V70: Losing coolant

[js7799]

Guess I should've expected issues with a car this age. Seems I'm losing coolant somewhere. I got a coolant light the other day, topped it off, and got the light again 4 days later. The reservoir isn't emptying completely, but it's dropping quite a bit. I had a sniff check done at my local MOT station, and there were no hydrocarbons in the coolant reservoir. I have no white or any other color smoke coming from the exhaust, so I'm thinking the HG is good. I will do a compression check tonight to make sure. The radiator was changed in 2008, so I wouldn't think it would be that. Guess the next thing I need is to pressure-test the cooling system. Any other thoughts or opinions?

[Darth Vol]

have you checked for any perished piping in the engine bay?

mine ended up leaking under pressure when car was running.

[Andy Northface]

Split expansion tank? I'm sure Andy ( Thanatos ) had this problem. I know you have a recent rad but a stone could have damaged it.

From my own experience............pin hole in the radiator which would only occurred after a motorway blast,or a knackered bottom hose clip that wasn't sealing properly.Or a faulty heater matrix,have you got wet carpets or trouble demisting?
Right,That's me out of ideas,anyone else?

[js7799]

Tonight I'm going to run it for awhile and see if there's any leaks under pressure. I haven't checked the carpets yet, but that's on the short-list. As for demisting, that doesn't seem to be a problem, although the windshield did fog up on me a bit the other day when conditions weren't really right for it. I'll keep you updated on what I find out.

[coupebrett]

i thought my head gasket was on its way out but i have recently noticed that if i turn my heating onto hot my windscreen and side windows steam up as well so im in the process of getting a new heater matrix. which should be fun to fit lol

[Andy Northface]

Originally Posted by coupebrett

i thought my head gasket was on its way out but i have recently noticed that if i turn my heating onto hot my windscreen and side windows steam up as well so im in the process of getting a new heater matrix. which should be fun to fit lol

It's a very easy fix mate,couple of hours MAX!! The only thing is make sure you dry your carpets out and the foam underneath because they stay wet for a very long time! Also,If I was doing it again I would drain my system of coolant because even though I clamped the pipes off I still got a ton of water in the footwells.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showth...+heater+matrix

This is my thread which contains the original "how to thread by John C and also some tips on fitting,

[coupebrett]

Originally Posted by andy north face

It's a very easy fix mate,couple of hours MAX!! The only thing is make sure you dry your carpets out and the foam underneath because they stay wet for a very long time! Also,If I was doing it again I would drain my system of coolant because even though I clamped the pipes off I still got a ton of water in the footwells.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showth...+heater+matrix

This is my thread which contains the original "how to thread by John C and also some tips on fitting,

thanks andy!
i will attempt it next weekend as i think the carpets are dry but it must have a very small hole somewhere as the steam is coming out the air vents lol
thanks for the tip with emptying out the coolant as well, as mine is quite dirty so it will give me a chance to renew that as well

[Andy Northface]

Originally Posted by coupebrett

thanks andy!
i will attempt it next weekend as i think the carpets are dry but it must have a very small hole somewhere as the steam is coming out the air vents lol
thanks for the tip with emptying out the coolant as well, as mine is quite dirty so it will give me a chance to renew that as well

You need to look under the carpets and under the grey covering thingy because on mine it was the foam underneath that was wet.My carpets were dry.

[Lmason]

it may not be the heater matrix, just the rubber o rings which attach to it, so id suggest checking the passanger side flore for being wet.

i done mine on my volvo s70 2 seater which is for sale, just for piece of mind.

to make it relyabel

[Andy Northface]

Originally Posted by Lmason

it may not be the heater matrix, just the rubber o rings which attach to it, so id suggest checking the passanger side flore for being wet.

i done mine on my volvo s70 2 seater which is for sale, just for piece of mind.

to make it relyabel

Forgot that one!