Volvo RWD 444-544 Forum

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Adding a Coolant Expansion Tank 444-544

Cam;

When you overheat, the boiling causes the coolant level to rise a lot which sends even more out the overflow. An expansion tank WILL NOT cure an overheating condition. It is intended to catch coolant which is expelled out of the overflow due to normally occuring expansion, and which without it would be lost overboard. I think it's a good upgrade*, but again, it WILL NOT solve an overheating condition! Volvos had adequite cooling systems, but their limit can be reached on really hot days, especially if one of the factors or components are off their best performance...

...so you must first determine for what reason you are overheating.

If you are indeed producing more heat than the radiator can shed, then about the only thing that is going to help is to increase the heat exchanging capacity of the rad...like improving the airflow with a better fan like you mention (that's the first thing I'd try...if a fourblader will fit!)...or adding a pusherfan in front, or increasing the rad size, or number of cores, etc.

If you have a decrease in the flow for some reason (i.e. sluggish thermostat, WaPu problem - like corroded-off impeller fins, blockage in the distribution tube in the head, blocked tubes in the rad etc.), these need to be addressed first.

As an emergency measure, you can open your heater core and increase the heat shedding of the cooling system a bit...not so pleasant in the hot weather obviously...

*See: http://www.intelab.com/swem/service%20notes.htm#Cooling%20System

Keep your cool!






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New Adding a Coolant Expansion Tank [444-544]
posted by  CVOLVO  on Sat Jun 11 14:32 CST 2005 >


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