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Repeated loss of coolant... Now with traces of motor oil! V70-XC70 2000

posted by  greendread on  Wed Jul 18 08:25 CST 2018
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last visit: Tue Sep 2 08:56 CST 2014
[RELATED]

Hello All,

I've been experiencing intermittent coolant loss. I understand we thought it was coming out of the reservoir hose below the reservoir, but I found twice this week the relief valve in the reservoir has been gushing like a geyser. I initially had mostly distilled water, coolant and water wetter. I filled it up with a proper 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water. After short drive home from work, I once again found the relief valve shooting out water, only this time the reservoir was boiling over. Check the coolant level again this morning everything was fine. I drove to work, parked and 10 minutes later there was a puddle under the extreme right hand side of the passenger side. There seem to be traces of motor oil. I guess it's safe to say that I'm looking at the beginning of a blown head gasket? any tips inside tricks would be appreciated, I've never done a head gasket on a modern Volvo before.

Cheers,

gd








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    Repeated loss of coolant... Now with traces of motor oil! SOLVED! V70-XC70 2000

    posted by  greendread on  Wed Aug 29 13:33 CST 2018
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    last visit: Tue Sep 2 08:56 CST 2014
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    Hello All,

    I replaced the thermostat, overflow tank, cap, coolant level senor, and coolant level sensor; and everything is well again!








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      Repeated loss of coolant... Now with traces of motor oil! SOLVED! V70-XC70 2000

      posted by  KlausC on  Thu Aug 30 09:14 CST 2018
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      last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014
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      What you did was all well and good, but because the top hose was 'hot', you could have ruled out the thermostat. Running with mostly water will allow the 'mix' to boil at 212F and the engine expects to run at around 240F.

      I suspect that your only problem was the cap. And the mix.

      --
      Keeping it running is better than buying new








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    Repeated loss of coolant... Now with traces of motor oil! V70-XC70 2000

    posted by  KlausC on  Wed Jul 18 12:51 CST 2018
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    You need to check again when the engine is cold: Remove the cap on the overflow tank, start the engine, watch for bubbles. Any bubbles will indicate a bad head gasket. This procedure should take less than 5 minutes.

    With a warmed up engine, check the top cooling hose. It should be HOT, if not then there is a chance the thermostat is stuck shut. But, then the dash thermostat should also go into the red zone rather quickly.

    If the gasket is blown, then you should be seeing combustion mater (gas, oil)residue on the top of the antifreeze in the overflow bottle.

    Doing a headgasket is not a small project on these 5 cylinder engines. You will need a cam lockdown tool along with a cam cover hold down tool. Check Ebay, or ask for a rental at your local autoparts store. Lots of bolts, lots. Plus trying to remove the exhaust manifold is a royal pain.

    Depending on the miles, you might want to invest in 20 valve guides.
    --
    Keeping it running is better than buying new








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      Repeated loss of coolant... Now with traces of motor oil! V70-XC70 2000

      posted by  greendread on  Fri Jul 20 06:21 CST 2018
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      last visit: Tue Sep 2 08:56 CST 2014
      [RELATED]

      Hello KlausC,

      Thanks for the input. I think you're quite right on all counts.... top hose was hot, thermostat never moved above normal operating temp. The car has been running so well. I don't think I'm up to doing this job myself. Working on the 120 is one thing... these modern engines are a whole other animal. Shops in my area charge $1,200 or more. It may be cheap to buy a newer guaranteed/warrantied used engine and sort this one out slowly on the bench.

      Thanks again,
      gd







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