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700/900 Series General Forum for the Volvo 740, 760, 780, 940, 960 & S/V90 cars |
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960 losing coolantViews : 2771 Replies : 61Users Viewing This Thread : |
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Sep 14th, 2018, 19:19 | #1 |
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960 losing coolant
Hi I'm new to Volvo ownership and bought a 960 2.5 estate recently and would appreciate some advice.
I bought the car privately sold as seen and discovered a few issues which I rectified ( leaking radiator, sunroof wouldn't slide back)After new radiator was fitted I expected to top up for a few days but level just kept dropping so went into local specialist who said no evidence of leaky head gasket and they advised k seal ....this seemed to do the trick although I developed a split heater pipe so now waiting for a replacement. My question is...do I keep the car? It's done 202,000 miles and bodywork is great but I'm wondering if there's a crack somewhere that will eventually get worse.Also had to replace power steering pipe so I have spent a few quid on it. |
Sep 14th, 2018, 20:00 | #2 |
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What sort of specialist did you take it to? They should have done a cooling system pressure test.
Is it automatic? Also have you checked the engine oil level and have you seen evidence of any water/coolant leaking out anywhere? How much coolant did you put in after fitting the new rad? Loads more questions, these should hopefully give me a few clues which direction to investigate first. As for K-Seal - it's a last resort and it may have clogged something that needs to be open.
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Sep 14th, 2018, 20:15 | #3 |
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D and A autos in Witney have been doing the work on the car.
Yes they pressure checked the system and no leaking. Oil level not changed and no sign of head gasket leak symptoms.Yes k seal was a last resort as after discussing with them we decided to go with this due to costs of taking head off etc. The garage have been great and lent me an 850 to use whilst waiting for power steering hose etc. My main concern is if there's a crack somewhere that has been 'mended' is it likely to get worse? I just wondered what others would do? |
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Sep 14th, 2018, 22:59 | #4 | |
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Quote:
That's the coolant expansion tank cap. Very often it will only let a little coolant out at a time, being hot and suddenly released from pressure, the coolant rapidly evaporates, leaving no trace behind. I recently had a similar problem, the radiator had given up the ghost so i was hunting for a replacement and obviously didn't realise all the coolant loss was only partially down to the radiator. Renewed the rad, filled the system, had to top up once or twice as expected but then i still needed an occasional top-up. One day i noticed some coolant laying in the well round the cap on top of the tank. Thinking it was where i'd spilled some after the recent top-up i mopped it up and thought no more about it - until another dose of coolant appeared there. As i had a spare cap (albeit a higher pressure than the original) i fitted it to see if it improved matters. It did so i ordered the correct pressure rating and fitted it, job done! For the sake of £3-4, has to be worth a go!
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Sep 15th, 2018, 06:32 | #5 |
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Thanks Dave.
I will try a new cap.... definitely worth a try. Cheers |
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Sep 15th, 2018, 07:13 | #6 |
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Chris, some of the 900's were originally fitted with red radiator caps which were prone to internal splits which leaked when hot. If you fit a replacement, make sure its a new green Volvo one.
I wouldn't use any K seal or similar as Scooby says, it may block some part that should be clear; better to fix the problem. |
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Sep 15th, 2018, 09:21 | #7 | |
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Quote:
K seal will not block anything up if you understand how it works , It only hardens when it comes in contact with the air outside of the cooling system that is where the leak is , and it works very well indeed , far better than cheaper leak sealers .. .
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Sep 15th, 2018, 10:56 | #8 |
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The heater hose might well be .... the problem. Having found that needs replacing, and it is not a fortune usually, avoid spending on anything else until that hose(s) has been replaced and tried.
As regards do you keep the car. I was brought up "olde school". If the body is sound keep the car, mechanicals can be fixed. There are sometimes circumstances to make a different decision but surely most over heating comes down to something that can be fixed. Only you know the arithmetic of having bought the car. And you might have an idea of the arithmetic of selling the car. That is all....your private business in my opinion. BUT OVERALL that heater hose is leaking and you are replacing it so I would, wait and see. |
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Sep 15th, 2018, 11:12 | #9 |
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Yes it seems the seller was a tad economical with the facts.
I did wonder if the hose may have been the problem all along but they pressure checked it. I have just remove the hose( not fun)to try and do a better repair as want to use car tomorrow and the split is quite bad( 2cm). I agree that mechanical stuff can be fixed and would like to get some use from it as total cost so far is adding up.New radiator,power steering pipe plus I had a full service done when purchased and window tint and bought some paint to tidy up bumpers.I thought was a good buy with years MOT but spent more than purchase price on it now. |
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Sep 15th, 2018, 10:57 | #10 |
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That's reassuring thanks.
I made the mistake of assuming the seller was being honest when we talked about any issues...I didn't even realize the sunroof was meant to slide and remember thinking it's a shame it doesn't slide back like it did on my old SD1...it wasn't until the garage lent me their 850 that I twigged! Hopefully the kseal has worked but I'm not sure if I should add some more as I have lost all the coolant when the hose split and topping up so none in there now or perhaps 5 days is long enough? I could see bits of it in the coolant tank when first added. |
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