I've been having some coolant loss (maybe the cap was messed up - but it's new?),
so today I went to take the cap off to add coolant and.......the cap came off, but not the rest of it!

I'd rather not replace the whole tank

I just installed this one 6 months ago.

Please help.......how the heck do I get this out!!!

 

Looks like a job for some needle-nose vice-grip pliers. I'd just grab part of the cap that's obviously NOT part of the reservoir, and turn to the left, and hope for the best. And I'd put a little schmear of silicon grease (or similar) on the opening before installing a new cap, and would buy a different brand cap than I did last time. ;-)

 

I don't have a pair of needle nose vice grips....but will get a pair.

I've been searching for a new cap and a few reviews say this happens with some caps.

This cap came with the new coolant tank.

Maybe.....this is why I'm losing coolant.

Thanks - again habbyguy!

 

***Update....

I got it out!

How?

I sprayed some lubricant around the top edge, so that it would (hopefully) seep down into the sides.
Then - there are 2 holes on each side (on the inside of the center of the whole stuck plastic tube)...so
I took a thin headed screw driver - stuck it in one of the holes...pried up and turned at the same time.

It finally popped out!

What a pain in the A$$!

Getting a new cap...hope that it still seals.

I'm happy..........for now.

I love how this car runs - but with this many miles, it seems like it's just one thing after another going wrong with it.

 

Congrats on getting that cap off... hope the new one works well (and "stays loose"). ;-)

And yes, older cars do require a bit more fiddling and maintenance, but when you think about how nice it is to not have a car payment, it's a good deal. I always like buying well taken care of medium-high mileage cars, and then going through them to make them as reliable and "like new" as I can, within reason. Then I just enjoy them as I put a million road miles on 'em. I just bought a really clean '05 V50 with 129,000 miles, with a couple transmission problems and saggy door panel fabric. Some new linear solenoids (under $100) a new shift gate ($20), $20 worth of upholstery fabric, a hot set of 2016 V60 wheels and tires, some spacers so they fit "just right", new struts, shocks, control arms, axles and tie rods, and she drives and handles like a new car, and I've got around $4K in a car that should last me 100,000 relatively trouble-free miles (and that's nearly indistinguishable from cars 10 or more years newer). Volvos are some of the best deals going for us dinosaurs who still love fiddling with our cars.