Still hunting my coolant leak. Not a big leak and I thought it was fixed with a new Volvo OEM cap.

In mid September I installed a new in the bag Volvo cap and went on vacation. Drove about 500 miles and some of it was in stop and go traffic.

Arrived home and the coolant level was right on the mark.

Today I was under the hood and saw that the coolant level is down to min. What? I have a great nose for smelling coolant but never smell any that is leaking in the engine. Although the blue may not have the same smell. I can walk by a car and smell a coolant leak.

So I was just out in the dark with a flashlight hoping to spot something out of the ordinary. I did see a small bit of liquid on the firewall side at the top lip of the reservoir.

Now I am wondering about the reservoir. One thing I have noticed is that there is never any pressure build up. I can remove the cap anytime without worry of coolant flying out. So I am starting to think that the reservoir has a leak and never allows the system to pressurize.

No overheating of the car, car runs great, etc.

Do the reservoirs on these cars have a history of going bad? If so is there a way to test?

Looking at my maintenance sheet I do see that the first I noticed a coolant problem was two months after a shop installed the top motor mount. Could they have nicked something?

 

Those reservoirs crack a lot. But its usually easy to see. Post a pic and I'll take a look.

 

Ok I just edited and the picture taking was just done. I saw a spot that looked chipped so I took my finger nail and started chipping at the mark. The chip got bigger and bigger and to me that showed this reservoir is brittle. Now it was one of my guitar picking nails but still IMO it shouldn't have been able to be chipped.

Where it is leaking...who knows. It could be a hairline crack where the top and bottom are glued together.

Now to remove that thing is another task. I know the pwr. steering reservoir and the expansion tank on the S60 are always hard to get apart. The expansion tank on the V50 has the same locking arrangement and the rear looks even harder to get at.

Is my theory a possibility?

Thanks

 

It usually cracks on the top, which is not in the picture.

As for removal, it just pulls up.

 

I filled the tank, our driveway is on a hill so it looks rather full.

Here is a picture from the top. I can't see any cracks but I haven't looked at a lot of these tanks.

I know that when this first started I would find coolant laying on the top of the tank and other places like laying on top of the upper motor mount, plus a few more places.

 

Looks like its starting to crack. Looks like hairline cracking around the round spot right in the center and also under that. I would replace it.

 

Agree. I can see hairline cracking at different places.

I tried pulling straight up on that tank and it wouldn't budge. It sits on those ears and the tank is not smooth (wedge like cuts) where it sits over those ears.

I had the same darn problem removing the power steering tank from the expansion tank on the S60. So I no longer push the power steering tank down too far. Easy to remove and it isn't going anyplace.

 

Applied some lithium grease to the ears and pushed the rear ear forward a bit with a screw driver....it pulled up.

Put my leather glove on for the front next to the wheel well, applied a LOT of upward force and it finally came loose.

Because I've pulled the rear on and off several times now, until I get a new reservoir I have the rear attached. The front is just resting a bit on the ear.

Went for a long drive, got home and there is not a leak to be found.

 

This is a generic weak spot for these cars. A $40 reservoir is cheaper than a $4000 engine replacement.. There is also a "Y" in a major radiator line that others have reported as a weak spot.

 

Where is the Y radiator hose? I hope it isn't like the hose on a Jag I owned, owners called it the $astard hose. It was called that because of the time it took to replace that hose, plus the knuckle cuts.

 

Its the upper radiator hose.

 

Thanks -- good to know.

We have 6 cars now and the V50 isn't being driven 60 miles a day so as of today, the reservoir has not been replaced. Now the car is driven to the store and back, it has been months since I had to put any coolant in it.

The reservoir was such a pain to pull off that it is just kind of resting in place so when I do replace it, I won't have to pull my hand off getting it off the mounting piece.

 

Here are a couple of threads:

Time to replace my upper radiator hose, part #30723082.

2007 V50 Radiator Hose Problems

Radiator hose high failure rate

 

The link I am on makes me frown again at engineers. My neighbor the mechanic thinks that after an engineer designs the car they should have to do full repair jobs before the car goes to production. I like that idea!

Is this true? I can't believe a car without a low coolant sensor.

"Since then I've been giving thoughts to a low coolant level sensor to insert into the reservoir and have started a thread regarding this. Any thoughts on this? I will have something installed in my car within the next few weeks. I just can't imagine a Volvo without that early warning system! "

 

.. But it DOES have a low windshield wiper fluid sensor! What more could you want?

Oh, right, the failure mode for no windshield fluid is a dirty windshield, while the failure mode for a blown cooling system is the car's death.

Check your oil & coolant levels, people.

 

I have not yet pulled out my owners manual but if it is true it is my belief that the car engineers should be taken out an flogged!!!

Or better yet...since it is a safety hazard to not know the coolant level has been breached ---- someone should file a class action.

I find it hard to believe someone would build a car without a low coolant sensor.

 

It is true, there is no low coolant sensor. However, I believe a warning will come on if the temperature gets too hot. Not an acceptable solution since the warning time would be much greater with a level sensor, but there is at least some warning.

 

Check your radiator hoses. The upper hose (left side) has plastic T's which are molded in. These tend to crack and leak.