1977 Volvo 244 Overheating!!!

Ok I have a 1977 Volvo 244. Its been overheating for a long time and
we got a used water pump and put it in and that didnt seem to help so
we took the thermostat out and that seemed to help it would overheat a
littl but no where near as bad as it did when the thermostat was in.
we tried flushing the radiator and putting in a newer but still used
thermostat and it overheated worse so we took the thermostat out and
now it doesnt over heat very much still a little especially when its
over a certain tempature outside. Im afriad that once it start getting
colder outside not having a thermostat in it will hurt my car or
something I dont know. But any suggestions on why it would be
overheating and what I can do about it would be appriciated very much.
HELP!!!! I love my car and if i cant figure out whats wrong with and
if i cant fix it for a reasonable price I will have to get rid of it.
Please save my poor volvo!

 

Does it overheat when the car is driving at a decent rate of speed? If not,
the fan clutch is probably bad, this will manifest itself worse sitting in
traffic. Don't bother with used thermostats and water pumps unless you
already have known good stuff laying around, brand new ones can be ordered
from FCP Groton for a reasonable price and will normally last longer.

 

Its overheats when Im driving at normal speeds and uphills even
worse...havent even attempted to take it on the freeway or
anything...But when Im stopped at a stop light just sitting it cools
down.

 

That's a little more unusual, I'd check the ignition and camshaft timing,
also pull one of the spark plugs and look to see if it has evidence of a
lean mixture, that can cause overheating.

Another thing to check is to see if the coolant expansion tank is cracked or
the cap is not holding pressure.

Radiator is also suspect, see if you can feel it for cool spots, if the car
doesn't have AC, you can pop the grill out and feel it from that side so the
fan isn't in the way.

 

Also see if you can get someone to do a leakdown test, a blown head gasket
will also cause overheating, you can often smell exhaust in the coolant
reservoir in that case.

 

It doesnt have ac...and as for checking the ignition and camshaft
timing...it has a hard time stating too I dont know if that has
anything to do with it overheating or not but yea. And I forgot to add
if the heater is on when the thermostat isnt in it doesnt overheat at
all if the thermostat is in and the heater is on it still over heats
but not as bad...
So at first my best bet would be to replace the thermostat, water pump
and fan clutch and see if that helps? as far as i can tell those are
the three least expensive things to replace.
Oh also a few people have asked me if it could be due to collant
leakage but I dont think it could be because after we replaced the
water pumpwith the used one because the old on was leaking really bad
we put coolant in it and every time I would check to see if it needed
more it hadnt went down at all and if it didnt it would barley go
down...almost like its not circulating or something I dont know..

 

can we do a leakdown test at home? if i remember right someone looked
at my car and said they thought my head gasket was leaking....if i
replace the head gasket do i have to get the kit or just the head
gasket its self? sorry for all the questions but your the only one
thats been able to tell me somewhat of what could be wrong with my
car. thank you by the way.

 

If the water pump shaft feels tight and it isn't leaking, then the pump is
ok for now so just leave that alone.

If someone said the head gasket may be leaky, look at that first, it's easy
to check, and you have to take all the other stuff apart to get to it
anyway. You can do a leakdown test at home if you have an air compressor and
a fitting to fit in the spark plug holes to pressurize the cylinders one at
a time with the coolant cap removed, then listen for air hissing in the
intake, exhaust, oil filler cap, and bubbling out the coolant, if the gasket
is leaky, this will tell you as well as it evaluates the condition of the
valves.

 

Oops, I forgot to say, get the whole top end gasket set, the rest of the
gaskets and seals are only a bit more than just the head gasket and they
should generally all be replaced.

 

probably does not solve all of the symptoms you describe, but a very cheap
cleanup to try:

1. disconnect your radiator hoses and empty the cooling system (most will
advise you don't try to preserve and reuse your coolant fluid, but replace
with new instead).
2. remove your radiator and take it to your local do-it-yourself car wash.
3. lean the radiator against a wall, with the front of the radiator against
the wall, and the back (with the hose pipes) facing you.
4. insert a quarter in the high-pressure washer, and blow all the bugs and
road debris out of the radiator fins with the wash gun.
5. put it all back together and refill with coolant.

this technique did not solve all of my 91 240 overheating, but made a
significant difference.

 

Sounds a whole lot like it's time for a new radiator. And yes, running
without a thermostat is *not* good for the car nor the environment nor
your gas mileage.

 

I wanted to add this and see if it would make a difference on
anything. Today was rainy and chilly outside and I had to go pick up
my little sister from school it took about an hour...an hour of
driving and my car just barely warmed up...it didnt even get to
"normal" tempature. I dont know if that would help put into
perspective more of what is wrong with it but I just thought I would
add that to see if that helps figure out the problem any more.

 

Try this, get it all nice and warm to where it's running a bit too hot, then
pop the hood and watch the radiator fan. Shut off the engine and go look at
the fan, it should stop spinning when the engine does, if it keeps spinning
freely then the fan clutch is bad. On some of these, you can pop the spring
off the end and flip it around to force it engaged for testing. It's also
possible the radiator is bad, but either way a leakdown test is worthwhile
because it's cheap and tells you a lot about the overall condition of the
engine.

 

[ ... ]

Another thing to look at is the radiator hoses, in particular the one
to the water pump inlet. They soften with age and can collapse under
load (when the pump is running faster), which would fit with the symptom
of not overheating at idle (pump running slow, so hose doesn't collapse).

Hoses are cheap--$10 each at IPD:

http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-200/Heating-&-Cooling/RadiatorHeater-Hoses-&-Clamps/p-69-261-1288/

New thermostats are about the same:

http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-200/Heating-&-Cooling/Thermostats-&-Seals/p-69-261-1261/

You can try having someone watch the hoses while you rev the engine; the
collapse will probably be visible. The lower one is probably the culprit.
But if you're going to replace one, do both.

IPD is a good source; they sell quality parts, a cut above the local chain
stores.


Gary

 

--

If I have followed this correctly you do not now have a thermostat
installed. Get a new one and put it in in the correct direction. If you
have it put in backwards it will not function correctly.

 

Pat, you're correct about cleaning out all the accumulated debris on
the radiator but with a 240, I would more likely suspect the inside of
the radiator. Given the history noted below, I am inclined to suspect
that a radiator rebuild or NEW replacement plus putting in a NEW
t'stat will probably fix the problem.

I once had a leaking head gasket on a 240 and the symptoms were not as
reflected in the original report.

That's my opinion, offered absolutely cost-free and surely worth every
penny spent.

Chuck Fiedler
Nothing but Volvo since 1974

 

Do NOT panic. You have contacted a rich lode of useful information and
experience. Between us we'll figure out what's going on.

The following advice is free but based on an experience that goes back
before your 240 was built. First, do not buy used parts like
radiators, water pumps and thermostats for a *30-year-old* car!
Your time to install the part is (probably) no different and the part
is some four to six times more expensive for new but so is the chance
of success.

DO NOT buy these kinds of parts from a dealer! There are many
after-market parts sources and they are MUCH cheaper than the dealers.

Also, you should not run without a thermostat, especially when it's
cold but even in the summer. That 'stat is there to make the car run
efficiently and not burn *bunches* on unnecessary gas.

Chuck Fiedler
Nothing but Volvo since 1974