When I bought this 1992 740 non-turbo from its original owner he gave me some background and a large file of receipts. He mentioned that it had problems running hot and had a radiator failure that resulted in his non-Volvo mechanic replacing the radiator about a year before I bought it from him (2-3 years ago now). I glanced at the receipts and saw the incident he mentioned so I can verify he was charged for a new radiator. There is an electric fan that I assume was not stock to the vehicle when he came from the factory so that must have been installed at some point too. Well, I noticed the car would normally run warm. This was true to what he mentioned and made me question if that fan was working. I was able to trigger the fan by turning on the AC and even got it to come on a few times when sitting in traffic but I never could sort out if it was working or not. Sure the fan worked but something seemed to be off in its function and I assume this was causing the overheating the original owner noticed and warm driving, even with the new radiator, that I was noticing. Well, I was on my way to a Doctor appointment for a post-op exam due to back surgery. I drove through moderate traffic for about 45 minutes to get the office and then ran up 6 floors of a parking garage to get to his office level. As I parked the car the radiator appeared to have a spectacular failure. The coolant ejected forward through the grill all over the wall of the parking garage. No coolant seems to be present behind the radiator. I had the car towed to the school where I work in the hope that I can get them to replace the radiator. So here are my questions:

1. I would like a BETTER than stock radiator for obvious choices. What are my choices and where do I get one? I have had good dealings with both FCP and IPD but both appear to have the same radiator for sale.

2. Please conject on what the previous mechanic may have missed that lead to the car running warm all the time? Should I replace the thermostat? Coolant reservoir? Hoses? I noticed the IPD site mentioned something about a black coolant reservoir cap. Mine is a sea-foam green. Should I replace that cap? What am I missing?

3. The fan appears to work as I can get it to come on. I just cannot get it to come on at appropriate times (like when the damned motor is blazing hot). What do I do about this?

MANY thanks to all who tender suggestions and help!