|
S40 / V40 '96-'04 General Forum for the Volvo S40 and V40 (Classic) Series from 1995-2004. |
Information |
|
03 V40 Struggling to get up to temperature fullyViews : 1006 Replies : 12Users Viewing This Thread : |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
May 16th, 2024, 21:47 | #1 |
New Member
Last Online: Jun 17th, 2024 19:33
Join Date: Mar 2024
Location: Farnham
|
03 V40 Struggling to get up to temperature fully
Hi everyone,
Been looking around the forum for this issue and I can't seem to pin it on anything. I can start and drive the car for a few minutes and it'll get up to just under the middle of the temperature gauge (image attached). If I let it idle for a while or if I drive it unusually hard it'll usually make it to the middle of the temp gauge. I've also noticed that having the AC or fans on heat sometimes seems to make it struggle to reach the middle (still not 100% sure if this is a coincidence or related) I've seen a few people mention the thermostat and how to check (something along the lines of starting it from cold and feeling the top coolant hose by the thermostat for it to get warm) but it doesnt seem to result to what they've said indicates a faulty thermostat. Does anyone have any similar experiences or any ideas as to what this could be or how to diagnose anything? If I can't find anything I'll likely look into buying a thermostat as they seem to be relatively cheap but I thought I'd ask incase anyone might have any input. (The image below was after a 15 minute drive at around with a good few minutes at 60mph - however ive had 1+hr drives with the temp needle rising to middle and falling back down to just under the middle marker) |
May 16th, 2024, 22:07 | #2 | |
Experienced Member
Last Online: Today 11:40
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: L/H side
|
Quote:
__________________
My comments are only based on my opinions and vast experience . |
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Clan For This Useful Post: |
May 16th, 2024, 23:23 | #3 |
Premier Member
Last Online: Today 20:05
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Manchester
|
Agreed. Sounds like a thermostat issue. Not reaching temperature when it should won't help your fuel economy either.
Don't buy a cheap thermostat. Get a decent one.
__________________
2007 S80 2.4 D5 (P3) - 110,000 miles 2008 V70 2.4 D5 (P3) - 163,000 miles |
May 17th, 2024, 07:47 | #4 |
New Member
Last Online: Jun 17th, 2024 19:33
Join Date: Mar 2024
Location: Farnham
|
Cheers for the replies, I'll be ordering a new oem thermostat soon. If im not mistaken the temperature sensor for the coolant is just by the thermostat - would you guys suggest replacing that too whilst I'm in there or is that generally reliable enough to not worry about?
I also plan on flushing the coolant whilst Im at it as it looks as if it's seen better days! I've seen others say flushing can be done with distilled water to clean out the system, is this as simple as draining the current coolant, filling with distilled water and going for a small drive, drain then repeat once or twice? |
May 17th, 2024, 17:05 | #5 | |
Premier Member
Last Online: Today 20:05
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Manchester
|
Quote:
Flushing the coolant is a good idea (make sure you get the right coolant!). Yep, drain the old stuff. Fill with distilled water, go for a drive to get it up to temp, drain again. You might need to repeat the process to get the best results. You'll be able to tell when you drain the distilled water if its still dirty or not. Repeat until what you drain is as clean as you'll get it, then do your final fill with the correct ratio of coolant to water (50/50 usually).
__________________
2007 S80 2.4 D5 (P3) - 110,000 miles 2008 V70 2.4 D5 (P3) - 163,000 miles |
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Kev0607 For This Useful Post: |
May 20th, 2024, 11:35 | #6 |
Member
Last Online: Jun 17th, 2024 17:26
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Manchester
|
If you're going to replace the temp sensor too, I might suggest doing this in stages. So, thermostat first, see if the issue resolves. If not, temp sensor swap, see if the issue resolves. That way you'll have a good idea which was the faulty item. If you replace both at the same time, assuming the issue resolves, you can't tell whether it was the thermostat or the temp sensor which was playing up.
|
May 21st, 2024, 15:02 | #7 |
New Member
Last Online: Jun 17th, 2024 19:33
Join Date: Mar 2024
Location: Farnham
|
Does anyone happen to know the torx bolt size for the thermostat housing? I've bought a torx set that has T30 and T40 on the upper end but T30 feels like the tiniest bit too small and 40 does not fit - just wanted to confirm as I really do not want to end up accidentally rounding the screw!
|
May 21st, 2024, 16:59 | #8 |
Premier Member
Last Online: Today 20:46
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Manchester
|
socket type torx bits tend to be better as you can apply downward pressure to stop it slipping which is more difficult with the bent allen key type
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Simmy For This Useful Post: |
May 21st, 2024, 20:41 | #9 | |
New Member
Last Online: May 23rd, 2024 18:00
Join Date: May 2024
Location: Indianapolis
|
Quote:
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to precisionguesswork For This Useful Post: |
May 22nd, 2024, 14:30 | #10 |
Master Member
Last Online: Jun 13th, 2024 09:25
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Great Yarmouth
|
Penetrating oil is OK for exposed threads. No good just spraying the torx heads and hoping it will get down under the head if it goes into a blind tapped hole. The head being made of steel will have a bite into the softer aluminium housing. Allays amuses me when I see the manuals etc coming out with the same statement.
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
|
|