I have a 1991 240 sedan automatic with 201,000 miles on the clock. I bought the car used last July with 174K miles on it and have not touched the cooling system at all.

Lately, I have noticed the water temp. gauge getting really high, when I sit in stop and go traffic in the heat of the afternoon. When I am moving at anywhere from 55-75mph, the needle sits in the middle or slightly above 9:00, but if I hit a batch of slow moving cars or stop-and-go of waiting to go through a toll booth, the temperature gauge can climb up to about a needle's width from the orange area. Once I get moving at 60-70mph again, it usually goes back down to somewhat normal ranges.

In the mornings, when it is not as hot outside, the sun is not beating down on my dark blue car and I am in traffic that moves faster, the temp. gauge stays in the middle and does not climb at all.

I have pretty much narrowed it down to sitting in stop and go (or crawling...as we call it in Houston!), combined with the hellishly hot Houston afternoon. In colder or naormal weather (at or under 80 degrees) I never see the temp gauge go above half ot 9:00...a/c or no a/c being run...fast or slow speeds...it stays the same.

The car has never gotten the temp. gauge into the orange on its highest climb...it stays about a needle's width below and it has never bioled over and I check the coolant level and it has remained steady.

Are Volvos like BMWs in the fact that they run hotter in a hot climate, like Houston,TX? Is this just something I must live with, seeing that I live in a hellishly hot summer climate? Will this damage the car?

Also...I have not touched the cooling system, since buying the car last July. I have not had a reason to. The coolant looks a little dirty...would flushing the system and replacing the coolant help? How about using Water Wetter? What about the water pump or fan clutch?

I sort of ruled out the thermostat, because don't cars usually get hot and boil over, if that goes bad? I have never boiled over or lost coolant.

I am also not sure about the water pump being bad. Usually, those start getting noisy or leak and I am not getting any of that. Bedsides, it IS cooling on sub 90 degree days.

How about the fan clutch?

I hate to just go in and start yanking and replacing everything - thats gets expensive.

Any help or advice from those that own Volvo 240s in hot climtes and how you solved this would be appreciated.

Thanks!

-Brickboy240