You can follow this tutorial if you’re about to replace the upper and lower radiator hoses in Volvo 850 (1991-1997), S70 V70 (1997 – 2000) or C70 (1997-2005).

After more than 20 years of services I decided to replace all of the original coolant hoses in my Volvo 850. This tutorial focuses on lower and upper radiator hoses replacement.

Required new parts

You’ll need new lower (Volvo P/N 9470409) and upper (Volvo P/N 1335433) radiator hoses.

When looking for new radiator hoses I had to chose between new Volvo OEM hoses, less expensive aftermarket rubber hoses or try to find reliable silicone replacement ones.

Given that I already had problem with aftermarket rubber hoses in other cars that was not an option. So I’ve searched the Internet to see if silicone replacement ones were available for similar OEM Volvo hoses prices.

I end up finding www.do88.se website. This Swedish company offers the complete set of Volvo coolant silicone hoses and they are the official supplier of Koenigsegg supercars hoses so the quality is guaranteed!

So I end up getting their VOLVO 850/S70/V70 TURBO 94-00 COOLANT HOSES Kit (reference do88-kit13S), wich includes both upper and lower radiator hoses. These are available directly from their website here: https://www.do88.se/en/artiklar/volvo-850_s70_v70-turbo-94-00-coolant-hoses.html for ~90 EUR / USD.

The International Shipping worked very well, with the hoses arriving quickly to my door, very well packaged and even included some do88 stickers. I ordered my kit in black to keep the look as OEM as possible, but you can also have them in red or blue.

Upper and lower radiator hose tutorial

Step 1. Start by draining the coolant. I’ve done this by removing the lower radiator hose on the radiator. To gain access to it you’ll need to raise the front of the car and remove the splashguard under the radiator. You’ll easily see the lower radiator hose on the drivers side of the coolant radiator. Place a container under it, unscrew the clamp (original clamps screws ones are 7mm), remove the hose and let the coolant drain (The total coolant capacity is approximately 7.2 litres).

Step 2. Now that you have drained the coolant, you’re ready to remove the upper raditor hose. On the top of the radiator look at left side and you’ll notice the radiator hose connecting the radiator to the thermostat housing. Remove both clamps and work the hose out of the car.

Here you can see that my rubber hose was very weak already.

A comparision between the original upper rubber hose and the do88 silicone upper radiator hose replacement that I’ve used and a close up image of the do88 silicone hose finishing, very good quality.

Step 3. Place the new replacement hose (note that the longest side is for the radiator) and tighten the clamps.

Step 4. Now for the lower radiator hose. To gain access to the lower radiator hose connection on the engine side, you’ll need to remove the air filter box  (Follow this instructions on how to remove air filter box in Volvo 850 / S70 / V70 / C70).

Once the air filter box is removed you’ll see where the lower radiator hose connects to the iron coolant pipe on the back of the engine (marked red below).

Unscrew the clamp, and remove the hose from the pipe. Now work the hose out of the car. I found it easier to do from the top. Keep a visual note of the route of the hose as you’ll have to drive the new replacement hose in the same way.

A comparision between the original lower rubber hose and the do88 silicone lower radiator hose replacement that I’ve used.

Step 5.  Route the new lower hose in the same way the old one was installed, and clamp it on both engine and radiator.

Step 6. Re-install the air filter box . Top up coolant. Fill the cooling system through the expansion tank. The total coolant capacity is approximately 7.2 litres. Start the engine, let it reach operating temperature and top up the coolant if necessary. Check for leaks and you’re good to go!

The instructions in this tutorial will work in the following models / years:
– 1991,1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 Volvo 850 Petrol and Diesel Engines
– 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Volvo S70 Petrol and Diesel Engines
– 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Volvo V70 Petrol and Diesel Engines
– 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible / Cabrio Petrol Engines