2 things about my 1990 760 Turbo wagon, 186,000 miles

#1-I have been keeping a close eye on my cooling system lately and have a question. I blew out that heater valve and replaced it (at dealer cost-OUCH!) and refilled the system. It's not overheating and I have not seen any leaks, but I have to top off the expansion tank every few days. I will be replacing both radiator hoses and the thermostat in the next few days and was wondering is there anything else to check? Also, the price varies on the bottom radiator hose, any advice on manufacturers or who to deal with?

#2-The 2 large turbo hoses are rather "spongy" (I can pinch them down)and occasionally when accelerating it sort of sputters and chugs. I pull over and shut him off, then it's just fine. How often do these hoses need to be replaced and should they be "stiffer"? And again, is there something else to look at.

Thank you

Philip

top it off every 2 days and no leaks? hmm... there's got to be a leak somewhere.

is your tranny fluid clean?

turn on the heat in your car and see if it smells like coolant or if the windows fog over. sweet smell = coolant. if that's the case, your heater core is leaking.
--
Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'

Philip,

Do your turbo hoses if they are soft, they can crack and tear, and the unregulated air can play havoc with your car. Doing all the hoses is a good idea since they have a hard life of heat, oil soak, pressure, and vibration.

I just bought a 91 745t and it started stuttering badly and losing boost over 4500RPM. It started getting harder and harder to start, and finally wouldn't start. The check engine light came on, and the OBD1 computer showed codes for too lean idle and bad TPS.

Discovered a half-inch crach in the turbo hose leading from the MAF to the turbo. Replaced this hose tonight, and the 4500RPM problem is gone - we will see about the hard start, but the engine seems much happier.

The hose was about $95 from fcpgroton.com, $230 from the dealer. It has an integrated sensor in it.

hth,

Jack

I assume if you're talking about the lower radiator hose, you've got a water cooled turbo. That hose lists for about $70 (Volvo P/N 6842129, French made).

FCP Groton has a hose for the same application (marked "German", presumably ScanTech brand) for $17.

No idea how they compare in quality, but for that price I figure it would probably be worth checking out.

- alex

'85 244 Turbo
'84 245 Turbo

Replace both radiator hoses, the coolant recovery hose, the heater hoses, and the turbo oil cooler hoses at the same time. Consider a new radiator if you have not already replaced it. See the FAQ for much more information.

The turbo hoses get softer, then crack under boost. Often the crack is hard to detect except when under boost.

have a shop look for exhaust gas in coolant.