mystery water leak

volvee850glt · Post by **volvee850glt** » 13 May 2010, 15:22

Every couple days or so my low water light comes on and I have almost no water left in the reservoir. I have looked all over and never found any thing, never found it dripping anywhere, I'm stumped. Any thoughts or ideas of where it might be or how to try to fix it?

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 13 May 2010, 15:28

Is your carpet on the driver's side wet at all? Any moisture when the heater is on out of the vents?

Did you every overheat the car? Are there any signs of oil in the coolant?

I too, had a leak like that where I couldn't really figure out where it was from. I had ruled out reservoir and hoses since I had just replaced them. However, it turned out that i just needed to re tighten the hose clamps about a month after I installed them all new, as they may have needed a little time to seat properly and gave up a little slack in doing so. The leak was small enough to never reach the floor (it was dripping on stuff below the reservoir), but large enough to make a difference in the level.

volvee850glt · Post by **volvee850glt** » 13 May 2010, 18:57

No there is nothing in the car.

Yea back when i first got the car there was a hole in the radiator that someone tried fixing with super glue and zip ties which held until and got a mbc and turned the boost up. That overheated it and blew the head gasket but I had all that fixed new radiator and top end rebuild. After that it had a oil leak from the oil line to the oil cooler for about a month and I just had to get a quart every week and put in, but no water leak. Then after a couple weeks no oil light and no noticeable loss in oil I just forgot about it. Then about a week later the water light was on and the reservoir was empty. So for about 2 or 3 weeks its been losing water and the light has been coming on every couple days and I have had to fill it back up.

Also I think the sensor might be bad because it will come on when it is still half full.

whoa · Post by **whoa** » 13 May 2010, 19:19

Nothing in the car and I guess you've checked everywhere in the engine compartment for signs of drips and spray. Under the reservoir, by the firewall, down by the transmission, at the turbo, under and in front of the radiator...

If so, it seems like it's losing coolant internally. No signs of a whole lot of coolant in the oil, I assume? White exhaust smoke when the car is warm?

volvee850glt · Post by **volvee850glt** » 13 May 2010, 20:01

I have found some water on the heat shield over the turbo a couple times but those were both days it was raining so I didn't think much of it.
No I haven't see any in the oil and I just filled up tonight and checked all the clamps I could get to easily they all seemed tight except one on the line that goes to the turbo right over the heat shield, which I think that might be where it was going I just never noticed because its going right to that heat shield and evaporating.
And theres no smoke once it warms up but there is a lot of white smoke in the mornings, also just curious is that a bad thing that it does that?I am running a performance exhaust with no catalytic converter which I thought was the reason. I'm just not sure.

Post by **RobTheModd** » 13 May 2010, 21:46

do what I do when I run into something like that.

Get a large piece of carboard, throw it under your car so it covers you engine bay and around where your feet would be under the car.

tomorrow in the morning you will see where it is coming from.

I usually mark off where the tires are, and like the mirrors.

Post by **jblackburn** » 13 May 2010, 21:49

+1 on that.

I have a small crack in the side of my radiator that I couldn't figure out for the longest time where it was coming from. Once I took off the air guide underneath, it was apparent where it was leaking into the pan and then blowing all the coolant out when driven so I never saw a leak underneath it.

855 moneypit · Post by **855 moneypit** » 13 May 2010, 23:05

Are you running coolant or straight water? Only reason I ask is because you said you saw " water " on the heat shield. I was losing coolant from the rubber line in that area. Cheap part and quick fix.

Post by **RobTheModd** » 13 May 2010, 23:46

855 moneypit wrote:Are you running coolant or straight water? Only reason I ask is because you said you saw " water " on the heat shield. I was losing coolant from the rubber line in that area. Cheap part and quick fix.

... everyone should be runnin 50/50.. or volvo coolant... water is only really if you have an emergency... lol.

there is a reason they put 50/50 and not 100% water.

but I too would like to know if you are running just water.

cmblackburn · Post by **cmblackburn** » 14 May 2010, 08:21

Oh goodness, I hope you're not only using water in your cooling system!

I've heard of some rare instances where people who live in really cold areas that fill their radiator with only water have had to replace freeze plugs. They are along the block in the cooling passages, and probably well covered by the manifolds. I'm sure when you had the head gasket replaced, the mechanic would have noticed, but, if the water freezes in the passages it can lead to the plugs leaking or just altogether falling out. Since they're well hidden, I'm thinking it could be those. Perhaps there's coolant collecting in the air splitter, so it seems there is nothing leaking out.