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Was reading a post about inferior ball joints and the damage that could have come from cheap parts, when I deceided I should alert those in Brickboard land about what I believe are cheap thermostats coming from a MAJOR on-line VOLVO retailer.
To make a long-story-short, I was concerned that my '95 850T with only 168,000 miles had blown a head gasket. I'm real anal about maintenance so this possible issue was very disturbing to me. I started to notice oil in the expansion tank and most of the posts pointed to the gasket. The only problem was the car was not overheating and was running perfectly.
After a diagnostic test at my mechanic (both chemical and block), it turned out that a stuck thermostat caused the radiator to fail where the coolant and motor oil enter the radiator. After running the car, the mechanic realized that the fans were not coming on and the upper coolant and bleeder hoses appeared to be plump and under extreme pressure. Since the temp sensor sits under the thermostat, he knew that coolant was not circulating properly and replaced the thermo.
I guess I should mention that I replaced ALL coolant hoses, radiator and thermostat about 3 years ago. I did the work myself!!! It's not the easiest job to squeeze a Turbo radiator into the 850, but I figured the repair would last me at least as long as the original parts. Boy was I wrong.
I made sure that the new thermostat is OEM Volvo and I now have to invest in another radiator to get the car in shape for Summer vacation.
Like the guy in OK with the inferior ball-joints, you HAVE TO PAY MORE for certain OEM items to make sure the Volvo stays safe.
Happy motoring!
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