I have a 2004 Volvo XC70 230K miles. Things a beauty, that was recently given to me. Great car but the last owner was fed up with it. It had a coolant leak and it was quickly shut off to be towed home and to then sit for 2 years. The car was towed to my house and from there I started digging into it to find out where the coolant was, Much to my surprise I have found that the lower radiator hose was off and it was a very easy fix, replaced that lower hose and the clamp, gave the car a new battery and a few bushings, and the car is on the road and running great. The other day I had the low coolant level light come on. Temp gauge never went above the half mark, I filled it and continued on my way to work, About 10 miles. the following day I drove it a lot about 100 miles and it came back on, on my way home. Again never taking much coolant to shut the light off. And the car never going about half on the temp gauge inside the car.
The one other thing the car needs is a PCV valve kit. The car has a oil leak and from what I've read and talking to the last two owners its never been done. My question to you all is, Could this kit have anything to do with the coolant issue. I have had to top it off three times total since it first went off in weeks time. It never takes very much coolant at all. I see no evidence of coolant burning, or a head gasket issue. Im thinking its either this pcv valve or I have a hose that is leaking a very small amount and will need to be replaced.. Any thoughts or advice that could help me get pointed in the right direction? Thanks all in advance.

 

The PCV nipple under the intake has coolant going to it, but it's not very common to leak. Make sure the radiator isn't leaking at the lower passenger side seam, that is very common. Also make sure the reservoir cap holds pressure.

 

Is this nipple easy to get to ? The radiator and cap are all fine. Im thinking it prob something that isn't common that is wrong just from the cars history. Everything was always done to it up until it sat for two years.

 

This might also be something that is important to know- I don't have the volvo antifreeze in the car. How likely is it that, that is the culprit ?

 

A leak is a leak, no matter what coolant is in there.

The nipple is under the intake near the power steering pump. Not the easiest to get to.

Sounds like you need to check all the connections and parts of the cooling system to track this down.

 

The loss of coolant is exactly what is happening to my 2005 XC70 right now! I had the belts, pulleys, tensioner done along with water pump but who knows. It's going in for a check up very soon, I'll keep you posted

 

Our 2006 XC70 with 150K miles is losing coolant too. About every 3-4 weeks the low coolant light comes on and I add ~8oz.

I replaced the cap which did not help. My mechanic inspected and said it was a small leak at the lower passenger side seam. Not sure how he diagnosed it. He could have pressurized the system and inspected or simply guessed based on prior experience with these cars. He said radiator was $200 part (not bad) but, $800 in labor to install. So, for the moment, I continue to add 8oz every 4 weeks.

Bob

 

Check for a leak at the radiator (either crack or seal failure) as well as heater core leaking.

 

When the low coolant light came on, do you stop to check where's the leak? When the light is on but temp gauge not show over heat, try to drive it home, drive up to the ramp, fill up the coolant, let engine running, get a good flash light, look from the top, then crawl under to look on the driveway to see where it dripped and from the bottom where all the hoses and possible coolant passages, it will be hot so wear the safety glasses. Did you smell the burned coolant? You said it lost very little coolant; Possible the coolant dripped on the exhaust pipe and dry off that why you don't see it drips on the on the ground. The last and the worst is if it not goes out it have to goes in, if you don't see the leak out, the head gasket just started to break a small leak inside, it not bad enough to give the symptom just yet, this was happen to my other car.

 

I have a '04 S60R (128K) that is losing coolant mysteriously. Fill the tank every month. No visible signs of leak and not coolant smell. Any protocols for eliminating possible culprits? Where do I start?

 

‘02 V70XC and started losing coolant 2 months ago. Traced it to the lower passenger side seam as mentioned in a few posts. Temporarily added Bars Leak which is a 2 part solution and it stopped the leak in 5 minutes. Bottle hasn’t dropped an ounce since. I plan to put a radiator in soon if I don’t sell the car.

 

Check around the gaskets where the thermostat mounts to the engine block for any signs of a leak. Also, look for teal/green/blue crusty residue on any radiator hose or any pipe that carries coolant. Pull the plastic pan off from underneath and look from the bottom too, that pan hides all kind of leaks. Also, check and make sure you oil looks normal and not mixed with coolant.