My 96 turbo has been rapidly consuming the coolant. I finally found it is leaking at the very front left (facing the car from the hood) of the car from the thick pipe that is first on the left that goes from the engine to the front of the car. I have no idea what tube this is, but it looks like at the front of it it connects to a smaller tube which connects to the coolant box.

I also have a small pool of water directly beneath the car...sort of directly beneath where the emergency break is...maybe a little forward, but I suspect that is from the a/c running. and it's definitely water.

Is this expensive to fix? I just dropped 2100$ a few months ago for tune-up, water pump change, all the belts + timing belt changed, oil leak fixed and now have this coolant leak, the water drip, ABS break/TRAC light thing goes off, and the odometer stopped working. Lordy!!!

But I doo luv my leetle silver rocket (it's not very rockety right now...kind a sluggish ;-(

Thanks for any advice or insights.....

As Klaus said, the odo is a fairly easy fix. You need some small torx bits, some patience, and 1-2 hours of quality time. There is a super tutorial on the web that includes many good pictures. I don't currently remember where it is. You have a Turbo, so in addition to the electrical connections you will need to break the Turbo gauge connection (under the left side of the dash and above the hood release - picture in the tutorial). I bought mine from FCP Groton, which worked well because I saved $5-8 shipping that the odometer gear people charge. The Turbo gauge needle goes on with a very light touch when you are reassembling. I seem to recall that if you press it too hard it will drag on the dial face.

Klaus was also right about the water being serious. No need to worry about how far you're going to go if you can't go. And he was right about the car not being sluggish. Turbo 850 should get up and go, even if it has a water leak and the tracs light is on. Broken odo won't slow it down either (:

I empathize with the $$$ you have spent. I guess eventually everyone pauses and asks "Is it worth it?"

Water under the car means the AC is working and it is humid outside, good thing.
The ABS light problem means that after Victor comes back from vacation, about Aug 8, you need to contact him and get your ABS module repaired. http://home.earthlink.net/~vicrocha/

The odometer is not a terribly hard fix. You will need to replace the plastic gear wheel that broke. Removing the instrument panel is also a good time to replace all of the small light bulbs which are going to burn out soon.

Coolant leak:
This is a real problem and cannot be ignored. Use a paper towel to determine exactly where the leak is. If it is the top coolant hose from the radiator right where it connects to the radiator, it may have a brokern connection at the radiator. That part is plastic. If you try to tighten the clamp, be careful, too tight and the nipple will break.
If the hose had been removed for some reason, make sure it is put back exactly where it used to be. The clamp causes a slight indentation and will leak if moved.
If you need a new radiator, also get new large top and bottom hoses and clamps. This is not a terribly difficult job, except that the tranny and oil cooler hoses also have to be unplugged.

Now, why is your car sluggish? It should scream!!! If you use regular gas, change to the next grade up, regular gas will not save you money. The knock sensors will retard the spark and your gas milage will suffer.

Klaus
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Please answer, we need to know if the advice is good or bad. The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are 2 turbos :)

Crap! Of course the worst possible scenario--my radiator has a crack and I need a new one and a thermometer. Double $572 crap! That's a lot of nuts! Do other cars have such expensive radiators or are Volvo's just special....ugggggg.

The shop wanted $600 odd bucks to fix the ABS but I will take everyone's advice and wait until Victor Rocha is back in town! Thanks to you guys I'm at least saving a few hundred!

Saskia

I had a similar leak in the right side radiator tank (left side facing the car) a few years ago. Right about 100,000 miles. I found an identical replacement radiator on-line for $125 and put it in myself.

It's kind of a pain being a turbo with the intercooler, a/c condensor, ATF and oil cooler, but the Haynes procedures were very detailed.

If you can do some of the maintenance yourself or know someone who can, you can save a BIG wad of cash.

If you're not inclined to work on your own car find a reputable independent Volvo shop or in this case, a good radiator shop. When I needed mine I called around and was quoted about $250 for a replacement job and warranty.

Good luck,

Erwin in Memphis... for now

Look first for the obvious. Get in there with a flashlight and carefully examine all the connections for leaks. Start the engine and continue to examine the connections. Look for a pin hole, a small puncture that you can only see when the hose is under pressure. Don't stick the flahlight or your hand in the fan while you are looking in there. Don't forget to top off the fluid if you are still driving the car. If you are are lucky you may be able to tighten the clamp or replace the hose. That won't be expensive.

Wig

Thank you Klaus (ever insightful and reliable for help!) and Wig! I feel more confident about the situation now....I was in there with a flashlight before posting, but will not get in there more agressively (frankly I'm afraid to have my head in there while the engine is running...I'm a bit of a sissy!). If tightening the clamp doesn't work I'll haul it into the shop and cross my fingers it really is just the hose as I think (it's the only place I could find it leaking).