Let me start this story off by saying that I'm an Idiot!!

Radiator is broken and I need a new one!

My 850 Turbo Automatic is getting up there in age and Mileage (approx 475000km) and I have beeen thinking of getting a newer Volvo. I have been thinking I wanted to get a XC90 as my next rig. Well I was driving down a road and I saw a XC90 with a for sale sign on it and decided to turn around and look at it, my choice of turn around location was poor it was a little gravel spot and in that gravel spot there was a little dip and even though going slowly I bobbed the front of my car off the ground when the front wheels went in the dip. and not having the plactic under cover thingy installed under my car I jarred something and broke the Radiator. There is a split some how on the End Tank where the plasic end tank meets the metal rad core and water pours out as fast as it goes in.

Just to add this happened to me when I was 150Km frm home and in another country, western New York near Buffalo(GO Bills). So with a $190 wrecker ride close to the border a walk back to my country and buss back to my town to a bar where a few drinks cured my anxiety my night was over!

Couple of Questions:

-Can these plactic/ Metal Rads be repaired?
-Mechanically Is the Radiator Replacement an easy mechanical job?
-What woulkd the steps involved in Rad removal be?
-Are the Oil Cooler lines in the Rad?
-Is a replacement Rad available aftermarket? or is Dealer new part or used part from salvage my only options?
-Other than a Rad and a couple hose clamps just in case what parts will I need to do this job?

I was thinking I would Get a radiator, take my tools and drive down to NY where I left my car and replace the rad. I was just curious on the procedure of replacing this part. What had sy come off apart to get the rad out? Do I have to remove the intercooler and or A/C condenser? Or is removal of the intercooler hoses enough? Would the A/C lines be in the way?


What would I need to prepare myself to preform this job in a parking lot 150KM(just under 100mi) away from home?

Thanks,
Mike

 

Usually they cannot be repaired.
Yes ones are avalible aftermarket.
The intercooler and Rad come out as one.
You would need a nice set of tools to do it in the parking lot.
You would also need a bigger jack and jackstands. It has to come out the bottom. The condenser and lines stay in. I always use a wiretie to hold the condenser by the lines. Then drop it out the bottom.

It will take you half a day or so to do it in the parking lot.

 

Just looked at the part on FCP Groton and it showes Auto Transmission coolant lines. I thought these were Oil coolant lines at first when I asked the question above. Do these lines come off and go back together easily without parts?
Thanks
Mike

 

tech thanks for the awesome reply!!!

That tip for removal from the botom is something I wouldant have thought of thanks. How high of a Jack will I need because that is something I am going to have to source out as my jack is fairly small.

thx

 

You will have to go up pretty high with it. It has to be high enough for it to slide out the bottom.
You car has 4 lines total. 2 lines for the tranny cooler and 2 lines for the turbo oil cooler.

Also somewhere on here is a post with a little better walk through about replacing it.

 

FCP groton says a clamp kit is reuired to reinstall the tranny cooler lines, is this neccessary? Do i need a clamp kit for the oil cooler lines?

 

It might not be a bad Idea espically since you are from a northern climate. A clamp might break during removal.

 

The old clamps are nearly always rusted to a point where there are no longer effective if you try to re-use them. The new ones are cheap enough that I would certainly replace them if you are ordering parts anyway.

My 2¢,

...Lee

 

So would that be 4 clamps in total?
Do the oil lines and the Trans lines use the same clamps?

 

Yes same clamps and yes 4 lines.

 

I just Checked prices on the Rad, There's a AutoZone in NY that can order it for $197, or I can get it locally here at NAPA for $272

Are the clamps Volvo Specific parts and do I have to pick those up at the Dealership??

As for removal of the tranny and oil lines from the Rad are they troublesome or do they come apart easily. Keep in mind this car has lived its life here in Canada and has been driven on salted roads in the Winter.
Thanks
Mike

 

Volvo specific clamps.
A pair of snap ring pliers that open backwords help alot to get teh clamps off.

 

Sweet I'll have to grab them out of my work van before I go down!

 

Keep us updated on how it goes.

 

Ordered the Rad Today and will pick it up tomorrow, and i got 2 clips at a dealer in Toronto today, man I got raped with those things, the clips were $10 each and $3 for each o ring, and i still need 2 more O rings and 2 sealing rings, more than double the cost than what FCP groton sells them for, but I guess i can't wait for mail haha I can visualize now how the clamps will work and how the snap ring pliers will help!

On another note while commin home tonight I had a test drive of a car that I've been toying with the idea of getting, I took it for a run and I have to say it was a nice ride, I'm going to carefully consider it and see if I want to adopt a car payment for a while, and that car is a 2004 V70R 6 speed, I'm actually in love hahaha

I think it's an OK Price, $17K with 117500KM(73000mi ) on it, what you think??
take a look



Mike

 

Nice looking ride. I would love one but cannot do it.

 

Went to NY to put the Rad in tonight, One of the rad bolts was rusted and broke the female nut off the rad mount, no problem i'll just cut it and add a nut and bolt there in its place. With the rad fan off and the accessories mounted the Rad came out easily through the top. one screw up though...... The new aftermarket rad I have has different female thread ports for the tranny and oil cooler lines so IO could not put the quick connect fittings in the new rad, what a **** off. I'm going to have to find out how i'm going to get some sort of fittings to make this work or get another rad. The new rad has a coarse thread compared to the fitting which had a fine thread that did not look like a pipe thread but a machine screw type thread but bigger then M12 or 1/2" size.

Anyone have this problem before?

Over all this was pretty simple to do, if the fittings would of worked I'd say i would have been finished in one hour total. My existing oil and trans hoses clips were in good shape and came off easy, and thanks tech for the snap ring plires they really made it a 'snap' haha., I guess i'll find out tomorrow what i can do to get it to work?

Mike

 

do yourself a favor and spend the money for new clamps, you don't want to end up like me (using the original ones after I replaced my radiator) and have your trans line blow out while you're going down the road....



btw it's not a hard job at all, clearance is the only important thing. I was 16 years old when I did mine by myself, just take your time good luck

 

i do have them, as i posted earlier

 

Sorry to say but I would make them get you the proper radiator. Did you take the old one home with you or to the parts store to explain what you need?

Hope all goes well.