On Jul 1, 10:23 am, Roadie <hjs...@cs.com> wrote:
> On Jun 30, 7:26 pm, Scott <scott872...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Jun 29, 11:50 am, Roadie <hjs...@cs.com> wrote:
>
> > > On Jun 28, 10:23 pm, Scott <scott872...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > Question:
>
> > > > OK, so my 2001 s80, non-turbo, "the sled" as it is named has a small
> > > > issue. In the morning, every morning, my volvo will display "Coolant
> > > > Low, Stop Safely" as well as "Coolant Low, Stop Engine" and it is
> > > > switches back and forth between the two with no consistancy, as in it
> > > > will switch back and forth like it can't make up it's mind as to if it
> > > > wants me to stop safely or stop engine. Also, I can time it, I drive
> > > > down my street and as I pass by a certain stop sign, the message will
> > > > go away and it will not show up again until the next day when I start
> > > > my car. Also, I have repeatedly checked for fluid leaks and a lack of
> > > > coolant, neither of which it has. My car never goes over the dead
> > > > center of the middle of the temperature guage, no signs of any kind of
> > > > overheating. When I got the car a year or so ago, this reared its
> > > > head 2 or 3 times, but it went away and I didn't worry about it.
> > > > Also, my car will turn the fan blowers on in the cabin on by itself,
> > > > no key in the ignition, when it gets hot really outside (80-100+
> > > > degrees, Socal weather) again sporadically, unrelated I think, but the
> > > > only other apparent issue with the car. My first inclination is a
> > > > faulty sensor of some variety, and I know I can swap sensors. Where
> > > > should I start? Thanks!
>
> > > Have you checked the coolant level when cold to see if it is above the
> > > minimum marker. On my 2000 S80 if the level is slightly below minimum
> > > the light will flash on and off as the coolant sloshes around, but
> > > once warm it has expanded enough to no longer trip the sensor.
>
> > > As Allen mentioned the car computer is set to run the blower about 1
> > > hour after the AC was run. That removes any remaining moisture from
> > > the evaporator and helps to control mold buildup. It works.
>
> > Well, I did notice that the coolant is down near the minimum line when
> > I have verified that the coolant was not leaking or below low, but I
> > wasn't thinking that being so close to the minimum would be a
> > problem. I want to add some coolant to this bad boy, but it says
> > "Volvo Coolant only" is this total BS or should I go buy it at the
> > dealer?
>
> If you have the car serviced at the dealer just drop by and ask them
> to top it off. If you are a regular customer chances are they will do
> it gratis. Otherwise, I would go with the Volvo brand. Next issue to
> consider is what caused it to go low in the first place. The cooling
> system should be pretty close to a closed system, so you may have a
> very slow leak somewhere. To find the leak will take someone with the
> eyes and experience to locate it. My suggestion is to have a good
> volvo mechanic look it over.
>
> > Other lead in question, since the blowers come on like that
> > sometimes (rarely 1-2 times) the car does a weak start, like it takes
> > longer to turn over, should I buy the Volvo battery or will any due?
>
> When it came time to replace the battery on my 2000 S80 I checked out
> prices of good quality comparable brands and found they were close.
> The battery for this car has a vent which must be connected to allow
> explosive hydrogen gas to vent to the outside. I went with the Volvo
> battery mostly because it was set up with the proper tubing and
> required no adaptors as the after market batteries do.
>
> > I heard some car manufactures build their cars to only work properly
> > with some brands of batteries?
>
> No that isn't true. But some batteries do have special vents for
> proper expelling of hydrogen gas and the terminals are placed to allow
> the battery to fit into a sometimes small location. Consequently not
> every brand will work. But most will.
>
> If you decide to replace the battery yourself realize it is in the
> trunk under a trapdoor and the process is a bit fiddly, but doable by
> the home mechanic. Be sure to read the instructions throughly in the
> battery compartment. It is very important that you follow the
> sequence of detatching and reattaching terminals exactly or you could
> fry some electronics. Also be sure to clean the battery clamps
> throughly to remove any acidic oxide. And finally be sure to clamp
> down the battery properly.

Thanks for the response,

I was waiting to see what was going to happen after a few mornings of
cold starts. I have added some coolant to the car and since the error
message of Coolant Low, Stop Engine or Coolant Low, Stop Safely has
stopped coming up. Nonetheless, I am going to have the car inspected
to verify that there are no small leaks that might cause future issues
down the road. Thanks so much for you expertise and opinions!