855 coolant loss,windscreen trim question

[duke1]

hi all as title im seeking guidance for troublesome volvo aka "leaky" which constantly has leaks ever since i bought it nearly a year ago,the passenger footwell is full of coolant and i believe rainwater combo.
i have so far done every single hose on the engine and replaced both heater matrix and deleted the troublesome bulkhead coupling in favour of direct fit heater hose all thats left of the original pipe work is the cut down section of metal pipes that attach to the matrix,all new and volvo o rings.
so 2 questions?
1. how is coolant still getting inside the car and same passenger footwell puddles?are there any other connections between the inside and out im missing ie on ac?
2.i want to use some seek and seal on the windscreen but need to remove the plastic trim that cover parts of the windscreen where it seals some seems to be under the front wing and im unable to see how it is secured,it looks fragile so i do not want to guess and destroy it! thanks for any advices,duke.

[rguzz]

I'd start by trying to figure out coolant vs rainwater leak, go from there. Take off the inner panels that expose the heater core and pipes, leave the carpet pulled back, drive around and keep looking until you find the connections, or other source of coolant leaking inside the cabin. No other avenues for coolant entry that I am aware of.
If the obvious water leak sources have been addressed (sealed cabin air filter, drains cleared, sunroof drains good) do the water hose trick after blocking off a few areas at a time with a plastic sheet so you can isolate out areas independent of each other. I'd work on trying to figure out coolant leak first, rainwater later. I believe my water leak is lower down against the firewall, where the sealant up against the body of the car has cracked and dried some but have not confirmed. It can also leak water under the door seal and drip down the side of the carpet.

[erikv11]

On the water leaks: There is a piece of weatherstripping under the cowl. When that is gone water gets into that area and leaks in through the heater core inlet. Is it getting wet under the cowl?

Where the metal pipes attach to the "matrix" is a really common leak area, even though you have new Volvo o-rings I would check that carefully for leaks.

The trim removal on the sides of the windshield just snaps out, lift and pry carefully starting at the front/bottom near the cowl. There are 3 or 4 clip attachment points along each side of the windshield. The top and bottom trims are not meant to come out.

Leakage from the sunroof (if it has one) is another common problem.

[duke1]

I'd start by trying to figure out coolant vs rainwater leak, go from there. Take off the inner panels that expose the heater core and pipes, leave the carpet pulled back, drive around and keep looking until you find the connections, or other source of coolant leaking inside the cabin. No other avenues for coolant entry that I am aware of.
If the obvious water leak sources have been addressed (sealed cabin air filter, drains cleared, sunroof drains good) do the water hose trick after blocking off a few areas at a time with a plastic sheet so you can isolate out areas independent of each other. I'd work on trying to figure out coolant leak first, rainwater later. I believe my water leak is lower down against the firewall, where the sealant up against the body of the car has cracked and dried some but have not confirmed. It can also leak water under the door seal and drip down the side of the carpet.

hi i have removed the carpet and cover and double/treble checked the heater matrix connection,even got the camera in there and snapped some pics hoping to spot the source but as far i can see that all looks dry but there is certainly intermittent loss of coolant but no pattern to it,i can top it up and check a week later and it will be at the max level,next day it will be a ltr down and there seems zero loss when driven,its quite hard telling how much is coolant and how much is rain ingress but it has strong colour of the pinkish coolant but then the carpet is impregnated with the stuff and was when i got it.
even if it drys out completely add a little plain water it turns pink so i think pigment from coolant makes it look worse,i have the few pics here if i can find them ,,i love this car to drive but its getting silly now! and i was planning a head gasket and valve job in the spring but pointless if i cannot source the leak,sniffer test was odd i ran it up to temp and sniffer unchanged for 20=30 minutes and then only when i revved it right up did it change colour,odd? cheers for reply.
i shall find it eventually!

[duke1]

On the water leaks: There is a piece of weatherstripping under the cowl. When that is gone water gets into that area and leaks in through the heater core inlet. Is it getting wet under the cowl?

