Volvo RWD 200 Forum

Looking at the Tanks on the ends of the radiator you will have copper or aluminum tubes running into the tanks from the top down. If you look closer at the radiator you will see that there are either 2 or 3 of the tubes running horizontally. So you may have (for example) 15 cores (tubes) running vertical from the to of the radiator to the bottom but then look and see how many you have running from the engine to the grill direction. 2 or 3?

Some radiators do not get thicker with a 3 core.. The cores just get smaller diameter. I don't like those. Easyier to clog, no increase water volume. If the Volvo 3 core does infact get thicker and fits I would much prefer the addition coolant that it will be holding and the cores are probably the same diameter as the two core.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwr and two motorcycles: it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

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3 row radiator? 200

posted by Jerry Warren on Wed Apr 2 16:35 CST 2003
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last visit: Tue Sep 2 17:06 CST 2008

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There wasn't any problem on my 82 245 telling the difference between the original(two row) and the three row that I bought. The three row is thicker. I got the three row to lower the engine temperature with the AC on. In Texas the engine got very warm in traffic. Changed over to the three row the temperature gauge went to the 9-oclock position and stayed there. Idling in traffic with the AC on never caused the temperture gauge to move from the 9-o'clock position in the summer time.

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3 row radiator? 200

posted by Cliff Pope on Thu Apr 3 02:13 CST 2003
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last visit: Thu Feb 3 05:28 CST 2011

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I have read elsewhere that the 3 v. 2 row discussion is not a valid argument because people are always comparing an old 2-row with a new 3-row. In my experience any new radiator lowers the temperature, because even a reasonable existing radiator will be slightly furred up and have missing or squashed fins.
The scientific argument is that after 2 rows the air has necessarily been warmed by the heat extracted from the first rows that it has little cooling effect left for the third.

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3 row radiator? 200

posted by Jerry Warren on Thu Apr 3 13:42 CST 2003
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last visit: Tue Sep 2 17:06 CST 2008

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I can see you point but in my case the two row radiator was clean. It was less than 10 years old when I replaced it. Even when the car was new I still had the same problem with the temperature climbing at idle with the AC on especially when the temperature got above 105. I have had the 3 row for 12 years and the AC unit works much better with the 3 row.

I would routinely back flush the radiator to make sure the fins were clear of any bugs that managed to get through the fiberglass mesh I had behind the grill to keep insects out.

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