98 v70 GLT radiator leaks on driver side

HydroHydra · Post by **HydroHydra** » 16 Jul 2015, 15:50

Hello and thank you for reading.

I just noticed that there are some small leaks coming from the driver side of my radiator. I'm no mechanic but I seem to be leaking both transmission fluid and coolant. I'm having a hard time identifying where exactly these leaks are coming from, I'm pretty sure they're coming from where the hoses connect to the radiator itself. Both leaks are right on top of one another from the drip pattern.

The car, despite it's age, has only 92k miles on it. I'm pretty sure everything is factory stock for the most part. Any advice would be appreciated and please, go into as much detail as you like. I'm new to car maintenance so everything is helpful.

Post by **cn90** » 16 Jul 2015, 15:55

Search for Volvo OEM or Nissens (aftermarket) radiator info in forum.

Clean the connection and monitor the leak. Sometimes it happens from the O-rings inside the trans cooler connections, in that case red ATF fluid leaks.

Post by **scot850** » 16 Jul 2015, 16:04

Do you mean the drips you see are on the ground under the car, or you can actually see the drips at the back of the radiator? If it is the first, then the 2 fluids should land on the drip tray and will leak out from the same point on the tray (sorry, had to go back and make sure you are driving a car with drivers seat on the LH side!).

With age the plastic and the aluminum core start to separate giving you the problem you are seeing. Mileage isn't always the issue here, but time.

Abscate has answered with the Nissens radiator option. I personally have not had luck with aftermarket radiators getting them to seal at the top cooling hose pipe, so replace the top pipe at the same time. The rubber is more flexible on the new part and will seal better.

If you are going to try this yourself, my advice is take your time and the only real issue is getting the 2 bolts (accesses from under the car) that hold the radiator by the narrow ends. They can be hard to see, but if you look down the side of the radiator you will see the threads of the bolts. Get plenty of penetrating oil on those for a day or so beforehand or you could risk shearing the bolts or breaking off the captive nuts than hold them in place.

If you need more help then let us know.

Neil.

Post by **jreed** » 17 Jul 2015, 04:58

I had a leak in my radiator due to a crack in the plastic endcap. I wrote up a short guide on replacing it here:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=55629

+1 on the advice above from Scot850 to pre-spray all the bolts with penetrating oil well beforehand.

obayha · Post by **obayha** » 17 Jul 2015, 21:09

If you are thinking about replacing, let me know of I can help. If the one from my '98 V70t5 works, it has very few miles on it and is like new. Fixed the radiator and the valves took out the motor. I am selling parts from this car, but also want to tell you it is not a big problem to change out. It drops out the bottom, so ask all the questions you need and watch the YouTube. Make sure of a leak and not just a seal gone bad. As said earlier, at this age the metal/plastics separate.
Shane