1994 960 loosing coolart.

[fharen]

1994 - 960 w/ 215k

I had previously replaced the cap on the expansion tank. It was indeed cracked around the threads after years of use.

I use about a expansion tank worth of coolant every week (typically 500 or so miles of 25 mile trips)

Where should I start trying to find out where my coolant is going?

Its not the oil as far as I can tell (no milky color, no coolant smell in oil) but I haven't had an oil analysis done or anything like that.

After the 25 mile trips you can smell the sweet coolant smell outside the car after you exit the cabin, but there is absolutely no smell of coolant inside the car ever.
I have looked around the engine bay and can't find any leaks or anything out of the ordinary.

any leads. Should I go ahead and buy coolant dye ?

[billofdurham]

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

No smell of coolant in the passenger compartment would rule out the heater which is a bonus.

If you can't see where the anti-freeze is leaving a mark I don't think adding dye, at this stage, would help much.

Check/tighten every clip on every hose in the engine bay. Also pay particular attention to the ends of the hoses for cracking and seepage. Remove the radiator grille and check the radiator, back and front, with a bright light for signs of leaks.

As a last resort find a friendly mechanic who can do a pressure test on the system.

Keep us posted.

Bill.

[fharen]

will look into it this weekend & keep MVS posted.
thanks for the ideas