Radiator change

I have a 1997 960. Dad bought off lease with 5000 on it, has 150k
now. Radiator return outlet blew right off the side of the radiator!
2" x 4" hole right on the radiator.

Blew Wednesday night, got one shipped next day, did the R&R on Friday.
That went smoothly, but there are two lines for the automatic
transmission, and the transmission is sealed. I lost maybe a quarter
cup of transmission fluid, at the most, but what I do to check without
a fill?

I'm using a Chilton 1990-1998 everything manual that is driving me
nuts.

While I am at it- looking at replacing front steering bearings. All
I'm sure of is that there is looseness in the front end with first one
wheel off the ground and then the other (inspecting brakes). I'm an
aircraft mechanic- no racks on a Boeing or Airbus.

Any advice before I am up on jackstands and overnight from parts?

David

 

Failures of that nature are very common with those awful plastic tank
radiators that have become so popular. It's not a matter of if but
*when* it will happen, so personally I won't use them in my cars. If a
metal tank is not available, I would change the plastic one on a fixed
schedule rather than wait for it to blow out and overheat the engine.

The transmission is sealed?? I've never worked on a 960, but I've never
seen an autobox that didn't have a dipstick for checking/adding fluid.

 

It made thirteen years and it ain't going to last another 13.

I found the dipstick. You have to reach it with a 1/2 inch breaker
bar, down past the oil dipstick. Kinda twist and hook on the socket
retainer on the breakerbar. Or if you can find a guy that is 6'2"
and 140 pounds.

Brakes started making noise this afternoon. I know it isn't the
front- I just looked at them. Is there a warning wire that scrapes the
disk a 1000 miles out?

David

 

LOL 13 years sounds so new to me, I don't think I've ever owned a car
that wasn't at least that old. My daily driver 240 is more than 25 years
old at this point and still going strong. Any RWD Volvo is good for at
least 250K if one takes reasonable care of it.

Are you sure that's the transmission dipstick? Usually it's not hard to
get to. I know with the 700 series cars you can flip a little catch on
each side to raise the hood up fully 90 degrees. I think the 900 series
is the same but I don't have one to look at.

Depends on the pads. Best thing to do is pull the wheel off and take a
look.

 

Didn't need to pull off- metal on the disk I could see from outside.
Dad changed the front and rear pads at 110K and it's at 152K now. But
the fronts looked fine last week- about 2/3rds full thickness. The
rear is on metal.

Ordered pads, new disk and calipers (if needed). While I was at it I
got new hood struts. The old ones don't hold any more except when I
put it up to the full 90 dregrees and lock it. And the tie rods for
the steering.

I made fun of my Dad for spending $1700- before he drove it up from
florida and sold it to me for $1500-. Bad month.

It has to be the transmission. Nothing else in the area with a fluid
reservoir.

David

 

I've never had to replace calipers on any car as long as the seals are
ok. Even if the caliper is seized, it's easy to take it apart and clean
it out, there isn't much to them at all.

I'm surprised nobody else has chimed in regarding the transmission
dipstick. Every other RWD Volvo with an autobox that I've looked at had
a square yellow dipstick between the intake manifold and firewall. The
big straight 6 in the 960 takes up a lot of room though so they may have
used a different arrangement.

 

That is the one, but I can't get a hand on it. The breaker bar works
ok.

Anyway- old story now on the brakes. The left caliper was seized, so
I just replaced both. Boots in three places on each one, and I don't
want to practice several times to get it right.

I have a cheap pitman arm puller arriving tomorrow. The stearing is
getting me nervous- noisy enough that it has to be beating on the
rack. Hopefully I can get the inner and outer tie rods on Wednessday.

David

 

The balljoints are probably shot too. Replace that stuff and you will be
amazed how well the car handles, I did that and the bushings on my
Volvos and they both felt like new cars afterward.

 

Thanks James. I'm starting another thread for current problem.

I put the bearings in. I counted the threads three times on each of
them. The steering feels too lively now. I wondered if I missed one?

I can't feel any play in the ball joins.

David

 

I've never had a replacement that was similar enough to not need a
professional alignment afterward. You can pretty much count on that any
time you tear apart the front suspension/steering.