Coolant leak

daedalus · Post by **daedalus** » 08 Sep 2010, 09:57

My 2000 V70XC has a coolant leak coming from somewhere that seems to be hard to pinpoint. Based on the puddle on the ground, it is near the radiator, but I am unsure if the plastic shield is carrying it from one side to the other or not. I had the large hose to the intercooler off a bit ago and there seemed to be some coolant accumulated on the outside of that (??). However, back on the opposite side by the a/c drier, there appeared to be coolant seeping from the corner of the radiator. Are there some likely places (common failures)that I can look to narrow down where this leak could be? If it is in fact coming from the corner of the radiator, what are my options to plug the leak, aside from the obvious of replacing the radiator? I really need to do something about this before it starts getting too cold!! As always, I appreciate the help!

Post by **jblackburn** » 08 Sep 2010, 10:01

I would suggest removing the air guide underneath the car for a few days. Maybe once you get it off, you can even see immediately where the leak is coming from.

My car has a small crack in the lower plastic tank on the radiator - unfortunately, there is no repair that will hold on these. You'll ultimately have to end up replacing the radiator...I would not recommend trying any of the stop-leak things out there on something as critical as your cooling system.

New radiators can be found for ~$200, and replacing it isn't that bad of a task.

Michael Dixon · Post by **Michael Dixon** » 09 Sep 2010, 15:50

I agree, the upper nipple on my radiator was cracked and you could not see where it was leaking from. Once i got the hose off you could clearly see that the plastic was cracked and ready to fall off. New radiator is the way to go.