Saturday I purchased a 2001 Volvo S80 from a local used car dealership (Sacramento, CA). The car appeared to be in excellent shape and we really liked the idea of purchasing a 2 year warranty since it had 100,500 miles. Yesterday my wife came home and coolant was bubbling in the reservoir and leaking out of the top of the coolant reservoir. Thermostat stays at the 12:30-1 o'clock position and doesn't go higher. There is also a small crack on the reservoir cap where the coolant appears to be leaking. I've ordered a new cap to see if this will help keep the system pressurized and solve the problem. HOWEVER, looking at a few sites it looks like boiling into the reservoir can be a clear sign of head gasket troubles.
Would a new cap solve the problem? Does boiling in the reservoir automatically mean head gasket? Or could this simply be due to not having a pressurized system? As I said before, car seems to be fine and doesn't get real hot (slightly to the right of half way on the thermostat).
I do appreciate ANY RESPONSE and thank you for your time!!! I'm going to have the dealer look at it but not having any experience with the local dealer YOUR opinion is very valuable. Unfortunately that warranty I mentioned...after getting home I read the fine print and any overheating issues ONLY apply to vehicles LESS than 100,000...the used car dealer failed to mention this MAJOR detail.
Have a wonderful day!
Mark