The last 2 days i've noticed antifreeze puddles under my car wherever i park. at times they are small drips and when i fill the antifreeze to the correct level the drip turns into a steady stream under my car... the leak is coming from the DRIVER side FRONT of the car -- the leak is not coming directly from radiator - there is a hose that is connected to the radiator on the drivers side and the leak is a stream that is riding down that specific hose or from another one connected to it that connects more towards the engine ... I need help please!

Im trying to find out if anyone has had similar issues with this and if the fix is just replacing the hose or what other causes it may be...

Im having the hardest time finding a video or a step by step guide on how to get this repair done myself - as far as replacing hoses and how to remove components safely. Does anybody have any guides or resources that may be able to help me.

Thanks for reading!
-Louis

 

Hi Louis,
My guess is that you have a leak in your lower radiator hose. If you are looking at the engine bay from the front of the car you will be able to see this hose as it comes up next to the engine on right side. It is about 2" in dia and it sometimes has a tiny red bleeder cap on top of the hose at the point where is passes by the engine. To the front of the engine it dips down to the very bottom and forms a "u" before fastening to the underside of the radiator. Often times the metal clip that fastens it to the radiator rusts and this can generate a pretty big leak if left unchecked. It is hard to see this clip from above- you have to remove the plastic engine cowling underneath to take a peak. Many an engine has been ruined from this pipe coming off altogether while driving as a large volume of coolant can be lost very quickly. Make sure this is not your issue. Here is an article that describes this issue further.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=59430

 

With something like a leak it's pretty much a matter of getting in there and following it to it's source.

 

I'm having this exact issue. Has anyone successfully remedied this themselves? Looks like this is a tough one to get to.

 

When mine had a leak I couldn't easily see I finally broke down and started removing all the intake parts until the upper radiator hose was exposed. Now if you have a T5 you have this crazy hose with 2 different plastic T junctions. The non-turbo model has a somewhat simpler hose but it still has one T junction. On mine one of the plastic T junctions had split allowing just a tiny bit of fluid out as the car cooled down.

Check out the hose: 2005 VOLVO S40 2.5L L5 Turbocharged Radiator Upper Hose | RockAuto

 

My exact scenario. The T junction split on the left side where it appears a seam was, and tha allowed quite a bit of fluid to leak after the car had cooled down. I broke down and let th local tire place ream me for $555 including tax to replace it, due to all the dismantling that was involved. I very rarely go to dealerships and garages to have anything done, but this job was somewhat big for my knowledge/abilities. They got me this time.

 

It happens. I do most of my own work and save thousands. So, I don't feel guilty paying the Volvo service once in a while for jobs that I am not up to do or that are just too much a PITA.

 

I had the same leak which eventually led to a blown head gasket. Since I had the head off I changed both hoses. The T junction is a known weak spot...mine broke apart when I touched it. Once you get the airbox off its not a difficult swap. I would advise to do with the front end up on ramps or stands.