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Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

posted by  jwalker on  Wed Apr 13 04:15 CST 2005
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last visit: Fri Jun 6 08:39 CST 2014
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This spring I plan on replacing my leaking water pump. I am also considering replacing my radiator at the same time. The radiator seems fine. Just thought I'd combine the jobs.

My only concerns with the radiator are that the car runs about 3/4 of the way up the temp. gauge on highway trips in warm/hot weather. Never comes close to overheating. BTW - Temp. comp. board bypass done.

For a long time I was convinced that it is the original radiator and it simply looked good and was going strong. Maybe a little crud buildup inside that I haven't been able to flush out. Well, I was in a boneyard the other day and looked at 2 - 240 radiators. Each clearly stated Blackstone on the top. My car's radiator simply has a Volvo sticker on the top, no Blackstone name anywhere. So, I'm beginning to suspect that the radiator might have been replaced before I bought the car with another brand or perhaps an unmarked Blackstone. It is the plastic tank type.

Anybody have a take on this? Maybe I should just go ahead and replace it anyway while I'm in there...

Any other reason (besides rad.) why the car runs a little hot on the highway in warm weather?

Thanks all!!


Jim
--
90 244DL 251K - original engine/drivetrain :)








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    Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

    posted by  someone claiming to be Charles on  Wed Apr 13 06:43 CST 2005 [RELATED]

    The OEM Blackstone radiator is a good unit, but even for the B23F/B230F it is undersized (not enough "surface area") and under a full load with the A/C on the temp gauge will easily climb past 12:00. Turbos are even more susceptible to this phenomenon.

    The other weakness of the Blackstone radiator is its side tanks. The core is aluminum, but the side tanks (where the hoses meet the body of the radiator) are plastic and will eventually fail. The OEM radiator in my '85 244Ti held up for 15 years and then cracked at the elbow where the upper hose connects to the radiator. This was not a catastrophic failure, but if I hadn't noticed the leak right away and parked the car until I could fix it, there is a good chance that the end tank would have "blown" and I would have lost all of my coolant on the road.

    I recommend a Nissens 3-row. FCP Groton offer two varities of the Nissens 3-row. The 3-row copper Nissens is only $10 more than the 2-row Nissens with an aluminum core and plastic side tanks- obviously, the 3-row copper radiator is a better buy. Much better cooling (temp gauge in the '85 reads 1/2 when it used to read 3/4, and 1/4 when it used to read 1/2) and the copper radiator can be soldered for a couple of bucks if it ever leaks.








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      Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

      posted by  jwalker on  Wed Apr 13 07:24 CST 2005
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      last visit: Fri Jun 6 08:39 CST 2014
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      Thanks Charles!

      Know about the cracking tanks. That is the only reason I would replace an otherwise fine radiator. Has never overheated!

      If I buy a new one it will be a Blackstone. Best quality from my research here on the board. People here have claimed to have fitting problems with the Nissan's. Also, some folks claim they only last 1-5 years.

      We shouldn't complain about Blackstones when they typically last 10-20 years! Longest lasting radiators I know of...

      --
      90 244DL 251K - original engine/drivetrain :)








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        Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

        posted by  someone claiming to be Charles on  Wed Apr 13 07:51 CST 2005 [RELATED]

        It was five years in March for my Nissens, and so far no problems (knock on copper). Fits OK, bit snugger than stock but again, no problems.

        I think that a few years back Nissens cranked bad batch or two of the 3-rows. Bad solder joints or something along those lines. Haven't heard of any issues of late.








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    Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

    posted by  TONY H on  Wed Apr 13 05:11 CST 2005
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    last visit: Fri Oct 17 16:39 CST 2014
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    Sounds like the Blackstone question was answered.
    Slight overheat. Could be Crud on the inside but you may want to try a quicky idea and pull the Fan and shroud off and take a garden hose and blast water from the engine compartment, out. You may have so much road dirt buildup on the fins it can't disipate the heat. I do this when ever I do the Timing belt and I can make a beach with the sand and silt that comes out.
    It's best to do it from the egine compartment out this way you are pushing the debris out the opposite direction it came in.
    --
    '75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me








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      Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

      posted by  jwalker on  Wed Apr 13 05:37 CST 2005
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      last visit: Fri Jun 6 08:39 CST 2014
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      Yeah, I usually blast out the debris as you described every year. However, doesn't seem to make any difference in how hot the car runs on the highway...

      I checked this hot running thing out a long time ago, doesn't seem to be typical of a bad fan clutch either.

      I may be wrong, but I'm beginning to suspect that the water pump might be weak. No noise or evidence though...

      Maybe it is radiator time after all??


      --
      90 244DL 251K - original engine/drivetrain :)








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        Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

        posted by  TONY H on  Wed Apr 13 06:19 CST 2005
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        last visit: Fri Oct 17 16:39 CST 2014
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        Just an FYI

        I have an '89 with 251K+ Original radiator and original Water Pump, tempgauge reads 9oclock.

        It still could be T-stat or Radiator clog or Water pump.
        It's obvious I'm no help at all. : )
        --
        '75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me








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          Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

          posted by  jwalker on  Wed Apr 13 07:15 CST 2005
          Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
          last visit: Fri Jun 6 08:39 CST 2014
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          Hey Tony,

          Thanks for the help anyway!

          Does all this talk about cracking plastic radiator tanks scare you at all? Must admit, it gets me thinking sometimes. Other times I couldn't care less!

          Original water pump, that's impressive!! This is my second. Did T-stat about 2 years ago, good as far as I know.

          Not sure, but I might try one more radiator flush/cleaning while doing the water pump to see if that helps with the hot running. However, it does make sense to do it with the water pump. We'll see....

          Jim

          --
          90 244DL 251K - original engine/drivetrain :)








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    Couple of radiator questions (Blackstone and more..) 200 1990

    posted by  Steve on  Wed Apr 13 04:49 CST 2005
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 07:16 CST 2014
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    The radiator fails at the side tank, typically the hot intake on the driver's side. Blackstone radiators are of very high quality, better than aftermarket, but the Nissens aluminum-plastic radiators are OK as well. For peace of mind, you might bite the bullet. Radiators are rarely replaced until they fail and then they usually cause some engine damage. If you have no evidence of a new head gasket in your car's records, then the radiator is likely original.







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