Radiator blanking plug clip on 1995 940LPT?
 

Hi,

I have a problem with a replacement radiator I bought for my 1995 940 LPT (B230FK). At the rear on the top right hand side of the radiator there was a blanking plug and associated rubber grommet and both popped out as the car was cooling after a long run. I found the plug and grommet on the ground under the car. See attached photos.

The seller of the radiator says "on the original radiator, there should be a strong metal clip that clips onto the tube plate on either side of the radiator, and then goes through the grooves on the blanking plug, and that keeps the plug securely in place. They do not come with the radiator, they are on the original vehicle, and need to be re-used."

I didn't transfer this metal clip - I don't remember seeing it. Can anyone please tell me if it exists?

Many thanks, Matthew

Never seen a clip. The Turbos have a plug, the NAs have a sensor, both are pressure fitted and DO pop out now and then. I just secure them with a strong zip tie through the radiator fins, no problem.

never seen a clip either

common problem that I had with my old 940

I put it back in with some gasket sealer and a zip tie. The grove cut in the top of the plug holds the zip tie neatly. I don't know how well this worked because I cold the car about 1 month later.

also I don't see it in your pic but mine had a bit of a groove to the side, I got an 18" zip tie and it worked fine for me.

My local Volvo garage sent me the attached image of the relevant parts (#33 & 35 in the image) and it also shows no clip so I will try the cable/zip tie.

I am a bit concerned the pressure could have been too high as I have noticed the level in the reservoir has been strangely erratic - something for me to investigate later.

Many thanks, Matthew

Good point, should be 75KPA on the overflow cap

a new aftermarket one is like $8 so it'll be worth while to change that too

After I noticed the erratic level, about a month ago I replaced the reservoir cap (using a new genuine Volvo one) and it didn't fix it.

Too much cooling system pressure may be a sign of a head gasket problem, compression leak. Take a compression test to see what's going on.

Thought I would upload a photo of the refitted plug complete with zip tie. Its almost as if the notches in the top of the plug were designed for the zip tie to pass through. Thanks to you both for the suggestion.

Regarding the coolant level, I did a compression test with the result in the right hand column of the table below. Units are in bar.
Miles 93391 121000 165220 209140
1 10.7 10.0 10.1 10.1
2 11.0 10.4 10.5 10.5
3 11.7 10.8 11.1 10.8
4 11.7 11.2 11.2 11.3
Diff 9% 12% 11% 12%

The numbers are all in the same ballpark as the three previous tests. Perhaps the erratic level is something I need to keep an eye on. Maybe the car will carry on fine despite it or the cause will become evident. Although I try to do the compression test when the engine is hot, I guess its possible there is a leak when the engine is hot, but by the time I have got all the spark plugs out the engine has cooled a bit closing the leak.

These readings are good... I can't think of another reason why a cooling system would over pressurize. How long after starting up a cold engine do the hoses get hard?

Awesome! Looks like everything will work out. Something to keep in mind... An over pressure used system can pop that plug out sure, however it is not a pressure release valve by any means. There is no pressure at which it will automatically pop. Sometimes they fall out for no reason at all besides age.

They are clearly firming up after 4 miles / 10 minutes. I plan to monitor the coolant level more closely to see if I can work out if there is a "real" problem.
Thanks, Matthew