So I posted below about a few issues, the majority are either fixed or fine for now and will be fixed.

The major issue is a strange coolant leak, or leaking of coolant that I'm fairly sure is related to pressure in the cooling system. I think it's the expansion/overflow/fill tank, but I'll get there. Keep in mind the car doesn't over heat and it runs very well. It needed wires/filters, etc. but it's a good motor that's for sure.

I bought the car and the first thing I did was drive it to an oil/wash place, got full synth in it, and asked if I could look at the underside. I saw a drop, one drop of coolant, this is with the car on the lift now, on the underside of the A/C line that runs under the front of the engine compartment, right under the serpentine belt, water pump. I thought it was, and my yet have something to do with the water pump, and I didn't see it anywhere else.

The car had been sitting for awhile, and the guy who owned it had bought it from two previous owners who had taken excellent care of the car, he did more damage in 2 years than they did in 20 of normal wear and tear. Still, it's in great shape for the most part, the damage he did do was cosmetic, or can be fixed from what I can tell.

I started noticing some pooling of coolant under the car, and kept an eye on the levels, they got worse during the cold as hell vortex of doom snap, we got -18 wind chills here, and I'd find large pools in the snow in the a.m. I re-cut the top radiator hose, and tightened the strangely lose hose clamp both ends, no more big leaks but the fill tank would get low, and there were some days where it wouldn't leak at all, others when it would, but never more than just enough to either fill the tank, or top it off.

I was scared it might be a head gasket leak, I thought I saw some *sparkles* in the coolant itself, and thought "son of a bitch, it is the head gasket, he put copper stop leak in it!" I rented a block tester, and it was negative for compression gasses in the coolant, phew big relief, and it could have been the kid trying to fix the car without fixing it. The hoses seem to expand more than normal, I could be wrong, but it just seems like they plump up a bit too much, there's equal temp in all of them to the touch at least, so the thermostat is opening up.

There is constant pressure in the system, even in the morning when I go out after it sits overnight and I check the cap, when I undo it you can hear/feel pressure coming out, if you do it too fast it will spray a bit of coolant too.

The weird thing is that today, when I went to check it when I took the cap off I saw two drops of coolant drip off from somewhere, I keep cardboard under the compartment to see where it's dripping from, and it was right under the water pump, hoses. The bottom hose could be lose too, but I don't think it's faulty, and why would the fluid come out when I just took pressure OFF of the system? you know?

Also, in the past few times it leaked, I'd get home come out take a look no leaking, it only leaked when the car cooled down completely during the night. Not when I parked it and got out with the motor hot.

I thought for sure it was the water pump at first, but from what I can see and tell the hoses are probably seeping some fluid, if they leak at all. The leaking got much LESS, to sometimes not at all, after the cold snap ended.

I'm thinking it's the expansion tank, and that it's not allowing any air to escape? But why would it leak when it get's colder and the system/engine is contracting not expanding? I do see coolant around the edge of the tank, looks to be coming from the cap? First few times I wrote it off as me spilling a bit when I filled it, but I cleaned that off and it returned.

I have a very rare medical condition and I'm driving to see a specialist in Maryland right outside of D.C. this weekend, it's about a 7-10 hr. drive depending on traffic. I have no choice but to take the car, I can't have anyone sit for my old, sick dog, she's coming with too. I'll put the seats down and put her bed in the back, she'll be comfy and fine. Hell if I had an air mattress I'd stay in the car too and skip hotel fees, etc.

Thanks for looking!

 

Guessing that car doesn't have a low coolant sensor.

Since you must take it on a long trip, take extra jugs of coolant, and run it with the heater on. You should be able to tell if it's low on coolant by the heat cutting out. Run with the windows open if it gets too hot.

 

I'm pretty certain it does. I haven't had a 940 without one, and this is my third '94, and one 960 too.

I'm more worried about it building up too much pressure period. I can run the heater, but I don't think that's needed. I can always pull over from time to time and bleed off some air from the reservoir too.

I'll be travelling w/a water pump, coolant, you name it. I just have to come up with a tool kit now, not that hard though.

 

Look, we have been talking for a while now, and...
A drop of coolant here and there now and then is nothing to worry about. You are driving yourself crazy trying to reason this out! I believe you tested your HG and it was OK? Do the following: run the car idling with the A/C on for 20 minutes and see what happens. Do the electric fan come on? It should be ON with the A/C on. Running the car with out the A/C on this time a year may not get the fan going for a long time, if ever, but try anyway. Watch for the way the radiator hoses get hard and warm--it should be gradual take about 10 minutes, and both hoses lower and upper should be the same temperature after about 20 minutes. That's providing the ambient temp is not super cold. I think if all goes weel you can take your trip in peace.

940's don't have low coolant sensors, 960's do.

Stay in Motel 6 or Red Roofs Inn as they accept dogs no problem, as do many other hotels. We travel with dogs a lot so I know...

 

My guess would be that the water pump is leaking. Not to say that other things are not, just to confirm that the water pump is.

Strange thing I learned a couple of years ago is that hot coolant dries fast. Kinda sucks. Back when I had my red block I learned that these water pumps have LEAKING LIMITS. When I found mine leaking I took it to my mechanic to have it replaced and he advised against it. We waited about 20,000 miles till my timing belt was far enough past due (I changed every 75,000 miles/3 years due to my excessive driving and noninterference motor). Since learning that my leakage limit is no drips between 4 hour drives. So I drive the car to get it warmed up and if I go check it within 4 hours and see no drips I'm good.

