Hi everyone, I have read many of the coolant related questions but haven't really been able to find the answer I need..

I got the dreaded "coolant low stop safely message" about 1 minute from home.. .The temperature gauge was normal so I made it home no trouble and took off the car. I looked at the overflow bottle and it was almost empty.. I topped up the bottle and went to sleep..

Next day, i ran the car for about 15 minutes at home and i saw that the water I put in the overflow was now being mixed with coolant, so that ruled out any fears about the water pump being gone. I took a 30 minute drive until the message came up again, then I topped up..
I came back home, parked the car at home for a few minutes but as far as I can tell, I cannot find ANY leaks under the car.. No coolant on the floor or obvious leaks.. As far as I know, the coolant overflow cap works fine as well..

Firstly, where is my coolant going?
Secondly, how do I even know how much coolant I have in the radiator? This is my first vehicle that does not have a radiator cap (ridiculous decision on volvo's part if you ask me)... So how can I genuinely tell how much is in there or how much isnt? Also, if the radiator went completely dry how would you fill it up just by using the overflow bottle?

From what I can see, all the hoses are on properly and none are leaking..

Any idea what I could be looking at or how I can determine where my coolant is going?

Thanks

 

Dread the thought of a head gasket, but have you checked to make sure your oil does not look like a milkshake? Since you don't see any exterior leaks, maybe it could be a crack in a cooling jacket of the engine.

I think you could have the cooling system pressure tested, that should indicate any internal leaks.

 

Thanks for the reply...

So far it looks like a faulty overflow bottle cap combined with a leaking hose (i think one of the smaller ones that goes on the right side of the engine...
I changed the cap with a new one for $7 and changed the hose..

It seems to have solved the problem for now, so we will see..
I'll post updates if anything..