Background: Its my 1997 Volvo 850 GLT Turbo, I bought it used upstate Illinois. Drivin it everyday for about 6 years? The Catalytic Converter never got replaced, and latter burnt out my exhaust and turbo. I replaced all of that and had a happy Volvo. Not to long ago I lost my ability to step on it, well when i floor it, it seems to stutter? I just kept on driving it.

Problem: It generated a small coolant leek from the radiator, very small. Just filled it with fluids if needed (this is all in the last month-I planned to take it to my mechanic to fix the leak when i had the funds) Anyways Driving down the road steam starts coming out of the hood, about the time i find a good place to pull over it goes POOFFFF...HISSSSSS. I put it in neutral, shut the engine off and pull over. I open the hood holding my breath, whilst smelling burnt coolant. Though when the steam clears I find my engine bay covered in a Light Brown Sludge (Pictures Below) It smells like Antifreeze and looks like Antifreeze mixed with some Oil. The source was all from the exit hose on the radiator. In the middle of no where i was forced to drive it back home ( a good length trip accross town) I still had go power, and it didnt overheat at all.

Flickr Pics (read descriptions to): Flickr: TheSpaceMonkey9's Photostream

How did the coolant ever get mixed with oil also?? or is it coolant and oil?
Thanks for the Help, it is needed greatly!

 

sounds like a headgasket. do a leakdown test on the cylinders, how is your oil? how does it look?

 

It is also possible the oil cooler in the radiator went bad causing oil to mix with the coolant. But it could still be a headgasket.

 

My first thought was a head gasket to, but I eliminated that because I still have go power, and it runs "great". But what is this oil cooler in my radiator?? And what puzzles me even more is the crack on the inside of my coolant overflow (look at the flickr pics) and the sludge stuff is inside my overflow bottle to!?? And my oil was low, and semi old.

How much does a radiator run?

 

Also when you say leak down test, your talking about a compressions test?

 

I would not start that thing again until you get that fixed. I hope it has not mixed coolant in with your turbo cooling line, that would cause antifreeze to go through the turbo. That would not be good.

 

When you say "I hope it has not mixed coolant in with your turbo cooling line, that would cause antifreeze to go through the turbo." Could you explain the system to me? I have never dealt with a turbo/intercooler system before as I have had experience with N/A engines.

 

Just because it still has power doesnt mean the head gasket is still good it could still leak between the oil and coolant passages, instead of into a cylinder i had a car that did that very thing.

what color is your oil does it look like? is it black,? or is it a milky color?

radiator would run about 2-400 new or 50-100 or so from a junkyard.

 

I'm not real sure. I have heard people say that the radiator has the oil cooling part as well as the water coolant. Maybe they are separate but I have changed an oil line that connected to the radiator on our S70. So, I hope not but there may be a way for failure of the radiator to cause a mix, maybe it's a head gasket like suggested. But if oil has reached the antifreeze, it happened somewhere. And the turbo is cooled by the oil in the motor I believe. So, I'm guessing it there would need to be some kind of flush when all is said and done. Maybe Tech or one of the other guys will clear this up for us.

 

On the radiator on the passenger side there is 2 lines that attach to the radiator. Those are oil cooler lines. I have seen the cooler on the radiator split and bleed oil into the cooling system. I have also seen the tranny cooler do the same thing. But if it was the tranny cooler it would like strawberry milk instead of chocolate milk.

 

Like Tech said, engine oil + transm fluid coolers (turbo cars only for engine oil) are integrated into the radiator -- plastic tanks on the sides. These are metal lines (where oil goes through) surrounded by coolant. This is a very efficient way of heat transfer. When there is a crack in the oil lines inside the radiator, since oil is at pressures higher than coolant, oil enters the coolant circuit and it's found everywhere.

"Exit hose" you mean lower or upper? I think you are talking about the upper hose (which is the incoming coolant hose). If it is the lower hose, then the transm fluid and coolant got mixed.

