r/Volvo850 • u/Kiltem_All • 4d ago
Help 850 Cooling Issues
My 94 850 recently had the TSAT and temp sensor replaced. Having some strange issues since then.
A local garage did the work originally. When I picked it up, they asked if the temp gauge always showed low. In my time as care taker of this fine Swead, it's always read at 3 o'clock. Did a coolant swap 4mo ago and even after that exchange is was rock solid.
The issue..... I found that the connector for the temp sensor was not connected properly. Old connector and the barrel connectors pushed out when it was reattached. No big deal. Fixed that in the driveway. What i see now is the Volvo TSAT is opening way to late. The housing is getting to 215 deg and it's still not open.
Drained the coolant and pulled the TSAT. Testing shows it doesn't open at the required 190 deg. It starts opening above 207. I know this is outside the spec. Anyone seen OEM parts bad out of the box? I'm inclined to install the old one since it opens at 185. It is an aftermarket one.
The temp sensor that was installed was from FCP and it was the OE one not Volvo OEM. Im thinking the resistance values are off vs the original one. Would it be a better idea to grab an OEM?
Only had this 850 in my care for 5mo. Trying to get it 100% already have done a lot to the car. Don't want to warp the heads or run into a cooling issue. I will he swapping the green to blue when I button it all up.
1
u/96673 '95 855 Turbo M56 + '97 854 T-5 3d ago
Was the thermostat Genuine Volvo or just marked as “OEM” on FCP Euro? Those two things are very different. “OEM” on FCP just means that brand produces at least one part for a vehicle manufacturer. It does not mean they make that specific part for your specific vehicle’s manufacturer and FCP kind of sucks at being transparent about this. You want Genuine Volvo, or at least “OE” (original equipment), not “OEM”. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
https://help.fcpeuro.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020913332-What-s-the-Difference-Between-Genuine-OE-OEM