My 1967 222S, # 22244145341, is the European delivery version. I guess that amounts to its having the neat 4 into 2 exhaust manifold.

A few weeks ago I joined a couple of dozen other enthusiasts to camp in the Sierras and ride small old motorcycles (Honda CT90s) on and off road. My modus operandi is to throw a sleeping bag, rubber mat, and spare shirt in the far back, cooler with nutritious drinks and tube steaks, along with motorcycle paraphernalia (sp?) on the back seat. Then I carry the CT90 on bumper carriers, tied to the upper tailgate hinges and to the lower tailgate handle. The wagon bed makes a great and comfortable camper for me. All in all, an economical and stylish SUV to my way of thinking.

Starting near Pasadena, the first 36 miles over the Angeles Forest mountain 2 lane went well, peaking at 4910’ at Mill Creek summit.

Temp gage started creeping to the right once we flattened out in the Mojave Desert at about 11 AM. Was 2/3 to RED at Pearsonville, where the temperature outside had climbed to 107 degrees F. I have an old Zemco “driving computer” installed where the ash tray used to be, so I can monitor temp, gas mileage, and other entertaining things. Now things got interesting, as the Nine Mile Cyn road climbed from 1700’ to 7000’. Most of that climb was in 2nd gear, even with my wagon final drive ratio of 4.56:1. I even had to briefly shift to 1st to make the grade. During this time, the temperature needle crept past HOT and buried itself behind the fascia so I could see only the barest bit of red needle.

It was decision time, I expected that if I stopped, the radiator would erupt from the released engine heat boiling the now stationary water in the block and head. Instead, I pushed on and made the summit 97000’ and 87 degrees) where the indicated temperature came back down to about mid gage. Later I found out about 1 quart of coolant had been boiled or otherwise lost.

I suspect the coolant distribution tube in the head is clogged or otherwise inoperative. That would reduce the flow of cooled water from the radiator to the rear of the head where the temperature sensor resides. Of course, the overall cooling could be inadequate for such a hot day, but I have recently had the radiator rodded, and I do have a new water pump.

Has anyone else had experience with faulty water distribution tubes? It looks OK form the thermostat housing, but I can’t see much from there. It looks like it would be a major operation to pull that tube out through a hole sealed by an expansion plug in the front of the engine. I’m thinking it just might stick! Is this a DIY operation?

Thanks,
Larry in Pasadena

Regarding the coolant distribution tube.
Every time I do a head I remove the freeze plugs and pull out the tube to inspect it. The most common problem is that they are loose ( shake a head and hear it rattle ), which allows coolant to go around the tube rather than through it. I have never seen one that was actually plugged, but have seen them cracked or with the end plug missing.
Whether you can remove one with the head on the block is basically a question of whether you can get the freeze plugs out. The rear one is usually impossible to get to. However, you should be able to do a decent inspection through the front, and if its really loose, pull it out that way. ( I usually get them out by tapping it from the back. )

More common cooling problems are partially clogged radiators and back distributors.

John
V-performance.com

Larry,

Your wagon is a trooper, and I'm so excited that you're not afraid to put it through its paces like that! This is precisely what these cars were designed for.

I can't speak directly to your cooling problems (if there actually are any), but I do want to hear the rest of the story. Did the 222 make it the rest of the way and then back home without further issue?

One more thing, what are you doing tomorrow, 10/18? The Socal Chapter of Volvo Sports America is hosting a free get-together of vintage Volvos at Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank from 10 am - 2 pm. All Volvo owners are welcome. Feel free to come for as little or long as you can. Here's a link to a flier you can download with details--hope to see you there!

http://www.box.net/shared/g9ju8ittpr


-John
Socal Chapter Coordinator / Volvo Sports America

John,

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, i use the 222S like a truck, occasionally carring two motorcycles, one in the wagon bed and one on the bumper carriers. It has also carried >2000 # of gravel out of a quarry, but the rear suspension was riding on the bump stops and the tires were squashed out a bit, even at 35 PSI. I feel guilty about that.

Yes, it made it back from the mountains in fine style, and carried me and my bike back out to Ridgecrest last weekend.

I probably will make it to Autobooks-Aerobooks tomorrow, at least for the beginning of the ceremonies. I like to see how nice everyone else's cars look.

Cheers,
Larry

Might not have been perfectly bled and lots of up hill might have allowed any air to end up in the rad. Losing fluid under these conditions might be due to a poor seal on the rad cap. Overall though the Amazon did it's job well, just like they usually do.

Derek,

Of course, in principle you are correct about air bubbles. My belief is that any air bubbles will be flushed directly into the radiator, and then to the overflow bottle with normal temperature cycles. If there are any local high points to trap the air in the engine, that air will gradually be adsorbed into the coolant with the same result and as long as you baby the engine for the first week or so after introducing air to the system, all is well.

I may be wrong, but I believe way too much fuss has been made over flushing cooling systems.

I've been wrong before (I think),
Larry/Pasadena USA

I can't disagree with you there. I tend to forget about the bottle as I don't have one on my '65. As you say, after a certain point the engine will gradually bleed itself but it's sometimes difficult to bleed large pockets of air out initially. However it's a case of "define large".
Keep it rolling.

How much weight were you totin'? TO be honest, high revs, low speed.. climbing hills and high outside temperatures and thin high altitude air... that really doesn't sound out of line to me. If the car never started to buck and hesitate, you didn't get it too hot. your gauge might not read perfectly. Who's to say.

But, from an overheat standpoint, the conditions you describe are definitely the type that would put more of a strain on any vehicle's cooling system than almost anything else (short of being out of fluid).

Were I you, I'd be proud that the car made it and give her a wash and a pat on the dashboard. Sounds like like a trip that was a hell of a lot of fun!




--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

Matt,

Yes, the drive was darned fun. it did get a little hot in the cockpit at 107 F, but really not too bad with the windows open and the vents angled toward me. i also had one of those misters to spray on myself. I was getting all the revs I wanted on the highway at an indicated 70 (actually about 60) MPH, but it was running smooth and felt eager to go.

Not too much weight, me and the MC at 200# each, and perhaps another 100 # of camping supplies.

I would agree with you about climbing a steep desert grade in the heat, except the the way the temperatuure gage behaves makes me suspect the distribution tube. for example, when the thermostat (proper kind) is in control on a cool day and should hold the water temperature nearly constant, there is a pretty big swing of the gage from downhill to uphill. This makes me think that a gradient builds up between the thermostat location at the front of the head and the temp sensor at the rear. Maybe I have just spent too many drives imagining all the cool water spilling out at the front of the head, leaving a hot spot at the rear.

Yeah, i think i'll just drive it until there is a real problem like siezing. That's what having a spare used engine under my workbench does for me!

Larry/Pasadena