i was browsing through www.newandusedvolvoparts.com and came across their radiator section.

"4 different versions of this radiator: 8601127 is a 2-row "tropic" (i.e. heavy duty) version of the standard 2-row copper/brass radiator, made by Nissens. 8601127/AFT is a 3-row super-duty copper/brass radiator, made by Nissens. 8601127/CSF is a 3-row heavy-duty copper/brass radiator, made by CSF. 8601127/NSS is latest Nissens'high-efficiency aluminum/plastic radiator (hi-strength tanks reinforced w/ fiberglass and an aluminum core with more cooling performance than their all-metal 3-row).
All of the Volvo radiators offered are designed to withstand system pressures much higher than the 150kPa that is the maximum specified by Volvo. However, defective pressure caps or hose blockages can cause the pressure to exceed the radiator's designed limit, leading to damage of the radiator or the engine. ALWAYS check the rest of the cooling system for problems before assuming the job is complete. We recommend the installation of a NEW pressure cap whenever a radiator is being replaced. "

the part i noticed is that it say it says there's a latest Nissens' high-efficiency aluminum/plastic radiator that does better than its 3 row.

now i know almost everyone here frowns upon the plastic radiators. i'm just looking into this (future research) because my car has 138K miles on it and what i believe to quite possibly be the original (dear me) radiator. from what i can tell, it's still in good condition, everything looks clean and solid, and i just did a flush today.

also, while i'm at it, i have a black cap that says 150 kpa on it, but my car is NA. is that still okay?

thanks!
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'
Note: Page currently down

Kenric, I have the lastest 2-row aluminum/plastic rad. It works very well in my 91 744t (I live in NY, and it's been a damn hot summer in which I've been using the A/C frequently). I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. If you do get a new rad, why not do a full upgrade like I did? Electric fan, coolant change and 180 degree thermo.

Roguls
New York, USA

Hey Roguls, I live in NY too, well, most of the time. I know of the heat you speak of. :) In any case, I might do the radiator, as soon as I get myself a job. The job market is in a slump right now. The electric fan I'll consider doing later in the year when I have some free time perhaps. As for coolant, just did that, but I'll leave my thermostat alone for the time being. :)

Thanks!
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'
Note: Page currently down

The aluminum/plastic radiators are lighter and more efficient. They are a better choice, but you have to remember that the plastic embrittles and has a lifetime of about ten years.

isn't this basic physics? I've always operated under the assumption that the greater teh surface area of an object the easier it is to dissipate heat and keep it cool. This is one of the reasons high performance brakes are generally cross-drilled... it increases the available surface area and prevents the rotor from becoming too hot.

Sure, aluminum vs. copper plays a part in teh equation, but I wouldn't think it would be enough to overcome the advantage of another full row in teh radiator. That's a LOT more surface area added to the equation...

interested in getting more information on this since I'm about to replace my radiator and had, until this moment, decided to go with the 3 row nissens.

-rt

hold up, i think we're getting mixed up now.

according to what's been said:

the aluminum one is better than the copper one.

the aluminum one has 2 rows.
the aluminum one has plastic.

the copper one has 3 rows.
the copper one is all metal.

now i find this completely backwards, because from a physics standpoint, copper is a better head conductor, and the copper one has more rows as well.

there, now we're really confused. :)
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'
Note: Page currently down

Another thing to consider here is that, for my car at least, the two row AL/plastic rad is wider than the three row all metal which I was told would not fit in my car (too narrow). Intuitively I would assume that the addition of width to a radiator would provide more gain in specific cooling capacity than adding another row.
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Don Tibbetts; Living in the Florida Panhandle - soon to be known as Disney World North - The St. Joe Kingdom; 92 745T 97K mi

Now I'm more confused than ever before.

On TURBO cars:
I know only the design with the 3/4 width radiator
and an auxiliary oil cooler at the side at 45 degree angle.
If your TURBO has the FULL-width radiator, where is the oil cooler?
Or is there still space?

(I'm not a pro, I think I never saw that before, U have pic?)

Ah ha! I think this may be related to my other active post right now.

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=503195

My car has no separate oil cooler element up front by the rad. What I think that Volvo may have done was to make the radiator wider and then add an oil cooler right at the oil filter mount. You see I'm having an interference problem while trying to fit an Amsoil filter because its extra long. There is a coolant line coming down off of the side of the block that won't let me get this long filter in there. So what they probably did (probably 92 is the first year for this) is just use engine coolant to cool around the filter base and then make the rad larger to add more cooling capacity. That's why Amsoil thinks that the filter will work is because its worked on older models and will work on the newer nonturbo models.
--
Don Tibbetts; Living in the Florida Panhandle - soon to be known as Disney World North - The St. Joe Kingdom; 92 745T 97K mi

ah, that may be it... hmm
--
Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'
Note: Page currently down

Now I am realy confused.

I planned to go with the 3row all-metal nissens,
which is a 3/4 width rad for turbo and NA.

The diesel and V6 have the full-width rads.
I have also a full-width 2row plastic/alu.

So which one should I put in into a NA?
Both will fit.

Where is the productiondate on the plastic/alu rads?

TIA

The two core aluminum disperses heat better than the three core copper.

that's strange, copper's supposed to be a better heat conductor. that's why on computers everyone started getting copper heatsinks for their processors instead of aluminum ones.
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'
Note: Page currently down

Maybe the copper radiators need to be thicker walled due to the fact that its a much lower strength material than aluminum. Just a wild guess, I really don't have a clue.

On another note, I put an aluminum/plastic Nissens in my 92 745T because I couldn't find an all metal one for my 92 which is different from the 91 and earlier models. I did this because I trust the design to last ~10 years and based on what I've read, I trust Nissens quality. Mine works fine, I can't tell the difference. BTW, the rad that I took out looked fine but I couldn't determine if it was original or not and didn't want my wife and baby stuck on the side of some remote country road in the middle of the summer without me.
--
Don Tibbetts; Living in the Florida Panhandle - soon to be known as Disney World North - The St. Joe Kingdom; 92 745T 97K mi

My car came with a grey cap from factory:Halifax,Nova Scotia/I have replaced with a new green cap /
Tong of Toronto 90 740 GL