We bought our 2002 V40 used two years ago. It now has 51,000 miles on it. Two days ago, we were driving on I-80 across Nevada, and the a/c stopped working. Then it came back on, and I noticed the temperature gauge was high. We shut off the a/c, slowed the car down, and it cooled down. Then it went up again. And then down. And then up, which is where it stayed, until we got to an exit, where the car died completely. No dashboard lights had come on to warn us that the car was overheating.
We had the car towed to the nearest dealership, which cost $1400. Yes, $1400. Then the dealer told us the radiator had sprung a leak, and the engine was fried. It'll cost $8649 to put in a new engine, $4500 for a used engine.
Two questions:
1. Has anyone heard of this happening? All fluid levels were where they should be, and the car was being regularly maintained. This seems odd for a car at only 51,000 miles.
2. Would you ditch the car and buy something else? Or would you have it fixed?
Thanks!
2002 V40 Overheat--New Engine Required?!
First- did the guage read into the red area at all? If so- there is your sign from the dash that it was overheating (not being facetious or mean- that is the truth).
The age of the car and the low mileage are two things that raise a red flag for me. Has the coolant ever been changed? If not- you could have an issue with corrosion of the metal portion of the radiator. The a/c failing is a flag too- the condenser( a radiator for the a/c system)is located right in front of the radiator. When the a/c system is failing, the condenser gets very hot. An a/c system can develop mulitple issues when the car sits and the system itself is not used regularly. In fact many top mechanics recommend use of the a/c every two weeks for 10 minutes even in the winter to keep key parts lubricated and keep rust from forming (moisture in the system accumulates and if not pushed into the reciever drier-dessicant container- will cause trouble). The hotter than normal condenser tranfers its heat to the engine radiator, which stresses it and what I suspect is old coolant. This can cause the plastic side tanks of the radiator to warp, causing anything from a large leak to a tiny leak.
Remember the basics of a cooling system. It operates on liquid (water, boiling point of 212 degrees) and coolant (raises boiling temp to around 240 degrees) and pressure (which raises boiling point of water and coolant mix to 260 or so). Remove the pressure aspect through a tiny leak, bad radiator cap or whatever, add some extra heat fromteh condenser and you are ripe for overheat.
My V40 with 120k miles was overheating while driving the grapevine is California this week. Outside temps were 105+ and I found I had a hairline crack-not visible to the naked eye- on the upper hose plastic elbow- I started to overheat almost to the red, but hit the down hill in time.
To answer your question about your toast motor. Have the dealership explain and show you why. The only reason would be severe damage to oiled internal engine areas, evident by knocking noise from in motor. Or cylinder head waprage eveident by outside leakage, coolant in oil or block test on cooling system which will show evidence of CO in coolant. Make them prove it before you agree to a new motor and angle for a LKQ (Like Kind and Quality) used engine which cna save you more than half.
Hopefully all works well- please come back and let us know.
The age of the car and the low mileage are two things that raise a red flag for me. Has the coolant ever been changed? If not- you could have an issue with corrosion of the metal portion of the radiator. The a/c failing is a flag too- the condenser( a radiator for the a/c system)is located right in front of the radiator. When the a/c system is failing, the condenser gets very hot. An a/c system can develop mulitple issues when the car sits and the system itself is not used regularly. In fact many top mechanics recommend use of the a/c every two weeks for 10 minutes even in the winter to keep key parts lubricated and keep rust from forming (moisture in the system accumulates and if not pushed into the reciever drier-dessicant container- will cause trouble). The hotter than normal condenser tranfers its heat to the engine radiator, which stresses it and what I suspect is old coolant. This can cause the plastic side tanks of the radiator to warp, causing anything from a large leak to a tiny leak.
Remember the basics of a cooling system. It operates on liquid (water, boiling point of 212 degrees) and coolant (raises boiling temp to around 240 degrees) and pressure (which raises boiling point of water and coolant mix to 260 or so). Remove the pressure aspect through a tiny leak, bad radiator cap or whatever, add some extra heat fromteh condenser and you are ripe for overheat.
My V40 with 120k miles was overheating while driving the grapevine is California this week. Outside temps were 105+ and I found I had a hairline crack-not visible to the naked eye- on the upper hose plastic elbow- I started to overheat almost to the red, but hit the down hill in time.
To answer your question about your toast motor. Have the dealership explain and show you why. The only reason would be severe damage to oiled internal engine areas, evident by knocking noise from in motor. Or cylinder head waprage eveident by outside leakage, coolant in oil or block test on cooling system which will show evidence of CO in coolant. Make them prove it before you agree to a new motor and angle for a LKQ (Like Kind and Quality) used engine which cna save you more than half.
Hopefully all works well- please come back and let us know.
Wanna rent a sportbike or track bike in Phoenix- PM me!
thanks for your response. I really appreciate it.
The gauge went into the red area after we'd been back on the road for five minutes. Nothing on the dashboard went off to warn us about it.
The coolant has been changed regularly. When we first bought the car, in 2004 (we bought it from a dealer, used), two months after getting it, the entire engine seized up and had to be taken apart, with each piece being cleaned separately. That cost $1200. We should have known then that something was very wrong.
The a/c has been used regularly since April, since we live in a high-desert area.
Thanks, too, for the advice about having the dealer show things to us. When the car was towed, it was literally leaking coolant/fluids all over the place. We had it towed to a non-dealer who works on Volvos, and he may be able to get us a used engine. But still...a 2002 V40? With only 51,000 miles. This just isn't right.
The gauge went into the red area after we'd been back on the road for five minutes. Nothing on the dashboard went off to warn us about it.
The coolant has been changed regularly. When we first bought the car, in 2004 (we bought it from a dealer, used), two months after getting it, the entire engine seized up and had to be taken apart, with each piece being cleaned separately. That cost $1200. We should have known then that something was very wrong.
The a/c has been used regularly since April, since we live in a high-desert area.
Thanks, too, for the advice about having the dealer show things to us. When the car was towed, it was literally leaking coolant/fluids all over the place. We had it towed to a non-dealer who works on Volvos, and he may be able to get us a used engine. But still...a 2002 V40? With only 51,000 miles. This just isn't right.
The engine seize thing from before souonds odd- let the shop know about this- they may find something wrong that the other place did.
The needle going into the red is your dash warning. I do not know if the volvo has a light for overheat- many cars do not. So going into the red and operating there for any amount of time can cause serious damage.
The leaking fluids sounds like one of a few things- burst coolant hose, cracked or holed radiator, warped cylinder head, cracked engine block, etc..
The a/c could have been a by-product of the engine overheat. Have the shop check the radiator and condneser for external damage too from say a rock.
Good luck- keep us informed.
The needle going into the red is your dash warning. I do not know if the volvo has a light for overheat- many cars do not. So going into the red and operating there for any amount of time can cause serious damage.
The leaking fluids sounds like one of a few things- burst coolant hose, cracked or holed radiator, warped cylinder head, cracked engine block, etc..
The a/c could have been a by-product of the engine overheat. Have the shop check the radiator and condneser for external damage too from say a rock.
Good luck- keep us informed.
Wanna rent a sportbike or track bike in Phoenix- PM me!
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