Ok Turbohaulics! I switched the pump pulley to a smaller diameter 740 Turbo pulley to increase rate of flow. I have a GM elect. puller fan. The fan shroud is not as wide as the radiator. How can I fabricate a wider shroud, and seal in between the intercooler and radiator? What materials have you used? I removed the pusher fan as it was weak and I used the wires for my primary puller fan.
It still aproaches the red line on the temp gauge when climbing steep long grades using enough boost to maintain 80MPH.

Thanks,
Mark (thermostadt is 87 degrees C ) (60% distilled H20 to 40% Shellzone and Watter Wetter)(Mobil 1/Mann Filter)

Mark

I agree with the Philip and Pablos about your cooling system. It does not sound normal.

have you ruled out electrical gremlins with the temp gauge?
have you gotten out of the car when it is close to the red, opened the
hood and checked if it is really getting close to overheating?

I ask this because, it does not sound normal.

I run what you do cooling system (cept for Volvo Type C Coolant and 82 degree Tstat) and oil
wise and never have temp problems, in fact I think my radiator is
weeping just a bit causing me to loose pressure in the cooling system.

My temp normally warms up to 9 o clock, after getting to that point it
will start to drop down to normally 8:30, after being on the highway for
7-10 miles it will drop to almost 8.

those mods are a good idea, do u have AC? have you moved the AC
condenser out a bit to increase airflow to intercooler/radiator?
check out Dave Shannons page, he has information about this.

http://www.homestead.com/volvo2/Chinscoop.html
this page shows his custom scoop from the airdam, but also shows the AC
condensor moved out some to allow more air to intercooler.

hope this helps, and other to consider

take care

Luke
82 242Ti 167k miles
84.5 245T 300k miles retired due to condition...

You should never near the water temp redline. You could have a clogged radiator. It can be pressure tested. If you lose coolant, suspect a cracked head or failed gasket.

To increase cooling ability, consider an 82 degree C (about 180 F) engine thermo, a water pump with an impeller backing plate like the Hepu and not like the GMB that IPD sells, a higher pressure overflow bottle cap like the gray one from a later 740/940T (150 kpa or about 22 psi) that raises the boiling point of the coolant (but the pressure stresses tired hoses and weak heater core welds), and if funds allow a better radiator.

Contrary to popular belief, the three core copper/brass radiator that IPD sells (Nissen brand?) is probably no better than a new stock aluminum two row core unit. It might be more durable, however, because the stock one has plastic end tanks (they still last 5+ years and 100,000 miles, at which point a radiator should probably be replaced anyway). Aluminum radiators cool much better than copper/brass ones, but are more expensive. Volvo even makes a couple of special duty radiators, but they are expensive. Something from the aftermarket could be adapted (check out the Summit catalog and also the Evans Cooling catalog for some two one inch core aluminum radiators with metal endtanks for under $200 without the integral trans cooler). The ones with integral trans coolers are expensive. The best bet is one without the integral cooler; then you use a dedicated trans cooler (and a larger one if you already have the small stock one).

You can also experiment with using synthetic engine oil. It seems to handle heat better than normal oil. This can reduce thermal load on the block a bit.

Evans coolant is another possibility, but is expensive, so make sure your heater core and head gasket and head and hoses, etc are all good so you don't end up wasting it. www.evanscooling.com

A clogged converter will heat up the motor fast, and kill your turbo while doing so.

Better ducting and fan shrouding and so forth also helps. Some people have experimented with remounting the AC condensor so it is angled forward a bit at the top or bottom to get more air to the intercooler or radiator. Some cars are missing the scoop behind the front spoiler that goes up to the bottom of the radiator; salvage or buy one if so.

Philip Bradley

Rad is clean, three core nissan. Gray cap. I agree! Aluminum is best. The tropical duty is too expensive.I am going to find an old 2 core metal at a pick apart and have the ends attached to a palstic ended alum. unit. The idiot that had the car before me installed a 71C waller. It was never reaching op temp!