New radiator is about $ 150-200. You should change radiator hoses, plus obviously the cracked reservoir, plus of course flush everything out very well.

 

Sorry for leaving you for a couple of days, i never mentioned I was going on a spring break trip....
Anyways Henry10 the leak was from the upper part of the passenger side on the radiator.
I need a game plan here (Im low on money!) I'm think i will repair the volvo, I just dont want to spend more money then its worth at this point. So a Radiator is 150-200, then I need a Cracked reservoir , any idea how much that will cost? then all the hoses, what about those? Sorry for using you guys as a price book but the local Volvo dealer is known (from personal experiences) to up prices and screw you for repair bills. Though i will call them and some other places later today.

I dont like being cheap to my Volvo but finances are killing me, So i'm open to any half assed ideas that would be cheaper lol?

 

If money is low, you can buy an eBay radiator for about $ 100. Reservoir -- you can try to patch with high temp Epoxy ($ 6). That's what I think i did to mine. It's not leaking anymore.

Two hoses should be replaced -- lower and upper radiator hose. These are about $ 10 each. Thermostat should also be replaced -- another $ 10.

Check FCP Groton for prices / good deals on these other parts.

You should also get Zerex-05, or G05 coolant ($ 15/gallon at PepBoys) and mix 50/50 with distilled water (99 cent/gallon Walmart?).

Are you doing the work yourself? If not, labor should be 2-3 hours charge.

Have you disconnected the cooler (engine oil and transm) lines already from the busted radiator?

 

Alright that sounds good..And I have not done anything to the car, except pushed it in the shed.
I will be doing all of this myself to..I have plenty of experience under a hood so thats all good

What order should i do this in? I would like to start today..
Remove radiator, Lines, Bottle, How should i flush it all?

 

1- Remove oil lines (engine oil and transmission). Drain oil and transmission fluid. DO THIS right away.

2- Flush coolant out + Drain
3- Replace radiator, 2 hoses, thermostat. Fix reservoir
4- Re-fill with clean coolant
5- Oil and filter change

I would also flush transmission (to be on the safe side).

 

By flushing do you mean just draining it out? or flushing something in there to rinse it out?
And you said you fixed your resivoir..did you experience the same promblem?
Thank you!

 

Yes. High temp Epoxy fixed the reservoir. I replaced my radiator on Volvo (and flushed), but did not have coolant/oil mixed. Had them on 2 other cars.

Cleaning the stuff out:

1- Disconnect the bottom hose from radiator and let the coolant drain + open the block drain too.

2- Pour distilled water (with drains open) in reservoir. Pour 3 or 4 gallons and let it come out. Without starting the car.

3- Connect the oil cooler lines to each other, i.e. bypassing the radiator. Any 5/8 or 3/4" heater hose would work temporarily. Just slip the hose over the cooler fittings and use worm-clamps.

4- Close the drains.

5- Pour some radiator flush product and fill with distilled water (at reservoir). While you're at this step pour Gunk Oil Flush in the oil.

6- Start the car and run in IDLE for 15-20 minutes with heat in HIGH: shut down the car, drain from the bottom hose/radiator. Keep pouring distilled water from reservoir until water comes out clean. You may need 6 or 7 gallon of distilled water. DON'T rev the car -- it may bust the oil temp bypass hoses.

7- Let it all drain again. Then replace the radiator and fill with Zerex-05 first.

8 - Drain and change the oil and filter. Same with transmission.

Be prepared to flush coolant again in 2-3 weeks.

 

If you have an air compressor, give it a blast of air (through the upper radiator hose) at the end of the flush.

 

I read that after i took the rad out....
and any way i can see where the oil line that is surrounded by coolant..where it broke?

 

I usually see the oil tubes break at the neck -- where the hose fittings connect to the tubes inside the radiator's plastic tank. It also usually the upper one.

I think that has to do with vibrations and shaking of lines through the years. Leaks at crimps of rubber lines into the metal fittings (outside the radiator) is also a known leak source. With time rubber lines harden and absorb less vibrations, which increases the stress on the fittings.