volvo 850 T5 estate

HI

I have intermittent problem, the car pumps out steam, condensing onto
the windscreen and side windows. It comes through the vent system and
even around the steering wheel housing. It creating clouds of vapour
which is bad enough to fully open the window, stop the car and clean
off the condensed vapour from the glass. After a minute or so it
stops.

Anybody out there to give me some ideas?

Car is 1997 855 T5 auto estate.

thank you, in advance, for your help.


Ed

 

I'd look to see if the condensate drain for the A/C is blocked. As I
remember there's a small hose in a low spot in the heater box on the
passenger side. Disconnect it and see if water comes out. If so, clean
it. Have something available to catch the water, there can be lots. I
doubt that it's the heater core leaking, it wouldn't stop right away.
Also check under the plastic panel where the cabin filter is/would go.
Rain water gets in there, and should drain out.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

Had a similar problem several years ago on a '91 940T. It was the heating
core, but it was pretty constant since it happened in the winter when I was
running the heater. I don't know but what it may also leak when the AC is
running. At any rate, be sure to open the windows and try not to inhale any
of that vapor --- it's bad stuff if it's coming from the heating core.

 

forgot to mention the car has no A/C

 

In that case, I'd look at the heater core.

 

If it smells like antifreeze, then it's your heater core,
although I wouldn't have expected that to start and stop
as you describe. What does antifreeze smell like? Open
the expansion tank when cool, and sniff. It's kind of a
sweetish chemical smell is the only way I can describe it.

 

Does this happen when you pass blondes or brunettes mainly ?
sounds like the heater core had gone actually .

 

Just been to the mechanics, they had a look at the heater matrix and
found some moisture. They added the equivalent of a EGG into the
coolant tank to see if that will clear the problem.

Thanks for the advice and interest..

Ed