QuestionHi Ray,
A problem needs your help.
I recently acquired a 2000 S80 T6 which covered 80000 miles so far. A couple of days ago, I took it out for a quick run of shopping. On the way back, I noticed the temp gauge went higher than usual. It did not hit red so I made it home in one piece. Right after I parked the car (with the engine still running), I popped open the bonnet and noticed the fan was blowing very hard to cool the engine down. 5 mins later, it went back to the normal reading. Two days later, I got into a similar situation only this time it hit the red. I was in traffic so could not check if the fan was running. Again I made it home after the engine cooled down. I took the car back to the dealer and they replaced the thermostat and claimed the problem would go away.
Last night, the car just did it again. I summarise my findings as follows.
1) It does not happen everytime I drive the car.
2) In most cases, it happens when getting close to the end of trips (20 miles most).
3) In one incidence, I was doing a 50mph highway run with no problem. Suddenly got into traffic and engine heated up.
4) Engine does not heat up even if I idle for +10min with the A/C running.
5) One more thing I noticed is the car cools down very slowly. 3 hrs after I switch the engine off, it is still very hot (the moment I switch the key back on, temp gauge goes right back to the running temp). This car's engine room is cramped and VOLVO seals it off nicely with no vent to let the heat out.
I can not figure out what is wrong and worry the safety when I take it for a long trip. Could you please help?
Cheers,
Charles C.
AnswerCharles,
Take a ride at a time and in a place where you are able to stop to check if the cooling fan is running. That way you know for sure if it runs or not. Sure does sound like the fan is not working as it should. You may even need to return to the dealer and have the temp gauge checked maybe all the problems are due to a gauge that is faulty, and the car is not really running hot.
