Losing coolant...from where?

ajr2820 · Post by **ajr2820** » 30 Jun 2011, 09:27

I am losing coolant somewhere. It empties enough out of the overflow to trip the low coolant light every 4-5 days. I can not find a leak, it does not smell like it is burning it, and there is no coolant evident in any of the fluids. Anyone have an idea on where to look?

da7 · Post by **da7** » 30 Jun 2011, 09:47

if it's not in the oil/exhaust, drive the car for 30 minutes or more then stop it in your driveway and leave the engine on and check underneath to see where it's leaking from? it should be dripping once every minute or so?

CASB · Post by **CASB** » 02 Jul 2011, 13:28

I had this same problem on my '99 v70 xc - the expansion tank had a crack, coolant leaked and we could not find where it was coming from. Dealer wanted $1000.00 to take the transmission out to find the leak; I knew better and that they just wanted to make $$$$. Replaced the expansion tank myself ($40.00 after market tank from Advance Auto Parts) and not hard to do at all. Hope that is all that is wrong with yours.

bobice · Post by **bobice** » 02 Jul 2011, 14:13

I would also check to see if the expansion tank tank CAP has a crack. FCP groton Aftermarket part is $5. Worked well.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 02 Jul 2011, 14:16

CASB wrote: Dealer wanted $1000.00 to take the transmission out to find the leak

WTF.

Post by **renns** » 02 Jul 2011, 16:40

I just replaced the upper and lower coolant lines to the turbocharger. The lower one was dripping some, causing coolant level to drop over time. The drops were often thrown onto the exhaust, and never did make a puddle on the ground. Here's a pic of the lower line, that was a leaker on my car. It's the smaller black hose in the left side of the picture:

: 107_2846.JPG (78.59 KiB) Viewed 22982 times

da7 · Post by **da7** » 06 Jul 2011, 08:38

hi renns, in that case wouldn't you see signs of coolant around the leaking hose and on the exhaust and or manifold too?

bobice: i think my coolant cap may be cracked too, I'm losing coolant VERY slowly and the other day i had signs of dried coolant on top of the expansion tank which I cleaned up ages ago, and it's came back, you reminded me to check the coolant cap tomorrow.. Thanks...

Post by **jblackburn** » 06 Jul 2011, 09:30

That hose leaks on nearly all turbo models I have been...fortunate...enough to be under.

Why they couldn't have just run a metal line into the stupid turbo like they did for the oil, I have no idea, but it's a real pain to change.

Replacing all coolant hoses on these cars as they're getting this old is a MUST! Those let go and your engine overheats, it's warped head time

Do it now, and don't worry about it for another 7+ years!

babelfish · Post by **babelfish** » 06 Jul 2011, 11:55

Justin, how many hoses is that, for the coolant? Is there a list or kit somewhere? I was looking at replacing mine, but want to make sure I'm not missing any hoses. I know I need the two radiator hoses and the two expansion tank hoses. At 125k, should I be doing the intercooler hoses, too? What other hoses do I need to replace at some point? Might as well do the whole lot at once, eh?

Post by **jblackburn** » 06 Jul 2011, 12:20

There are three for the 1998 and older models back by the turbo. Two radiator hoses, and then the two expansion tank hoses. 1999 models also have hoses in the back there that branch off to the oil cooler which exchanges heat between the oil and coolant.

I'm staring at VADIS, and can't find the actual part numbers for the hoses that run at the back of the engine to the turbocharger. It could be because I'm brain-dead from working on a terrible project I hate, but I sure don't see them in this diagram. I just went to our dealer and told them what I needed, pointed them out on a diagram they pulled up (better than this one), and they had to order them.

For the most part, the heater core hoses seem pretty solidly built and reinforced to me from when I played around with one, and in my time here, I haven't heard of too many people having those burst like I have had happen on other cars. Unless you have to change a heater core, I'd leave those ones alone.

I'd like to ask FCP Groton to put together a kit for the hoses at the rear - they seem to be dropping like flies lately at Volvospeed - but all I can find there is URO hoses (and I'm not sure if the inlet port on the 16G on the 1999 models is different or not). I'll offer up the suggestion to the FCP representative on the site here (using the OEM Volvo hoses) and see if he can get anything done with it. I'll let you know what I find out.

One other thing - the URO hoses are terrible quality. Don't use them.

I'm sure I could probably use new intercooler hoses at 198K - they've got a thin film of oil inside that I'm sure makes them a little squishy, but I've never changed them. Unless they keep blowing off or blow a hole in them (the throttle body one is known for that problem), I probably won't. Some people go with the SAMCO silicone hoses, but I've heard they're a royal PITA to get them to fit.