At some point a worn water pump will break and cause the car to lose timing. If the motor is not interference I don't think a tow will be the end of the world.

Track down and fix any other leaks. I don't think it's necessary to stop and relieve pressure. It will rebuild in 5 minutes after the car reaches temp.

 

So the car had a huge blowout of coolant coming right out of the tailpipe, huge cloud....then it dissipated, but it was coolant for sure.

I had talked to FCP groton, I live 40 mins away, and they said it's the cap on the tank, Volvo dealer confirmed, I was going to the dealer to buy one and had the classic signs of a blown headgasket, until I pulled off the highway and opened the hood. Coolant was all over the drivers side of the engine, and the tow driver said that it could be the coolant feeding into the intake manifold, and blowing into the exhaust from some source.

Gonna.try anf find.the hole but I think I might, or mightnot be screwed.

With a mechanic friend who's going to do a compression test

 

when my 740T had a bad HG (known issue when I bought the car, hence the $1200 price tag for a very clean 1992 740T wagon), the coolant was leaking on the exhaust side of the head, just below the #3 and #4 headers. this was a slow leak for the better part of a year of daily driving, til it finally blew the gasket properly and made all kinda bad sounds and wouldn't go. tow to shop, new HG, and its been good to go ever since.

 

Wowza. I'm glad I go with my gut sometimes, and have good friends. I wreak of anti-freeze...but, my car runs just fine. Headgasket totally intact. I just wish my "friend" had told me that he took the liberty of putting the vacuum hose for the vent control BACK ON THE GOD DAMNED THROTTLE BODY!!! because....that would have made it a lot easier to understand how all that coolant had gotten into my exhaust when one of the old hoses to the heater core BURST OPEN spewing coolant everywhere imaginable, including getting sucked like crazy into that open line on the throttle body on my *rare* (I feel so special) 940 engine. Someone at IPD was telling me over and over again, "THERE'S NO WAY COOLANT COULD EVER GET FROM THE RADIATOR SYSTEM TO YOUR EXHAUST...NO WAY!" oh...yes there is....maybe not your way, but I found a way.... And the cap is bad. Happens all the time. FCPGroton, in Old Saybrook, @40 minutes away has the cap for six bucks, but it's not genuine Volvo and maybe will last a year, but they also do have the tailgate struts/shocks in stock too...kill two birds w/one stone? CT's Own Volvo (used to be owned by Paul Newman, they had one of his racing cars in the showroom all the time) in Orange 15minutes away, but they want $36.00 for the cap. *cough* Jesus!

So, there was enough pressure in the system to rupture a hose. That, and there's a flapper valve for the heater core that pretty much was crumpled/snapped off, at the firewall and we just routed some hoses bought at the local parts store w/out using it. It's cold out, I need heat, and I'll control it with the windows if I have to. IDP has the part for 13 bucks. I'll see if FCP has it and if they do I'll maybe take a trip to the one stop shop location. My local Volvo dealer has not been very great about helping get parts at all, they say they are going to begin phasing these cars out of their parts inventory. As he said it, "We just don't see that many of them come through." That sucks...let's hope the other Swede suppliers keep us well stocked for the long haul.

Anyone have any other insights to the pressure other than that cap being bad? I mean, I had to fix the windshield washer T valve because it had gotten varnish gunked up and wouldn't allow anything through it. This thing sat, and sat, and sat I think. From the leaves, and amount of hidden rot, still for $700.00 bucks I'll still keep it.

I would love to know what the hell kind of leak the kid thought he was going to fix with that stop leak. That's for sure.

 

Man I'm glad to read that you had this happen before your big trip.

I stopped by FCP after buying my current wagon but they closed early and I messed them. Their shop was kinda hard to find.

 

Guess what? They are moving to Milford. Cool for me, that's SO much closer.

I have to say I'm fairly concerned about the dealers not carrying anymore parts for these cars. I've gotten that from CT's Own Volvo parts dept. everytime I call. "Hey you got a doohinkle thingy for a '94...." "NO. We're discontinuing parts for that car." I've heard that all through this, but hopefully since there's such a cult following for these things they'll keep us in business for a bit. I mean Sweden has GOT to have parts going way back. I have no idea how some people get parts for some of the '70's vintage cars...but they do.

I don't think it would have blown like that with a functioning cap on the expansion tank, the new one is Gates it doesn't look the same, but maybe that's a good thing, and they are German I don't think OEM, but for 6 vs. 46 I'll consider it a wearable part as long as it doesn't blow up anymore hoses. There was enough pressure in that tank to keep it completely free of coolant when I pulled over at one point. I'm sure because as I slowly bled off the pressure it rose to the high mark right up to the top. I should do another "Block Test" just for peace of mind, I've got the fluid...so


The thing is with threads that you can't do with a traditional radiator cap is, you can unscrew them very slowly to the point that only the slightest amount of pressure comes out, like a soda bottle you don't want to explode all over you after it's taken a digger.

I took every liberty to pull over at every rest stop, whatnot, on the way there to release the pressure built up in the coolant system. I didn't want another hose blowing. I'll see if I can post a picture but it wasn't pretty. It blew at the bend in one of the hoses going to the heater core valve, which was VERY close to the throttle body/vacuum hose so I can see how it would have sucked all that coolant into it. Of course, as the coolant drained so did the smoke in my exhaust so when it happened I was sure I'd blown a headgasket. But, anyway it's fixed and I'm going to Maryland to get my brain taken care of, I hope.


Thank you all for your help.