Where the metal pipes attach to the "matrix" is a really common leak area, even though you have new Volvo o-rings I would check that carefully for leaks.

The trim removal on the sides of the windshield just snaps out, lift and pry carefully starting at the front/bottom near the cowl. There are 3 or 4 clip attachment points along each side of the windshield. The top and bottom trims are not meant to come out.

Leakage from the sunroof (if it has one) is another common problem.

thanks i shall see if i can get it of in the morning if its not raining,no sunroof so im ok there!cheers

[rguzz]

If you can't catch coolant leaking from any of the previously mentioned locations I can't see how you are losing the coolant inside, as you point out. Tracer dye and UV light? One of the hidden locations for coolant loss in engine compartment? Someone wiser may have better suggestions. Looks like you did a nice job routing the coolant hoses, etc. I have had the experience of losing coolant intermittently for sure. Interesting that your passenger floor is wet, I'm assuming RHD. Mine gets wet passenger side but LHD. So we are speaking of opposite sides of the car, no?

[ZionXIX]

Are you smelling coolant through the vents when the heat is turned on? That would at least point you towards a leaking heater core. Other places coolant can leak are hoses, Turbo, water pump, head gasket, cracked head or cylinder walls etc......

[ZionXIX]

Those pictures you posted looks to me like the firewall junction has already been bypassed with hoses so that should not be a concern. If there are no coolant leaks under the car and you're sure that coolant is being lost I would investigate heater core and head gasket. Of you open your reservoir and start the car, do you see bubbles eminating from the reservoir? Any wierd misfire codes? You could pull the spark plugs and check for coolant in the cylinders. Unfortunately several possibilities here.

[duke1]

If you can't catch coolant leaking from any of the previously mentioned locations I can't see how you are losing the coolant inside, as you point out. Tracer dye and UV light? One of the hidden locations for coolant loss in engine compartment? Someone wiser may have better suggestions. Looks like you did a nice job routing the coolant hoses, etc. I have had the experience of losing coolant intermittently for sure. Interesting that your passenger floor is wet, I'm assuming RHD. Mine gets wet passenger side but LHD. So we are speaking of opposite sides of the car, no?

hi yes right hand drive uk and not as in the thing at bottom of the page it is a n.a.2.5se ,i have a uv light and the coolant is meant to have a dye but tbh i just see a big blob and everything under and around the nsf footwell glows but i know the heater matrix was leaking for a long time before i got the car and carpet is so full of pigmentation from coolant and seems very much needs removing to take out the carpet to dry,i pulled it back and dried everything under the cowl double checked my jubilee clips on the bulkhead delete and then set about doing the seek and seal on the front windscreen,one thing i did notice is the wiper stalks where they pass through have a rather rotten looking seal esp on the ns one so i shall see if i can seal it up,typical started raining again today,we shall see cheers

[duke1]

Those pictures you posted looks to me like the firewall junction has already been bypassed with hoses so that should not be a concern. If there are no coolant leaks under the car and you're sure that coolant is being lost I would investigate heater core and head gasket. Of you open your reservoir and start the car, do you see bubbles eminating from the reservoir? Any wierd misfire codes? You could pull the spark plugs and check for coolant in the cylinders. Unfortunately several possibilities here.

hi so far she has had new radiator and hoses and waterpump and thermostat,heater hose delete of the bulkhead coupling i had an uncertain result with the head gasket sniffer test but intend to rebuild the head in summer if health and finances permit,so i have intermitent loss of approx 1ltr coolant without running the engine at all but zero coolant loss when driven even for long drives,has no misfires and temp rarely gets to middle of the gauge,no bubbles and no sign of water in her cylinders when i did plugs.
half my trouble is having a real bad neck i cannot easily see into the orifice of the heater and must rely on photos to see what there.makes such work a genuine pain in the neck!
if water gets in now i will need to investigate under the cowling but the typical uk rain stopped play today,i just must sort this out ive spent so much hardwork on the volvo and love the car to drive its great,just a determined leaker!cheers