Dirty coolant

[S40WML]

Anyone had a issue with coolant being dirty colour? is there different colours of coolant .? The car runs great but noticed coolant blackish in colour .And sits just at the min most of the time gauge sits just under normal .1.6d 2011 plate 72k R Design with fsh volvo stamped .Cheers

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by S40WML

Anyone had a issue with coolant being dirty colour? is there different colours of coolant .? The car runs great but noticed coolant blackish in colour .And sits just at the min most of the time gauge sits just under normal .1.6d 2011 plate 72k R Design with fsh volvo stamped .Cheers

Not to ask the obvious but do you know when was the coolant changed last time and what type was used? maybe its just old and discoloured with residue and dirt from the cooling system?

[Austin160]

Dirty coolant can indicate that the engine might have overheated at some time, but in any case, it is well worth changing it. If it were mine, I would drain it off with the heater on hot and refill and run up to temperature, and repeat until the coolant runs out clean. Refill with genuine Volvo antifreeze, ensuring you get rid of as many air locks as possible and recheck the level daily until it settles properly. Might be worth removing the reservoir and cleaning this internally with a dish washing brush or similar.
One wonders about 'full service history' when the coolant changes appear to be ignored.

[LizardOfBodom]

I dont know how advisable that is in your case but there is such thing as "Radiator Flush" that apparently helps to clean internals of radiator etc...
no experience with it so cant say how good/bad it is though.

[Mr Jolly]

In my C30 the coolant is murky brown. In the Mrs S40 it was green. Dealer who serviced both said there was a tech note for coolant changing colour and not to worry.

[dme123]

I read a thread on here recently with two owners ditching their coolant because it was brown, so they replaced it. The joke is they replaced the nice modern OAT coolant the car came with (brown/orange) with crappy knackered after two years regular blue glycol...

There is a lot more variation in engine coolant than you'd expect. For the avoidance of doubt and for the cost of a couple of quid I'd be inclined to buy the genuine Volvo coolant from FRF rather than listening to internet wise men. As others have mentioned coolant changes are frequently ignored. You can backflush the system with fresh water after draining the old coolant, and then refill with the proper Volvo coolant for your model.