XC90 Serious Coolant Leak
 

I have a 2004 XC90, 2.5 turbo, AWD. I was driving the car in my neighborhood and a neighbor stopped me to tell me that liquid is leaking from the engine compartment. I drove home, parked the car, turned off the engine, stood about 3 feet from the front of the car and saw a steady stream of coolant leaking near mid-car/passenger side near the bottom of the radiator.

I placed a bucket under the leaking area. I refilled the coolant reservoir and within 15-20 seconds, the leak appeared again in the same location. I refilled the reservoir a second time and got the same result.

I refilled the coolant reservoir again and started the engine. The leak was slower, but was still present. Could this be a busted coolant hose or hole in the radiator? This is first time the car has had this issue.

Thank you!

Yes, do not drive the car any further - a damaged head gasket will cost $$$$$

Simply rent/borrow a radiator pressure tester and locate the leak - then solve it.

Or have the car towed to your trusted service provider.

Thanks, hoonk! I took the car to my trusty mechanic. He tested the radiator's pressure and found 2 areas where the plastic radiator was cracked. The replacement cost was $525 total. I can't complain because the car is 18 years old with over 231k miles and it's been pretty reliable.

Daaang bro. Ive had a radiator leak for 2 years and i just been topping it off every day. I did not consider this head gasket nonsense. This makes me concerned :eek:

If your car drips coolant or you can see residue on parts (like along the side seams of the radiator) you have a leak and should fix the problem area before the small problem becomes a big problem... The point was about not driving a car that's just dumped coolant as a simple overheat on a car with an aluminum head can warp the head causing a head gasket leak. Best to get a tow than chance limping home and turning a $500 repair into a $3500 repair.