Amazon b20 coolant leak

[Henq]

Hello, and sorry for my not so perfect english. Problem is this; My amazon leaks coolant liquid after engine has runned. When engine is running, everything seems ok, but when i stop it, leaking starts.







Any guesses?

[Burdekin]

Maybe the Welch (core) plugs on the side of the engine?

[Derek UK]

A leak about there is a long way back. Maybe your heater matrix (radiator) is leaking inside the heater box and the coolant is coming out of the drain pipe at the bottom of the box. Not sure where the pipe routes to when it comes through the floor but best get under there and check just after you've run the car.
If you've got a small hole in the floor below the heater valve and that's leaking that is also a possible source. Pull up the mats to check.

[Volvo Canadian]

Yup. Something on the heater. It could very well be the drain from the heater, as it comes out above the transmission, so fluid would drip down the side about there. Someone-else can probably say better, but I think you can take those screws off the front of the heater, and pull-out the fan, exposing - hopefully - the source of the leak.

As far as why it only leaks after you have shut-down the engine, those are gremlins; they will go-away when you fix the leak, then show-up somewhere else on the car in 7-10 days. You can never get rid of them, especially the older ones like amazons have.

[Henq]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

A leak about there is a long way back. Maybe your heater matrix (radiator) is leaking inside the heater box and the coolant is coming out of the drain pipe at the bottom of the box. Not sure where the pipe routes to when it comes through the floor but best get under there and check just after you've run the car.
If you've got a small hole in the floor below the heater valve and that's leaking that is also a possible source. Pull up the mats to check.

Well, i pulled carpet and it was wet. And i think that the heater valve is leaking:



Do you think that could that be repaired, or do i just have to buy new one?

[Derek UK]

I don't now where, outside of the USA, that you can buy the replacement seal. New valves are available but are expensive. CVI can supply from Sweden. Chris, "Agent Strangelove" might be able to help you out with a seal kit. They either leak or they don't so you maybe able to find a used one locally in a "dead" Amazon.
DIY seal change here. (other info available if you Google Ranco Heater valve repair)
http://www.pbase.com/czechman/ranco

[Tail]

When i did mine i stripped it with plans to do the seals but the valve itself was badly corroded so in the end replaced it all, Another thought, if the leak is just there how is it finding its way out of the car unless you have a hole in the floor, the heater matrix could be the culprit one of the soldered/brazed joints gone perhaps and then its finding its way out of the drain hole at the bottom onto the floor. Not a huge job to take the heater out but beware of rainwater leaks when you put it back in from the foam seal between the heater and bulkhead, had to take mine back out and use some silicone as well.

[simonvolvo]

Originally Posted by Henq

Do you think that could that be repaired, or do i just have to buy new one?

I think you have the same problem I had.

What I did: I pried up the tabs of the valve housing (be careful – brass, which breaks easily), opened the valve, and discovered that the diaphragm (special moulded rubber component) was perforated. That was at an early stage of my restoration when I had no idea that spares were available and I still wasn’t sure that I actually wanted to spend any money on the project. So I cut a disc from some 2mm neoprene rubber sheeting I happened to have lying around, made a tiny hole in the centre so that it would stretch slightly when fitted on the actuating pin of the valve (it has to form a water-tight seal with the pin), put a small blob of silicone sealant in place where the disc met the pin, and put the whole lot together again. I fully expected that the fix would not actually work, or at best would be only temporary.

That was almost 3 years ago, and it hasn’t leaked a single drop since, despite almost daily use of the car.

[Henq]

Thanks for advices. I'm gonna try to fix that thing, and if it doesnt work i just order new one from cvi or vp-autoparts. I've spend few months with this project and i can't wait to get this fixed and go driving around.

[tom-madbiker]

i repaired mine by using a 15mm gate valve and a bit of ingenuity works ok just no thermostat