Sean575
Monday 6th June 2011, 19:13
Dear fellow 850 owners and fonts of knowledge,
Not two days after having acquired my manual estate 850 T5-R, upon driving locally, I found steam rising from the gap between the O/S wing and the bonnet. I quickly pulled over and looked to see a spray pattern of coolant from lid area of the coolant tank across the bay area (which was the cause of the steam as the engine was hot). The coolant did not fully drain away like a leaking radiator would cause and I topped it up before limping to a garage nearby. As the temperature rose, the water went down again but not as much, leaking out only from under the lid as far as I could see. I allowed the engine to cool as it was in the red zone. I could also feel the water bubbling in the fat rubber hose towards the front driver side of the engine bay immediately after engine switch-off (but no apparent leaking from any areas other than the lid of the filler tank).
The mechanic at the garage (who advertises as a Volvo specialist) said he was certain it was a head gasket failure. I questioned the lack of steam shooting out the back of the car through the exhaust, the absence of any change in power or smoothness of the engine etc. but he said it would not necessarily have happened with such an engine as it is different in several ways. He also claimed that you won't necessarily see the merging of oil and water in the engine like you might on other cars but I can't remember the reason he gave for this. He said it was the head because the result is that it will keep building up temperature and pressure in the filler tank/water circulation system, forcing it up and out any point it can find. He says rubber water pipes can 'bloat' under enough pressure.
He also told me that the valves as well as a lot of other parts are different on the T5-R than on normal T5 engines. He says that because it is a turbo, the job of a head skim etc. is more tricky and costly. Is this true? I thought the lump and most ancillarier were the same.
Should I smell a rat?
Must there be water in the oil for it to be a gasket failure?
Can I have a failure with absolutely no detectable change in engine performance and behaviour apart from an increase in engine temperature?
Can you please tell me anything else I ought to look for/ask before committing to repair work?
What is the most cost effective way for determing if there is a head-gasket failure?
The car is manual and has covered 142k.
I look forward to any assistance you can provide me with at this worrying time :)
Sean
Not two days after having acquired my manual estate 850 T5-R, upon driving locally, I found steam rising from the gap between the O/S wing and the bonnet. I quickly pulled over and looked to see a spray pattern of coolant from lid area of the coolant tank across the bay area (which was the cause of the steam as the engine was hot). The coolant did not fully drain away like a leaking radiator would cause and I topped it up before limping to a garage nearby. As the temperature rose, the water went down again but not as much, leaking out only from under the lid as far as I could see. I allowed the engine to cool as it was in the red zone. I could also feel the water bubbling in the fat rubber hose towards the front driver side of the engine bay immediately after engine switch-off (but no apparent leaking from any areas other than the lid of the filler tank).
The mechanic at the garage (who advertises as a Volvo specialist) said he was certain it was a head gasket failure. I questioned the lack of steam shooting out the back of the car through the exhaust, the absence of any change in power or smoothness of the engine etc. but he said it would not necessarily have happened with such an engine as it is different in several ways. He also claimed that you won't necessarily see the merging of oil and water in the engine like you might on other cars but I can't remember the reason he gave for this. He said it was the head because the result is that it will keep building up temperature and pressure in the filler tank/water circulation system, forcing it up and out any point it can find. He says rubber water pipes can 'bloat' under enough pressure.
He also told me that the valves as well as a lot of other parts are different on the T5-R than on normal T5 engines. He says that because it is a turbo, the job of a head skim etc. is more tricky and costly. Is this true? I thought the lump and most ancillarier were the same.
Should I smell a rat?
Must there be water in the oil for it to be a gasket failure?
Can I have a failure with absolutely no detectable change in engine performance and behaviour apart from an increase in engine temperature?
Can you please tell me anything else I ought to look for/ask before committing to repair work?
What is the most cost effective way for determing if there is a head-gasket failure?
The car is manual and has covered 142k.
I look forward to any assistance you can provide me with at this worrying time :)
Sean