2006 XC70 Red Warning - Coolant Low Stop Engine Topic is solved

[fontoledo]

Hello all

On Monday I turned the car on and the Coolant Low Stop Engine message appeared. I drove 5 minutes, and the message went away. The day after, Check Engine light came up after at least 8 months of being gone (last issue was the Fuel Injection sensor, which I replaced myself).

Today, an evidently burned smell is coming out of the car, so we panicked and left it in the garage. Before taking it to the mechanic, I wanted to check with you guys for potential root causes so I can prepare myself and either attempt to fix myself, or purchase potential parts ahead of the mechanic repair.

Thanks in advance!

[abscate]

On Monday I turned the car on and the Coolant Low Stop Engine message appeared. I drove 5 minutes, and the message went away

The other scenario to this is about $6000 in engine repairs.

When thst message comes, pull over and check the coolant level in the bottle , immediately.

[fontoledo]

Isn't the coolant reservoir pressurized? Can I just top it up myself, like I would with the washer fluid? If so, is there a brand/model you reccommend?

Also, the Temp level of the car looks ok, at the middle position. That's the reason I didn't panic. Moreover, with the message dissapearing, but I totally get your point. Won't move the car till I get some level of understanding on next steps here.

[chrism]

The coolant expands as it heats up. So when the level just barely drops to the lower limit the sensor will signal “Low Level” when the engine is cold. But as the engine heats up the coolant level will rise up on the sensor and the warning message will disappear. And then when the level drops low enough the warning message will illuminate regardless of engine temperature. At that point it’s getting serious and shouldn’t be driven. (Of course anytime the gauge reads above normal the engine shouldn’t be run regardless of whether the warning message illuminates or not.)

So apparently you’ve got a coolant leak somewhere and maybe that’s the source of the “burning” smell. Maybe a leaking heater core which can give off a hot antifreeze smell besides soaking the front seat carpets.

[fontoledo]

Thanks Chrism. I got scheduled to bring the car on Tuesday 27 to my mechanic; they'll find a leak if there is one. I'll also ask them to do a full flush.

Meanwhile, is "replenishing" the coolant reservoir something I could do myself to avoid creating a problem while driving with the current coolant level? If so, any brand/model you'd suggest I buy?

[chrism]

I've used Xerex G05 as it's supposedly chemically friendly to aluminum engines. It's a better deal to buy the full strength version and mix it 50/50 with distilled water.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zerex-G05-Fu ... lsrc=3p.ds

When the engine is cold fill the reservoir to about half way between the minimum mark and the maximum mark. (Sometimes hard to see on the side of the reservoir.)

If you don't have to add to the reservoir more than a couple times between now and repair time then you can probably get by just adding distilled water without the antifreeze.

[cn90]

- I use Green Prestone coolant mixed with distilled water. You can get Green Prestone at Target, Walmart etc. for $13 for the concentrated version, but you need to add water so it is roughly 50-50 mixture.

- At 145K miles on your 2006 XC70, likely sources:
1. Coolant reservoir.
2. The small hose to the thermostat nipple, this hose is part of the PCV venting system.
It can be replaced using a standard hose.
3. The $10 hose immediately behind the engine. This hose joins 2 metal pipes together that feed the Turbo.
For this hose, use ONLY Volvo brand, it is cheap.

It looks like the car has been neglected, so check:
1. Timing belt interval.
2. Cooling system overhaul: water pump, thermostat (Wahler only)...I wrote these in forum.
etc. etc.

[erikv11]

Don't just add either Xerex or some Prestone Green without first figuring out what is in there. It's not wise to mix different coolants.

If the coolant ends up needing a change the mechanic will probably go the lazy way and use Prestone Green which is most likely going to be fine but I prefer Xerex G-05 as the better choice, because it is the same formulation as the Volvo coolant.

cn90 listed a handful of spots that are known to leak but since we have close to zero information here, including nothing about service history, it is nearly pointless to try and guess where the problem is. It could just as easily have been a stuck coolant float and a false alarm, as you originally speculated.

[darylrobert]

to answer your question yes its pressurized when its hot, never open when hot. When its cold open the cap and put tap water or the remainder of the coolant that you used to fill in there, if there is a leak find and fix it. The temperature needle is useless and will stay in the normal position while steam appears and major damage is done

[EngineeringBloke]

You should be able to find distilled water cheaply. I'd avoid adding tap water if you can, as the dissolved minerals can be a problem.

Running the car with too low a level of coolant can be quickly catastrophic to the engine, so you decide.