Radiator and Hoses

[GreySX]

Hey guys!

I got a 1990 240 with stock everything. I need some recommendations on a replacement radiator and hoses? Should I just get the stock replacement or what?

Thanks!

[onosqv]

well, to answer your question, we need to know more...

why are you replacing the radiator & hoses? anythign wrong w/ them? maintenance, performance upgrade, etc?

what are your goals w/ the car? just driving around town? tracking regularly?

[GreySX]

Its just a daily driver. No racing or anything like that planned for it. Basically I want to ask you guys before I go out and either buy a lesser or too pricey part. The car has a slight overheating problem.

[onosqv]

slight overheating...

sure it doesn't have to do w/ old coolant/bad mix? or bad thermostat? or maybe just air in the system. you should find out the source of the problem instead of replacing things you may not have to.

Unless your radiator hose is leaky or cracking, no need to replace it.

Same goes for radiator.

If just daily driving, replace hoses w/ oem, it's good and will last a long time, and not that expensive @ all, you can get from our forum sponsors - midwaypartsteam.com (or something like that).

[GreySX]

Well I do think the radiator does need replacing. My reasoning is that when the car gets hot I am able to cool it down by turning the heater on full blast. Basically my hoses are old and my radiator seems like its not doing its job.

[onosqv]

your car... i think you should still check your thermostat, and maybe do your own coolant flush first...

as for the radiator, stock replacement will be fine. koyo stock replacement are good for the money.

[cazlee]

Does the car get excessivly hot quickly?

Does the car take an excessive amount of time to reach normal operating temperature?

Then think thermostat.

Is the radiator fan coming on? If not, then you may have a burnt motor or bad relay. I'm not at all sure about these, but usually if you turn the A/C on the radiator fan comes on too.

If it reaches operating temperature quickly and the fan comes on, then you may have a clogged radiator, or the fins are damaged.

If there are no visible leaks or cracks, then don't fix what aint broke.

[ricebike]

Is the radiator fan coming on? If not, then you may have a burnt motor or bad relay. I'm not at all sure about these, but usually if you turn the A/C on the radiator fan comes on too.

If it reaches operating temperature quickly and the fan comes on, then you may have a clogged radiator, or the fins are damaged.

rad fan is motor driven; soo, check the fan clutch 1st! w/ engine off, try to stick your fingers past the plastic fan blades to the face of the fan clutch (ya know, the center of the fan facing the radiator?)

if oily, time to invest in another one! OEM> better than aftermarket, from what i've heard; eventhough the aftermarket i got (hayden) carried a lifetime warranty, i changed mines 3X already.

i've scored an all metal rad from radiatorstores.com for only $89 shipped to my door, only because i used their price matching policy.

don't forget space between radiator and AC condensor can get filled up w/ leaves n crap... if you're going to replace hoses/tstat 1st, remove the 2 rad support braces & tilt it towards the engine to take a peek @ the space...

In the 240's case, turning the AC on won't make the supplementary electrical fan go on immediately; it goes on when the temp sensor that's in the lower rad hose senses ~208 degrees F...

[GreySX]

Hey Guys, thanks for all the info so far but I gotta tell you that the car does NOT have A/C. ALso the car does not take very long to get to operating temp. Also I have flushed the coolant which didnt really seem to make a difference. Cheers!

[ricebike]

okies....

so the ac condensor is removed?

still have oem / motor-driven fan?

or pusher/puller fans on the rad?

did a pressure test on the system to see if there's any external leaks?

t-stat soundz ok... but if you're going to replace hoses / rad, might as well go all in d/t the age of the vehicle...