Oh no...Head Gasket?

volvofornia · Post by **volvofornia** » 18 May 2016, 15:27

Hi together,

After my 850 did quiete good the last months I now have problems with my cooling system and the engine I guess.

What happened?
I was driving 3 weeks ago to school and my lower cooling pipe was bursting into bits and pieces. I got it replaced and since then I loose lots of coolant. I checked with a block tester at an indipendent shop and he was indicating that I get exhaust gases into the reservoir (color of the liquid changed).

Since then I recognized the following behavior:

- in the morning when the engine is cold I have no coolant in my reservoir
- engine starts smooth
- no white smoke comming out if the exhaust
- after engine is hot the coolant level in the reservoir is at the min mark and the system is under pressure
- sometimes the temperature is rising but not always. I also pull over and let it cool down for some minutes.
- when I open the cap the coolant is boiling and start to overflow
- when I dont do anything the coolant level is for around an hour at the same level and starts dropping after that during the night

So far I tried my luck with head gasket seal (K-Seal). Doesn's seem to work so far.

I was reading some stuff about the head gasket issue and people discribed that they have either oil in their coolant or that the engine starts rough with smoke during the first start. I dont expirience anything of this but something is still going on.

Any suggestions or thoughts?

Post by **Clemens** » 18 May 2016, 17:14

in the morning there should be coolant in the reservoir. Between min and max. It doesn t have to be at the exact same level everytime but it should be between min and max.
Also, it is normal that it overflows when opened as soon as it is hot.
Have you replaced your thermostat?
Try to get the fluid level to where it should be and then see if it still gets too hot and loses water. If it does you might be in trouble.

volvofornia · Post by **volvofornia** » 18 May 2016, 17:41

Yes, I replaced the thermostat with a genuie one 4 months ago in January. I just wonder where all the fluid goes? I dont have any signs where it goes. It is not under the car, not in the oil so where else could it be?

Post by **cuhfs** » 18 May 2016, 19:02

Exhaust gases into the reservoir (color of the liquid changed) would indicate head gasket. If you pressure test the system you'll find if there is a leak elsewhere.

Post by **erikv11** » 18 May 2016, 23:53

Everything you describe suggests blown head gasket. For example, there is no other way to get exhaust gases in the coolant.

It's going to need a head gasket job or a new engine.