Coolant Loss Woes
 

For a long time I have had to top up the coolant by about a header tanks worth once a week. I put this down to small head gasket leak and my garage confirmed this some time ago. Then I started having to top up with more coolant so I put the car in the garage to be chceked. There were several coolant leaks and we felt that we don't know how bad the head gasket is leaking until we eliminate the others which all needed to be done anyway. So I had a new header tank and pipe, I had a bad leak from there but I was still using a lot of coolant. We also knew that I had a leak from a seal at the top of the water pump so yesterday I had a new water pump and seals (third water pump in the last 60 thou, 2nd at this my current garage, previous one at a Volvo indi). The coolant is still seeping from one corner of the head gasket. If my coolant loss has reduced to a manageable level again I am going to have a new head gasket in the spring next year, if not she is going to go in very soon for the head gasket. When the time comes, are there any recommendations for the gasket? Can I still get an original Volvo one?

Youre brave, knowing you have an HG on its knees and continuing to drive it.

While it may be leaking at the gasket, you don't know if it might actually be a crack or porosity.

Agreed.
Water in a cylinder on starting could give you a nice banana shaped con-rod!

I'd get it fixed pronto, winter is coming, antifreeze dilution may cause other grief! :eek:

My original question is where should I order my head gasket from. Do Volvo still stock this part, I assume the Volvo one will be better than any aftermarket one?

Edited to say the head gasket first got weepy as far back as 2015 some 60 thou miles ago, I have driven like this since then, my current garage and my previous Volvo indi would have made me have it done if it needed it urgently. There is no oil in the coolant and there is no coolant in the oil. I have lost some horses. The coolant loss did increase recently but maybe that was the water pump and the header tank leaks. It is not a case of not wanting to get the car fixed, it is juggling car repairs and annual leave with a long distance job which I cannot get to without the car. Public transport is not really doable, particularly in the winter, I am not left enough hours to eat and sleep if I use public transport.

I'm sure in a thread quite some time ago you mentioned the gasket was leaking to the outside. This needed fixing asap as the water/steam being forced through will be wearing away at the block. With how long it has now being left there is a high chance you will now have to deck the block.

Why replace the water pump if it was only the seal leaking? Would have been more sense to fit teh seal with the head gasket.

Head gaskets are still available from Volvo or go with Elring https://www.classicswede.org/shop/b2...ead-gasket-set

The head will need a skim and likely also need some welding

They're roughly £55 from FRF with owners club discount. I used an Elring one on mine which is a good well known brand and they're made in Germany.

On bits that matter I'd go for genuine bud!:teeth_smile:

I've read about a multi layer steel gasket which is better than the standard Volvo one, not sure if it is made by Volvo?

I don't think Volvo ever made their own head gaskets in the first place Ellie. If you can get an MLS gasket, that will help to compensate for any slight indentation/pitting from corrosion due to coolant going out the wrong place, either way a light skim would be a good idea.

Just want to share my experience here - and appreciate that something as big as an HG job is something you have to plan in and budget for, but mine had been leaking I think for the best part of the year before it finally failed catastrophically. I was doing the same as you are with regular top ups of mixed coolant and the failure was on the OSF corner of the block above the water pump. Because it had been left for so long it resulted in corrosion/pitting to the block face, which can end up meaning it turns in to a much bigger job.