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Radiator opinions

VolvoLatAm

VolvoLatAm

Active member
Joined
Oct 4, 2019
Location
Colombia
I have a 1982 244 non-turbo, so many people argue back and forth about radiator size, 3 rows, not wanting plastic endcaps/header ends, brass, aluminum, copper, etc. there are too many options and factors...etc.

Also, what caused this on my radiator, road debris? Seems grinded down or something.
https://imgur.com/gallery/8JH7uWK

What is the answer? What should I get?
 
I believe that the prevailing opinion is that an original copper radiator is better than aftermarket aluminum/plastic. The problem is that all copper radiators are now 30+ years old and radiator repair shops have gone out of business.

For your adventure I would think that any new aluminum/plastic one would be very adequate to get you home.
 
TestPoint said:
I believe that the prevailing opinion is that an original copper radiator is better than aftermarket aluminum/plastic. The problem is that all copper radiators are now 30+ years old and radiator repair shops have gone out of business.

For your adventure I would think that any new aluminum/plastic one would be very adequate to get you home.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am too young to know about radiator re-core shops
 
TestPoint said:
The problem is that all copper radiators are now 30+ years old and radiator repair shops have gone out of business.
Click to expand...

There is still one in San Diego! same location since the 60s!!!

They have the giant vat of coolant and the torches going all day long.

You have to really, really, really want this because they CHARGE A LOT OF MONEY for a re-core! :lol:

My buddies classic Range Rover was like $800 all together
 
whole place must smell like IHOP

philski o'flood said:
There is still one in San Diego! same location since the 60s!!!

They have the giant vat of coolant and the torches going all day long.

You have to really, really, really want this because they CHARGE A LOT OF MONEY for a re-core! :lol:

My buddies classic Range Rover was like $800 all together
Click to expand...
 
The last radiator shop in Georgia. Dalton Georgia

d21e7032-41b5-491f-a6e8-f7100466756d.jpg~original


Charged me $100 to remove both tanks and rod out the core about 4 years ago. Could have had a new aluminum/plastic one for the same cost. Hope they are still around. They were making a living working on heavy equipment at that time. I was probably the first auto customer they had seen in some time.
 
Last edited:
Dalton wow, I am from Sandy Springs

TestPoint said:
The last radiator shop in Georgia. Dalton Georgia

d21e7032-41b5-491f-a6e8-f7100466756d.jpg~original


Charged me $100 to remove both tanks and rod out the core about 4 years ago. Could have had a new aluminum/plastic one for the same cost. Hope they are still around. They were making a living working on heavy equipment at that time. I was probably the first auto customer they had seen in some time.
Click to expand...
 
iHateVolvoPeople said:
No problem with the plastic ones at all. They will likely outlast the car assuming you somewhat maintain your cooling system.
Click to expand...

I am not so sure about that.

On my 1987 745 Turbo the OEM rad had an aluminum core with plastic side tanks. One fine hot day I parked the car after doing some run around activities and came out about 10 minutes later to find most of the coolant on the parking lot.

Had it towed to a local shop that I used. The shop owner said 'been there, done that, no repair just replace'. The glue holding the tank onto the core had failed and the rise in temperature and pressure on engine shut down had been sufficient to give it that final little push. He was able to source an all aluminum replacement locally and I had the car back the same day.

Cooling system maintenance won't help because corrosion was not the issue. It was failure of the adhesive that bonded the tank to the core. Perhaps they have improved that; but, you have a fundamental design problem when you try to glue two dissimilar materials together (aluminum and plastic) which have different coefficients of thermal expansion and then repeatedly heat cycle them.
 
142 guy said:
I am not so sure about that.

On my 1987 745 Turbo the OEM rad had an aluminum core with plastic side tanks. One fine hot day I parked the car after doing some run around activities and came out about 10 minutes later to find most of the coolant on the parking lot.

Had it towed to a local shop that I used. The shop owner said 'been there, done that, no repair just replace'. The glue holding the tank onto the core had failed and the rise in temperature and pressure on engine shut down had been sufficient to give it that final little push. He was able to source an all aluminum replacement locally and I had the car back the same day.

Cooling system maintenance won't help because corrosion was not the issue. It was failure of the adhesive that bonded the tank to the core. Perhaps they have improved that; but, you have a fundamental design problem when you try to glue two dissimilar materials together (aluminum and plastic) which have different coefficients of thermal expansion and then repeatedly heat cycle them.
Click to expand...


Don't know who told you there is glue holding the aluminum grid to the side tanks. There is a seal along the perimeter of the junction and the aluminum is crimped onto the side tanks. The plastic fails from heat cycles and age but there is no glue.

Your radiator was probably 20 years old when that happened. I'd say that's a pretty good service life. Sure an all metal one is great. But too much is made of the metal and plastic radiator being a bad thing.

Also the aluminum and plastic radiators weigh about 1/3 the weight giving the car better handling. If you got an all aluminum replacement that's great but usually the metal replacements are not all aluminum. They are all metal either being brass and copper or steel.
Nissens makes a very good quality replacement with a screw in temp sensor for the fan.
 
142 guy said:
I am not so sure about that.

On my 1987 745 Turbo the OEM rad had an aluminum core with plastic side tanks. One fine hot day I parked the car after doing some run around activities and came out about 10 minutes later to find most of the coolant on the parking lot.

Had it towed to a local shop that I used. The shop owner said 'been there, done that, no repair just replace'. The glue holding the tank onto the core had failed and the rise in temperature and pressure on engine shut down had been sufficient to give it that final little push. He was able to source an all aluminum replacement locally and I had the car back the same day.

Cooling system maintenance won't help because corrosion was not the issue. It was failure of the adhesive that bonded the tank to the core. Perhaps they have improved that; but, you have a fundamental design problem when you try to glue two dissimilar materials together (aluminum and plastic) which have different coefficients of thermal expansion and then repeatedly heat cycle them.
Click to expand...

That?s Volvo?s fault for running grandpa series at 150kpa. Throw your radiator cap in the trash and install one from a 240 that operates at half the pressure. There is absolutely no need for ~20psi in the cooling system.
 
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