Warning, Replace your cooling system hoses ASAP

[instarx]

upper turbo. thanks

[Thanatos2489]

Along with the replacing the pipes I would upgrade the jubilee clamps to mikalor stainless clamps that grip better and won't fail like the jubilee clamps.

[cmblackburn]

Also, it's worth looking at your vacuum lines/ TCV/CBV at the same time. The TCV's internal valves can wear out, and the CBV develops cracks in the rubber as well as a weak spring (less boost)... My car was slower than my girlfriend's '98 Jetta 2.0 for a while. When it began to leak coolant, I pulled the 16t off (dropped a CBV bolt in...stupid big, clumsy hands) and overhauled the whole turbo system with new hoses. What I found was pretty disturbing... These are from my mostly stock '98 S70 T5 around 217,000 miles.
Now, the car pulls like a train once more. In the process I ended up replacing every rubber hose under my hood, except the PCV which had been done about 20k prior by my brother (the PO) and I.
And while checking all this, make sure your heater hose coupler is intact. Mine came apart under boost on my way home from work one evening and gushed coolant everywhere; I had to get my car towed home. Those heater hoses are often overlooked, but can be just as deadly to our motors as any other cooling hose with the high volume of water passing through them.

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[joe_pinehill]

I think this is one "problem" with Volvo lasting as long as they do. Most cars die for other reasons.

That said, in 30 years I've been driving, I have had one hose fail. It was on my '90 240. IMHO, belts on new cars tend not to fail. Quality and hose formulation is a lot better than it was 20 years ago. I think the quality of part in general is a lot better than it used to be. When was the last time you heard of someone overheating because their thermostat failed?

[rspi]

I believe I read a thread about 3 days ago where someone had a thermostat stuck causing overheating.

[cn90]

1+,

Nothing lasts forever. Belts, hoses, spark plugs etc., they have their useful lifespan.
After that, they can retire forever.

For some parts, when they fail, it is an inconvenience (like serpentine belt breaking up).
For other parts, it could be catastrophic (timing belt, rad hoses).

As long as one knows which part does which job and its respective lifespan and the consequences of a failed part, one can take proactive measure to prevent a mishap.

[joe_pinehill]

I believe I read a thread about 3 days ago where someone had a thermostat stuck causing overheating.

I've had two thermostats fail in my driving history.

First was on an '84 Mazda 626 my wife was driving (140K, 6 years old), warped the head, and price to repair wasnt worth the value of the car.

Second was on a 240, I was able to see the gauge creeping up, pulled into a parking lot, called the wife, she went to the auto parts store, and I did a parking lot repair. You cant do that on many modern cars.

But that being said, I think quality of parts is much better than in the 80's. I still have a phobia about thermostats and dont let them go more than 5 years. No telling if a new part is likely to fail as randomly as a new one though.

[cn90]

I used to own a 1991 240 many moons ago.

Quality of parts is not better, a thermostat made by Wahler in 1980 and in 2013 has the same design: wax pellet etc. Either the prong breaks (thus temp gauge shows cold engine), or the wax pellet fails (engine overheats). I replace my tstat every 60K-80K, no matter what.

In many ways parts are worse now, examples:
- The heater core in my car (1998 S70 GLT with 160K) is still original. Yet, the Volvo OEM Behr heater core you buy at dealer these days last about 1-2 years. Luckily, there is Alvo alternative.
- Brake pads are now made in India, and squeak during braking. Luckily there are alternatives.
I can go on and on...

Parts these days are not as good as they used to be...

[abscate]

There are a lot more options for parts now than before. I think there are more cheap, lower quality parts but high quality parts are still out there, for, you guessed it, more money.

2 years for heater cores? Yeeks - just replaced mine with a Behr - I think it was a grizzly job.

[erikv11]

High quality parts are harder and harder to come by now. An explosion of cheap parts from Asia flooding the market does not help at all.