S80 turbo 99' Leak under driver dash, sudden over heating &

[Ellie]

S80 turbo 99' Leak under driver's dash, sudden over heating, breaks are soft and rattling sound coming from passenger side front of vehicle. I wonder what's related to what?

I'm new to the Volvo world, so I'm learning.

Purchased In Jan 09' with approx 109,000 miles. Had a complete tune up about 100,000 miles.

@ 127,506 had breaks replaced (front break pads, resurfaced front rotors, replaced. Rear break pads, and resurfaced rear rotors)

Today @ 131636 the above problems are noticed. I'm going in to the mechanic hopefully this Thursday. However, being a single female in a new city, I wanted to at least have an idea what to expect. I wonder if any of these items are related to each other.

A) Drip under the driver's side. I noticed this almost right after I got the car, but I was moving and was told it was not a big deal. The person that looked at it found it to be maybe a leak in the antifreeze. We bought the mini rubber bands that go around those tubes, but he thought the forks could break and decided not to touch it. Still leaks, I thought it had stopped though. Today I pulled up the mat and it was completely wet underneath. It seams oily and so I have no clue what it could be.

B) How can I check the Transmission fluid? Is it possible to check it just like the motor oil?

C) My car started over heating one trip to Arizona ago. I was notified by my dashboard that coolant level was low. I pulled over let it cool down, refilled with water and was on my way. However, since then it's been happening more on a weekly basis now, and it's not even that hot in LA. (4 times so far)

D) Soft breaks. Odd, I just had them replaced so I thought maybe it's break fluid that's leaking under the dash, but when I look in it's proper refill container, it's full?

E) Rattling sounds are coming from the passenger side, sounds like somewhere in the front tire area, but from the driver side it's hard to tell. All though it happens more when I go over uneven roads, there is allot of that here. It's like something is loose and bangs on something else.

Like I said, this is all new to me. I really want to address all these issues, my Volvo is my baby. Any ideas?? I don't even know where to begin?

Lost in mechanics,
Ellie

[vegasjetskier]

A) Possible coolant leak from the heater core. If the core has a hole it will need to be replaced.

B) There's a dipstick with a yellow handle by the firewall in the engine compartment.

C) Could be related to A.

D) Could be caused by the springs not being installed properly.

E) Could be bad suspension strut mounts.

[dcarlson12]

(A) (and likely C) I believe the coolant like might just be leaking past the sealing 'o'rings of the connectors on the hoses which connect to the heater core. Have not done the 'o'ring replacement but from what I have read it is not too hard do. Have you found an independent Volvo mechanic? They are usually cheaper than the dealerships.
Here is a good link about replacing the 'o'rings: http://volvospeed.com/Repair/heater_core.html
(B) Here is a link to an online manual and the page showing how to check the tranny fluid level:
http://new.volvocars.com/ownersdocs/199 ... .htm#pg113
(D) How long after brake pad replacement did the brakes feel soft? If immediately, then you should just take back to the brake guys and they should fix at no charge. Usually soft brakes mean that air has gotten into the brake lines. Bleeding the lines should fix this. But normally air does not get into the lines just during a routine replacement of pads.
(E) Very likely your anti-sway bar end links are worn out. See this link for after market end links: http://ipdusa.com/Volvo-S80-1999-2006/S ... 2-744-863/
However I have heard reports that original OEM (Volvo) end links are almost as good and cost a lot less.