My 240 runs hot when I'm stuck in traffic. Replaced the fan clutch and water pump. Thermo is drilled out so it free flows. Radiator has been flushed. Fan shroud has had maitenence. Head gasket is fine. Still runs HOT. Any advice? My next step is to replace the RAD.

 

Are you using your A/C when it gets hot at idle? If so check to see if your aux fan is coming on. Also, You have a couple of choices here 1. The intelligent choice. Go get a IR laser temp gun and take the temp while it is running"hot" at idle. Point the laser at the top thermostat housing nut temp should read 180-190 degrees F. Then take the temp of your radiator. First the left side then the right. temp should differ by 20-30 degress. if it does not then your rad is bad. Also may just be a bad temp circuit board but you won't know until you take the temp readings...2. The unintelligent choice keep spending your hard earned $$ and pulling and replacing parts and praying something fixes it...hope that helps..Hope you make choice #1...Always test first NEVER just pull and replace parts. A dr. doesn't just say hmmm I wonder why this kids stomach hurts let's remove his liver and see if that helps... BTW a leaky head gasket itself will not make your car overheat...only if it loses enough water from the headgasket will it overheat...are you losing water? Oh yeah, how does one do maintenance to a fan shroud?? Good luck bro.

 

a bad temp compensation board will give erratic readings, and will usually return to normal with a nice slap on the dash right above it. Learn from my mistakes and some wasted dollars and take his advice with the temp gun. I don't believe in the drilled out tstat. Just get a wahler or some other GOOD one. Not an autozone one. The one I just got was too hot (95C) and didn't open when i later boiled it. Plus it made my soup taste funny.

 

I'm with you buck, the thermostat is there for a reason or else Volvo wouldn't have ever installed one...when folks take their thermostats out it tells me that they have no idea why their car is overheating and they're frustrated....