Hiya bricksters,

Quick question: I've got a soaking-wet carpet in the front, and I think it's A/C condensation being misdirected. Where are the ducts so that I can clean them? Also, what's the best method to boogle out any goop that's in there? (It's an '87 760 Ti+, BTW.)

Now for a strange problem that's never ever happened before (and has yet to since):

The other night, I was driving home with my A/C running (it's got the earlier auto climate control with the wheel for selecting temperature and lever for selecting fan speed/direction), and I all of a sudden heard these deep, strange gurgling sounds that seemed to come from within the dash. The gurgling stopped after I turned the system completely off and then completely back on.

But then, when I got home, the same gurgling sound appeared and was very loud this time and accompanied by copious amounts of steam from the vents. It kept gurgling (sounded something like the car was overheating, only from within the dash, but it wasn't) even after I turned the car off until I turned the system completely off (lever in the "O" position). Even then, steam kept pouring through my vents.

I WILL say that my car was running hot--it wasn't overheating though. I've a coolant leak that I've had a lot of trouble tracking down, so it was running low on water. Would that have anything to do with it?

So anybody ever heard of anything like this? What does it mean?

Thanks for any/all help :)

volfro

It sounds (sorry!) as though you are suffering from a heater core leak. Air in the system is causing the gurgling and the leak is wetting the windshield. See the FAQ for more information. If you want to change this yourself, it is highly advised to purchase the Volvo OEM Heating/A/C manual for instructions.

Oh please God no.

It's strange: there's no mist on the windshield when I'm running the defrost. None whatsoever. I just topped the cooling system off and drove around with the def on. That windshield is as dry as it ever was. Nor is there any steam or smell of coolant coming from any of the vents.

But my carpet's soaked! It's a really annoying (and smelly, especially since it's summer here near Atlanta) problem. PLEASE don't let it be the heater core!

(I also forgot to mention--there's been some black debris in the resevoir lately that doesn't feel oily. Just like it's dirt.)

volfro

PS: I just replaced the coolant hoses that attach to the water valve--both of them, the one that goes into the engine and the one that goes into the firewall. There was no water in the carpet to speak of before I did that job. Would there be anything in that area that I could've screwed up that would be causing my wet carpets??

Are the carpets wet on both sides?

When you saay hard to track coolant leak do you mean there is nothing visible on the outside?

Are the carpets wet with water or coolant?

Check the floor vents to see if there is any coolant or coolant residue.

Ian

Yes, the carpets are wet on both sides, but much moreso on the driver's side. It seems to be coming from the left panel somewhere. (However, it's more than likely not rain, as it's been dry lately and the carpet's been getting wetter.)

It's hard to track in that I can't find any obvious drippage in the engine compartment. I've yet to go through all the hoses and give it a thorough check, but I've not seen any drippage except cool water--A/C condensation, I hope, from a drain hole in the undercarriage on the passenger's side.

It's hard to tell if it's water or coolant in the carpet, though. I tried to determine that today, without luck--it's soured, and I can't smell anything beyond the sour smell. Also, since I've had to top the water off every day or so (for the last week, but I've noticed a that I've been missing coolant since I changed the hoses about a week and a half ago), any coolant that was in there probably is already wherever it went. It was almost gone when I changed the hoses--the ends of the old hose that went from the water valve to the firewall (really oil-soaked from a since-resolved unruly dipstick) finally wore holes through and coolant sprayed everywhere from that problem. Any ideas as to how I can tell if it's water or coolant in the car? (I soaked my fingers with it, and it FELT like water, and it was clear, but it's so hard to tell. It just smells too sour for anything else to be smelled.)

I'll check the floor vents tomorrow morning before class. Thanks for the tips. Any more help is greatly appreciated...

volfro

Only three sources for cabin water: clogged a/c drain (and it appears that yours operates correctly); windshield or floor vent drains; and heater core. All the symptoms point to the latter.

You can test by adding ultraviolet dye to the coolant and then using a UV test lamp on the carpet a day or so later.

I hope you're wrong, for my sake. I do NOT want to rip this interior apart.

How can I check/clear the windshield/floor vent drains? Where are they?

Before I add any dye to the system, I'll just join the two hoses that go to the core. I really, really hope it's not the heater core. Probably is though, you're right.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the replies!!

volfro

Drains are:
-at each corner of the cowl, under the cowl shield
-in the a/c evaporator outlet inside the engine compartment (for a/c condensate)