I used a relatively short flat head which I bent halfway up at 45 degrees. You have to remove the middle section of the ECU box and the cooling fan. It's sort of tricky to remove the middle, there's a clip on the most forward side, and the two adjacent sides. The one on the front is the most difficult to see and remove. You may have to move up and out the coolant/PS reservoirs to access it. Once those are off then alternate pushing the pink slides further towards the front of the car a little bit at a time, until they are fully down and the ECU just pops out. Don't afraid to be a little rough, just don't be stupid and break the pins or anything. Install you just push the pins towards the back of the car instead. Very simple.

 

sweet! thank you very much! also to flash the ecu, do you guys commonly use MPPS software? or anything else?

 

Oh boy
First borrow an ECU removal tool
Next, no

 

With enough time, it can be done without an ECU removal tool without damaging anything.

I spent about a half hour trying to get the walls of the ECU box removed which makes access to the sliding lock 1000x easier. Then you just need a flathead screwdriver to push the sliding locks into the unlocked position.

No damage done at all. I would rather spend time than money. Some people think the other way. I also like a challenge.

 

i wrote an article about this exact subject:

It used to be easy removing and installing the Engine Control Module (ECM) or Transmission Control Module (TCM) on the Volvo 850 and 1998 S/V/C70 vehicles. You pull on a bar integrated into the control module that released the module from the base connector. This was easy, required no tools and was faster than it took you to open up the hood. Starting in 1999, the bar was now obsolete and a special tool (999 5722) took its place. While this is nice to have around if you work on a lot of Volvos, for the shop that seldom works on them it is not mandatory once you get to know the connector and how it works. Here I will show you how to remove the ECM and TCM without the special tool on 1999-2006 S80, 1999-2004 S70/V70/C70, 1999-2007 V70/XC70, 2001-2009 S60 and 2003-2007 XC90 (excluding V8 and 3.2 engines).

In service information, this box is called the Engine Compartment Central Electrical Unit. This is a black plastic box in the right front of the engine compartment that houses the ECM and TCM. There are 3 parts to this box, cap, center section and a bottom that holds the connectors. First, remove the top cap (held on by 2 clips). Remove the fresh air vent hose on the back of the box. Unclip the center section (3 clips) and pull straight up. You will now be able to see the connector base that the ECM and TCM sit on. This connector is just clipped into the base of the box, unclip and pull the connector base up. If you look at the back of the control units, you will see 4 Violet sliding tabs, one on each side of each control module. These tabs are actually what the special tool moves back and forth to remove/install the modules. You need to take 2 pocket screwdrivers and push on the 2 tabs at the same time from the rear of the connector, pushing towards the front. Once you push far enough, the control module will release and can be removed from the vehicle. When you have the control module out, it may be a good idea to ensure the slides are free and the tabs move freely. A small amount of lubricant aids in reinstallation. To reinstall, push the tabs from the front side of the box towards the rear of the vehicle until the control module is fully seated.

The connectors are both split up in two parts, A and B. The A connector is towards the front of the vehicle and the wiring goes to the engine. The B connector is towards the rear of the vehicle and its wiring goes back towards the cowl, then to the driver’s side through the cowl. Once you take a closer look at the connector, you will find the terminal numbering to be quite odd and on top of that, Volvo never made a pinout diagram for these connectors. I hope this information helps you when the service information calls for the dreaded special tool or breakout box!

 

outtt!, to me about 3-4 min, very easy!

 

Trust me. If you plan on tuning these cars, buy a proper ECU removal tool. The ECU will be in and out of the car a lot and rather than 3-4 minutes, it takes 3-4 seconds. The tool is a HUGE time saver.
Also, I use the galletto 1260 for boot mode flashing. Fast flash time and it's pretty reliable.

 

Where are you located? I have an ECU removal tool you can borrow if you are local to me

 

I just ordered an ard tune for my 1996 850 Turbo, the last time I looked in that box it had that metal handle that lifts up.
That is the easier set-up to remove and replace right?