850 radiator replacement

dec913 · Post by **dec913** » 24 Sep 2013, 03:56

Unfortunately another little hiccup in the life of my 1996 non turbo 2.5 petrol estate, the radiator has sprang a big leak near the bottom, how easy is it for me to replace the radiator myself?

Post by **abscate** » 24 Sep 2013, 04:47

No. Turbo means no intercooler, which makes this job much easier, maybe 2 hours or so?

Post by **jreed** » 24 Sep 2013, 04:53

I replaced my radiator about six months ago. It was a two day job for me, but I took my time. I wrote up a little guide on how to do it...

Volvo 855 Radiator Replacment.pdf: DIY guide: remove and replace radiator on a '97 855 GLT; (8.24 MiB) Downloaded 698 times

Post by **xHeart** » 24 Sep 2013, 11:42

I replaced it with a new Volvo radiator.
It takes time and patience, good to have your favorite FM station playing.
An opportune time to restore the heating and cooling components, hoses and AFT cooler lines.
It will cut the PCV job to 1/2 the time.

Use recommended tools and steps, else costly and painful.

neworleans · Post by **neworleans** » 24 Sep 2013, 13:26

FCP has a DIY video for this.

Check out this link

Post by **rspi** » 24 Sep 2013, 19:41

Post by **scot850** » 24 Sep 2013, 23:47

I've got the radiator out of my 98 V70XC (turbo engine) and it is way more challenging than the NA motor in the 850 (did that one last year).

It is common for the radiator to leak at the plastic to aluminium join. My one and only recommendation is I only use Volvo radiators. Haven't bought one recently, but I used aftermarket versions and have a hell of a time getting the top hose to remain leak free. The difference is the Volvo radiators have a brass tube in them that stops the plastic squishing out of round. Hopefully Volvo rads are still made this way and they are not buying aftermarket crap like several of the parts I have bought from them recently, and they have the cheek to charge stupid prices for them. They fit well, but you might want to think about replacing the rubber bushes that the rad sits on where they bolt to the chassis rails.

Like the others have said, it is not really hard, but take your time and take advantage to check/replace other parts like hoses and thermostat while you are in there.

Good luck!

Neil.

Post by **abscate** » 25 Sep 2013, 04:06

Alldata reports 2.6 hours for radiator change on a 1999 auto turbo.

Your NA should be easier.

dec913 · Post by **dec913** » 29 Sep 2013, 05:31

The bolts that attach the radiator to the body have sheared the nut from the bodywork, I've cut them off and botched it for the min. but any suggestion for a permanent fix???
Also is the bottom hose the same as for a v70?

Post by **jreed** » 29 Sep 2013, 15:52

Can you post a picture of the broken area? I wonder if you can relocate the nuts to the other side of the flange, tack weld or epoxy them in place, and then pass the bolts through the flange and tighten them against the nuts?