I might have killed my car, HELP!!!

**volvoturboman** · Saturday 13th June 2009, 16:17

I as In southern Ireland today on my way home about 200 miles to cover. About 30 milesfrom home I noticed my temp gauge had gone quite high. I pulled in a a service station o have a look. I slowly released the cap for the water bottle and with a lot of hissing and gurglng I eventuallygot it off. It was empty. I don't know why my car was checked recently and there is no leaks anywhere (I got my mechanic to check it cause I was doing the big journey). He told me all was sound and as he is an ex Volvo technician and I know he's good I believe him.

Anyway, eventually when all started to settle I discoverd the bottle was empty. I added cold water and it shot straight back out. I continued to keep topping up with water and it started gurgling again quite violently. It done this for about 15 minutes. I must add the temp gauge never ran into the red zone although it did go pretty close. Once on the road again the temp gauge stayed in the middle till I got home and the car drove as usual, superb. I've watched it since I stopped and no leaks below car.

It is the 2.4 (car badged 2.5) 10valve model V70 P1

**t5 pete** · Saturday 13th June 2009, 16:40

when you got home did you car loose any water from the service station also have you had a look at the oil to see if it is contaminated

**AlanG** · Saturday 13th June 2009, 16:44

Has all the sounds of h/gasket. Sorry mate!!

**Godzilla** · Saturday 13th June 2009, 16:55

My Renault 5 GT Turbo did exactly the same. Temp went up, I pulled over and let her cool down then re-filled. Drove her home and temp was fine, no leaks. But..... Head gasket had gone. Get her compression tested mate. Check the coolant and see if its a petrol looking colour.

PM sent

**volvoturboman** · Saturday 13th June 2009, 17:56

Well oil is still showing nice and black, maybe a little to black needs service now lol. When refilled the water was a very faded blue, coolent was blue. (ran out almost completely of water so assuming thats why faded) lost no water from service station.It is starting, idoling and tempeture is now perfect or seems to be. I let it idol for about half an hour in the drive. Fan came on and off as it should and temp dial stayed half way.

**t5 pete** · Saturday 13th June 2009, 18:22

ide buy a compresson tester and see what the compression is i think it should be between 11 and 13 bar and no grater inconsistancy of 2bar between clyinders.
I did a compression test on myne not too long back and there were 12.5 bar on every clyinder.

**volvoturboman** · Saturday 13th June 2009, 18:36

Originally Posted by t5 pete

ide buy a compresson tester and see what the compression is i think it should be between 11 and 13 bar and no grater inconsistancy of 2bar between clyinders.
I did a compression test on myne not too long back and there were 12.5 bar on every clyinder.

Good man I'll get Darren (my mechanic) to do that on monday. Cheers

**AndysR** · Monday 15th June 2009, 22:29

I know it's too late now but you should never add cold water to an overheated/hot engine. The reason it shot back out is because it was boiling

You run the risk of cracking/damaging things doing that so I would advise against doing it again

I would certainly get that overheating issue looked at now before any further damage can be caused if there is indeed an underlying fault like a blown headgasket.

**volvoturboman** · Tuesday 16th June 2009, 00:34

Was with the mechanic today and he gave the car a quick once over, drove it, ran it stationary for a while and done a presure test. He said all seemed fine and that I was one very lucky boy. I have been driving a 2.8 tdi frontera for the past 5 months (dose) and the Volvo hasn't moved, (frontera for work, pulling trailers etc. still a pile of scrap though). He thinks with it sitting so long the water has simply evaporated and I didn't top up before long journey (yes, idiot I know). I just became so content with Volvo's I've never had one break down, well apart from the 440 I had briefly. But then we all know they were really an R19 and that they were probably Volvo's biggest dissapointment.

**PaulZX** · Tuesday 16th June 2009, 11:57

Could be the thermostat stuck, and it's now freed up enough to work.

Ditto above comments about putting cold water into a hot engine.... Not a great thing to do...

**jez.w** · Tuesday 16th June 2009, 13:33

Compression test wont test for head gasket failure, a garage will use the sniff test where a liquid will change colour when Hydrocarbons are present in the coolant.

**volvoturboman** · Tuesday 16th June 2009, 13:49

Originally Posted by jez.w

Compression test wont test for head gasket failure, a garage will use the sniff test where a liquid will change colour when Hydrocarbons are present in the coolant.

Right, didn't know that. I've never had that done but i'll say to Darren my mechanic about it cheers.

**PaulZX** · Tuesday 16th June 2009, 14:12

Originally Posted by jez.w

Compression test wont test for head gasket failure, a garage will use the sniff test where a liquid will change colour when Hydrocarbons are present in the coolant.

someone's been watching turbo.....

"IT'S MAH F**KIN GARRAGE!"

**jez.w** · Tuesday 16th June 2009, 16:00

Yes i have seen it on there. But its been around for a long time.

**mexybhouy** · Monday 13th July 2009, 23:00

English Mobile Mechanics, with the lovely Jock i'm the boss of this garage! at the helm.
He does this test all the time!

**AlanG** · Monday 13th July 2009, 23:59

Originally Posted by jez.w

Compression test wont test for head gasket failure, a garage will use the sniff test where a liquid will change colour when Hydrocarbons are present in the coolant.

Sorry,beg to differ. If there is a split in the h/gasket between cylinders or into the water jacket,then this will give a low reading on the compression test. Have seen it too many times to forget.

**thebadger** · Tuesday 14th July 2009, 00:51

White gunge on the oil cap is usually a fair indication of HG imminent failure from memory.

My mate bought a crappy seat cardoba 1.hee-haw & asked me what I thought! When I found the engine, took off the oil cap, white gunge, so I warned him to take it back & get it checked. Garage told him it was due to "frost" (late march) and not to worry.

It lasted three weeks.

HTH

**AlanG** · Tuesday 14th July 2009, 01:02

[QUOTE=thebadger;241679]White gunge on the oil cap is usually a fair indication of HG imminent failure from memory.

Agreed buddy although sometimes this can be misleading as PCV blockage can also do this. Our beloved 5 cyl Volvos for one and (showing my age now) the early cih Vauxhall/Opels.

**smudgethecat** · Wednesday 15th July 2009, 11:08

I think you need to find out what caused the problem, engines dont suddenly boil over after driving perfectly for 170 miles, as you have found no leaks etc id say somethings amiss and its likely it will happen again

**volvoturboman** · Wednesday 15th July 2009, 17:20

Thought I had came on here and told everyone that the problem was solved. Howver its plain to see that I didn't and I must have dreamed I did, I am a plonker lol. It was the thermostat so many of you were right. I've been to Dublin and back in it again weekend past. Was working at the Oxygen music festival, no Dublin is hell on earth for the driver. Bumper to bumper traffic, in this traffic the car was heating and the fan cooling down so all good. On the motorways it was sitting about quarter way upthe gauge as there is no thermostat in at the moment so all good. Did the little test with a jug and boiling water and it deffo is siezed. So running about at the mo with out one, not cause I'm a miser and won't buy one, I just don't have time. Funny thing did happen though, after getting that small problem out of the way. The day before I was leaving for Dublin it started to run very poorly and as the T5 is now no more I needed it. Turned out two of the ignition cables ahd burned out. 6 o'clock at night and in a hurry it was proved that a spare Volvo laying about comes in handy lol.