Oil/Coolant mix coming out of expansion tank

[kainechris83]

Thought I'd see what a local garage would quote . But they seemed to struggle to find after market parts involved and there was at least a weeks wait to get. And for that they wanted 380 quid just to change it that's not including the additional time to flush . It's looking like I shall be doing it myself . Can anyone give me a vague step by step guide

[kainechris83]

i can source the cooler and the seals but am struggling to find anyone that stocks the hoses, i presume the old ones will not go back on?

[Dippydog]

Clans reply[#17]would seem to suggest that original hoses can be re-used for some time before there's a danger of one[or more]letting go.If that is correct then you have something of a buffer to find the hoses you need while still being able to use the car.I'm not wishing to contradict Clan in any way here[he obviously knows Volvos far better than I do]but the Omega V6-such as I have-has an oil cooler in the water jacket between the cylinder banks which with poor coolant maintenance can let go pumping oil into the coolant and while I've heard of several that have done so no-one has ever mentioned changing any of the hoses and there've been no reports that I've heard/seen/read of the hoses bursting because they weren't replaced.

[AndyV7o]

Its to do with oil penetrating and softening the rubber. If theres only a small amount of oil and its not there too long itll most likely not do any harm, esp if thoroughly degreased with something which will denature and emulsify the oil such as isopropyl alchohol (isopropanol). There is a high likelihood the hoses would be fine, but what clan says is not at all unfounded. As you say, re-use current hoses after degreasing, with a view to doing the whole set later. Ive not known any hoses burst in a way directly attributable to oil, hoses can burst anyway, but, if lots of oil is in permanent contact with the rubber for a long period it will penetrate.

[john.wigley]

I would endorse the view expressed by 'Dippydog' in post #23 above. Linda has a Saab 9000 with the same (I believe) 3.0 V6 motor as fitted to 'Dippydog's Omega. The oil cooler to which he refers failed on our's in this way last year.

Apparently, the original was aluminium, and the subject of a recall many years ago. The replacement, sourced from Sweden, is in stainless steel. Fitting it involved considerable dismantling for access, the bill for which was in excess of £800. It was, however, the first major expense on the car in over six years and 20k miles - so we considered it worth it!

Regards, John.

[canis]

I'd give 'em a good scrub out with a toilet brush and washing up liquid. But then, I'm a cheapskate. Sure, for genuine peace of mind, new hoses will of course last longer. But all hoses will burst eventually - nothing lasts forever.

For a bit of insurance, you could carry a hose repair kit. I carry a bottle of mineral water for emergencies. Mineral water so it can be drunk if the need ever arose, but has become useful more than once in an overheating situation.

It might sound silly, but if the temperature needle ever does rise, you should stop immediately (safely) because it's evidence of something going wrong. On a motorway this is impractical, but you could stop at the next exit. Until then drive very gently. Maintain speed so you don't need to accellerate unnecesarilly. Freewheel down hills. These are normal driver strategies in a "just get me off this motorway" situation. If you do need to nurse the car home, do it in short bursts with long periods of cool-down between.

Chances are you'll never need any of this though. The hoses will likely outlast the car. The main thing is, don't drive an engine which is too hot. There are a lot of metals in an engine and they all expand at different rates. Overheating will really ruin your day, but it's not unrecoverable if you're sensible about how you deal with the situation. Where people go wrong is to continue to drive until it absolutely won't go anymore. That's a mistake.

[john.wigley]

Sound advice, 'canis'. Then again, hose quality varies. I well remember briefly working for an operator half a lifetime ago who introduced a system of planned preventative maintenance. This involved an annual service during which perfectly serviceable hoses were cut off the vehicle and replaced with new ones.

Problem was, the OE ones that were cut off at 1 - 2 years old had a life expectancy of 3+ years, while some of the replacements could fail at less than a year. Those were replaced as necessary, only to be cut off again as part of the PPM when the vehicle went in for its 'annual' a couple of months later.

I was only with the company for a year and left soon after the scheme was introduced, but I do hope that they did a hasty rethink on the situation!

Regards, John.

[Dippydog]

Yes j.w the Saab V6 is[at least to all intents and purposes]the same GM ecotec motor as in the Omega.Changed the oil cooler in mine not long ago.In my lock up it took just over 3hrs with parts coming in at circa £160.Changed mine as a precautionary measure rather than because it was leaking due to having[for sentimental reasons]spent quite a bit of money on it of late.

[ampy]

Hello ampy ,

Sorry about the location of the Pressure sensor I might have been thinking about a newer model actually , anyway you found it on the end of the metal pipes , ..


The fuel pump is controlled by a relay which is K8 in the CEM this could be faulty , I do not know if this is part of the CEM ( probably is ) or whether it plugs into the CEM .. The relay is fed by fuse F22 in the CEM , I would open up the CEM and see if it is replaceable . Early CEMs are several £100 but the later ones are "only" about £80 which is good value , + software of course .

The feed wire to the tank pump is yellow with an orange stripe , all the way from the cem plug C2 pin 76 to the pump and yes the tank has to come out ..
If you need any more info please mail

Hi Clan,
I did DM you this morning but not sure if the email got through?
Thanks,
Ampy.

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Dippydog

Yes j.w the Saab V6 is[at least to all intents and purposes]the same GM ecotec motor as in the Omega.Changed the oil cooler in mine not long ago.In my lock up it took just over 3hrs with parts coming in at circa £160.Changed mine as a precautionary measure rather than because it was leaking due to having[for sentimental reasons]spent quite a bit of money on it of late.

That makes for an interesting comparison, 'Dippydog'. The bill for doing the job on our Saab, at a garage which I trust implicitly, was £860. The parts came to £377 of that, of which the cooler itself was £209, all plus VAT, of course. They charged for 5 hours labour, but that did include flushing the system 'numerous times'! On their suggestion, we did price the cooler elsewhere and it came in at the same figure.

I guess this is because Saab is seen as a 'premium' brand and spares costs are inflated accordingly over their Vauxhall cousins. I've always liked big Vauxhalls too; the Omega is a fine cruiser and the Senator and Viscount before it were great cars as well - a point not lost on the 'boys in blue'!

Regards, John.

P.S. The expense was well justified, as the car passed its MOT yesterday with only a couple of minor 'advisories' (slight wear in two bushes) which will be addressed when it goes in shortly for a new resistor pack on the climate control system. J.