volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Wed 2 Nov 2011 10:35
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - unlucky or not

I was unfortunate on the w/e to be driving on the motorway and the waterhose came off and the engine was damaged beyond repair. I have only had the car for 4 months and it was running perfectly, no waring beforehand and it was all over within minutes. I am in the process of having another engine put in but I have been reading about air-con noises and consequential engine problems. When i switch off my air-con it gurgles for a while? Is that anything I should be worried about? Could it have led to this problem? Please help as I am facing a very large bill and don't want another large bill

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 2 Nov 2011 15:22
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - galileo

Presumably you saw no dashboard warning lights when the hose came off and kept driving till it seized up?

Air con noises are not a cause of coolant loss, the air con fluid system is entirely separate from the engine coolant system.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 2 Nov 2011 16:01
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - unlucky or not

no dashboard lights came on. the first i knew of a problem was when i heard a noise like metal dragging along the bottom of the car, then loss of power all this happened within 1-2 minutes. The garage said there was no oil in the engine. I have been told that the oil will evaporate in high temperatures. I am at a loss to know why this happened

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 2 Nov 2011 16:13
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - piston power

It happened because you didn't check the oil levels or this has been leaking.

A coolant hose coming off will throw steam & temp gauge will shoot up fast, so long as you checked there was enough coolant in there.

Unlucky no daft for not checking the basics but we live and learn your's was costly.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 2 Nov 2011 17:50
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - unlucky or not

I had not checked the oil but the oil light had never come on and there was no oil under the car where i park it, thus not indicative of an oil leak. That is why I am perplexed

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 2 Nov 2011 15:25
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - Peter.N.

I would think that your engine damage was down entirely to loss of water. Gurgling from the aircon I would not think unusual, its a high pressure gas system like a fridge or freezer which often do the same on switching off. The only connection the aircon has with the engine is the belt and pulley that drives the compressor, if you had a failure there engine damage is a possibility but unlikely I would have thought.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 2 Nov 2011 15:27
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - Peter.N.

Sorry Galileo, you obviously type faster then me.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 2 Nov 2011 17:58
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - unlucky or not

To make matters worse the garage who have sourced and will fit the new engine say that it will only have a 30 day guarantee. Has anyone any experience of this? It seems wrong that after spending so much money i have no guarantee?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 3 Nov 2011 11:21
volvo v40 1.8i - air con - engine damage - jc2

NEW????? engine.If it was NEW it should come with a FULL warranty and be very,very expensive but more likely it's an unknown out of a breakers.Ask the source.

Edited by jc2 on 03/11/2011 at 11:22

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide