ATF Fluid Overflowing Out Of Water Expansion Tank

[dir3kt0r]

hi guys, i really hope to get some good and quick advice... im litterally stuck on a side of the road in san francisco, and its pouring rain outside. i got no where to tow a car to and to be honest very very low on cash. im from out of town so this didnt turn out to be a kind of a day i planned for...

i got a 98 c70 2.4 L low compression turbo. car has about 140000 mi on it. head gasket was done last summer, thats when i put a new radiator in too...

while after a car started leaking atf out of a top cooling line that comes into the rad. not too bad of a leak so i lived with it... recently it got worse, so few weeks ago i had tightened the two nuts on the radiator end of that cooling line. it helped a lot, damn near stoppped it. today i realized i was leaking atf pretty bad so i tried to do a same thing. but i think i went a lil too far and overtightened it.

once i started up the car the coolant expansion tank started overflowing (and yes it was closed) with a mixture of atf and water...

now im stock in a rain in a city barely known to me... i got no way to get around since i dont really know too many people here. is there any way for me to get back on the road? at least some temp solution i could come up with on a spot or at least with parts available out of a local auto parts store?

any ideas im gonna be gratefull for! thank u!

[jreed]

I wouldn't recommend driving it. You may damage the engine and the transmission. I would get it towed and then replace the radiator and leaking line, and thoroughly flush the engine coolant and transmission fluid.

[cn90]

No matter what, this is what needs to be done...

Tow the car.
Replace the rad, I think the brand is Valeo.
Replace the cooler O-rings x2. Place a clamp over the metal clips, which ONLY fit one way. Search forum for proper orientation.
Flush coolant.
Flush ATF.

[erikv11]

Great advice from those guys up there ^^^. It sounds like you simply broke the radiator, so that the trans cooler chamber is now mixing with the coolant chamber.

If you get to the point where you start buying parts to fix this locally: I always by the Valeo radiator but many on here like the one from Autozone, that would be cheaper and easier to get.

[dir3kt0r]

Thanks for the advice guys. I was reading somewhere that if water has gotten into the transmission then it's almost a sure thing that tran will have to be replaced soon, is this a fact?

[Ozark Lee]

It doesn't help it for sure but if you can flush it quickly and completely it will minimize the damage. The ATF pressure is typically higher than the cooling system pressure so the bulk of the mixing is happening from the transmission to the radiator and not so much the other way.

While it generally isn't advisable to actually flush a high mileage transmission in your case the potential benefits outweigh the risk and I would do the full flush routine.

...Lee

[tryingbe]

Exclusively Volvo
235 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 255-6270

Volvo Centrum Incorporated
3512 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 863-3266
volvocentrum.com

Volvo Repair & Service by Popular Mechanix
252 14th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 621-0376


Pick one and get your car tow there?

[dir3kt0r]

I think I possibly found a spot I can tow it to where I can do this work my self, I can not afford to take it to a volvo shop...

Is there some kind of additive like Lucas I should use after I flush it?

Also, o rings, are they model specific or can I match one that fits? Anyone knows the sizes maybe?

Thanks again for everyone's input!

[cn90]

- ATF Cooler O-rings, they are cheap. PN in here. Use ONLY VOLVO parts:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=55794

- Radiator: Nissens is $167:
http://www.eeuroparts.com/Parts/38179/Radiator-65539A/

ATF: use Dexron-III, standard type, it is cheaper than synthetic. Just drain/fill, run the car around blocks, repeat the cycle a few times, you will be fine.

[tryingbe]

Just order the radiator from Autozone.

Do not use Lucas.