850T5M Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 Hey everyone, I'm chasing a coolant leak for a little while now...and its starting to get slightly annoying lol It started as I needed to fill up my coolant reservoir once every like 40 days, then every 2 weeks...now every few days. The car is starting to leave puddles everywhere its parked. I don't have any pictures, but I'll try to explain my leak as good as possible. The leak is not coming from the radiator, but from further back on the driver side of the engine. The area where the lower radiator hose connects to the motor is full of coolant. It pools up on the transmission housing area. The hose itself tho, is relatively dry from what I've observed. The hose beside it (heater inlet or outlet) seems dry as well. The area directly below the Cam Sensor area is full of coolant (not the sensor itself, but like 6-8" below it, on the engine block and the transmission block). So, apart from the actually Lower Coolant hose and the Heater hoses...is there anything else that could be leaking in that area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikv11 Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 Coolant hoses on the turbo could possibly spray over there, but my money is still on heater hoses. Seems likely there is a pinhole leak in one of the hoses that streams out coolant when it is hot. Get the engine heated up and watch the area while you rev the throttle, maybe you can see where it is coming form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
850T5M Posted September 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 To change the hoses, do you need to get to the heater core? Or can it be done by the engine compartment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackT5 Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 Engine compartment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNW20v Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 Coolant hoses on the turbo could possibly spray over there, but my money is still on heater hoses. I second this. If it is drivers side I would guess turbo coolant hoses. When i got my V70 I was in a similar sounding boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
850T5M Posted September 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 What's the best way to check? I assume when the engine is fully heated...heaters on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamdrives Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 Get in there and look at the hoses. My money's on heater hoses. Pull them out of the firewall by pressing in the green tabs and firmly pulling them out. You'll have to remove the airbox and reach around a little to get the clamps on the block. Drain your coolant first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modus Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Heater core hose, The one that's on top (I think) before it goes into the firewall, follow that one to the block. It's located above the radiator connection. (Like you mention 8" below cam sensor) You can't see it unless you remove your air box and stick your head so your eyes can pry under. Most likely there's a hair line crack on your rubber hose, that's leaking an pooling on top of your transmission. It happened to me, the rubber dries out because it's the hottest part of the engine that stays hot for the longest, drying out the rubber and not making a good seal. When the temp outside drops the leak gets worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
850T5M Posted September 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Heater core hose, The one that's on top (I think) before it goes into the firewall, follow that one to the block. It's located above the radiator connection. (Like you mention 8" below cam sensor) You can't see it unless you remove your air box and stick your head so your eyes can pry under. Most likely there's a hair line crack on your rubber hose, that's leaking an pooling on top of your transmission. It happened to me, the rubber dries out because it's the hottest part of the engine that stays hot for the longest, drying out the rubber and not making a good seal. When the temp outside drops the leak gets worse. But the hose feels dry when I touch it. Does coolant dry? Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modus Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Humm, dry, yes coolant can evaporate. But it does leave a residue. Perhaps getting a mirror in there and looking to see if it ever was leaking. There's only 2 connections to the engine block on the left side as you mention. if your pooling coolant I'd think that the leak is significant enough to see drips. Please remember a bent coolant line can drip a few centimeters away from the real leak by following hose's lowest point. Perhaps it's leaking at the fire wall and flowing the hose to over the transmission to drip from there? The next method is to have the system pressure tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NM Evan Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 I was chasing a leak that was on the 2-3 month timescale. It then sped up to something like 3weeks between top offs. I could never find any sign of a leak when I looked: no residue, no puddles. A pressure test didn't show much either. Turned out it was the turbo lines were leaking when they got hot. I found some silicone lines on ebay, replaced them and now no more leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamdrives Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 You replaced the hard coolant lines with silicon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cn90 Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 Likely Turbo coolant hoses. I wrote the DIY below, best is to replace both hoses (inlet and outlet). I used Volvo OEM for the hoses. They are cheap and should last some 14y/140K or so. http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55306 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamdrives Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 Do silicon and coolant mix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NM Evan Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 You replaced the hard coolant lines with silicon? There are two ~3" sections of rubber hose on the hard lines. those were replaced with silicone. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Volvo-850-S70-V70-C70-turbocharger-coolant-hose-set-silicone-/360574476216?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3AVolvo&hash=item53f3e9dfb8&vxp=mtr Do silicon and coolant mix? Yes. Certain types of silicone does. Silicone vacuum lines are not compatible though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.