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My C303 gets too hot on long steady climbs in the peak of Summer...is there a thermostat swap that would improve this situation or do I need to go the electric fan route?

bababiscuit wrote:My C303 gets too hot on long steady climbs in the peak of Summer...is there a thermostat swap that would improve this situation or do I need to go the electric fan route?

Before anything else, have your radiator backflushed/rodded and check the water pump.

I don’t know if the Volvos use a fan clutch, if one is used when the engine is hot and with the engine shut off try turning the fan by hand, you should feel a fair amount of resistance. If little or no resistance is felt look into replacing the fan clutch.

The military models are often just that way. The radiators are thinner than the civil ones and they do run hot in those conditions. I'd do the flush and if it happens again, run your heaters (303's have two) during the climb as they act just like external radiators.

The best solution is a custom radiator that's thicker, along with dual electric fans in place of that super-loud stock fan, but it costs a lot to do it correctly (by correctly I mean doing exactly the above).

They don't use a fan clutch.

VinceAtReal4x4s wrote:The military models are often just that way. The radiators are thinner than the civil ones and they do run hot in those conditions. I'd do the flush and if it happens again, run your heaters (303's have two) during the climb as they act just like external radiators.

The best solution is a custom radiator that's thicker, along with dual electric fans in place of that super-loud stock fan, but it costs a lot to do it correctly (by correctly I mean doing exactly the above).

They don't use a fan clutch.

Query for you Vince, since it sounds like you've done this before, where would you put the second electric fan? The tunnel behind the radiator is really only wide enough for a single fan, and I've already got the highest flowing one i've been able to find on it, would you double up by putting one in front?

Pusher & Puller. I did this on a Land Rover once and know of a 303 done up this way as well. I also saw a set-up one time that had one of the fans come on with a higher set, separate therm. switch. When off-road with high revs and no wind, both will be needed most likely but in occasional traffic, they would often just need one operating. The better radiator is the key and has been done several times, including a few who have sourced civil units but I don't like the idea of going through all that trouble for a used part. There are plenty of good custom rad. builders out there and they will be built better than old stock.

Ahh, yeah there should be plenty of room for a large fan up front as well.

I'm going to swap out the water pump first but a custom radiator wouldn't be a bad idea, there's a number of shops around here that can do it, I've just never had anyone do a custom rad before. Concerned about getting everything to fit, the side bolts and the fill cap have to be pretty exactly placed and all that.

I really love how quiet the electric fan setup is, and it has a noticable power gain without the mechanical fan which is nice too.

Thanks for all the helpful input...Vince, any suggestions about exact size of dual fans, manufacturer, and where to get them?...I'd like to have the parts before I dismantle the old set up...