98 S70, N/A Replacing broken radiator drain petcock Topic is solved

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 10 Apr 2016, 20:41

If I had taken a video of this, it would have been a seven hour video of cursing... (And three hours driving around town to all the Pepboys, Advance Auto Parts, and Autozone's in Queens looking for a suitable Dorman radiator petcock replacement!)

I was finally able to remove the broken shards of this by drilling a hole through it, than trying to use a screw extractor (which of course didn't work). And then drilling more holes into it and trying to turn it with a flat head, then a phillips, than a flat head... Ultimately, I was able to break it using various picks. I didn't--luckily!--ruin any threads. After clearing all the little black petcock bits from the radiator, I swapped my upper and lower radiator hoses for some fancy new ones from FCP. All good.

But then I go to screw this in... And it doesn't fit! The OEM petcock is like an M14, no?

Well, certainly a local auto parts store has a suitable replacement...

Well, no no one had it!

Luckily, my Nissan has had a broken thermostat for the past two years and I've finally decided to replace it (the temp needle dances like crazy when you drive the car). I purchased new hoses, thermostat, and engine temp sensor so I don't run into any problems. As I'm filling out my Rockauto order, I see this part https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... 57&jsn=461, and I say to myself, eh, I'll order one just in case...

It ended up fitting my aftermarket Volvo S70 radiator!!! An M10, 1.5 would've been better. I put five miles into the car, no leaks. Whew.

One question though, didn't get around to the heater core swap. I had forgotten my Dremel and bought the wrong size hose clamps for the job. I opened up my cabin and saw this heater core. This is not OEM, correct?

Rockauto sells an ALLPRO heater core with a black plastic bottom https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... 89&jsn=605 for $29.79. (So you know it's gotta be good... sigh...)

Also, my heater core hoses do not say Volvo on them anywhere... I'm thinking they're probably URO right? Man, they feel so wimpy compared to ever other hose on the car... I have to replace this one day. But my wife wanted her car back already... I'll keep an eye on the heater core.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 10 Apr 2016, 21:56

Generally on an older radiator its recommended to pull the bottom radiator hose off for this exact reason. But you live and learn. Good thing you managed to find a plug to fit!

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 11 Apr 2016, 10:14

polskamafia mjl wrote:Generally on an older radiator its recommended to pull the bottom radiator hose off for this exact reason. But you live and learn. Good thing you managed to find a plug to fit!

I will never, ever, ever, ever open a radiator drain petcock ever again! Lesson learned!

Yeah, thanks. Only wasted about a half a tank of gas looking for the piece to find out I had it all along...

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 13 May 2016, 10:48

Just wanted to update this thread.

If you find yourself breaking your petcock and ordering an OEM one, you might find yourself in a situation where it won't fit. (Especially if you don't know if the radiator has been replaced!) This is what happened to me...

The Dorman 61137 (i.e., from a late model Nissan Altima) will work in a pinch... (Though the threads really aren't that long... and I just noticed mine is weeping ever so slightly!)

But you really should be getting the Dorman 61138... (late model Ford Contour?) It will thread into the radiator a little better...

Both are M10s, but the 61138 has twice as many threads... Sigh, yet another job that has to be done over again...

Post by **abscate** » 13 May 2016, 11:54

I confess I JB welded mine in so Im never tempted to try to use it again, and to never worry about it coming out, either

I flush with the hose off method

VW is great in this regard - My New Beetle has a valve, almost like a faucet, and my EV has a thumbscrew with Oring that unscrews without tools.

Post by **precopster** » 13 May 2016, 12:27

Yeah aftermarket petcocks on Behr-Hella radiators break when new the first time they're used. The o ring shears off and of course no o ring I could find would do the job. I thread taped and siliconed the petcock back in on a 99 V70 and swore I'd never touch a non OEM petcock again.

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 13 May 2016, 12:49

I will never, ever, ever remove a radiator drain petcock ever again. abscate, I can't believe you JB Welded yours! If I ever get around to changing a radiator, I will probably weld it down just because! In all my "radiator drain petcock" research, I saw some brass ones with handles that seemed so human... I wish FCP, IPD, or even Rockauto listed this petcock as a possible petcock for our cars... It took so much time to try to track one down. Both driving around Queens (no one had one) and looking online for an M10 / 1.5 plastic screw. I suppose I could have just used a stainless steel M10 with teflon tape right?

Post by **kahl** » 13 May 2016, 16:01

Dude I got like 10 of these, if you want one I will send it to you.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 13 May 2016, 18:27

Where did you get them from?

Post by **abscate** » 13 May 2016, 18:54

Until I JB welded mine I would lose mine every time I drove through Ohio....last count I lost like 10 off them....