Hi ya’ll, my mom picked me up at the airport in my car and when I got in my car there was a warning sign telling me to shut off engine because it was too hot. She said she had been idling for ~20 minutes and tried using the A/C but it was blowing hot. The light had just turned on so thankfully I think we saved the engine from internal damage. I drove to a nearby gas station and added coolant (it was right at the minimum level) and drove home no problem. My car is a ‘09 Volvo S80 T6 w/ 180k miles… wondering if anyone had any ideas as to what could be the problem! Mechanics are super expensive out here in Seattle so hoping to get some advice before I take my car in. Happy to answer more questions and/or send photos. The alternator & water pump were replaced in the last 40k miles, and no visible leaks! Thanks for the help.
If the coolant level was at the minimum, then it wasn’t too low to cool the engine. The problem is more likely to be a stuck-closed thermostat, or maybe a failed coolant pump.