In the Saab 9-5 there is a valve (Coolant Bypass Valve or Heater Bypass Valve) in the cooling system that is prone to failure, resulting in leaking coolant. The leakage can be sudden and the car can loose a lot of coolant in a very short time. If unlucky, this can happen on the highway and result in an overheating engine.
A few months ago the coolant bypass valve in our Saab 9-5 Aero from 2002 developed a large leak just as we were going on a long-awaited roadtrip. Since it was Friday evening, no mechanic would be able to look at it before Monday. Luckily we were able to buy a new valve (roughly 400 SEK or €40) from the local auto parts store and install it within two hours. In this video I show you how to some of the things I learned and some of the best tricks for this repair.
If you are watching this video because your car suddenly started leaking, don’t worry. While the repair might be a little cramped, it’s not difficult if you have the right tools. Note that this is not a full repair video since we already replaced the valve.
Tools needed:
Replacement bypass valve, Saab Part No 90566947.
Wire-operated hose clamp pliar. Highly, highly recommended. This one tool will make your day, and is well worth the money even if you only need it for this one job.
Bungee cord. Cheap to buy and highly recommended to pull the wiring harness to the right side of the engine, giving you more access to the valve.
Remember to turn off the AC when you are warming up the engine after re-filling the coolant. This allows the coolant to enter the heat exchanger and remove any air bubbles inside there.
Be sure to run the engine at least until it has reached operating temperature and then check the coolant level again.
I also recommend changing your vacuum lines while you have access to your coolant bypass valve. See my video on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6kWoCzDBdg
Did this video help you? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
Swedish: Denna video visar hur man byter värmekran (även kallad värmeventil eller by-passventil) på en Saab 9-5. Plötsliga läckage av kylarvätska har ofta att göra med att denna kran läcker. Det är starkt rekommenderat att du köper en vajerstyrd slanglämmetång och en gummilina, dessa verktyg gör det mycket enklare.
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Post time: May-28-2017