The one part of my car that has been neglected is the cooling system. I don't believe it has been touched since mid-2000 when the car got a major tuneup.

At that time the original radiator was replaced with an aluminum/plastic Nissen radiator.

8 years and 50,000 miles later the radiator appears to be fine. It doesn't leak and the car runs like it should.

What is the lifespan of a Nissen radiator? Can I get a few more years out of it, or does the plastic go bad like on the Volvo radiators? Do Nissens have an issue with internal leakage and the mixing of ATF and coolant?

This weekend I plan to do a major overhaul of the cooling system and if the radiator needs replacing I'd rather do it now than when I am in the middle of Montana with nothing for a 100 miles between me.


Tim
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1987 Volvo 740 GLE, 127k

Remember to replace the heater valve. They fail catastrophically. About six years ago, I had one split and ended up walking three miles to get to a phone.
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john

You can probably get another year or two out of it with reliability. To be safe, think about installing a loss-of-coolant sensor in the expansion tank (see FAQ for parts and instructions) so if you do spring a leak, you'll know in time to shut down the car.

Hi Steve,

I've seen that FAQ on the coolant loss sensor switch.
How many minutes of operation would you have after the coolant
switch engages?
Maybe the coolant loss switch should interrupt the FI relay or
whatever to kill the engine outright instead of hoping the driver notices
the idiot light? It could save a head gasket.

Bill

Bill, all the coolant loss sensor tells you is that the coolant level has dropped below the level of the lower third of the reservoir. This can happen on a cold morning if your summer coolant level is otherwise normal, or it can be the harbinger of sudden and catastrophic loss. When it lights up, you need to stop and assess things. In some cases, you need to shut the engine off ASAP.

I agree that a mere lamp can be overlooked. You could easily wire in a buzzer if that provides more peace of mind.

You probably don't want to suddenly kill your engine just because the resevoir coolant level is low. I would think a buzzer or some other audible alarm you could manually shut off or reset would be enough.

Hi Fixit,

Once I lost a water pump on the interstate, and the idiot light
didn't light and/or I didn't see it.
The realization I had a problem was when the engine started making evil noises.
I pulled over and the engine was deiseling and needed a sweatshirt stuffed down the carb intake to stop it.
The engine was a hurting buckaroo after that.

It might have saved a lot of grief to have a coolant loss switch shut down the engine.

BB

You wouldn't want it to shut down on a railroad crossing or similar traffic situations.

You're right.

Maybe some loud obnoxious alarm hooked to a low coolant switch
might be the best. There's a whole lot of places I wouldn't want to be with
an engine suddenly dead.

Bill

I think that's a great idea, although I would build in a small time delay, say a second or 2, for when the coolant gets sloshed around during cornering or bumpy roads - you don't want the fuel pump to cut out unnecessarily!
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1987 Volvo 740 GLE, 127k

Thanks for the help!

I am replacing the heater valve - the new one is sitting here next to me!

I also plan to install the switch in the coolant reservoir as a precaution too.


Tim
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1987 Volvo 740 GLE, 127k