Engine temperature

[blueblock]

Every time I start and drive my 240 (B200F) from cold, the engine warms up quickly to a little above the 'normal' 9 o'clock operating temperature, before settling back down. It's not overheating so I'm not worried in the short term, but is this slow rise and return a sign of something in the system that's a bit clogged up or old and slow that might need replacing at some point?
Or could it just be that my car, being a late model, has the 92 thermostat and it's normal for it to go a little over from time to time? I did a search before making this post and noticed that some said that the 92 seems slower to react to temperature changes.

Any advice or experience much appreciated.

[DW42]

The needle going up a little above normal at the end of warm-up is normal. My 1990 still did it after a flush, new radiator and hoses. My 1992 does the same thing but ends at 8 o'clock as its normal. Probably has a cooler thermostat, but I haven't investigated. I never noticed this pattern in my k-jet or other volvos.

[Clifford Pope]

Mine have always done that - it's a really good sign that everything is working properly!

It shoots up to about 5/8 scale because the thermostat is closed - to promote fast warm-up. Then the thermostat opens, cold water from the radiator starts to flow, and the temperature drops very quickly to 1/2 scale and stays there.

The overshoot is inevitable - all thermostats in all situations have a slightly different cut-in from cut-out temperature.
I have occasionally had one in a Volvo that started to get slow to cut-in. On testing I found it was sticking. Get a proper Volvo one not a universal fit.

Incidentally to get heat soonest from the heater, keep it turned off until after that initial temperature drop. If you open it too soon, or have just left it open from last use, it delays engine warm-up and you are only blowing cold air out of the vents. I keep trying to explain that to my wife, but she just says, as soon as we get in the car "Can we have some heat now?"

[blueblock]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for the responses guys. A coolant flush is on my list, but I think I'll wait until the weather is a little better...

[Nicholas Lewin]

Hi Ed

For what it's worth and agreeing with Clifford...

My 91 230F sat steady at 9 oclock when I bought it, with the needle rising slightly higher and then settling back down once the thermostat had opened

A year or so ago, I flushed the block, fitted a new 92 degree thermostat, new hoses and fitted an electric cooling fan removing the viscous one. Now the car warms up quicker, the needle going over the 9 oclock mark and then settling back to a new slightly higher position. At first this was slightly disconcerting, but it is so consistent and the car shows no signs of overheating, so it's just the new norm

Yours sounds just fine and working well - you can get 88 and lower heat thermostats, but this may reduce fuel efficiency. When you flush your cooling system, you'll get an idea of it's condition and when it was previously flushed - that should be your guide as to any remedial attention to the cooling system

Good luck!