The original thermostat housing found on the 6 cylinder 2.9 liter engine has a plastic elbow fitting to help with the coolant circulation and to get rid of air pockets in the critical areas of the cylinder head .

The additional coolant pipe was an afterthought .The plastic part worked well when that car was new, but with time, it cracked, leaving you without coolant in the engine. Volvo never offered a separate replacement elbow, so the only option previously was to purchase a complete full thermostat housing replacement .

Some manufacturers quickly came up with the solution and started offering aluminum or brass pipes. While the new pipes looked great from a distance, the challenging part came during the installation process.

The replacement pipes that were made of ALUMINUM and even BRASS- all have one problem. They have a straight thread. You were able to install the replacement into the thermostat housing cover but some sort of fixing agent has to be applied in order to prevent the pipe from rotating and to prevent coolant from seeping through. This so-called repair never worked correctly and caused traces of lost coolant on the housing and the timing belt.

It turns out that the old, original plastic pipe had cone-shaped- or tapered thread. The tapered thread would allow a secure connection and a positive seal between the two parts .

We developed and manufactured a stainless steel part that has a tapered thread at the end that screws into the thermostat housing . The current design is correct because the application will prevent the tube from free movement after installation. Nothing new. Just pay attention to the details, and that is all!

​Order this item and you will receive a stainless steel elbow pipe that can be installed into the original thermostat housing.

This part will fit 6 cylinder S80 and XC90 from 1999 through 2005
including twin turbo models