Hey gang,

I am running an '87 240 sedan as a daily driver. No serious problems to speak of. The radiator is original, at 370,000 miles. Should I replace it due to age and miles? No leaks or overheating. Opinions?

hm240

You are on borrowed time with that plastic tanked radiator. I had one rupture while driving, a close call, headgasket-wise. Had the wife been driving, no way would the outcome have been happy.

I drove my '86 240 to around 350,000 miles on what I'm quite sure is the original radiator. Never leaked fluid. Sold the rusty thing for $200.

If you start down that road, you should replace every other part that has ever caused catastrophic failure to people:

Fuel pump relay
Engine
Transmission
Alternator
Fuel pressure regulator
Fuel filter
Both fuel pumps
All valve springs (I guess that fits in Engine)

you get the idea...

You could spend your life savings fixing parts that might break....

That said, if I found a sweet deal on something like that (ie pick and pull for $10), I'd probably get it to have around in case.

Nate
--
1997 850, 1979 242GT, 1990 740GL

Just to add confusion, I just replaced my original radiator 300K miles 1989. It had a very very slow weep that I smelled and never saw dripping until I removed the radiato and saw the small stain on the Tank. So I'd be inclined to wait.

My other car that has the plastic tanks on the radiator gave me plenty of warning prior to me swapping it out.

If you are not hanging on the Hoses and twisting teh heck out of the Nipples on the tanks...should be OK.

--
'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

Hi, I run a 1977 264 Grande Luxe as a daily driver. But, before I replaced the engine, I ran the original. This car was "original". Brakes, radiator, coolant, all original. It only had 80,000 miles though. Needless to say, there were some problems to address. They might have replaced the front pads once, but the original shocks, steering, ball joints, and bushings were all virgin and old. That's two words you don't want to see together.

Alas, I guess you could change your radiator, but what sort of satisfaction would you gain? Piece of mind you say. Hell, I'd rather be chasing a piece of hind! I realize though that you have an automatic transmission, and due to this undisputed fact, you really ought to be checking into a brand new unit for the summer months. When your coolant starts to mix with the transmission fluid, the only hind your going to chase is the back of a tow truck.

I have my doubts about some operations, justifications seem to arise from thin air. Just make sure in the end you're not pulling out your hair.

Goatman

If it isn't all metal and its 21 years old, then YES! I've had a couple of failures where the inlet tube at the top of the radiator snapped off without warning while driving. Fortunate in both cases to be within a short distance of home base.

Shop around before this becomes an emergency and find a good deal..then replace that thing. Plastic has its place, but not in this critical component. Obviously a cost cutting measure that was ill-advised.

Regards,

Tatra Mike
San Diego, California

1985 244 "Alfsen" (the first - the flagship)
1984 245 "Buster" (with the relatives in Seattle}
1985 245 "Cosmo" (enjoying retirement in the side yard)
1985 245 "Daisy" (back seat down, full of tools, the work truck)
1985 245 "Earl (hoozah, another stick shift!)

Hello,

There is the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" line of thought.

But I have an 86 that had water pump bearing start squeeling like a stuck pig. Pulled the radiator during the replacement of the pump and found a crack in a seam leaking when running water through it. They get pretty fragile after 20 years or so and it must have split when it was being removed or handled. So you at least may want to start looking around for a replacement to have in reserve.

I got really lucky and found a 84 Turbo in the Pick Ur Parts with a real brass radiator in nice condition. Had to do a little plumbing on the connectors but made for a nice replacement part. At least you can have that one rebuilt. The plastic ones are throw aways.

Regards,

Paul

I have had my radiator cleaned out two times in 20 years, about 10 years to each cleaning. Professional rad shop should run 40 to 75, they pressure test also.
Larry
(you gotta pull it and deliver to them)