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1998 S70 T5... coolant gone... I have some questions

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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misha
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Year and Model: '97 850 2.5 20v
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Re: 1998 S70 T5... coolant gone... I have some questions

Post by misha »

TrishP wrote:First time poster here.....my girl is a 1998 S70 T5 with 124K and no rust. I want to keep her.
She's been pretty great, but last Friday, after start up, all the warnings lights turned off except for TRACS & ABS. They eventually went off after a minute or two.
Then on Sunday, after arriving home, I noticed the fan kept running--> after I turned off the ignition. Went and retrieved hubby to investigate. He found the anti-freeze pretty much gone from the reservoir & then noticed a hose detached from the radiator. At first he thought it was just a rusty clamp--but then realized it was a break. To be make a long story short, he felt there was enough room on broken part to reattach the hose and did so with a new clamp. We added fresh antifreeze, and I did drive around town today but with much trepidation (and a bottle of anti~freeze :|) . Things held up, but then while driving I noticed the TRACS & ABS warning light came on and stayed on until I turned off the car.

Am including photos of the fractured part and new clamp. My husband is hoping this fix can last for a bit.
My question, gentle expert reader, is--what do you think? Is this realistic?
And, are these two issues related in some weird way?
Do I need a new radiator, and, if so OEM?
Any advice greatly appreciated because, as you know, knowledge is power :-)
Same thing happened to me on Citroen Xm about 3 years ago.If there was left enough to safely re-attach the hose you'll be fine.Just don't overtight the clamp.Turn the screw untill it will go with just a touch of extra torque.The reason for falling off might be just that...over tightening.

Will it last?I don't know.It depends on what shape is the rest of the pipe.
On my XM it's ok for the last 3 years.
'97 850 2.5 20v / fully equipped / Motronic 4.4 from the factory / upgraded with S,V,C,XC70 instrument cluster / polar white wagon
History of Volvos in the family:
'71 144 S
'73 144 De Luxe
'78 244 DL
'78 244 DL
'79 244 GLE
'85 340 GLS

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FLXC90
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Year and Model: 98 V70 T5
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Post by FLXC90 »

Trish, First off, welcome to MVS. Now, how long have YOU owned the car?
Yes these radiators are prone to failing at the upper hose neck. Yes overheating will damage these engines BUT; if you made it home and the engine wasn't losing power, you probably did no damage. Since repairing the radiator, you drove it and it seemed normal, right?
Ok, to "temper" the opinions, : Replace the radiator and hoses for a permanent fix.
Keep an eye on the coolant reservoir (check cold before starting). Not in a paranoid, every time you walk past the car check it, but every couple days, if it hasn't changed from past behavior, ok.
And make sure the coolant level light on the dash works before you start the car.

The ABS module is an annoyance until you NEED it. down East you may want it sooner than I need it here in FL, but it's cheap and easy to fix when you can.
Current Volvos:
1998 V70 T5, 112k sat 5 years, still in mechanical coma (finally at the top of the pile )
2004 XC90 T6 AWD: 186k, 60 on transaxle ( traded in )
1998 POS70 N/A: DD/training aid, 236k but really about 240k, I think...ABS module( passed on to son who sold it)

TrishP
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Year and Model: 1998 S70 T5
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Post by TrishP »

Hello All!

Thanks to each & every one of you for your input, experiences and suggestions. Sure puts my mind at ease.

Am relieved that the ABS light falls into the "pesky fly" category for now and will plan on dealing with it in the Spring.

In reply to some questions, the temp gauge was normal at the time of incident and the coolant warning light only came on when I restarted the car to recirculate the new fluid we put in, then it went off. So I'm hoping it was serendipity and that the catastrophic separation occurred very close to home. I did drive it again today--albeit a short distance.....with no problem.
I purchased this car in 2001, and it honestly hasn't given me much grief.

Today I ordered genuine Volvo parts: the radiator, both hoses & thermostat from FCPEuro, which is located in the next town over from me. Good prices plus an extra discount. Hubby picking them up on Thursday and our mechanic has agreed to do the labor part. So, I'm a happy camper :-)

cn90
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Post by cn90 »

OK,

Glad you got Volvo radiator, 2 hoses, and tstat
To save you time and double labor charge...as people said, it would be great if the indy can do compression test before installing all these new parts:

1- Tstat should be done too (Warning on Torx bolts, search forum for seized Torx bolts). Make sure the mechanic sprayed some PB Blaster way ahead!

2- In this car 98 T5, there are a few "silent killers":
a. The 2 turbo hoses, the one at the turbo is a challenge to replace. Both of these turbo hoses should be replaced. Info in forum:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=55306

b. The 2 heater hoses. You can wait a bit, but watch them closely at this age. I rebuild them using Gates hose:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=69238
2004 V70 2.5T 100K+
2005 XC90 2.5T 110K+

TrishP
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Joined: 14 December 2015
Year and Model: 1998 S70 T5
Location: CT
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Post by TrishP »

Thanks for the heads up cn90~will do!

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