3.2l i6 08 Land Rover LR2 with bad coolant leak. Looked at first to be coming from oil cooler but all hoses are tight and dry and all visible oil cooler is dry. On close inspection it looks like it is actually coming from between the oil filter housing and the block. Does coolant run through the oil filter housing?? I would have assumed not and that only oil would go through the internal passages there. Sure does look like that is where the leak is though. Thx!

The manual seems to show a coolant passage from the block, through the oil filter holder/cooler assembly to a hose.

Thank you!! Now to me, it looks like the coolant circuit runs through the visible hose in your photo through the oil cooler to the hose (not shown in your diagram) running off the nipple on the left side of the oil cooler (in your lower diagram). Note the hoses on my diagram. This is why I'm baffled if/why there would be a coolant passage in the oil filter housing to the block.

Turbo,

This is for a slightly different Volvo with the 3.2

But I suspect that the flow of coolant and oil is similar on both.

Not identical but similar.

In this photo you can see the coolant connection to the heat exchanger






Removing the heat exchanger reveals the next photo

In this photo you can see the oil connection to the heat exchanged

Note: this one looks different than the LR2 design





The coolant only enter and exits the heat exchanger by the hoses

only oil enters and exits by the connection to the engine block

Note: the oil also goes thru the heat exchanger (not the same passage as the coolant)


I guess it is possible that the heat exchanger is broken and leaking.

Good luck

Paul

Are you sure that its not the thermostat housing that's leaking

Its right above the heat exchanger

This is the only other image that might prove useful. It looks to me like there is a coolant path from the block, through the oil cooler, out to the lower pipe (union on the left), through the cooler matrix and then to the upper pipe and back to the block. If the pipe unions aren't the cause of the leak, I'd try the interface between the cooler and the block since it has a gasket. The downside to this is you have to remove the inlet manifold to do it.

Let me know if you need any other pics from the manual.

p_gill wrote:

Are you sure that its not the thermostat housing that's leaking

Its right above the heat exchanger

p_gill wrote:

Turbo,

This is for a slightly different Volvo with the 3.2

But I suspect that the flow of coolant and oil is similar on both.

Not identical but similar.

In this photo you can see the coolant connection to the heat exchanger






Removing the heat exchanger reveals the next photo

In this photo you can see the oil connection to the heat exchanged

Note: this one looks different than the LR2 design





The coolant only enter and exits the heat exchanger by the hoses

only oil enters and exits by the connection to the engine block

Note: the oil also goes thru the heat exchanger (not the same passage as the coolant)


I guess it is possible that the heat exchanger is broken and leaking.

Good luck

Paul

TXFireblade wrote:

This is the only other image that might prove useful. It looks to me like there is a coolant path from the block, through the oil cooler, out to the lower pipe (union on the left), through the cooler matrix and then to the upper pipe and back to the block. If the pipe unions aren't the cause of the leak, I'd try the interface between the cooler and the block since it has a gasket. The downside to this is you have to remove the inlet manifold to do it.

Let me know if you need any other pics from the manual.

Turbo,

it may be useful drain the coolant and to pressurizer your system and look for the leaking air.

The system is normally under 15 PSI.

I wouldn't go above 15 PSI

Good luck

Paul

Well.. that would be to easy 😁 And I don't have one of those 👍🏼

Tubolove wrote:

Thank you!! Now to me, it looks like the coolant circuit runs through the visible hose in your photo through the oil cooler to the hose (not shown in your diagram) running off the nipple on the left side of the oil cooler (in your lower diagram). Note the hoses on my diagram. This is why I'm baffled if/why there would be a coolant passage in the oil filter housing to the block.

Found it!!! Upper hose (10 in diagram) had a pinhole leak on the backside running down the block between the oil filter adapter and the block! Easy fix I hope! Parts on the way. Glad I held off on the oil cooler! Will close out this thread once I confirm repair.

Can you get to it without pulling off the inlet? It looks pretty tight on mine.

Oh yes! I never pull the intake. I can have the whole bumper cover off in less than 10 min now after the radiator fan repair and immediately proceeding cooling fan repair. Could have pulled the whole oil filter adapter with oil cooler quite easily with the bumper cover off!!