2000 V70 AWD 56 engine slow coolant leak

[scot850]

What you suggest should work fine. You have to weigh up the time for a do-over if there is an issue. AS this is a small repair and the radiator is not at huge pressure I don't see why it won't work. Worth a try and if it is good, sell the 'new' radiator and get most of your money back.

Neil.

[abscate]

no no
I was traumatized while a volvochild very young and never got over it had to replace engine

. Nothing on the ground, takes maybe 2 or more months to drop 1 inch.

just carry some along with....

I would cross the country with that “ leak” , let alone a brief saunter down Route 5

[Chuck W]

I would do a cooling system contamination test to check for combustion gases in the cooling system.

Does the system seem to hold pressure for a long time?

We had an issue with the original engine in my wife's '97 GLT LPT. It had been overheated a couple times previous to us getting it and fixing the fan issue. It ran fine, but the coolant level slowly dropped and the system would hold onto a little pressure for a couple of days. Like I would go out to it after it had been sitting for 24+ hours and it would vent pressure when I opened the reservoir.

After looking high and low for any kind of coolant leak and finding none, I caved and did the combustion gas test.



The fluid is supposed to stay blue and only turn yellow if there are combustion gases present in the cooling system.

Signs of a very slight HG leak, so we eventually swapped motors in the car.

If it's not holding pressure for an excessively long time, then you *may* not have an internal leak, but the tester is inexpensive and worth it for diagnostic purposes.

[foggydogg]

The other sneaky place coolant can escape and hide is the heater core/bulkhead connection spaces. Diagnostic is feeling the carpet under the gas pedal. That's how I caught it on my first 850, but only after I had already replaced the radiator.
Vivere et discere

[kallekula]

Buy a cheap kit so you can introduce pressure to the coolant system. Very handy to find leaks. HF sells a cheap kit.

[Rocket99]

Got home from a run into town 2 days after topping up coolant. The coolant in the reservoir is one inch higher when hot from this run than it was when cold.

Got out the old block leak tester, fluid remained blue. There does seem to be some source of pressure developing in the cooling sysytem, it wants to push the coolant level higher in the reservoir.

Oh shit.

[Rocket99]

I would cross the country with that “ leak” , let alone a brief saunter down Route 5
[/quote]

now the coolant was one inch higher in reservoir that when cold after warming up on a trip to town.

Block tester fluid remains blue but I can see there is new volume added to the coolant space .

freaky looks very bad

[foggydogg]

I would cross the country with that “ leak” , let alone a brief saunter down Route 5

now the coolant was one inch higher in reservoir that when cold after warming up on a trip to town.

Block tester fluid remains blue but I can see there is new volume added to the coolant space .

freaky looks very bad
[/quote]
If you're saying it's an inch higher while it is still hot, that is normal. If it's still above the full mark after it cools to ambient, then as Neil mentioned, there could be an air pocket.
No exhaust in the coolant is a good thing.

[FireFox31]

I second the mention to look under the driver's floor mat for coolant leaking from the heater core. I let that go on way too long in my last 2000 V70.

What does it mean when pressure remains in the coolant system for 24+ hours after driving? How can this be quantified and diagnosed to be an actual problem?

[abscate]

I second the mention to look under the driver's floor mat for coolant leaking from the heater core. I let that go on way too long in my last 2000 V70.

What does it mean when pressure remains in the coolant system for 24+ hours after driving? How can this be quantified and diagnosed to be an actual problem?

It means everything is nice and tight and you have no leaks!