I've noticed that my radiator fluid drops a lot during the night. Initially I kept filling the reservoir up and waiting about half of a day to check the level, and then blammo, it'd be low. so I would fill it again.


Then I looked under the engine, and there was obvious radiator fluid on the oil pan. Now, since i have the car lifted on the passenger side, I figured it must be coming from the water pump. Maybe I didn't get the gasket on just right or maybe the old seal wasn't completely removed/missed a spot.

So I bought some UV dye, to check for the source. I didn't expect it to show up quickly, but it did. But I noticed it wasn't just coming from the pump, but above it. And then I looked under the car and it seems to be coming from the front of the engine/side with the intake, which seems to be above the water pump (or at least, would defy gravity by going down from the water pump, to the above the oil pan, where there doesn't seem to be a direct line where this is feasible).

I also checked the oil/dipstick and even though it didn't look bad before, it seems a bit frothy now.

I will try to take pictures later, to show a clearer view of what I'm talking about.

Little frustrated. I just hope it wasn't caused by me running the car with a suspect thermostat potentially.
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1985 245. 246K Gone..but not forgotten. Sold in 2013, found 2018! Still running on the road. Of course. 1993 Volvo 850 soon to be gone

If you decide to remove the cluster consider replacing all the dash light bulbs and even the odometer gear that eventually breaks. FCP has a bulb/gear kit and there's a video out-there with dash removal tips.

luckily the previous owner had replaced all the light bulbs, and I fixed the speedometer gear already.

I did buy some LED lights from china, but it was was a total waste of 3 bucks for 20 of them. They don't even come close to fitting.
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1985 245. 246K Gone..but not forgotten. Sold in 2013, found 2018! Still running on the road. Of course. 1993 Volvo 850 soon to be gone

First, thanks to all for the help. I know repeated questions sometimes can be frowned upon, but thats what this place is for.

So the leak WAS the thermostat. I've fixed the leak. As for the gasket itself, I foolishly bought the one that was suggested online, implying it was the correct type, but it wasn't. So....I should've known better.

Anywho, now I have the car running and checking the temp gauge (as this was the issue to start with). it's still showing low temp. So I checked the anti-freeze with a thermometer and it was reading 180-189. The thermostat works fine, and the cooling fan (for the radiator) comes on.

I'm guessing that the temp gauge might be bad? Is there a simple test to see if it's bad (other than it not reading above low temp range)? Like, hooking up a live wire to make it show it works?

Can I take the temp gauge from my 93 and swap it in?


Another question...how long should it take a car to reach running temp at idle? Ive been running the car for 10-15 minutes before the thermostat opens. Does that sound about right?

Thanks in advance.
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1985 245. 246K Gone..but not forgotten. Sold in 2013, found 2018! Still running on the road. Of course. 1993 Volvo 850 soon to be gone

Good to hear that you've managed to seal up the system and there was never any true or deadly crisis. I've found that this forum in particular is good "talking me down off the ledge" when it comes to these seemingly complex or overwhelming problems.

That the electric radiator fan is functioning as it should suggests that the temp sensor is also working correctly. Both times when I had that sensor go bad the fan would run on high at all times (along with a gauge pegged to the red)

At idle, 10-15 minutes from cold to thermostat open sounds about right to me.

Dunno about swapping gages. Sounds complicated and something to be avoided. Where does the needle start and where does it reach when up to temp?

Best,
Will

It starts well below the "cold" line.

Cold:

Warm:
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1985 245. 246K Gone..but not forgotten. Sold in 2013, found 2018! Still running on the road. Of course. 1993 Volvo 850 soon to be gone

You have a bum gauge. The needle rests at the bottom of the white line when cold. I wonder if someone removed the cluster and managed to physically move the needle downward. You can live with that at least until the weather is warm.

I wouldn't try to swap out the gauge. Instead I would remove the cluster and 'move' the needle to the proper cold position. The needle is press fitted to the peg, do not try to remove the needle, just turn it carefully.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new

Thanks, I will try that.
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1985 245. 246K Gone..but not forgotten. Sold in 2013, found 2018! Still running on the road. Of course. 1993 Volvo 850 soon to be gone

I feel like Robert Stack..

Update:

Considering I wanted to fish out whatever is causing this leak (because I really hope it's not anything major), I did a lot of looking around, using my endoscope camera (btw, I totally suggest buying one of those if you can get one)....and I noticed that there was a lot of pooling near the dipstick and right below the PCV.

And then I looked around and noticed that there was a lot coming down right from where my themostat was located. And then I looked at the themostat and I think that's a bit source for a lot of my leak. It would totally explain why it's coming from the front (? is that considered the front?) of the engine.

I wonder if the gasket i bought was a glorified POS.

It doesn't necessarily explain the dipstick issue though. I'll update when there is one.


Thanks for putting up with me.
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1985 245. 246K Gone..but not forgotten. Sold in 2013, found 2018! Still running on the road. Of course. 1993 Volvo 850 soon to be gone

Just in case - Radiator and radiator hoses okay? Check the radiator tank. That is where the radiator on both my 93 and 95 850’s went.

Stay calm. Unlike the red block 4 cylinder engines, head gaskets rarely go on the 5 cylinder engines as they are all-aluminum not aluminum heads attached to iron blocks as in the red blocks. Chances are the leak is somewhere else.
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

I did check them (again). They're fine. The (new) gasket I had for the thermostat was apparently the complete wrong type. Instead of acting like how a normal gasket would, this one decided to not work at all.

One of my faults (I have many) is that I kind of jump to conclusions, but than never really act on those conclusions because I know that they tend to not be always accurate. Plus, it's never anything worth getting upset about (for me). I.e., if the engine goes, the engine goes.


I appreciate that people allow people like me to kind of freak out only to have the words of the wiser among us go "dude, settle down...it's not that bad". :)
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1985 245. 246K Gone..but not forgotten. Sold in 2013, found 2018! Still running on the road. Of course. 1993 Volvo 850 soon to be gone

I'm curious about the "type" of gasket you used - and what you have chosen to replace it. I'm not sure what the correct term would be to describe what seals a Volvo thermostat. To me a "gasket" implies a flat seal between two surfaces. Volvo has traditionally used a rubber - or rubber like - ring around the perimeter of the thermostat - more of an "O" ring - but not really an "O" ring, with the thermostat sitting in a slight recess between the two joined parts. What did you use to fix the problem? -- Dave

The thermostat gasket is an o-ring that fits on the outer surface of the thermostat like a sleeve.

Where the thermostat sits, that part has a gasket against the wall of the engine w/ 2 screws. Check your temperature sensor for leaks too.