took one afternoon but charged me about $550 for labor, just because the badges say Volvo I suspect

secondly, is there any such thing as a shop manual for a 960 ? the general repair manual that Chilton prints is as close to useless as anything I've ever seen and didn't even give me a hint where the thing might be, much less how to go about replacing it myself, and at these prices I'm going to be using my home garage and tools a lot more in the future