my 20 yr old radiator finally split & failed,,luckily the sensor worked & cut power to the engine,,THANKS OLD VOLVO DUDES!!I had another spare out of a the last 94 I saw in a junkyard that has fallen to the bulldozer & a Huge hotel complex!
BUT now I got another seal But cant figure out how to install it??
It wont just push in ?I guess Ill try to use a clamp& pieces of wood to Press it in??

turns out I need better glasses.I thought what I was I looking at was a lip of the radiator.IT was the old seal!I needed a better light to see it clearly.I pulled the old seal out & installed the new easily,,then I pushed the fan sensor into place!! Seal nioce & tite now!!\,

ILL USE A LENGTH OF THREAD TO TIE AROUND IT SO I DONT LOSE THIS 1

Dear Blindboy,

Hope you're well and stay so. Put the black rubber grommet in hot tap water and let it sit. That softens the rubber slightly. Take some dish-washing liquid soap and coat the outer edges of the grommet. Then press the grommet into the radiator's side-tank opening. It is OK to use a small, flat-blade screwdriver (1/8"-wide tip) to press the grommet into the opening.

Once the grommet is seated, clean the sensor's side with steel wool (if you're replacing the in-service sensor). Then, coat the sensor with dish-washing liquid soap and press the sensor into the grommet. This will take some finger power!

Once the sensor is seated fully, you need to wire the sensor in place, so it doesn't work loose. First, drill a 1/16" hole in the corner of the radiator fin closest to the engine. Then take 12" of brass wire. Run the brass wire through the hole in the radiator fin and then between the sensor's contacts. Make sure the brass wire does not touch either contact.

Then, wrap the brass wire around the brass hex fitting on the radiator's side tank (the hex fitting below the just-installed temp sensor). Bring together the two ends of the brass wire near to the radiator fin with the small hole in it. Twist both ends of the wire, using a pliers, to snug the wire. Finally, cut-off extra brass wire and file the cut ends, to smooth them. This will ensure the sensor stays in place.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

which end goes into the radiator? the thicker side or the skinny??

Dear Blindboy,

Hope you're well. As to the grommet, I always put the thicker section inside the radiator's side-tank. The thicker rubber makes it less likely that over-pressure blows-out the sensor, which leads to coolant loss.

I presume you'll use brass wire to hold the sensor in place. Therefore, which side of the grommet goes inside - the thicker or the thinner side - matters little.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

the thicker side of the seal is what remains outside the radiator.Thenthere is no brass" wire" the sensor is then pushed into the seal.Very tightfit

Dear Blindboy,

Hope you're well and stay so. I understand that the sensor seems "very tight".

But I had a plug - properly installed in place of a sensor - come out. Happily, it was on a cool day, and I hadn't driven far, so coolant temperature was low and little coolant was lost. I had a spare plug. I installed it, and wired it into place. It has not budged.

You are - of course - free to rely on the "tight fit". I suggest keeping in the car a gallon of Volvo coolant and a gallon of distilled water. That way, if the sensor comes out, you can top-up the coolant until you're home.

Hope this helps.

All the best for 2022!

Yours faithfully,

Spook

I finally realized what I had done wrong.The Old seal was in the spot.I need better glasses I pulled that out put in new seal & pushed the sensor into place!!

Hot water then silicon plumber grease. I do all my rubber seals with the silicon plumber grease. Keeps them from binding.

post some pictures