1996 850R Oil leak rear of engine passenger side PICTURES

dmack87 · Post by **dmack87** » 04 Jun 2015, 10:23

I had a PCV that went too long before replacement. Well that project is done, but my oil leak remains. It is coming from the upper rear of the engine on the passenger side. It was dripping down onto the lower engine mount by the passenger wheel and caused that to fall apart (also replaced). The problem is, I am not sure what I should be looking to replace to stop the leak.

I cleaned the engine off very well, and then took the following pictures from underneath, looking up and towards the front of the car:

: closeup same location

What seal would this be, or might the oil be leaking from somewhere above and running down, although I can't see anything from above. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

dmack87 · Post by **dmack87** » 04 Jun 2015, 17:59

Popped the timing belt cover off and while there is a little wetness in there I don't see evidence of a large leak. I'm not sure if that is oil or coolant in there though. Maybe a little leak from the water pump?

I still have been unable to find the source of this leak. That is the exhaust manifold I am looking at that appears to be leaking in the pictures at the top of this post, but there is obviously not oil in the exhaust. Any thoughts from anyone? I am sick of smelling burning oil all the time!

Post by **scot850** » 04 Jun 2015, 17:59

Sorry, but I'm struggling to orientate the pictures and where we are looking. Are we looking up from underneath at the back of the engine looking at the exhaust manifold (passenger side)?

The pipe is the heater/turbo cooling pipe if I am correct.

Please can you take a picture of the general area from further back to help me?

Many thanks.

There are some studs at the back of the engine that have been known to leak along their threads with age, but I'm not convinced that the leak is at the nut, but that is the lowest point and the oil is gathering and dripping from there. Without knowing the exact position, it may be one of the camshaft front seals.

Neil.

dmack87 · Post by **dmack87** » 04 Jun 2015, 20:28

Apologies.. yes you are absolutely correct about where this is. I am laying under the car with my feet sticking out under the center of the front bumper looking upward at the back of the engine at the bottom of the exhaust manifold(?). I agree that I don't think it is coming from that nut either, but I am not sure where it is coming from.

: Laying under the car feet sticking out under the front mumper and looking up at the back of the engine.. passenger side

Also, this appears to be a small leak because I just spent 45 minutes with hot water cleaning off the back of the engine. It drips on the floor every night and the car stinks of burning oil always.

dmack87 · Post by **dmack87** » 04 Jun 2015, 20:44

Found another site suggesting this could be valve stem seals. Have also noticed a bit of blue smoke while following the Volvo. Thoughts?

Post by **scot850** » 04 Jun 2015, 20:46

Now I get it, thanks for clarification.

I have read from some other guys that some of the exhaust manifold studs go into the oil jacket, and can leak over time. Apart from being a pain to get to, you may want to pull that stud and put some sealant on it and re-fit and see if that is the source. I think it is the most likely source.

The other picture from you timing belt area is hard to diagnose as the rear plastic cove hides leaks from the cam seals. The leaks from there are probably not the cause of the smell, the other one is as it is leaking onto your hot exhaust manifold. The leaks could be one and the same, but as I have not had a leak there, maybe one of the guys who has will jump in and say how to access that area to find out.

Again, careful cleaning of that area, and particularly under the water-pump, running the car again and then re-check. You can leave the cover off to make it easier to inspect.

I tend to find if that leak residue in the timing belt area is the water pump it tends to leak down, so if the area above the pump is dry, then it is your pump. If not, it is unlikely to be the pump.

You may be able to look up the back of the cams gears and see if there is any oil dampness in there, or the only other way I can think of is to pull the timing belt, and I think you have to pull the cam gears to get that rear cover off. If you are going that far, then it would make sense to replace the cam seals anyway. Check on the website for seals that don't leak. Volvo naturally are good, but I know others have been mentioned that are half the price but are OEM parts.

Neil.

dmack87 · Post by **dmack87** » 05 Jun 2015, 05:33

Would I have any concern running low pressure hot water under the timing belt cover to clean it out? House hot, not heated washer hot.

Post by **JRL** » 05 Jun 2015, 07:38

Someone please give this guy the good news without the whitewashing.
Cam seals are probably leaking.
REAR MAIN seal is probably leaking
Turbo dump tube seal (no biggie) is leaking.

Because the Breather replacement was deferred too long it's a good bet that this one is very clogged up and is pushing oil out of almost every possible orifice there is!
Was the oil passage into the pan cleared when you finally did the breather?

All that being said, you may have lucked out and the turbo tube seal is leaking badly causing the oil to run down as in that picture.
(You would still have the cam seals and a new timing belt to deal with)

Post by **cn90** » 05 Jun 2015, 08:41

Classic FRONT Cam Seals. Been there done that!
Stick to Corteco brand! Detail below...

DIY: 1998 Volvo S70 Timing Belt, WP, Cam Seals, SB Overhaul:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... p?p=367222

dmack87 · Post by **dmack87** » 08 Jun 2015, 13:58

I am going to investigate all these and it is certainly within the realm of possibility that I have multiple leaks. I can't see anything leaking around the turbo at all, and the leaked oil appears to be all on the passenger side of the engine, but I suppose it could be running across the top lip of the exhaust manifold as I can see a bit of oil further towards the driver side. Would it make sense to do the timing belt and cam seals, and see what else I can see on that end during that repair? What I want to avoid is repetition of effort though. It seems I have a habit of doing a repair, then shortly after another repair requires me to do 90% of what I did the first time again to get access to something else.

Another thing I have discovered is the blue smoke after idle, which I have read is a sign of valve seals leaking. Supposedly if it just idles on a warm engine for 10 minutes and you rev it up it blows some pooled oil into the exhaust manifold and burns off causing the smoke?