Thanks,
Mark

1) You could rig a fan shroud from sheet metal, rivits, etc. I saw some cool set ups at a rod show on saturday.

2) Make sure you have the piece of plastic that goes under the radiator/intercooler to keep the air flow through the mess.

I wasn't trying to be a smart ass in my previous post - I have a Mr. Gasket aftermarket electric fan. Works flawlessly. Yes turbos run very hot!
--
http://www.fidalgo.net/~brook4/oilslubesfilters.html

Great idea. I think I can attach the sheet metal to the shroud on the old GM fan shroud.

Thanks

1) Why would you think faster "rate of flow" will improve cooling? - it may in some cars but I have not found this to be an issue in B21Fti's. Actually with some cooling systems, slowing the rate of water flow allows the coolant to take on the heat and transfer it to the radiator more efficiently.

2) Doesn't that smaller pulley take a tad more power to turn, so there should be a small HP loss - perhaps this loss is cancelled by the electric fan? I dunno.

3) You used the AC pusher fan wiring for your primary. Hmmm I don't remember but that thermostat seems really high temp. to use as a primary circuit. Does it work? Does it come on when you stop after normal drive on a not too cold day?

4) If your car overheats while moving, maybe it isn't the fan that is the culprit.

--
http://www.fidalgo.net/~brook4/oilslubesfilters.html

1. The B21 and B23 B230 are the same block. If Volvo put this pulley on the B230FT it was because of heat.

2. The belts are turned by the crank pulley. The rate of spin is unchanged for the belts and the power that drives them.

3. The thermo switch is 87C (Below 200F) Waller, and mounted low on the 3 core radiator.

4. The fan isn't the culprit. Boost, generating heat is.


I was asking for ways to seal and maximize my cooling set up.

Thanks,
Mark

1) Not 100% sure about this. Hmm....
2) Yes but if the pump pulley size is changed to make pump spin faster (right?) then the driven pulley is smaller (right?) - which takes more power to drive. What am I missing here? But you say the rate of spin is unchanged. Please explain further - I must be missing something.
3) 87°C, OK. I thought that sucker was 92°C or something. I have the same thing in my 3-row, I rarely need my AC but that front pusher fan just hardly comes on.
4) Yeah as I thought, but I boost up hills on hot days for long periods of time and no over heating. Is the AC condensor (and IC) clear of dead bugs.

Just trying to help a fellow B21Fti-er!
--
http://www.fidalgo.net/~brook4/oilslubesfilters.html

Go to Home Depot (or whereever) and buy crack stuffer, I think it's made out of closed cell foam. It comes in a variety of diameters (3/8 - 3/4?) and can be stuffed in place to seal things up. You could use goop to secure it.
--
88 765 w/2stage boost & G-valve (TO.)

I used a puller fan from a Vauxhall Astra (the same as a Pontiac Le Man I believe) an the fan shroud is virtually identical in size the the Volvo rad. Looks cool and was a breeze to mount. Perhaps the shroud from one of these can be fitted to your fan.

You don't say what your fan shroud is made of but it's pobably ally or plastic. In either case, fabricate an ally plate to cover the gap and rivet it to the shroud. Make sre the rivets don't foul the fan blades. A bit of silicon sealant could be used to smooth the join.

Regards,

Big Rich
--
'86 245, B230A. 161k. Old 200s never die, they just live on in other cars.

Thanks Rich!
I used a fan from a Celebrity. I'll see what I can get at the pick a part from a Le Mans. Hey, at least GM cars have some use! I found some sealant called GOOP that remains pliable. I'll try that on the joins. It should peel off easily when I need it to.

Mark

My pleasure. One other thing I did was to fit an override switch so I can switch the fan on/off at will. This gives you a back up in the event the thermoswitch fails and allows you to start the fan spinning before things get too hot if you get stuck in traffic etc. I used a spare heated rear window switch which is great because it looks the part in the dash and has a built in tell tale so you know at a glance if its on or off.

Good luck with the project,

Rich.
--
'86 245, B230A. 161k. Old 200s never die, they just live on in other cars.