Coolant Overflow Resevoir Replacement

The overflow reservoir for the radiator coolant shows cracks and brittleness after 10 years cycling temperature and pressure.

You will need to purchase a new replacement overflow reservoir as shown below for about $60.

 

You should drain the coolant and replace it with new. But I was too lazy to remove the engine shield, so I skipped that step and tried not to spill any coolant. Grab the reservoir and wiggle it out by pulling it upward.

 



 

 Use vise grips to crimp the bottom hose and the top hoses to prevent spillage. Use nose pliers to loosen the hose clamp and pull out the hoses. Start with the top two hoses and orient the reservoir so the coolant inside the reservoir does not spill out.

Replace the old reservoir with the new one and reconnect the hoses. Fill up the coolant to the Max line.



Front Brake Pad and Rotor Replacement

Tools/Parts Needed:

• Brake Pad Spreader (Amazon)
• Brake Cleaner (Amazon)
• Brake Caliper Lubricant (Amazon)
• Torque Wrench (Amazon)
• Rotor and Brake Pad Kit (iPd)
• Coat Hanger
• Latex Gloves

First loosen cap of the brake fluid reservoir. Loosen the front wheel nuts pull the hand brake. Jack up the car and remove the wheel. Place a container below the wheel to capture the cleaning fluid. Clean the brake using the brake cleaner.



 

 

Remove the caliper retaining spring using a flat screw driver. Remove the two rubber caps and use an Allen key to remove the caliper guide pin.



Slide out the brake caliper from the rotor. One of the brake pad should fall out easily, the other one has retention clip and you might need to use a flat screw driver to ply it off. Use the brake pad spreader to push the piston back into the caliper. Monitor the brake fluid reservoir so does not overflow. Hang the caliper using the cloth hanger. Remove the caliper mounting bracket using the 15mm socket wrench. Remove the disc rotor. Clean everything again with the brake cleaner.

 

Install the new rotor. Installe the parts back in reverse order. Apply brake lubricant on the caliper guide pin and the back of the brake pads that makes contact with the caliper. Torque the bolts to the specified settings.

• Front caliper bracket bolts: 89 lbf-ft (120 Nm)
• Front caliper guide pin bolts: 22 lbf-ft (30 Nm)

Don't forget reinstall the caliper retaining sprint and to tighten the break reservoir cap.

Trunk/Tailgate Support Strut (Shock) Replacement

After a few years you might find your trunk heavier to lift up. Below are the instruction on how to replace the trunk support struts.

 

 

The struts are locked to the car frame by a C-clip.

 

Use a flat screw driver and ply out the C-clips at the end of the struts. Remove all four C-clips and then pull out both struts from the hinges.

 

Press in the new struts into the hinges and you are done. You might need to lower the tailgate slightly to align the holes.

 

Total replacement time was 10 minutes.

Auxiliary (Serpentine) Drive Belt Replacement

The factory maintenance schedule recommends replacing the auxiliary belt every 100,000 miles or 9 years. You can check the condition of the belts by looking at it next to the alternator close to the oil level dipstick. Before you start the work, make sure you have the correct tools available. You will definitely need a 10mm socket, Torx bits T50 and T25.

First lift up the car and remove the wheel closest to the front passenger.

Remove the wheel liner by removing the Torx screws and two nuts. Peel it out slowly and make sure to remember how it goes back together.

 

There are two drive belts. Each one consist of two pulleys and a wheel acting as a tensioner.



To remove the first belt for the air conditioning system, use the T50 bit and rotate the first tensioner clockwise as far as possible. The tensioner is spring loaded, so you have to constantly apply a force. Remove the belt. Now use the same T50 bit and rotate the second tensioner for the alternator counter-clockwise as far as possible. Remove the second belt. Now make sure all pulleys and wheels are clean. Now it is time to install the new belts. First install the second belt by dropping the belt from hood near the alternator shown in the first picture. Release the tensioner and fit the belt into the groves of the pulleys. Make sure the grooves are aligned. Follow the same procedure and install the first belt.

 

Start the car and check everything is working correctly. Install the wheel liner and the wheel.

Total replacement time was 90 minutes.

 



Headlight Bulb Replacement

The front headlight bulb replacement for the S40 is rather easy but it is still one of the most complicated compared to other cars that I owned. You will need to remove the whole headlight assembly in order to replace the light bulb. The following steps only covers bulb replacement for halogen light and not the gas discharged headlights. First, you will need a pair of H11 bulbs. It is always recommended to replace both bulbs at the same time, so you will have uniform lighting. Open the hood. Find the headlight locking pin, pull up and remove.

Slide out the headlight assembly towards the front of the car. Make sure it is straight and make sure not bump it into car or scratch the headlights.

Press the retaining clip of the connect to the headlight assembly to disconnect the electrical wiring.

Place the headlight assembly on a surface and make sure it will not scratch the headlight. Pull the retaining clips outward to remove the cover.

Turn the bulb holder anti-clockwise and pull out the bulb assembly. Disconnect the cable from the bulb assembly. Install the new bulb by making sure not touching the bulb. Reassemble everything back. Follow the same procedure for the other front headlight.

Total replacement time is about 15 minutes.

Key Fob Battery Replacement

The 2005 S40 takes one CR2032 battery. First remove the valet key from the fob. Then use a small Philips screw driver to remove the single screw. Replace the battery and put everything back together.

Battery Replacement

The original battery lasted seven and a half years. Not bad at all. It could have run for a few more months but I did not want to take the risk of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere and asking people to give me a boost. I bought a Kirkland battery since I was going to pick up a case of wine in Costco. The model number is 10. You could choose the Heavy Duty version and I went with the regular. In addition, they will refund you $9 (in CA) if you return your expended battery.
Before you start working on the battery, make sure you have proper protection. Wear safety glasses and wear gloves. Make sure you wait at least 3 minutes after turning off the engine to give time for the computer to store its memory. Remove the cover on the top of the battery compartment. Use an M10 socket wrench to loosen the screw of the negative terminal pull it out. Then work on the positive terminal. Remove the two screws holding the battery clamp with t he M10 socket wrench. One is hidden and you will need to use a flat screw driver to ply open the side panel to access to the screw. The original battery comes with two handles for ease of installation. Remove the old battery. Turn the ignition key to the II position and make sure no one is in the car in case the airbag deploys. Reinstall the new battery. I stored the Kirkland battery handle somewhere safe to use in the future. Reinstall the battery clamp, the positive terminal and negative terminal in that order. Reinstall the battery compartment cover. Total replacement time should take 10-15 minutes.