Hey gang, now my radiator sprang a leak over the weekend on a road trip. Time to replace.

Questions arise from my research.

Which radiator to buy, Nissens (plastic/aluminum) or Behr (brass/plastic)?

Sounds like the new radiators don't come with a drain plug?

I notice that FCP Groton says yoo need to buy a clamp kit for oil and trans cooling lines. Am I to assume that would be the same if I buy from IPD or Europarts?

Do you usually need to replace the thermostat housing gasket when you replace the thermostat?

I was going to replace the upper and lower hoses. Anyone's hoses better quailty like do you all like URO hoses?

Should I replace the expansion tank two hoses as preventative?

Whose anti freeze do you reccommend and how much do you need?

Last question is about the thermostat. What degree? I see 87, 90, 92, & 93. Why woould you choose one over the other? I am in Oregon and we see temps from Zero to 100.

This is a '96 850 turbo wagon that goes everywhere I can point the wheel.

Thanks
Ray

 

Personally I wouldn't care, maybe the brass if you live near the ocean?? I would prefer a choice for a full metal rad with no plastic end tanks.

You may need 4 clamps, 4 O Rings and 4 Sealing Rings, These little buggers are not that cheap for what they are. Just inspect the condition of your clamps and see if they are rusty or brittle? The 2 rubber rings for each line should be replaced if your existing ones don't look new. regardless buy 4 wide gear clamps and put them over the existing metal clamps for safe keeping.

do it anyway, they're cheap

I Bought them from FCP and they fit well, the deal with hoses is they are rubber and get weeal from constant heat cycles and pressure, if you're keeping the car replace all the hoses, it's not that big of an expense. and if you drive far from home a lot you have added security because coolant hoses never burst when you're close to home haha

I buy whatever suits my wallet I don't buy expensive stuff because I don't think there's a need,


As for the thermostat, There's a reason why i picked thew one I have but I can't remember what/why, do a search on this forum there's definatly info here, and I remember I made my choice on that info,

Good Luck, ps i replaced my rad last weekend in a parkinglot 120KM from home in the dark, it's not that bad of a job

Mike

 

Use Volvo antifreeze only. Don't use multipurpose/multicompatible/longer lifeantifreeze. Lots of stories on this or other Volvo boards about potential problems (headgasket leaks, etc) due tochemical reactionbetween the block/head/headgasket. The Volvo antifreeze is green. There are apparently a couple of aftermarket "green" antifreezes that are compatible, but I don't know which ones they are and it's easier just to buy it from Volvo. Not worth the risk.

 

Really? Anyone else experience this at all? I haven't heard this before, I used Advanced Auto's generic antifreeze last time I did the flush.

 

I have never heard that as of yet.

 

I'm not a chemist, can't remember where I was reading the specific post on it but someone on one of the other boards was explaining it was a chemical reaction between some particular corrosion resistance type additive within the extended life type stuff that affected the head gasketthat aren't designed to use it... something like that... that was just one post. I've read a number of posts between Matthewsvolvosite and Volvospeed seeming to preach that belief that one should only use the Volvo green to avoid problems... I just think it's one of those things that I don't need to experiment with to confirm or refute. The cost of confirming it is a headgasket...

 

The really funny thing is the True Volvo stuff is really Blue. But lately they have been using the green stuff that they get from some company and put it in the Volvo bottles.

Back in the day you always knew when you have a leak there was white residue all over the place from after it started to leak it corroded.

 

Yeah, and Tech, I'll defer to your expertise, but I can only say that I've seen it enough in posts that it's one of the things that just gets drilled into you...??... Urban legend kind of stuff when I start to think of it... At the same time we all know these cars have some funny quirks you don't find on Hondas, so I've just come to accept such advise when the dollar cost to me isn't a whole lot of money to do it but can be costly when you don't. When I really really start to think about it, the real problem is that people may not follow the recommended schedule for fluid flush because they have the "long life" antifreeze; the antifreeze itself may not necessarily be the problem (though I'm not going to change my suggestion just in case) but it may be that less frequent flush and drainings of the system may ultimately be the bigger factor. But like I said above, there was a post that I read at least ayear ago talking about the chemical additives being the incompatibility on the Volvo headgasket/aluminum... not worth it to me to find out at 362,000km. Easier to flush more often.

 

I see and you are intitled to your opinion and concerns.

Also just so alot of people know not even all Dealers use the Volvo coolant. The last one I worked at used Pyrol coolant.(Cheap discount autoparts store brand)

 

Cheep stuff in my 470,000KM 855 turbo for the last 30,000km

+1 for the cheap stuff, lol I'm not that concerned