RE: Vacuum filling coolant on Volvos Topic is solved

[scot850]

I'm curious to see if anyone has ever used a vacuum coolant filling kit?

I see these being used more often on Youtube repair channels these days.

Any thoughts on if they are safe for use on older cars like ours or if they are more likely to cause more issues.

Anyone that has tried refilling a P80 cooling system and does not get air pockets is that rare beastie. I was wondering if one of these systems might be a solution to these challenges.

Neil.

[abscate]

Are air pockets a things with P80s?

I’ve always ….

Flushed the car at idle for 30 minutes with water coming out of the reservoir, uncapped.

Shut off.

Drained from lower rad hose, Oetiker clamp hose

Added 1 gallon Volvo coolant.

Idle, drive around block, add nominal 200-300 ml water to top off.

[scot850]

Well you have been lucky. They are very prone to air pockets. You have found a good working technique that obviously works for you. I have found having the front of the car raised has helped as well. Naturally the R for some reason lives up to it's name. Getting air pockets out of it has been way more difficult than other P80's I've worked on.

Neil.

[jmitch296]

Neil:
I have used the vacuum fill on my v70. I think they work great and I like that you can pull a vacuum on the system and see if it leaks down before filling. I have never had issues with it damaging anything. I bought an Airlift off Amazon about 10+ years ago because I had a Nissan xterra and it required it. Now I use it anytime I need to drain and refill any of our cars. It usually eliminates the need to top off the level later. It does collapse flat the upper/ lower radiator hoses while in use. If those hoses were marginal or old, I could see it causing issues.

Jason

[scot850]

Many thanks jmitch296! I'm not set on it, but as I help other friends with different cars as well as Volvos, I have seen it used on several Youtube channels and thought it could be a good addition to the armory!

I'll have a look into equipment at some point.

Neil.

[MoVolvos]

I'm curious to see if anyone has ever used a vacuum coolant filling kit?

I see these being used more often on Youtube repair channels these days.

Any thoughts on if they are safe for use on older cars like ours or if they are more likely to cause more issues.

Anyone that has tried refilling a P80 cooling system and does not get air pockets is that rare beastie. I was wondering if one of these systems might be a solution to these challenges.

Neil.

.
This is a huge problem for late model VW's, so much so triggering all sorts of lights and causing engine problems and sometimes damage. There is a bulletin for this. Volvo in general should not have that issue. Proper equipment is also not cheap!

VW recommends getting the car on ramps besides the using the vacuum kit .
.