I'm a brand new Newbie. Hope you guys can help.

My son's car, a 2002 V70, base engine loses coolant. I looked high and low in the engine compartment and can't find any evidence of leaking. No white smoke out the exhaust. No white mayonaisse substance in the oil. It's losing about 4 - 8 oz a day.

Any thoughts? Is it possible that the overflow tank cap is loose or defective? Could that cause a loss of 4 - 8 oz a day?

Thanks.

 

any odd smell in the cabin or wetness in the carpets? (sign of a leaking heater core). yes its possible the overflow tank can crack or have a loose hose, or you can have a seam leaking on the radiator. A shop can do a pressure test.

 

As stated above, feel around for wet carpets. Afterwards you can hire a shop to do a pressure test.

In the meantime you can look and feel around underhood for a leak. Do you get your hands onto cars yourself?

You'll find a good flashlight can help you peer about. If the Sun is real bright on a given day your eyesight when you look underhood can be effected.

Also, look from beneath with the front wheels on ramps.

 

I checked all those things already. Nothing. Haven't done a pressure test. A pressure test will tell you if there's a leak but it won't always tell you where the leak is coming from, correct? You might hear a hiss or see an oozing somewhere, but you may not.

 

I just tried using a coolant sealant -- Bar's Liquid Copper. Just put it in, not ready to report results yet.

Anyone have any experience with this product, or with coolant sealants in general?

 

An inch of a friend's head gasket vanished and the "powdered copper" product (in a green bottle) had no effect.

There's usually a whitish, "frosty" residue left behind when there's a coolant leak. If you get the vehicle on ramps and if any leaking coolant made it down low enough to be hit by wind, you could get lucky and see some.

Did you look real low on the engine's front (belt and accessory) side? The water pump is down there. It's a little cramped and you could have missed looking there.
How many miles on this '02? This goes to the pump's age.

 

This wasn't the powder product, this was a liquid. This is the product.

No, but I can give that a try. If the water pump is leaking, wouldn't I see a puddle on the ground?

122k

 

My friend's "powdered copper" product was in a liquid. Just for giggles I'm going to post a broad question regarding leak-stop products on another board.

122K isn't long on our water pumps so it's likely not worn.
Puddling beneath a leaking pump...sure, but leaks where movement and pressure is involved have a complex rule book.

 

Which other board?

 

Duplicate post

 

I go to several.
1) www.bobistheoilguy.com They have lots of topics. Oils, greases, coolants, automotive repairs, cooking, bicycles....the list goes on and the people are helpful

But more for our cars.
2) www.volvoforums.org.uk Kinda speaks for itself. Again, helpful people NOTE: NS = near side (left side of car=passenger's side UK, driver's side No.America) OS = Off side (right side of car=driver's side UK, passenger's side No.America)

3) www.matthewsvolvosite.com This one has been around and has subdivisions for all Volvo models. It was, for a while, called "Bay 13".

Best of luck. Kira