Hi gang,

I have a coolant leak that shows up on the steering rack, particularly on the power steering metal line connections on the passenger side of the car(the rack is wet). Thought it was the rad so I swapped it out for a faily new used one. The leak is still there. The hose connections look dry as well as the water pump. I'm stumped, are there any frost plugs or something else in this vacinity that could be leaking.

Thanks again

One of the best ways to find a coolant leak is to run the engine to operating temp, and watch for leaks/steam. The higher pressures force coolant through small holes that quickly close and dry when the engine is turned off.

I had a similar thing on my 94 940. It was at the connector at the bottom of the overflow resevoir. It was leaking just eneough to go down the line, and drop off at the lower part of the engine bay - in the vicinity of the the water pump.
Glad I found it before I replaced the pump.

Andrew in AL

The frost plugs are under the exhaust manifold. The heater line out the back of the water pump under the ex manifold could pinhole. The reservoir to rad hoses can leak at connections. Some of these little holes will squirt all the way across the engine compartment, but only if you get the pressure up. I know it means going to some trouble, but I put a tire valve in a junkyard reservoir cap, then use an old garden sprayer to build pressure, though a bicycle pump would be OK. It also works to speed the draining of coolant when this needs doing.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Art if you mean the coolant by-pass line it's dry, and my connections are dry as well. I don't think it's a frost plug, from what you said I would probabbly be able to see some weepage

I don't know the term coolant bypass, but the heater return pipe could be dry until pressure forces it out; at least that has been the formula for mysterious coolant accumulations I've run across in the past. Things all look dry until it gets to near top pressure, like immediately after shutting down a hot engine, then it squirts an almost invisible stream of juice to a completely unrelated endpoint! Even then, the pinhole (usually a radiator in my experience) isn't wet because the temperature of the vessel boils off unpressurized liquid.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

if your car is automatic the trans lines could be cracked. Just a guss as i had many lines break fron sticks and twigs and such or the water pump could be leaking from the impeller shaft bering under pully and since it is hot the water pump would look dry feel behind pully as the water could be reflected from pully and shot back or dripping back good luck (I hate looking for leaks)This post was for the original poster dont know how it got here) i like the presser maker

Thanks, I'll take the belts and pully off and watch it overnight to see if its weeping. But like I said before it seems dry. this is puzzling

There is a control valve for the heater core,i think this valve controls the flow of water to the heater core. I think ARTS post is dead on,but i would run engine and get it hot. Than i would turn on heat to circulate the hot water in to the heater core and out the heater core hose. This would heat up that hose and pee out of a pin hole. If the heat is not on than that hose would not get hot enuff to pee out,but it would drip out slowly as the car cools. It is weird but most cars in general have a control valve to stop the flow of water to h-core so when the a/c is on it is not fighting with the h-core heat. I might be wrong to the fact that VOLVOS have this option. Just a thought. So if some one knows different please post,as i would like to know. THANKS

The leak is dripping onto my front rack on the passenger side by the motor mount. where would this heater hose be in relation to where I'm seeing the leak

Thanks

there is a metal tube that goes from water pump to fire wall. It goes under the ex.manafold, stright back to the fire wall, This is the bypass tube. I also have core plugs and they leak a little bit, not drips. The metal tube could be rusted and peeing. Unless you run heat that pipe might not get hot enuff to pee. Being that the water pump is useing all the water,this way youll be putting super hot water into this pipe, compared to semi warm water since the water pump is useing the water. The core plugs are on the block just under the heater return tube.it goes stright back into firewall this is on my b230f,i dont know, what engine you have. And how much water loss is there from rad?

(1) I belive that there is a rubber seal, that the bypass tube fits into on the water pump. This seal could be leaking, it is right over the stering rack but on the water pump. Like ART said the heat from water pump would keep the water pump dry as it is hot, but the seal would drip, and any excess water on pump from leak, would steem away, leaving a wet spot on the cold steering rack and a dry water pump.

The puzzling thing is that when the engine is dead cold like in the morning- everything is dry. I checked the metal bypass tube and the seal in the morning and they were dry. I'll keep plugging away til I find it. I'm not losing alot of coolant just enough for a 6 inch diamter stain on the driveway.

Yes i here ya, my hands are up in the air on this one, hope you find it , does sound like a core plug, they are cheep metal, and do rust if that side of engine is full of that "greassy sludge" of oil than you might not see the water leak. Did you clean that side of engine, or is it clean. PSS: I mean the water leake could be under the sludge on block hidden from view and thanks , I went and looked to see if my core plugs where on that side, this is whene i noticed my core plugs had drips so you helped me THANKS good luck
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Kevin * HONDA spanking,1985 240DL * VOLVO ON!!!!

Thanks, I'll post a response when I find the leak