'98 S70 Turbo 2.4L - Pressure in coolant sys?

1998 s70 · Post by **1998 s70** » 15 Jan 2013, 06:34

I'm having some issues w/ coolant escaping/blowing out from under the radiator cap of the expansion tank. I'm worried it may very well be a sign of a blown head gasket, however no other common HG symptoms are present.
No milkshake in the oil cap. She's been setting for about a month though waiting on funds for new radiator.

This started happening after I had replaced the radiator (Aftermarket and for the first time). Before that I had put some of that radiator stop leak crap in there to see if that would help the leak. (Huge mistake I know) I think this is causing additional pressure and have flushed the system twice with Prestone Radiator Flush. (No massive amount of debris or dirt came out.)

After replacing Radiator (1st time) I had a couple of hoses blow, and I replaced the thermostat, OEM Expansion Tank and cap twice but to no avail. Now that I've replaced the radiator again, (warranty Aftermarket) it looks like the same problem might be happening. I'll know for sure once she's fully up and running.

I can't get it to stay running but that is for another post but as soon as I can get that fixed (today hopefully) I've got a pretty solid method of testing it for blown HG. Your ideas could help for sure though.

With all of that being said I was wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences. Any feedback is greatly appreciated and thanks for such a wonderful resource to keep our vehicles in prime working order.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 15 Jan 2013, 08:25

You can rent a "block tester" from Autozone. You will need to buy the dye but it is in the $10.00 price range as I recall. What you can do with the block tester is look for exhaust gases in the cooling system. That will tell you if you have a head gasket problem.

...Lee

1998 s70 · Post by **1998 s70** » 15 Jan 2013, 10:50

Oh ok cool Lee,
Good idea. I didn't realize that they rent those. I usually use O'reilly here but we also have a couple of Autozone's as well. I haven't been able to get her started yet this morning, at least running consistently. I think it's because I need a new intake hose drastically. to the point that it is completely broken through and ripped on the exterior and oil soaked on the interior. When I installed it again when putting everything back together it also got twisted so I am sure it's needing to be replaced at this point. Checking w/ IPD now for pricing because I think I can get the whole set of silicone hoses for about as cheap as I can get one hose from the dealer. TTYS and I'll let you guys know what's up. Thanks.

Roadrunner · Post by **Roadrunner** » 15 Jan 2013, 11:11

Not sure if they still sale these now. You can look for an old radiator press pump.
This pump would pressurize you cooling system and if the gauge went down you had a leak.
Also with the system under pressure adn the motor off, it help you to find the leak to.
When you start the car up and the see the gauge bouncing up and down then you have a head problem.
The only problem I can see is when a car no longers has one of the old style of radiator caps on then the pump in usless.

Ayway my thoughts.

Post by **rspi** » 15 Jan 2013, 11:15

We had similar issues: http://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-s70- ... ems-63516/

Post by **jblackburn** » 15 Jan 2013, 12:48

1998 s70 wrote:Oh ok cool Lee,
Good idea. I didn't realize that they rent those. I usually use O'reilly here but we also have a couple of Autozone's as well. I haven't been able to get her started yet this morning, at least running consistently. I think it's because I need a new intake hose drastically. to the point that it is completely broken through and ripped on the exterior and oil soaked on the interior. When I installed it again when putting everything back together it also got twisted so I am sure it's needing to be replaced at this point. Checking w/ IPD now for pricing because I think I can get the whole set of silicone hoses for about as cheap as I can get one hose from the dealer. TTYS and I'll let you guys know what's up. Thanks.

Yeup, turbos won't run at all with those hoses busted up.

Careful with your decision on the silicone hoses. They're a @#$%# to install.

1998 s70 · Post by **1998 s70** » 20 Jan 2013, 10:31

All right well I got the new hose on and it seems to be helping but the diameter of hose going to the Idle Air Control IAC valve on the inside seems much smaller than the older one. I was wrong in think i could get a whole set of silicones for close to the same price as an OEM single hose. OEM single goes for about $100 I thnk and the set from IPD seems like it should be in the $250-$275 range. Can't remember since that was last week. Anyway after I finally got her running and after bleeding some of the air out of the coolant system, she is not giving me any blowback out from under the expansion tank cap anymore. I won't be 100% sure though until I get her idling and running well.

I submitted another post about a low fuel pressure issue @ the rail that I now have since this took priority. I am waiting on a Fuel pressure controller relay in the mail.

Thanks guys