I started pricing radiators today for my 89 740GL.
and was surprised to see that Autozone offers an aluminum
replacement radiator with a "limited Lifetime Warranty" For abt $130
They said "as long as the purchaser owns the car"

I looked at the radiator- made in china- everything is there
the fittings for the transmission cooler and a plug where the temp sensor
belongs. Dunno if you can move the temp sensor switch from the old radiator or not? The sides are plastic, but look sturdy.

Any comments?

B.B.

I agree with Steve, you'll sleep better at night if you have a Nissens, for about another $40.

When you do get your new rad, get a new rubber seal for the temp sensor from the Volvo dealer - $2 or so. If you look closely at your old one - and it's a gen Volvo item - you'll see "Do not Reuse" or something like that. It's a critical piece for something so cheap, and a new one will compress properly and hold the pressure. In fact you'll have a fine old time getting the sensor in, by my experience.

...and use a Black (75kPa) cap.
--
Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F/M46, my 83-244DL B23F/M46 and 89-745(LT1 V8): dtr's 94-944 B230FD; hobbycar 77 MGB, and four old motorcycles)

Hi again Volvodad,

The old sensor pulled right out of the dead radiator.
I shined it up with a wire wheel and with a little smear of vaseline
it pressed right in the grommet supplied with the Proline.
I got a spare grommet from FCP Groton today with some other stuff.
This way when the sensor blows out, I'll go crazy trying to locate
the spare.

Cheers, Bill

The aluminum/plastic radiators are superior to brass/solder, less subject to corrosion, and they last far longer. The one weakness is the plastic hose fittings, which can embrittle and break. If they break, you lose all your coolant instantly and at the least fry your head gasket. Instead of the Chinese made cheapie, try a Nissens aluminum radiator from FCPGroton.

Thanks for the response Steve and Volvodad,

I found that several internet companies sell the Nissens but they give only
a 1 year warranty.
What is the difference in construction between Nissens and the Autozone job?
Autozone thinks enough of theirs to include lifetime replacement!

Sudden coolant loss is always a danger of course, once I lost a water pump
on the interstate and the idiot light was kaput- Grrrr The engine was so hot
I had to stuff a sweatshirt into the air intake of the carb to get it to quit deiseling.

Maybe that coolant loss switch mod in the thumbs up section could be
wired to kill the ignition circuit AND show a warning light?

Thanks, Bill 1989 740gl sedan

I've installed the Nissens radiators in a bunch of different vehicles and have noticed that not only is the quality top shelf, but in every application so far, the nisssens radiator has had more rows of tubes and more fins than the stock radiator, in some applications as much as 30% more capacity. Needless to say, I don't buy any other radiators unless I cant get one for the application.

You get what you pay for.

The lifetime warranty bit at AZ sounds great, but the junk they sell generally doesn't last long. They make out OK since most of their customers cars generally get sold soon or end up at the crusher so they don't have to honor too many returns compared to the amount they sell.



--
-------Robert, '93 940t, '90 240 wagon, '84 240 diesel (she's sick) , '80 245 diesel, '86 740 GLE turbo diesel, '92 Ford F350 diesel dually

Hi Bill,

I know nothing about Autozone's radiator. I do know the warranty is an insurance game - a simple gamble done with brake pads, alternators, even mufflers. They hope it will sway you in your decision, because you think you'll own your Volvo long enough to collect on it, unlike the average customer. Autozone won't lose any money from folks cashing in on it.

On the other hand, I don't really know anything (worth knowing) about the Nissens. I used one earlier this year, on a 940. It came in a nice box. It looked good, came with a classy pamphlet extolling its virtue. And after two months of use, I know little more.

Thanks Art,

I was directed to 1-800-Radiator by a friend of mine who is a
pro Volvo specialist. The radiator Proline #83 aluminum and made
in , you guessed it, China, has the grommet for the temp sensor.
It has a lifetime warranty and that includes local pickup and delivery
around greater Boston!
I'm changing the Radiator and A/C Condenser, which also has a lifetime
warranty.(autozone has only 1 year for the condenser)
Same old story: You pay your money and take your chances

Happy Motoring, Bill

also bought the Proline #83
all aluminum, made in china like all the other ones except nissen i guess.
so far its been good except its not a perfect fit cause its just slightly smaller then the oem and the brackets are a bit loose now.
--
Canadian 1988 745GLE 320k km B230F LH 2.2 EZ-117K AW7X Bendix/ATE no ABS

Hey Bill,

I also have experience with 1-800-radiator. I purchased an all metal one, shipped to arrive next day, for $95, for my 84 244 when it had 273K. It is still doing well six years later at 365K. But once again, this is just a feel-good anecdote and no real indicator of the quality of the rad I got or the one you might get.

In fact, I checked them out before I bought the Nissens, but in the intervening few years they went to a web site and chat room sort of high pressure (buy it now and save!) sales and didn't seem to know exactly what fit a '92 944, so I bought from my usual supplier.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.