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Volvo 940 needs air to avoid overheating...

posted by  someone claiming to be macarose on  Thu Sep 30 03:35 CST 2010 [RELATED]

I love this car. A 1993 Volvo 940 with about 230k. Just got it painted for $300 and the car looks just about as good as new. Except for one problem.

The coolant temp goes up. This happens whenever I'm at a stop and especially when I have the a/c on.

I notice two problems related to this...

1) The metal foil coil that connects the two openings is torn so air is going right out.

2) If I loosen up the coolant reservoir cap the coolant stays stable for the most part. However in exceptionally hot days it can challenge the red line.

I'm thinking that it has something to do with air in the system. But I'm not 100% sure. Any similar experiences or insights would be most appreciated. Thanks!








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    Volvo 940 needs air to avoid overheating... 900 1993

    uid 18083's pic
    posted by  lucid on  Thu Sep 30 06:12 CST 2010
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 12:31 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    "The metal foil coil that connects the two openings is torn so air is going right out."

    Sorry but I don't understand that comment.

    Metal foil coil?
    Two openings in what? where?

    My fogginess aside, at 230K your radiator may be due for replacement, or clogged with road litter, or both. We found my son's '92 radiator cooling fins all crumbling away when we tipped the fan back to get a look.

    That, plus the crud blocking much of the lower radiator air flow gave the much same symptoms that you describe.

    --
    Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.








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    Volvo 940 needs air to avoid overheating...

    posted by  Milanomike on  Thu Sep 30 05:28 CST 2010
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    last visit: Sat Oct 11 22:27 CST 2014
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    Your car's electric fan should absolutely be running when the AC is on, need to make sure it is. In addition to the sensor in the radiator there is a relay in front of the battery, they can go out. Also, make sure thermostat is good, i.e. does it open all the way. All of these fixes are cheap and easy to do. Good luck.

    Mike








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      '93 940 AC doesn't run the Fan all the time... 900 1993

      uid 18083's pic
      posted by  lucid on  Thu Sep 30 06:02 CST 2010
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      last visit: Fri Oct 24 12:31 CST 2014
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      There is no AC circuit to the Fan relay except when High Side pressure gets too high. The Fan control relay is turned on by the following:

      HIGH Speed —
      • Radiator Temp Switch
      • Gray-top Pressure sensor on AC Condenser

      LOW Speed —
      • Brown-top Pressure sensor on AC Condenser
      • LH 2.4 Fuel ECU (Turbo cars only)

      The only time my '93 940 Fan runs is with prolonged idling on a very hot day with the AC on. But the AC isn't very cold under those conditions, so I wired a separate dash switch in parallel with the radiator sensor for manual fan control when I want it.



      --
      Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.








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    Volvo 940 needs air to avoid overheating... 900 1992

    posted by  wwcline on  Thu Sep 30 04:23 CST 2010
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    last visit: Fri May 13 06:18 CST 2011
    [RELATED]

    When the car overheats, is the electric cooling fan running? It should run whenever the coolant temperature exceeds a certain temperature. If the fan doesn't run, that could make the car overheat when standing still.

    The fan is controlled by a thermoswitch that plugs into the radiator, near the top of the passenger's side (in the U.S.). I had the switch go bad on my 1992 940, preventing the fan from running.

    I think you can pull the two wires from the thermoswitch and touch them together to start the fan manually. It will run even with the ignition switched off, so be careful. If the fan runs manually, that suggests that the thermoswitch is to blame, and not the fan motor or relay.








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      Volvo 940 needs air to avoid overheating... 900 1992

      posted by  Will740turbo on  Thu Sep 30 08:38 CST 2010
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      last visit: Wed Oct 22 16:09 CST 2014
      [RELATED]

      You can just short the two pins together with a pocket knife or something similar. On my 740, it won't run with the ignition off. Then again, my 740 seems to have been the victim of a mad scientist playing frankenstein.

      I would definitely check your thermostat and your radiator. If you're running the original all-metal radiator, an aluminum replaement will give you better cooling even though it has plastic end caps.

      Happy Bricking
      William
      --
      1990 740 Turbo, on its way to stock specs, maybe beyond







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