Correct Coolant Level When Cold?

[LPTJoe]

Thanks, I'm not loosing any coolant but if those circumstances arose I'd replace whatever part was leaking, even a matrix, before I'd resort to K-seal.

Not knocking it, and lots of people swear by it but I'm a 'fix it properly' kind of guy.

[Jimsiss]

I always top it to max, it’s a sealed system and the air can only compress so much before it pops the safety valve in the cap and lets the excess pressure off. If it ever gets to the point of popping then you have something seriously wrong and the engine temps will be sky high.

If you have ever removed the cap from the header tank when it’s hot then you’ll know the water boils instantly and then it pours out. A small amount of extra volume won’t make a shred of difference to the cooling except for not having that little bit of extra coolant.

I also have a small leak from the water pump to cylinder head seal. I just top it up and keep going, saves making it worse by taking the pump off to replace it (water pump seals are notorious for leaking on lots of older cars).

[baggy798]

Originally Posted by LPTJoe

So if you've topped it off to the max (Option C) and it's now inbetween Max and Min, dude, where did the missing coolant go?

Same as the other guys, I think most of it was going out the top water pump seal. The hoses that attach to the heater matrix were also a bit loose.

I changed the seals and gasket last year and it seems to be stable-ish now. Reused the 16 year old and 80,000 mile pump, no fear! Slight bit of 'furring' underneath again...

[LPTJoe]

Yup, I too have a mildly furry pump, coolant level seems to stay put though so I can only assume the fur belongs to a previous owner.

[Rversteeg]

To revive an old discussion: After several years of having a wheeping top water pump seal I finally replaced it (together with the radiator and hoses). I took the time to thoroughly clean the surfaces and the result is a leak free pump! I would not consider myself an experienced mechanic, but this job was not particularly difficult. I had to fiddle a little bit to get the rigid pipe in at the back side of the pump. You have to push the pump up a little bit to get the bolts in, I used a piece of wood and a small jack for this.
A tip I got from someone is to use a plastic washing machine drain pan when draining the coolant system. Works perfectly!

If you still have the genuine water pump leave it as it is , Just change the rubbers , The pumps you get now are nothing special and won't last too long compared to the old genuine volvo one , Even the new volvo ones are cheap copies now .

I could not feel any wear on the bearings or shaft sealing leakage, so I re-used it. It must still be the original one as I don't remember ever having been invoiced for a replacement and I certainly never replaced it myself. So it must have been running for at least as long as I am driving it (300K miles), but more probable its entire life of 650K km.
Rob

[bob12]

Well done; useful extra write-up.

I assume that you released the back pipe clamp/bracket on the engine block as it makes fitting the back pipe and seal into the pump much more easy as you are trying to lift the pump up to get a good top seal whilst also tightening the pump bolts!!

Cheers, Bob