Petrol smell in water res 740 Volvo

On further inspection by a number of others noses it may be that the smell is of exhaust fumes in the reservoir.

Perhaps a head gasket?

I have done a search and found that exhaust fumes can get in to the cooling. I have also noticed that the radiator hoses seems to be possibly under great pressure, would this also be a sign of a blown gasket.

If the gasket is gone can I still use the car as I cant get it fixed now before Christmas.

That pretty well confirms it.

At this stage, assuming the leak has not developed catastrophically, you can still use the car, but loosen the cooling system cap so that pressure will not build up. This won't do anything for the efficiency of the engine, but it will save you blowing a hose and dumping the coolant, leaving you stranded. Expect to loose coolant like this, so keep an eye on it, and be gentle with it.

If you are doing the work yourself, the gasket change is fairly straight forward, but you do need to get the head checked for flatness or other damage, getting it skimmed if necessary. Yellow Pages should turn up a local workshop that can do all this for about 30 - 40 quid.

While you are at it, take the oportunity to change the timing belt, and its tensioner if it is more than a couple of years old or feeling rough. Some people would recommend changing the water pump at the same time.

You will have to use public transport till it is fixed or you will render it non fixable permanently.

Cheers, Peter.