I have an '82 245 with the two piece fan clutch and blade. I had recently suspected that the clutch was not operating (temperature gauge reading slightly higher than normal) so I ran the car up to operating temperatures then stopped the engine and quickly moved to the fan to see if the clutch had actually locked up. No, the fan still freewheeled with a slight amount of drag. The Volvo specialist in the area suggested that the fan clutch was the culprit and offered me a 'good used' unit that I promptly installed... to find no change. No change in temperature readings, no change in the aforementioned test. Does the engine have to get beyond normal range for the clutch to engage? I am thinking now that the radiator has a partial core blockage on the inside or the thermostat is restricting flow. Driving on the highway with the heater on low keeps the temperature gauge dipped below half which is normal for my car. Any thoughts on this popular topic? Thanks.

I have an 89 and found problems similar to what you explain. Tried taking out the rad and washing it out with water. All kinds of crap came out and the result - improved but not good. Changed thermostat from regular temp to the lower sensitivity degree setting and found car ran cooler at normal temp but still overheated. Rad flush - no change. Fan clutch acted as you explain. It didn't seem to engage. Ordered a "good" used one from a wrecker and found same problem. Took a blow torch to my old one and heated the coil - started to expand but the core didn't turn until bam, it moved. I lubed it with a rust penetrant, heated and cooled it a few times and installed it. Car runs great and even when it is 35 degees Celsius with humidity that puts it over 40 (that's like 100 to our American friends) with the air on and sitting in rush hour traffic, the temp is stable and never approaches the red.

Oh, and the warnings about soft bolts that attach clutch to water pump - all true. be careful as they round easily.

Andy
1989 244 DL - 344,000 Km

So... do you think I should just cut to the chase and see is if 'exercising' the spring and clutch will do the trick? I found out about the soft bolt problem long ago. If you ever break one of the studs, an intake stud from a 36hp VW engine works prefectly. I'll heat up my old clutch assembly and report back. Chad.

Well in Texas summer temperatures are always a problem. On my 82 240 I had the continous problem of the temperature rising with the AC on and 110 outside waiting in traffic. It never overheated by getting near the red zone and I always was left wondering whether the engine would overheat. I decided to bite the bullet and bought a 3core radiator from IPD. End of problem. The temperature gauge gets to half way and stays regardless of the temperature outside, AC on, in traffic and I use 190 deg thermostat. For me, the dollars spent was well worth the peace of mind. Anyhow that's my $.02

Hi Chad,

I've got a 245 built in Jan '83 so I consider mine like yours--the parts are all stamped '82....I bought this car 2 years ago and have watched the gauge creep up gradually towards red since I got it. In traffic and at high speed on the hwy. things have been worst. Running heater always worked, so I didn't worry too much until recently when summer hit in NE Ohio and 90+ degree temps pushed me and my body temp to the limit. Besides which, I've had 3 previous Volvos ( 2 142s; 1 242) that never pushed 1/2 way point on the gauge. There was also that ping that one gets on a high compression engine when it's running too hot.

The guy who sold me this beauty (delivered in So.CA, has only been in rust belt NE Ohio a year or so) told me the "high" reading on the gauge was cuz a hotter temp thermostat had been installed. "For better heat"--people like their creature comforts 'round here. I changed it, putting in a "turbo" 'stat from the dealer. 87 c vs. 92 c. This did lower the reading on the gauge but only marginally, so I realized I was on the wrong path. Before doing this, I flushed the whole system and blasted the smithereens out of the whole front radiator area.

A year (more?)went by and finally, one day, I spun the fan/clutch assembly on a hot day and realized it was freewheeling when it should have been providing "direct drive". I don't recall how I did it, but as an experiment I "locked up" the clutch so that the fan would spin in "real time"--e.g. no slip at idle. Amazing difference in both engine sound (woosh, woosh, like a WW II fighter) and cooling.

My solution (not original, I got it from one or more of the BBers) was to remove the fan, clutch, and shroud entirely and put in its place an ELECTRIC fan off an '86 or so Olds Cutlass. I wired it so I switch it on via a dash switch whenever i feel the need. Minimal effort, the thing screwed right into four holes in the Volvo radiator. Take a look under the hood at your neighbor's or friend's "modern" car and I bet you'll see an electric fan. Maybe two or three, actually.

On an old car the whole cooling system is undoubtedly "past it" and a cheapo solution like the electric fan will buy you time until you deal w/ all the other probs. that lead to overheating. Like loose hose clamps! My girlfriend's '91 Toyota came back on the towtruck today for that very reason.

BTW, the last "modern" vehicle I saw w/ a mechanical fan and clutch assembly was a '98 Chevy Blazer. Would you follow in GMs footsteps? I chuckle because that Cutlass fan is Delco as well as the prepump in your fuel tank....

Keep cool, run the heater if you have to!

Frank

Remove the fan and shroud, and flush the crap out of the radiator cooling fins from the engine side. High pressure carwash works best but a garden hose and nozzle will get most of the crud. The fan clutch relys on airflow across the bi-metal spring to tighten up and spin faster. If the airflow through the radiator is restricted, the clutch will not engage.

Hey Bill, The first thing I looked at was the passages through the radiator. With the exception of a few small grains of sand, the entire radiator is good. At this point I think I'll install my spare rad and change the thermostat for good measure. The hoses and clamps are less than a year old, that's roughly when I put the last water pump in. Realistically, at highway speeds, if your car is timed correctly, and so long as there isn't a blockage, leakage or failure there should be no reason for an overheating car. The fact that the use of the heater core does affect the overall temperature (lower) of the engine I think points to the radiator (blockage). This is assuming the fan is not really required to move air at speeds over 80 km/h.