good day all,

I have a 2002 s40

my car has never ran past the 3 o clock position temperature wise, in the last few weeks it has climbed up to 70-80- percent line ?

I have had several months ago change the ect and thermostat with volvo oem and thought I probably bled the system when I did, today I started see what appears to be coolant dried residue coming from the top of the side of the radiator hose where the overflow lines return to the radiator ? it appears that the top part has 2 clamps which may be leaking is this a hard to find item ?? and to replace?

 

Clamps are easy (you can replace the factory type with a number of other easy-to-find types if necessary). Just be sure that the leak isn't the radiator itself - you really need to figure out where the coolant is getting out to prevent doing a whole lot of damage to your engine in the summer heat.

 

thanks it looks like it coming from the section where its clamped down, it looks like part of the upper radiator hose section ? and yes its dripping down onto the hose hoping its not coming from the radiator itself, I wonder if I can do a pressure test but it seems I don't not have an adapter since theres not radiator cap to pressurize ?

 

If the leak is anything beyond the tiniest occasional drip, you can usually spot it by parking the car after driving (around town is best) and just look for the wet spot. Alternatively, you can thoroughly clean off all the residue from the previous leaks, and see if it leaves new antifreeze tracks that will help you chase the trail uphill (always uphill) to the source.

 

the upper radiator hose on the Gen1 S40s tend to have hairline cracks in the plastic where the overflow hose taps into the main section. I'd just replace the upper hose and get some new clamps (worm gear clamps will work fine). You may also find some dry rot on the end of the overflow hose - I was able to cut off about 1/2 inch and still had enough length to not require a replacement but if you are planning to buy new parts, I'd go for the new upper hose ($30 after market, $80 Genuine Volvo), new clamps ($1 per) and some generic tubing (not sure of exact spec, probably 5mm or so ID but you can fit to the new hose's nipple).

 

That plastic did crack on mine last year.The leak wasn't bad or even noticeable just bad enough to drop the pressure in the system to cause the slight overheat.