Stormtrooper1 Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Car is a 98 T5, 210,xxx miles. (no, it's not mine) Radiator went, and the owner drove it about 10-15 miles when it was leaking. (I'm thinking it was dry) Radiator replaced, and the turbo return hose started leaking. Now, the coolant appears to be disappearing. the car is not leaving spots on the pavement. the oil looks clean and only smells like oil. the exhaust does not smell sweet. (nor does the cabin of the car) But the return tank gets low after a few days of short trip driving (under 30 miles a day) The shop that did the radiator claims the head was ok. What do i need to be looking at here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serge Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Even though you have no smell inside the car, it may still be leaking into the cabin and getting soaked up by the carpeting and foam. In addition, it could be getting burnt off and not leaving any drips under the car. The splash guard under the radiator may also be collecting some coolant and it may be getting dispersed while you drive, but doesn't drip when you park. Look around the engine bay for dried coolant. If you see some, clean it off and drive the car. After a few days, look at the spot you cleaned and see if dried coolant appears again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tca217 Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 I had a small crack in one of the heater hoses that went into the firewall fitting. When the system had built up pressure when warmed up it would open the small crack and let out steam. When I shut the car off the pressure would drop and the crack would close back up. Drove ne nuts for about 3 months. Was only losing about a cup of coolant every 2 weeks but still had no idea where it was going. One night after I got home from about a 30 mile drive I opened the hood and was looking around with a flashlight and and noticed the very small bit of steam coming from the firewall area. Starting wiggleing things around and found the leak real quick when the hose all most broke off!!. Replaced the heater hoses and no more leak. Good luck, .......................TIM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burn-E Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Have you checked the coolant reservoir for cracks? They often get hair line cracks behind and in the bottom that don't show leakage either. My bet though is that it's something like Tim's experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Thank for the Ideas. Going to have to check it out today. I shall keep everyone posted on what i discover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Is it possible a failing Coolant recovery tank cap could over-pressurize the system? I had a drip of coolant on the edge of the tank, and a small amount near the rim (cold be spilld from the last fill, but don't think so. there was obviously some coolant on the car under the tank. (not like dripping, but you can tell it's had coolant there) The car does not have the underside tray, and again there are no spots on the pavement (even running it with the AC blasting But when you open the recovery tank it makes that pressurized sound (like opening a pop bottle) even if the car has been sitting overnight. I don't remember my other volvos doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Well replacing the cap didn't work. There is a splash if coolant on top of the tank after about a 7 mile drive. Must be cracks in the tank itself. Guess that's my next step Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tca217 Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 My car has that pressurized hiss sound when I open it also, been doing that since I bought it so I don't think that is the problem. Also if you had a crack in the tank itself the system would not hold pressure so I don't think that is the problem either. You say there was coolant on the bottom of the tank ? I would check the small hose coming from the bottom of the tank to see if it is leaking. How old are your hoses?.......................TIM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 You said turbo return hose was leaking...did you replace it with OE? my non OE one leaked after 7k miles and it dribbled on the heatshield and evaporated, thus leaving no trace of a leak. Also check the clamped areas of all the hoses..leaks can happen right at the clamp if hoses are re-used..one may just be loose too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 You said turbo return hose was leaking...did you replace it with OE? my non OE one leaked after 7k miles and it dribbled on the heatshield and evaporated, thus leaving no trace of a leak. Also check the clamped areas of all the hoses..leaks can happen right at the clamp if hoses are re-used..one may just be loose too Yes, it was replaced at a shop with a OE hose. My car has that pressurized hiss sound when I open it also, been doing that since I bought it so I don't think that is the problem. Also if you had a crack in the tank itself the system would not hold pressure so I don't think that is the problem either. You say there was coolant on the bottom of the tank ? I would check the small hose coming from the bottom of the tank to see if it is leaking. How old are your hoses?.......................TIM I'm thinking it's Tank or hose around the tank related. I put a different cap on it yesterday (yes it was a used one, but it had no issue) and after 15 miles the cap had a crack on each side of it. and the edge seam of the tank had a little dribble of fluid on it. I've seen that before on this car, but i always thought it was mess from it being re-filled. Yesterday i wiped it all down so i know it was clean before the drive. I'm doing some hard core checking around the cap and the top hoses today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilled man Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 easy way to check for a bad head gasket is Turn the coolant tank on the side while the car is running. If you see bubbles .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 easy way to check for a bad head gasket is Turn the coolant tank on the side while the car is running. If you see bubbles .... So, Bubbles would be BAD, I'd Guess? Hmm. I'll have to check that out when the wife gets home. She took the keys with her to work today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Turned the tank on its side today. (stupid car was dead yesterday) I saw no bubbles. but i did get another hand full of coolant. I *think* its the seam of the recovery tank that is causing the issue. I'll put in a replacement of that this week. hopefully that will solve it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Put a new tank on today, thought it was just the hose clam being loose on the upper recovery hose. Drove the car like 20 minutes plus 2 miles of interstate and when i got back the coolant tank was totally full. when i shut the car off it quickly bubbled down to the correct level. It still had some leak spray on the top of the tank. The large radiator hose by the thermostat feels like it's empty. weather the car is off or on. When the car is running it will get hot, but still feels empty. and the only thing i see coming thru the upper coolant recovery hose it air. I let the car idle for about 15 minutes with the cap off in hopes to purge all air from the system, and i never got that hose to feel full. I turned the tank on it's side again, and i do see some small airbubbles from that upper hose. Is that the headgasket then? Help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted September 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 Anybody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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