Volvo RWD 200 Forum

Had dealer flush radiator and add coolant yesterday, then I went on a 60 mile drive. No problem. Temperature needle stayed steadily at about the half-way point.

But today in stop-and-go traffic the needle rose all the way to just under the red. It's never gotten this high, and today isn't an especially hot day. Any thoughts?

Well, this is embarrassing if it's the cause of the hot engine, but I may have had my parking brake engaged while driving. I drove less than 5 minutes, though I do understand that's still a long time to drive with the brake up.

I parked the car for a couple of hours. When I drove it just now, the gauge stayed at about 8:00.

My wife was bad about that. She would NEVER pull the brake up hard enough to keep the car from moving.
If you are going to use the brake at all, use it effectively!
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Could be. You must have noticed your foot harder on the gas. cars trying a lot harder with the Brake on. Hopefully that's it.

When the car is warmed up, is the Top radiator hose hot? If not, the system needs to be burped. With teh car warmed up, you can grab that top hose and squeeze it hard about ten times... the hose should start getting hot after that and the air bubbles out of the Head area.

--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

Thanks for that suggestion. I'll check it out now... Leaving work and going for a drive.

If your compensation board is still in place they are always suspect for giving false readings. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that the gauge went hiking right after a trip to the dealer.

Randy

Maybe their is air in the cooling system? Loosen the Thermostat housing slightly and open the coolant overflow bottle, massage the rad hoses to get the air bubbles out. I hope that helps.

Hi,


The dealer flush might have flushed out more then the Volvo.

Otherwise benign sediment may have been disturbed in the process, and been redistributed to the small chambers of the radiator. On the other hand, the flush could have actually helped. Now that the ambient temperatures have been rising lately, you've just noticed that your radiator may need to be replaced.

There are many places to obtain a suitable replacement. The dealer is one place, however there are more inexpensive alternatives as well.

For example,

http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/product_id/2397/nm/1985_1993_Volvo_240_Radiator/category_id/88

Goatman

Hello,


The mechanical fan may be the source of the issue. It should noticeably change sound as the engine heats up. The clutch is thermostatically controlled and can fail, leading to the exact symptoms you describe.


Goatman