97 850 Video of coolant bubbling out of reservoir hose

[cn90]

In any vehicle, playing with an old, leaky/cracked reservoir is like playing Russian Roulette.

It is often a fatal mistake.

[erikv11]

Glad you found it OP and it was just a loose clamp.

I have only had to replace one coolant reservoir so far. Same thing: hairline crack at the nipple, no evidence of leaking and I don't know how long I was running it cracked, but I swapped in another used one. I would replace it along with the hoses if I was doing a full cooling system renewal, or before leaving if I was going on a long trip.

[cn90]

For the records, the reservoir is $49 at Volvo dealer.
The price of a gasoline fill-up.

[mecheng]

I agree, those temp fixes won't last buy a reservoir. And The way I look at it If you like Volvo and want to see them alive, support them by purchasing OEM parts. They are not a high selling vehicle because the majority want affordable appliances like Toyota that never fail over something higher priced and a better driving experience.

[erikv11]

LOL, I was about to post "I agree, $50 on every little thing will eat you alive, I can't afford a restoration mentality on three Volvos and would much rather spend the money on a tank of gas that I know must be bought anyway."

I will agree to disagree with you on what OP should do in this case. I will also agree that the cooling system should be watched very carefully.

Unfortunately, buying replacement parts directly from Volvo is unlikely to ever have any bearing whatsoever on the brand's success.

Another LOL, the only non-Volvo I own is a 99 Camry. I gave it to my daughter to drive, she is away at college, because it never breaks down. I have spent like $112 in actual repairs (more in routine maintenance, sure) over 10 years.

[cn90]

This issue is very simple.

1. If a person is:
- tight on budget
- carefully checking the coolant level frequently
- only drives around town, no long-distance trips
---> Then yes, do some ghetto cheap fix and just ride along...

2. If a person has:
- budget
- drives out of town often
- doesn't know how to perform a head gasket job,

---> Then replace the reservoir for the peace of mind.

On the issue of brand, I don't know much about aftermarket stuff (which seems to be of poor quality, ex: Meyle, Uro etc.).
So I buy from Volvo dealer, but to be honest, I don't know who makes the reservoir for Volvo, otherwise I can buy that for 1/2 price.

[cn90]

The bottom line in this world is: some people like to play Russian Roulette and some don't.

[dosbricks]

Okay, even if the OP fixed it by tightening the clamp, this thread has taken on its own life.

I put a Meyle tank on our S70 @ 222k. I could not tell any difference between it and the OE I removed--same thickness, weight, fit and finish down to the last detail, with both hose nipples sleeved. It had Meyle Germany printed all over the box except for a little sticker that said "made in China". That said, Meyle is very possibly the OEM supplier to Volvo. If you buy a Volvo OE tank it would not surprise me to see the same sticker.

Case in point, I just installed a pair of Volvo brand OE front rotors on my 850 and they were made in China and the machining was inferior to the previous OE rotors I've purchased. With Volvo cars now owned by a Chinese company, it would be no surprise to see changes coming in OE parts in the overall "race to the bottom".

[mecheng]

The volvo tank is made in Sweden I just bought it a few months ago. I plan to buy a new volvo when my mort is paid off, I hope they don't go the way of Saab. I love the look of the new s60 (2014+), everything is resting on their new Drive-E technology. Yes a slight distraction from the original topic but interesting nonetheless