I've been having this intermittent smell of coolant in my 91 740 wagon for a couple of years. It's starting to make me ill.

Took it to the mechanic a couple of times. First time they changed out the water pump. Still had the smell. Next they changed out a plastic valve that they said was always going out. Said mine was cracked. Still had the smell.

It it not continuous. Doesn't seem to be related to having heater or even the fan on. Took it back to the shop today, asked if it might be the heater core. They ran a pressure test, and it showed a slight pressure drop. No coolant smell. He said it should be a persistent smell. I don't always smell it, but I'll notice my lips turning numb, which is an indication that I'm being exposed to some nasty chemical. And, after a long drive, I'll get out of the car and notice a slight coolant smell on my clothes.

one time I noticed a strong coolant smell, up near the dashboard, when I did a U turn. Seemed to get strong when I did that. Then disappeared.

Car is worth $1200 or less. Mechanic says could be $1500 to change out heater core. Except, he said he couldn't find anything to point a finger at.

Right now I'm riding with a filter mask on, trying to eek more miles out this car until I save up for another one. Has 305k miles on it. I would drive it into the ground if I could. It drives well, etc, just don't want to keep getting poisoned.

 

Jeez..a filter mask? You do NOT want to ride with me after I've had chili!!
Seriously...only two things typically make the interior smell of coolant. The heater core and the firewall hoses connecting same to the engine. One set is under the hood, the other on the interior side. They previously replaced the heater valve...which if it wasn't new, was a good guess by them. They fail frequently. The simplest solution is to have the mechanic loop the heater hoses on the back of the motor together. There are 2 hoses...remove the shorter one completely and remove the longer from the firewall nipple and attach it to the nipple on the head vacated by the other hose that was removed. This will keep any more coolant from entering the interior. The smell will not immediately disappear as you still have coolant in the heater core but it will no longer be pressurized so the minor leak you have will probably dry up. The downside? No heater next winter! The upside? You can take that portion of the household budget for filter masks and set it aside for the heater core replacement. AllData says 8 hours for the core if no ECC. If you do have electronic climate control, add another hour. The heater core from Volvo is $300...they can be found for $80 aftermarket. We charge $80 an hour labor.That means $720 plus tax for a turn key job. Me thinks your shop a bit high.
Usually one checks for a leaky heater core by feeling the carpet around the center console near the firewall. Often, the coolant is bad enough to fog the windows! I'm thinking your leak is tiny...but plenty smelly...you may not find any real sign of leaks without really tearing in to it. Looping the heater hoses under the hood is cheap and will isolate the heater core. If the smell diminishes after a week...you pretty much know where it was coming from! Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

Sounds like a heater core to me but check your hoses first... If it is a heater core there is some stuff they make now that you an add to your system and it mixes with antifreeze so you don't have to drain your entire cooliong system and it fixes small leaks etc...you can get it at any auto parts store. If you cannot find it or it doesn't work and you do not want to spend the $$ to have the heater core done you can still try some Bars Leak head gasket repair and it will seal it up if the leak is small. Stuff works wonders but you have to follow the directions to a tee. There is also some stuff you can add to the coolant resevoir that looks like charcoal I have only seen it at radaitor shops...works AWESOME and does not clog up your radiator etc...hope this helps...

 

I have a 2000 V70 Xc Turbo. Awesome car & I love it, but boy have I had my share of little things going wrong. Now I too have antifreeze leaking on the floorboards of the passenger side. Carpet totally wet at times. Also I have had to put new coolent in about every day when my little light comes on.

What should I do & check first?

Thank you Volvo lovers for the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Go back to your mechanic and ask for your money back on the water pump and heater valve work. What a stupid thing to do, a coolant smell in cabin, so randomly change out engine bay parts?!!??!
You don't need a paper filter to reduce hazards associated with coolant, it's not harmful unless you drink it, and a lot of it. If your lips are turning numb, you have some other health issue.
You have a heater core leak, get it fixed.
As for everyone else asking about what to do, IF YOU HAVE COOLANT IN THE CABIN, REPLACE THE HEATER CORE!
There's no quick bodge around this if you want a functioning heater. Replace it or risk destroying the engine. It's that simple.

Regards, Andrew.

 

completely different car with exact same problem. except its probably even MORE expensive to tear down, replace the core, and rebuild the dash.