Coolant Leak ?

[stevelee65]

I've finally got my 04 D5 V70 back from the garage after having the steering rack and pump replaced (it's only taken 3 weeks !!!)
Anyway after being excited about being able to drive the car again I was greeted with the message "coolant level low stop safely" on the way to work this morning.
When I got to work I checked the coolant and it was just below the min
So I topped it up and checked it during the day,the level had dropped again by about 5mm in the expansion bottle after about 6hrs. The car had'nt been driven in that time.
I took the car on a bit of a run after work,no loss of power and temp gauge reads normal. There's no white emulsified oil under the cap or on the dipstick.
Unfortunately during this drought we are having I couldn't tell if it's leaking from under the car,hopefully it'll be dryer in tomorrow and I'll have a look.

So my question is any ideas where it could be leaking ?
I'm hoping to take it for a sniff test ASAP.

Cheers

Steve.

[spandelly]

To be honest mate it could be anything so without finding the leak it would be impossible to help at the mo. The only thing you can do is to keep an eye on it. But if they have had to remove a water pipe to get to the rack then its possible its had an airlock and driving it has cleared it.

[stuartggray]

Originally Posted by spandelly

To be honest mate it could be anything so without finding the leak it would be impossible to help at the mo. The only thing you can do is to keep an eye on it. But if they have had to remove a water pipe to get to the rack then its possible its had an airlock and driving it has cleared it.

I'd agree - keep an eye on the expansion tank, carry anti-freeze to top up just in case, but it could well be ok as per spandelly. My V70 2001 chucked water after six months of use, topped it up and it's never done it since. I'm now had it for over a year. I've no idea what it was about, no sign of a leak, no head gasket trouble, no overheat -nothing.

[stevelee65]

Fingers and toes crossed

[kdst5]

I had this problem and it was one of the plastic sides to the radiator. It never leaked when hot or cold but as it cooled down from being hot it would sometimes lose coolant may be once every 6 months. When it happened you could see a slight drip from the side of the radiator from looking under the car. You could not see anything from above

I guess it is something to do with the way the plastic side and metal core expands and contracts at different rates. Why it only does it very occasionally I don't know.