Hail, fellow Volvo Brick enthusiasts!

[CreepingJesus]

The turbo brick decided to launch all its coolant this evening. Thankfully, I managed to coast into a farm gate without lunching the engine, despite the temp gauge maxing out. I got enough water in to limp the couple of miles home, but now it doesn't want to hold water at all. Every ounce I put in the header ends up on the ground.

I'm working in the dark on my own, so my options are limited til daylight. I'm pretty sure the header tank is intact, but the water seems to be escaping on the offside, somewhere beside or behind the block. Can't quite tell for the undertray.

What hoses are back there, does anyone know? And has anyone near me got some self-vulc tape I could beg?

[Shep Shepherd]

In my limited experience of Turbobricks, a water leak on the offside will be from the turbocharger cooling hoses, unless something has happened to the radiator bottom hose.

[CreepingJesus]

Cheers, I'm thinking similar tbh.

[CreepingJesus]

Righty ho...this seems to be the culprit. A wee vacuum operated valve down the back of the block, whose output stub seems to have broken off. Is this the heater control valve by any chance?

[Guest Hooli]

Looks about the right size for a heater.

[CreepingJesus]

This indeed the heater control valve. Got one on order off Amazon, should be back in business tomorrow.

Maybe worth other rear drive Volvo bods giving theirs a shoogle to check it's solid. Common failure on these, and cheap and easy to replace, so worth it for peace of mind.

Hope I haven't cooked the head...

[CreepingJesus]

...and it seems that all is well. Apart from the heater being lukewarm, but it probably just needs yet more burping, cos the heater hoses have quite a vertical run up the bulkhead.

Woohoo, happy days.

 

Til the next time.

[danthecapriman]

You've got a later type heater valve than mine.

Mines inside the cabin above the pedals. No longer available new in RHD sadly.

The old saloon I had it leaked big time and filled my footwell up with antifreeze! Took ages to wet vac all the sticky blue water out of the carpets and the (still available at the time) new valve was ridiculously expensive for what it was.

 

Glad you've got it sorted though.

[CreepingJesus]

To be fair, the plastic one I've got was £25 delivered: Skandix want €90+ for the OEM one with the metal diaphragm pod. Think I'll pass...!