Radiator/hose coolant leak 2005 2.5T Topic is solved

[ZionXIX]

So I've noticed a coolant leak today. I've narrowed down to the upper radiator hose. Every time I squeeze the upper hose, I see coolant run down the side of the radiator where the plastic is crimped with metal. I can't tell if the leak is originating at the crimp line or the hose neck. Does anyone know if the OEM neck is metal reinforced? I've already tightened the hose clamp a bit but don't want to break the connection.

[MoVolvos]

I've already tightened the hose clamp a bit but don't want to break the connection.

The lower hose on our 03 S80 T6 completely blew off as my son drove home late in the evening from work last summer. Since both destinations are only a mile off the freeway the engine was fine. If you have not done so removed the hose to see if there was some slippery build up as with ours. With the older clamp and compressed worn hose it had been seeping for sometime before blowing off.

Again, clean it up and use a new and wider clamp, where available, if you have not done so. The warm gear clamps are more adjustable than tension style or one time use clamps.

*

[SuperHerman]

My recollection is it is not metal reinforced. I had a similar problem on a XC70 which turned out to be the hose not sitting straight, as it wants to tilt for some reason (most likely the mounting of the other end). As a result the hose clamp would also cinch up at an angle - hence the car would have a small but constant drip.

To resolve my issue I traced a straight line around the hose where the clamp was to sit, pushed the hose in and made sure it was straight relative to the radiator and then watched my drawn line and hose clamp. This kept everything aligned and the problem resolved. Note I started by replacing just the hose, but the problem persisted.

I would inspect the hose carefully and if it is soft replace it with a new one. Changing out the hose clamp may not be a bad idea as they develop bald spots from over tightening - meaning you can keep turning but the hose clamp will not tighten any more.

[ZionXIX]

Upon further inspection the leak is coming from the crimped plastic connection near the upper radiator hose. I pulled a nice looking replacement from the junkyard yesterday and can confirm that connection is metal reinforced.

[MoVolvos]

Upon further inspection the leak is coming from the crimped plastic connection near the upper radiator hose. I pulled a nice looking replacement from the junkyard yesterday and can confirm that connection is metal reinforced.

But you still don't know if it's radiator or hose correct?

*

[ZionXIX]

Upon further inspection the leak is coming from the crimped plastic connection near the upper radiator hose. I pulled a nice looking replacement from the junkyard yesterday and can confirm that connection is metal reinforced.

But you still don't know if it's radiator or hose correct?

*

It's clearly leaking from the radiator. I might post a video of it later.

[cn90]

All modern radiators in Volvo BMW etc. have an aluminum radiator coupled with the plastic side tank.
In between is a giant O-ring, which is squeezed when they put it together at factory by crimping the metal prongs onto the plastic side tanks.

With time/heat cycles, the leak happens either:
1. O-ring aging, losing sealing effect.
2. Plastic side tank splits or upper neck broken.

BEST practice is at 120K-150K miles:

1. Replace the thermostat and ECT (info in forum).

2. The radiator: search for the pros and cons between Nissens v. Behr.

3. The rad hose(s) maybe good until 200K.

[ZionXIX]

The saga continues. Long post.

I started the radiator job last week. I found that removing the bumper cover (2 bolts, some tabs and 2 fog light wires) made removing the skid plate much easier. Discovered a rounded bolt on skid plate removal. Supported the condensor with zip ties before removing the 4 radiator sandwhich bolts. I had to drop the radiator to access the upper fan bolts. Thanks for that one volvo.

I dont really understand the reasoning behind volvo reversing the transmission cooler flow. Removing the cooler lines took longer than I care to admit. I have never seen transmission fluid that looked exactly like liquid charcoal before. I dont understand how at 80,000 miles the fluid could be so dark.

I was able to drop the radiator beneath the vehicle and angle it outward for removal. I did not need any kind of floor jack for lift. There was plenty of room. I went with a good junkyard volvo brand radiator with questionable mileage. Upon installation I crushed 2 coolant channels but didn't notice until after it was almost installed. After that frustrating discovery I decided to just buy a new one. Off to FCP I went.

Oh decisions decisions. Blue box or Nissens? I'm usually quite the blue box snob but the nissens has good reviews, FCP lifetime warranty, and it could ship to me several days sooner than a Volvo brand. So I chose the Nissens. Key differences are the Nissens lacks a drain peacock (Is it really that hard to design and add one? ), transmission cooler connections are threaded inserts (presumably for different sized connections) and some of the spring clip nuts need to be transferred, the mounting bushings are a bit thinner than stock, and the coolant hose connection lack a metal reinforced ring.

Finally got the radiator in place and bolted up before realizing the tiny side hose (Vent? Bypass?) was not connected and I did not have any clamps small enough for it. 3/8" oetiker style PEX clamps at the hardware store worked very well.

Decided to change the coolant to the appropriate type. Had some volvo brand concentrate while waiting for some Zerex G48. I had the bright idea of changing the transmission fluid at the same time using the vinyl hose method at the upper radiator hose connection.

I used the Aisin brand fluid from FCP. Purchased a case of 12 for this job. This is where things got bad. First 8 quarts pumped out resembled darkness and despair in its purest form. Liquid charcoal. I have never seen fluid so black. It might as well be crude oil. Dumped my bucket of old fluid and started the next batched. Pumped out 2 quarts and filled with 2 new. Up until this point it was taking 45 sec to pump out 2 quarts. Halfway through the second batch I noticed how much longer it was taking to pump fluid. 2 minutes went by and flow had stopped. I shut her down and went looking for a problem. After scratching my head not finding any leaking hoses I looked around and found a lake of fluid running down the driveway. The Oh $#!* moment occured. I was immediately concerned that I ran the transmission dry. So many thoughts were going through my mind. What did I break? Where wil I get a new transmission? Will this lake of red transmission fluid permanently stain my driveway like a scarlett letter for all the neighbors to see?

I started looking around for the source of this massive leak. I searched high and low. I checked every hose and connection until I saw it. The funnel I was using for adding new fluid was sitting about an inch above the fill tube. At that moment it dawned on me that I didn't have a leak. I poured all of that transmission fluid onto the driveway myself. I experienced a clash of paradoxical emotions. I was happy I didn't break the transmission. But I was disappointed I made such a mistake. A quick late night powerwash (neighbors be damned) and a few days will hopefully yield good results.

[abscate]

It’s awful when you dump perfectly good new oil onto the driveway. I did once with ourE83, forgetting to replace the drain plug before refilling. Yuck.

Used ATF will get dark from oxidation while still working well as a lubricant and coolant. Remember it doesn’t have things burning around it.