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1996 854 T Low Coolant warning Light/Antifreeze Foam on Dipstick 850 1996

posted by  Bob Sc on  Mon Mar 28 10:01 CST 2005
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1996 854 Turbo purchased at 110K in January 2005. Oil changed at purchase to 10W-30 Castrol and installed new t-stat, timing belt, abs control unit,strut caps, turbo oil line, flushed transmission, and antifreeze. Checked oil every 400 miles to monitor usage and up to 1800 miles - minimal oil useage, and was full to mark and dipstick clean.
Have had slight antifreeze smell at initial warm-up from heater vents, but no condensation on windows (Wisconsin winter) or interior dripping/leaks. Probably after heater core heats up, small cracks reseal somewhat. Plan to change with FCP Groton core (recommended onnother post)

Now to problem. Last Wed 3/23/05, Radiator low coolant light came on at start-up and went out at warm-up (after expansion of coolant). This happened several times that day. Thought was due to heater core -but with no dripping probably not.Checked radiator fill/expansion tank and it was empty! Checked oil (112.4K) with 2400 miles and was slightly down 1/4 qt. However, light tan foam was all the way up the side of the dipstick. Rechecked "oil level" oil from pan on bottom of stick and it is still perfectly clear, amber. Car idles smoothly and good power. Not really sure if exhaust has condensation -doesn't look different.
Inside of oil fill cap is still clean, no residue.
Don't know how long this has been going on, but dipstick was clean when I checked oil several weeks ago so it can't be too long.
Have parked car and will not drive till resolved

My first thought was HEADGASKET, however after reading all antifreeze, headgasket posts, I'm not sure??
Advise/experience please.

Also, is the foam and antifreeze damaging long term after the head gasket or whatever is wrong is fixed. As there would still be some residue present? Is any cleaning/flushing required?







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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    Clean off the dipstick and under the oil filler cap thoroughly and see if the foamy stuff appears or returns. I have this on my 95-850NA whenever the temperature is fluctuating daily (winter/spring) and when the car is used for frequent short trips. It goes away when weather is warm and/or car is driven longer. Other posts have reported similar.

    Also check to see if a hose or clamp is leaking or there is a small crack in coolant reservoir or cap. Over the years I have had about 3 small leaks which will result in draining of about half of the coolant from reservoir over a few weeks. In these cases the system almost but not quite holds pressure and the leak can be hard to find. Are you sure the coolant smell is related to the heater core and not blown in from under the hood?

    Your oil usage seems small. I am adding about 1 qt per 2000 miles (122000 miles). Much less than a half quart can be hard to tell unless the car is always at a level spot or at least the same spot and also has had time for most all of the oil to fall down into the pan. Any visible oil leaks?



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      posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

      KSG,
      Thanks for the reply. The info that temp flucuations can cause oil foaming is interesting, but in that case how does the oil get into the crankcase?
      I have checked for antifreeze and oil leaks under the hood and on the ground, under the engine compartment and there is not a drop. Also, I noticed the slight antifreeze smell from the heater most predominant right at initial warm up, and checking under the hood, there is no antifreeze smell - so I'm fairly certain it's the heatercore.However, this is not enough to empty the coolant reservoir.
      Since I had the thermostat changed and antifreeze flushed and filled, I know the reservoir was at the correct level 4-5 weeks ago.
      I did a similar post on Volvospeed and a moderator/expert technition suggested this morning to change the oil, top off the antifreeze and have the system pressure tested to see (including heater core)_where the antifreeze is going.
      Thank You
      Bob Sc



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      posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

      KSG,
      Thanks for the reply. The info that temp flucuations can cause oil foaming is interesting, but in that case how does the oil get into the crankcase?
      I have checked for antifreeze and oil leaks under the hood and on the ground, under the engine compartment and there is not a drop. Also, I noticed the slight antifreeze smell from the heater most predominant right at initial warm up, and checking under the hood, there is no antifreeze smell - so I'm fairly certain it's the heatercore.However, this is not enough to empty the coolant reservoir.
      Since I had the thermostat changed and antifreeze flushed and filled, I know the reservoir was at the correct level 4-5 weeks ago.
      I did a similar post on Volvospeed and a moderator/expert technition suggested this morning to change the oil, top off the antifreeze and have the system pressure tested to see (including heater core)_where the antifreeze is going.
      Thank You
      Bob Sc



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        posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

        Perhaps the coolant expansion tank has a leaky cap?
        I believe these were replaced with a newer green version (in Europe).
        Surprisingly you can lose a lot of water with a slightly leaky cap...you may even hear a slight hissing from it when it's all wamed up.



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