Just found out that some idiot (possibly previous owner) put thermostat with air release nipple pointing down. No wonder if the direction was wrong too. Should the spring be on the block or radiator side?

BTW, just tested that T-stat (92C, B230F) in a kitchen stove, opens and closes perfectly. Is the gasket available separately from Volvo or Scantech? Mine is old and very detoriated.

IF

Thank you all guys, you've been great again. I can't imagine how much less money Volvo workshops around the world become because of you :)

Unfortunately, testing and reinstalling the t-stat properly didn't resolve my cold engine problem. Next step I could do is to measure resistance on both temp sensors (gauge and ECU), convert to degrees F or C and compare them. Has anybody any lookup tables or calculation ways to do this?

IF

P.S. Tested the temp gauge by grounding the sensor wire - the needle went red and even further. Temp gauge has no compensation board.

With the temp gauge pointing to its normal 9 o'clock (around 90C) position, I measured 6.4 volts at the temp sender (connected, engine warm running) and 107 ohms (disconnected, sender to gnd, +/- 1ohm). Readings are from a 1990, btw.

So, if you connect the gauge wire to one end of a 100 ohm resistor, and the other end of that resistor to gnd, the gauge should read a little warmer than normal. Hope that helps.

Thank you, 240snowmobile

I'll get a 100-ohm resistor from work on Thursday and definitely try to test the gauge this way.

The gasket (called "thermostat seal" by Volvo) is about 75cents from FCPGroton and is probably Scan-Tech. Like Art, I've used these for many years with no troubles...but I check thermostats every two yrs or so at coolant flush time and install a fresh seal. I always keep a few in the parts drawer. They're too cheap and too important not to have a spare handy.

When you observe their design, it's obvious that you don't need to put much torque on the two little 10mm nuts/studs to make things leak-free.
--
Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F, dtr's 83-244DL B23F, 'my' 94-944 B230FD; plus grocery-getter Dodge minivan, hobbycar MGB, and numerous old motorcycles)

I'm pretty certain you can't put it in backwards but I never tried. Anyway, the spring goes on the inside.
The gasket is available separately. Volvo would certainly have it. I would avoid anything made by Scan Tech. I'm not even sure if they make that part but their quality is always suspect.
--
'80 DL 2 dr

"Anyway, the spring goes on the inside"

Sorry, not very clear for me. Inside the block or inside that metal block-to-hose tube I put the T-stat in?

IF

Inside the block (as others have already indicated). Sorry I was unclear.
--
'80 DL 2 dr

Spring (including wax pellet) towards the head, in contact with the hot water.

It will be easier to remember if you think of its function. The brass slug from which the piston extends is heated by the coolant in the head, so it must be immersed in it to open the valve and allow coolant to flow toward the radiator top.

I've had no trouble at all with the thermostat gaskets packaged by Scan Tech. The gasket has a U-shaped cross section-- the channel fits around the outer circumference (edge) of the thermostat, surrounding it.

http://www.wahler.de/67.0.html?&L=2
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

I just don't trust 'em, Art. But I'm glad they haven't let you down. And for all I know the no-name T-stat gasket I installed on my car recently could be by Scan Tech. I bought it some while back before I started hearing all of the negative reports on their stuff in this forum.
--
'80 DL 2 dr

Scan tech is just a repackager as far as I can tell. They don't make anything I'm aware of, just buy from mfr's and sell to retailers. The only outfit you can trust to QC a design, spec or possibly the incoming parts, is Volvo Parts themselves, and I'm not sure how much of that is done for parts fitting cars out of production for umpteen years-- where's the incentive? The only aftermarket thing I've really, really been burned on, is those Swedish Car Parts lamp assemblies. But that wasn't a case of trust. I was just greedy for the 50% savings over OEM.

--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

And that's the problem. They resell items made by umpteen different manufacturers with no apparent concern for quality control. As a result some products sold under their name seem to be acceptable and others are woefully lacking. It would be helpful to know which ST parts you can depend on and which ones you should avoid.
Volvo OE is undoubtedly the best, but are there no aftermarket manufacturers that at least try to approach the same level of quality? I too have had good experiences with other than ST aftermarket.
I guess it's a crap shoot when buying parts for a car that is, in my case, now 25 years old.
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'80 DL 2 dr

I think you hit on it. There are quality aftermarket parts available, but we have to be aware of the name brands of the manufacturers to better recognize them. The distributors (MTC, Scan Tech, World-pac, Beck-Arnley, etc.) can offer both good quality brands and low-bid variety, but they are just that - distributors. Scan Tech just happens to be the one being cussed most often lately.

Another thing to factor in is the market. A large part of Scan Tech's market is geared to those who just want another year out of the old beast, not you and I who want another lifetime. That's why junk can be sold without creaming their reputation enough to affect the bottom line.

But, seriously, what was your worst Scan Tech moment? Bushings? Oil pump? Strut bearings?
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

I had a left side track rod bushing that you could easily slip in and out of the rod by hand. I used retaining compound on it. That worked well enough but I'll have to heat it up if I ever need to remove it.
I also ended up with a ST speedo cable that is hard to connect/disconnect at the speedometer due to a really tight fit. That could be considered an advantage because I don't think it could accidentally come loose. Then again, I've never heard of a 'normal' fitting cable coming loose either. But this cable emits a whine that's just loud enough to be annoying. Who needs that in addition to the road noise and the wind noise? Maybe a little graphite would help.
--
'80 DL 2 dr

i've got a scan-tech gasket, & replaced over a year ago. no problems so far. i don't know how one can go wrong with a simple gasket. synth rubber and cutout--that's all there is.

bushings another issue, certainly.

regards,
byron golden
86 245
92 245