For weeks I've been getting the message "Coolant level low. Stop Engine ASAP". I check the coolant reservoir and it is almost completely empty. I have been adding coolant (or just water) and the message will go away, but after a few hours of driving the message reappeared and I had to add more coolant. I thought it was a radiator leak, so I had the radiator replaced on Thursday ($500!). Today, Friday, I got the same message again after about two hours of driving. The reservoir was empty again. If the radiator is not leaking, then what could it be?

 

Check the hoses for the radiator and the back hoses for the heater core also, it might be that the water pump might be leaking also. Did the car over heat? Cause if it did your coolant might be going to the engine and you have a broken headgasket.

 

try replacing the cap on the coolant resevoir. That is if you don't have a issue with how the motor is running (i.e. head gasket). check the carpet to see if the heater core isn't leaking. Smell the exhaust to see if it smells sweet like coolant burning. If no issues with engine performance and no leaks are detected then try the cap.

 

yeah, you should check the hoses for the radiator and the back hoses for the heater core first~~~

 

pressure up the system with the pressurizer tool and see what is leaking don't shoot from the hips and assume something is leaking. as for what it is the list is too long for maybes. it can be anything that has coolant in it.

 

There are only 2 things that will cause loss of coolant. One is a leak. Does not matter where. If you see coolant under the car or in your interior, you have a leak. The other is that you are burning coolant due to a head gasket failure. If you can't visually see coolant leaking from anywhere, chances are you have a head gasket issue. Consuming that much coolant, you should easily see where it's coming from.

 

I've found moisture on my driver's floor mat. Obvious heater core leak ? Is there a step by step replacement resource you recommend ? I hate take time to drive to the library to read the tech manual. Can you provide it or perhaps available online ?

 

padams Im sure you found your leak but if you havent, check the coolant bottle itself. Mine had a pinhole leak that would only happen while pressurized and would drain the bottle in hours.

 

If you want to attempt the repair yourself, I might suggest that you buy the software for the Volvo repair application, otherwise known as an electronic manual. The Volvo version is called Vadis and you can buy it all over eBay. I bought mine for under $10 including shipping. It contains an ocean of information including step by step repair procedures. What's more, is if you want to take the next step and by an interface tool for your laptop, you can then plug in to your car for diagnostics and clearing of error codes. That is more expensive. You can get that tool from Alibaba out of China for around $200-$300. That will then interface with your VADIS program.

The heater core is not an expensive part. The repair is an interesting journey...